Winter 2015 Tiny TT Build

[jadedave]

After looking into various types of mobile camping vehicles , I settled on building a small travel trailer. Last year I bought a new Subaru Forester and later learned that the company had reduced this vehicles' towing capacity from 2400 lbs to 1500 lbs. The Outback model with the same engine and drive train is still listed to tow 2400 lbs. what to do ?? I found that most travel trailers weighed more than 1500 lbs and the ones that were exceptionally light were expensive and only had 6 ft high ceilings. I knew I wanted certain things that would be difficult to find in any one manufactured trailer. Early in 2015 I decided to design and build a trailer that would fulfill the vision I had for a comfortable, durable and functional camping vehicle. The goal was to fill the following criteria :
1) Build a dry weight trailer that weighs no more than 1500 lbs.
2) Build a shape that would be fairly aerodynamic to reduce wind resistance
3) Use exterior materials that could withstand harsh weather , Ultra Violet , hot sun , ice and snow for many years.
4) Have nice interior materials ,, no flimsy paneling or particle board cabinetry
5) have a toilet in a private space
6)Have as many of the comforts of larger trailers as weight would allow
7)Be able to cook inside when the weather is bad
8 )To have large unobstructed windows for lots of natural light and ample ventilation.
9) to have unique lighting
10) to build an electrical and gas system that would allow me to boondock for extended periods.
11) to have a 6ft 5 in high ceiling

What follows is my build journey that is at this time only partially finished and is, as all good adventures, an endeavor with uncertain results..
I invite comments , suggestions , helpful tips and questions as I move along..
Cheers Jadedave

[Vedette]

Welcome to the Forum!
I am sure you will receive a ton of support here!
Good Roads
Brian & Sandi

[jadedave]

In order to keep the weight to a minimum , I purchased an aluminum utility trailer from Aluma Trailer in Iowa, the flatbed would be 6 ft wide and 10 ft long and would come with factory installed brakes. Once the rear ramp was removed the trailer chassis would be around 500 lbs

[jadedave]

Unfortunately my trailer delivery would not be until April 7th , and I really wanted to use the winter to get a head start on the build ,, I decided that I would prefab as much of the structure as possible and then put it all together in short order once the trailer arrived. I knew there were risks involved with this approach yet I believed I would be able to make it work. I worked out a design on large sized graph paper using arcs of various radii and researched materials that would be as light as possible and structurally sound. I decided to use 103 in wide .040 aluminum from a tractor trailer repair company (Merritt) this would be the most durable and weather proof skin available and I would be able to cover the entire exterior In 3 pieces of metal. I found some 5.2 mm luan at Lowes for the substrate under the aluminum and purchased a dozen white wood (mixed spruce/hemlock/fir) 2 x 4 s for the wall framing. The 2by4s would be sawn into 1in by 1in studs and 1.5 in by 1 in top rail pieces. Using a trammel set to draw the various arcs on the luan that would define the curves of the trailer. Cutting the exact curvature of the side walls. Gluing the top curved rails to the luan with PL premium const adhesive. finished side wall with framing . the length of the box is 12 ft by 6ft 6in wide by 6ft 5in ceiling ht.

[jadedave]

Once the wall panels were complete , I laid out two 6.5 by 12 ft pieces of aluminum in the driveway and laid the wall assemblies on top to trace the shape on the metal. Next I cut the Aluminum to size with a saber saw with a metal cutting blade. finally, I sandwiched everything together and put weight on top to glue the metal to both of the wood sides. The last photo show the outside of the wall with tape to protect the metal as I routed out the window openings ..

[S. Heisley]

This looks and reads like a really nice build. I like the Aluma Trailer.

[jadedave]

Here is a shot of the two side walls with insulation and 1/8th inch Alder paneling glued to the lower 2/3rds of the walls. I found some 1/8th inch alder sheet material at an RV repair place , they thought it was Luan but I noticed that it had a very nice alder face veneer. I knew this would take a nice finish , not be too dark and be very lightweight. I decided to build all the interior partitions seating and bed platform by constructing hollow core panels about 1 inch thick with rigid insulation sandwiched between two layers of 1/8 th inch alder. These panels would be exceptionally light ,very flat and quite rigid. Here Im fabbing the panel inner frame out of Home Depot white wood which is very light and rather fibery .... Laying the 1/8 alder onto the frame.... lastly the perimeter of the laid up panel is clamped and let dry. I planned to spray all the interior woodwork before the trailer is assembled. Here is one of the interior panels ready for finishing The edge trim on the panel is mahogany ...

[Vedette]

Great Job!
You have been busy!
Keep it going.....April 7th is getting closer.
Brian

[lfhoward]

Love your build so far! I like the idea of constructing the walls before attaching them to the trailer. It is a necessity if your garage is not tall enough for the assembled trailer, as is the case at my house too. I will be watching your build with interest!

BTW, do you know how you are going to fasten the walls to the aluminum deck yet? I am working that out also and would love to know what works.

Cheers,
Lauren

[jadedave]

Thanks Actually , I am building out the aluminum trailer frame which is 72 inches wide and making it 79 inches wide . to do this I am bolting on 3.5 inch wood rails to the outside of the metal frame. Next I plan to place the bottom 1 by 1 wall plate onto the 3.5 inch rails , I will slather on a lot of Loctite PL Premium construction adhesive and then bolt the walls to the wood trailer rails . I have fallen in love with PL Premium adhesive ,it's a bit messy to use but it sticks to nearly everything, it fills gaps , it has a long open time in which to adjust the parts, and it's impervious to water. the label says it will outlast the material it is bonding.

[lfhoward]

Thanks for your reply. I can see the slot for your 3.5 inch rails in the bottom of your sidewalls. Locktite plus bolts will make that a really strong connection.

I would be interested in your opinion about bonding my walls to the steel trailer deck. I asked the question in my latest post:
http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=62581&p=1122329#p1122329

Thanks and good luck!
Lauren

[jadedave]

Spraying the Alder panels with ML Campbell Conversion Varnish The Alder paneling with finish applied The seating structure begins to take shape I custom built 5 LED reading lights using modified track lites One of the more dicey elements for this build is the shop built window units , I wanted larger than usual glass with a frameless exterior look. My concerns are mounting the glass panes to the aluminum hinge and making the whole thing watertight.

[KCStudly]

Really nice wood work!

[noseoil]

Interesting concept for the build & nice execution of the woodwork. I hope your target weight is on the money, as there's a lot going on with the build & what's planned for the interior. Looks like a nice trailer, plenty strong & no worries about rust or durability with the aluminum. Don't forget the wiring runs!

[Gold5one]

looks nice-- and a great looking trailer. I suspect the brakes may have been down graded on your Subaru Forester or maybe they eliminated something in the cooling system. . In the fall of 2004 I bought a 2005 Ford Escape AWD- 4cyl, automatic - it had a 2000lb tow rating. The engine had a separate oil cooler and a transmission cooler. In 2006 the tow rating dropped to 1000 lb- Ford had eliminated the oil cooler to save money.