The Weekender

[Lumpy223]

I picked up my new RC 7x12, V nose, cargo trailer yesterday. I ordered it with a roof vent fan/light combo, an RV latch on the side door, and a window on the curb side. It doesn't have brakes.





The plan is to haul either my motorcycle or golf cart to different weekend (hence the title) events and then be able to sleep in the trailer. This won't be a full blown conversion but it will have a few extra comforts. Today I started stripping the walls and adding insulation. I managed to get better than halfway finished before it just got cold to keep working on it.

[aggie79]

Very cool! Have fun with your CTC.

[Rainier70]

Good start.

[Lumpy223]

Finished up with getting the walls insulated today. I also disconnected the factory wiring from the light and vent fan/light combo and added additional wiring to them so that I could wire them into the 12 volt power supply when I am ready. I also experienced a moment of serious hesitation as I prepared to drill a 1 3/4 inch hole in the side of the trailer in order to mount the 110 volt power inlet. Thankfully, it went off without a hitch.

[Lumpy223]

I stopped by the local trailer supply store today for some small stuff. I picked up this 6 fuse block which should be perfect for my needs.




I spotted these small LED lights for just under 11 bucks each. The sales guy hooked one up to a battery and I was amazed at how bright it was. I ended up buying 2 of them.




I mounted one of them towards the rear of the trailer and the other up towards the front. A single wall mounted rocker switch will turn them both on or off. If 2 is to much light I can also turn them off individually using switches mounted directly on the light. They certainly light the trailer up well and operate in the milliamps range.

[pchast]

Nice lights... Do you have a link for more
of them?

Thanks

[Lumpy223]

The packaging on them was very minimal (just a plastic bag really). I will check tomorrow and see what kind of manufacturer info I can get. I got these from a local trailer supply store.

[Lumpy223]

Nice lights... Do you have a link for more
of them?

Thanks

I thought the packaging was still in the trailer but apparently it already went out with the trash. Sorry I can't be of more help.

[pchast]

No problem. Thanks for looking.

[Lumpy223]

One of the things I knew early on in this was that I wanted a counter in the V section and have the ability to easily access the battery hidden under it. I wanted to be able to slide the battery out fairly easy if needed. I found these neat ball bearing casters at Harbor Freight and mounted them to the bottom of a piece to 1/2 inch plywood to make a battery tray. The tray will be hidden behind a cupboard door when I am finished.



Heres a shot of the framing I made using 16 gauge 1 inch square tube for the front shelf. The frame is actually fairly lite weight. I had to tack weld everything together in place and then drag it out to put better welds on everything. I figured the steel tubing would come in lighter than if I had used 2x4s. In the second pic you can see the spot where the battery tray will slide in. My welding skills leave a lot to be desired but this will do the job.





Tomorrow I hope to finish running the wiring for the 110 volt outlets I installed in the walls.

[Lumpy223]

I have been trying to think of what I wanted to do with the walls. Then I came across some heavy vinyl sheeting that they use to print large banners on. It was in the trash and you know what they say...One mans trash ..........

Installation didnt go to well as I failed to cut it close to size before trying to hang it. As a result I got some wrinkles though they look much worse in the pictures than they do in person. This vinyl was in rough shape and had creases in it. If the idea of using it seems sound and works out well perhaps I will replace it with new vinyl at some point. Again, this trailer will primarily be used to haul with only light camping use so I am not shooting for perfection.




Here is a shot of one of my outlets and the rocker switch that turns on the LED lights.



Got most of the roof insulation in today. Still have to do the V section...just have to figure out the best way to cut the angles correctly.

[Lumpy223]

Finally got the wood installed over the frame. Never realized how expensive sanded plywood was......Ouch.




In this picture you can see the doors which will flip up allowing access to the storage areas.



The next area of work will be in building the upper cabinet to hide all the electrical stuff.

[Lumpy223]

Got the upper cabinet framed and built. Then came hooking up all the wiring which was a bigger job than I thought it was going to be. I framed it with 1x2s and used a decent looking piece of sub flooring to cover it. I was trying to go as light weight as possible for this part. All the access door hinges are on as well as the barrel locks for the battery access. I still have to do something with the wires running down behind the fridge....thinking about some wire loom. Still have to get the camera mounted and the video cable run out to the hitch area. I went ahead and ran additional wiring so that I can add the back up camera at a later time.







Here is the control panel. There is the voltage meter with a push button to the right of it to turn the display off if desired. The toggle switch will allow me to switch between the 12 volt converter or the battery. The 2 rocker switches control the camera and the ceiling fan. The 2 lights above the rockers indicate that both the 12 volt converter is working and the other one indicates that I have 120 volts. And of course there is the 12 volt outlet.



It dropped down to about 40 at dark so I threw the electric heater on for a bit to see how well it would do. I guess all the insulation I put in is working as it got nice and toasty after only about 15 minutes. The next big step is to buy the steel 1x1 square tube to make the bed out of and get that built. I have a rough idea of what I am going to do.....just gotta make it happen.

[Lumpy223]

Today I finally got around to pulling the bike up into the trailer to measure up where to mount the wheel chock. Figured I would check out the view of the bike from inside the truck via the camera mounted inside the trailer. I will be able to easily keep an eye on the bike now while traveling in case a strap gets loose or something. The picture posted here isnt great but will give an idea of what I will see on the monitor. The actual view on the monitor is a lot better than this picture. The camera is actually equipped with night vision so it will work at night too.



Got the chock mounted today, next up will be the tie down anchor points.

[Lumpy223]

One of the things I was concerned with was someone locking the swing bar leaving me stuck inside. I grabbed a couple junk pieces of steel and made this to cover the hinge with, add a padlock and there is no way to shut the swing bar.






Got the bed frame built. The outside legs are designed to swing down into place as the bed is lowered.



This is the pivot point for the bed. Anchored to the floor and wall.



Bed sits just high enough off the floor that it wont be horrible getting out of. It is queen size.



Looks like everything fits!



Rear camera mounted at the top center on the rear of the trailer. I can see behind me while driving and backing up. I can also move the monitor inside the trailer while parked and have a view out the back of the trailer, almost like another window.



Couple shots of the camera views. They are much better than these pictures show.





Well that is my build. Very spartan compared with what y'all have done I know but it will fit my needs just fine. Thanks for the inspiration!