Foamie hybrid with ribs and wheelchair accessibility...

[greygoos]

I think GPW has a an entrance in the rear. Its the FoamStream.

[Redneck Packrat]

SW, no I did not. Beat the boogers out of it and nothing. Today used a bead breaking screw on it and got the tube out. I found that it is the tire that had the cut in the tube and was patched with a wing and a prayer about six months ago, but it has a new pinhole in it almost opposite the first patch. Getting a new patch on it as soon as I find the glue. Dang squirrel must've gotten my attention last time I patched a tire BUT.... I have figured out how to make the stuff re-appear: I will go to the gettin' place Monday and get another can of it. As soon as I get there with the new can and crack the seal on it, the old can will scurry out of hiding and jump onto its shelf!

Greygoos, I just found that thread this afternoon. Looks intriguing. But there's squirrels everywhere! I'll go finish reading it when I get through with this post.

That bottom trailer is 12 ft long, and is a good 76 wide. Thinking about using it instead of the top one, just for the two additional feet. It does have the 5.40x12 tires on it, but they're 5-on-4.5 hubs and I have a wide assortment of 13's, 14's or 15's I can stick on it....IF they'll ride without getting too close to the deck.

Foamie interests me for several reasons. One, it's inexpensive, is what my mental ballpark calculator is coming up with. Two, it's well-insulated. Three, it's a challenge and I like challenges. Weight is not an issue. I do not have go-karts, I have real (old) trucks to drag whatever on down the road. Cat II receiver hitch, with wife's chair lift and chair is about 600 lbs. Only time I got funky-wiggly-butt in the 1/2 ton was when I also had sixteen boxes of ceramic tile in the bed coming home from Lowe's. Point being, I know I can get the thing balanced well-enough that I don't experience that FWB with whatever I build. That 12 ft trailer might give me what I am wanting... I can go to 7 wide, overhanging the side rails. Thinking of "conventional" construction in the bottom foot, and plywood on the little 6" over hangs, and build the rest of the walls with foam. That'd give me roughly 5 ft of vertical walls, then maybe use GPW's concept on his FoamStream of the curved top foot or so to the roof.

All that said, one way or another I'm gonna need that top trailer to carry stuff around on if I hijack the 12 footer....so, the Ospho got sprayed on it where it sat, out in the barnyard. Being that it is the weekend, I had the boss with me, and had no trailer hitch to move stuff around (Scoop's got a thorn in his shoe, remember? And that pesky chair lift stuck into the receiver of the truck...) so I rolled out every air hose I could find and got there with the blow gun.

As an aside: If you have any way to make the choice of extension cord on the compressor or add hoses....ADD HOSES! Those compressors will really struggle with the voltage drop on a long extension cord, and over about 50 feet, might not even start. If you're making noise with an air gun or something, you won't even hear it humming and smoking!

Anyway, trailer as it started the day:


This is what I used on it:


After spraying a quart or so on it, in the 93F and 80% humidity we had going on, it was already beginning to turn black:




More Monday.... or Tuesday....or....

[swoody126]

Bill, it is comforting to know i'm knot the only one who attacks projects this way

gotz my tub of popcorn and a big ole glass of sweet tea



ONWARD THRU THE FOG

sw

[Redneck Packrat]

Nothing picture-worthy has happened since the last post. Been finishing out a few trim pieces and baseboard in the remodeled master bathroom inside the house. I was informed that it looked unfinished. Did not DARE reply that that was because it *was* unfinished

Tomorrow's going to see a couple hours on the frame, and possibly some work on the floor. I want to measure one thing and see if I can't possibly get 12 ft out of it without having to move the axle. I probably can, since it's already 54" to tail out of the 116 of the original trailer bed. Stretching the tongue a foot or so is not a problem, and it doesn't look strange as it sits. TLAR engineering works, if you know what TLRW looks like. (That Looks Really Wrong)

Can't wait to get back to it

[Redneck Packrat]

Just changed the name of the thread to more accurately reflect what I'm going and what my goal is. Might be easier to find by someone else looking to do similar, and give them a little help in deciding what (or more likely, what *not*) to do

[Padilen]

Hi,
Are the hubs bolt holes or studs? I have 5 on 4.5 hubs allegedly, , with holes for lug bolts.. And I have 5 on 4.5 hubs with with studs for lug nuts. I did a swap to my little rims to get my CTC in my pole barn. They do not line up. I was able to use them but only to get CTC inside.


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[Redneck Packrat]

These are bolts, 1/2-20, right side RH thread and left side LH thread, 4 on 4.5 (maybe 4 on 4) 13" rims. Have not pulled the hubs off yet, so I have no idea if I can find 5x4.5 hubs to fit the machining on the axle, but that is my plan, as I have a metric buttload of 5x4.5 rims of all ages, tire sizes and conditions

If all of your wheels are 5x4.5, they *should* work, whether bolt or stud mounted. The 5 is the number of holes, the 4.5 is the diameter of the pattern of the fasteners. The pilot hole might be different. That's the center hole that the hub sticks through, and it could be that the shoulder on the hub is bigger diameter than your second set of wheels' pilot hole. MOST small (<3000 lb.) axles/hubs are bolt piloted, which means that the bolts hold all the weight. Heavier weights are hub-piloted with the bolts only holding the wheel to the hub but the hub bearing the weight on that shoulder. If the backs of your lug nuts/bolts are tapered, they're bolt piloted and need tapered holes in the wheel. Flat needs flat. In other words, the mating surface must be compatible. That also might be a source of your woes. But at least you got it inside.

[Padilen]

That frame old or at least the hubs are.
I have a lot of rims that are 5 on4.5 and haven't found a use for them.


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[Redneck Packrat]

Easy to swap out your hubs for something that has a true 5x4.5 pattern.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/category_trailers-towing+trailer-bearings-hub-sets+trailer-hubs

Not as cheap as a tube of peanuts, but it does give you the peace of mind of knowing that if you wind up on your spare, you can pick up another whole tire/wheel at Wallyworld, or in your (and my, when I swap out my hubs) case just grab another of your many out of wherever you're carrying 'em along.

[Padilen]

That's not what I meant, all my rims are off Jeeps or trucks. They would hit either frame or springs do to back spacing.
So none of my trailers or my tow use the same bolt pattern or rim size.
And my CTC has aluminum rims that I do not like! My extra steel rims have same bolt pattern. While they are 16 " will fit height wise, but the back spacing makes them a no go. Plus now my tow is 17". Just a vicious circle, I just can't have the same on tow and trailer.
8-12-14-15-16-16.5-17 thankfully I've not had 18-22
I have a frame from a TT to make a utility trailer. Most of the ones I've stripped were 15's. So I had a spare laying around. Checked it out same type of rim bolts right on. . Got to looking at it, trailer has 14". I did find the rims on etrailer so I can get one. Now I just need to get busy and convert the frame.


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[Redneck Packrat]

I didn't even think about the offset! Yeah, I understand that, and not much of a way around it. Utility flatbeds are nice to have around, and the ones with a backstory are kinda fun to have.

Just don't lend it out, you'll get real popular with the whole neighborhood

I don't lend trailers. Mine are all old, no numbers, grandfathered plates with "NONE" in the vin spot. Absolutely no desire to lose one. I'll pull one for someone if they need to use it, any time I'm asked (well, almost.) But we're too close to big cities and Mexico for me to be comfortable letting anyone but family drag one around.

[Redneck Packrat]

Just got Scoop's hind leg put back together. Two trips to town..... that bead breaker last week and then today i broke the valve core fishing tool thingy. 30 miles for a 5 dollar thingamajig at tractor supply. Hope his new one lasts as long but not holding my breath.

Now to go unload the trailer. Hey y'all watch this!

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[Redneck Packrat]

I've got a bunch of pics. Not a clue as to how to upload em from a phone. Found a few spots needed another coast of Ospho. And rim leak on the one side with new tire. Dismounted that tire and wire brushed that wheel and painted on Ospho.

Question: is it true that the only thing magical about the 80" width is the need for more lighting? If so I'm going a little wider with the box. Maybe 84 to give me 80 inside. Maybe not. I need to mock up the wife's bed with raising head end and see how much more than just mattress length I will need.

Tongue is plenty long as it's built. I can even overhang 9 more inches in front and the same in back. That gives me 11ft box. Plenty to put a drop down single bed for me along one side. I know, could go with a double bed along front but wife sleeps on her back with head raised, and I sleep on my stomach. That'd put me bent kinda funny

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(Edit 7/2/17: I did not go with any more overhang in back. The bumper is solid enough to use as a ramp-hanging point, and so it's being left as-is.)

[swoody126]

hey Bill,

here'z your answer

https://www.dps.texas.gov/internetforms ... CVE-38.pdf

sw

[Redneck Packrat]

hey Bill,

here'z your answer

https://www.dps.texas.gov/internetforms ... CVE-38.pdf

sw

Thanks SW! That confirms what I already thought. I appreciate your hunting that down. Looks like I oughtta do my best to fit that mattress inside within 75-76". It'll take a LOT of gigs away from Barney

Now for some pitchers

Picking the trailer up off'n the other trailer:


Gonna work on it outside. Inside looks like the jolly green giant picked up the barn and shook it I need to stop and do some organizin'


It gets shady after about 3 pm on that end of the barn. Very pleasant with a little breeze, I almost prefer it to being inside with a fan.

Pulled off the flat and broke it down, found a bunch of junk where the bead's supposed to seat. I don't blame it for leaking, I'd leak if I tried to be seated on that too!


Brushed it off with wire brush and painted it with Ospho and a cheap HF bristle brush.


Since I had a can full of stuff and a wet brush, I brushed on a few spots I'd missed or that got rained off of the frame. Got most of it except for a few places where I was stretching from trying to stay upwind of the drift. I'll leave it until tomorrow and get some paint on it.


The black is where rust was, the white is excess Ospho that didn't have any rust to react with to turn black.


That right tire is all weather cracked and buttugly, but for time being I'm gonna leave it alone. It's holding air and if it ain't broke I'm not gonna fix it ...it'll do for moving it around to work on it, and I still haven't decided if I'm gonna keep those 4x4 wheels and hubs or find some 5x4.5's. I do not have a spare 4x4 wheel, is probably what will be the deciding factor, and I do have the previously-mentioned metric buttload of 5x4.5's.

Slowly accumulating other stuff I'm gonna need for this build. Picked up a couple packages of canvas drop cloths from HF, and since they were on sale, I got a box of 36 2" cheapo paintbrushes for like twelve bucks. (One of them got used on the Ospho-ing today ) Already have a gallon of TB2, well, a partial gallon. I use that on my furniture building. Also have roof pooky. Might even have enough. Got a pantload of oops paint in all sorts of wild-ass colors. Hmmm ....taking that literally, I wonder if I could get the wife to paint a mandrill on the side of it.



On second thought, I'll probably just mix all of 'em together and use 'em for the first few coats.

Oh, I also went to the nasty filthy slobby big orange store which is the only place within 100 miles that carries Foamular 150. They do indeed have it, and even some unbroken pieces of it! What a concept! I cannot imagine how they compete with the neat, clean, well-swept and adequately-air-conditioned big blue store. Kinda like comparing a K and a Wal. I picked up a 2x2 piece of the 1" just to mess around with it and try gluing, etc. Haven't decided what I'm gonna try to make, but I'll post some of it when I do!

Ya know, it's almost as much fun to conjecture and plan as it is to actually do the build!