Foamie hybrid with ribs and wheelchair accessibility...

[featherliteCT1]

Your ingenuity is VERY impressive ... I am enjoying your build photos and detailed narrative ... Thank you!

[Redneck Packrat]

Your ingenuity is VERY impressive ... I am enjoying your build photos and detailed narrative ... Thank you!

You're too kind, I thank you for your words. It's certainly a learning experience, and real-life MacGyver type stuff. I love solving problems. And when I don't have enough of 'em, I'll create some for myself

BTW, I did edit that previous post; there's a whole metric buttload of pics on there now.

[GPW]

Looking Great Bill !!! Really coming along nicely !!!

[Redneck Packrat]

Today was a GPW special: Rained most of the day. Didn't get much time to play but I did fart around with the front bedframe. Started with a horizontal 2x4 across the front wall, bottom of it is 18" from the floor. Chose that so that the Wallyworld 5 dollar tubs will fit underneath with a little clearance It's supported on both ends and at thirds with 2x2's; end 2x2's are screwed to the corner posts to act as a ledger for the bedframe.


Sized the rest of it to fit that partial metal bed frame I'm intending to use to give the head the ability to raise. Dry fitted it all together with one screw at each point, just to lift the metal frame onto it and see if I can read a tape measure


Fits, except for these "hooks" that were originally to lock the two halves together. Gonna have to cut them off.


The walls are going to be another 5" higher before they cock over at 45* to go up and meet the flat part of the roof. This is about the most The Boss likes to raise the head of the bed, so it looks like there's gonna be plenty of room for her to do what she wants.


Hooks are gone.


Back into the camper (Can I call it that yet? It still doesn't have a roof but it's starting to look like one ) with the metal half-bed and it fits like a glove. Didn't get a pic of it back in but this is what the top of the bedframe looks like...




The two 2x4's further from the camera are spaced with one of those slivers I got from making the 2x2's on the table saw.


Came out just about perfect to give the angle iron a slot to sit in.


Oh, I took out the fender washers and 3" screws when I got there. Seems that 16 hrs is plenty of time for Alex Plus to dry in 95%+ humidity. Re-used them to pull the foam up against the bedframe, and that's where I left it for today.

Tomorrow, or next time I get to play with it, I've got to put that 5th full rib in up against the back rail of the bedframe, probably with another piece of that lath-like stuff from ripping, and then box in both ends of the bed and put the front rib in at 14", then build the front walls' ribs over to meet up with that last front transverse rib over the middle of the bed.

Are the pics turning out okay for y'all? I've got 'em sized where they look good on my laptop...if anyone's having frustercations, I'll see what I can do to rectumfy it.

Now, to go enjoy a quiet evening with my bride of 19 years, today. She's deserving of quite a prize, for putting up with me for so long. I'm amazed at her forebearance.

[ghcoe]

Whoa.... adding 2x4s is going to add a lot of weight fast.....

[Redneck Packrat]

Only the bedframe and four, 18" legs. Rest is 2x2. There's gonna be a allthread linear actuator under there which pushes the head of the bed up. I do NOT want to push the bed through the wall or have something come aloose catastrophically. I'll deal with a few 2x4's worth of weight. I almost...ALMOST...went with a 2x6 on the inboard side of the bed! There'll be a few more chunks of it under there, but probably no more than one more stud's worth.

And I'm not really that worried about weight. Pulling with either a F150 or 250. No Yugos

[featherliteCT1]

Photos look great!

[swoody126]

Only the bedframe and four, 18" legs. Rest is 2x2. There's gonna be a allthread linear actuator under there which pushes the head of the bed up. I do NOT want to push the bed through the wall or have something come aloose catastrophically. I'll deal with a few 2x4's worth of weight. I almost...ALMOST...went with a 2x6 on the inboard side of the bed! There'll be a few more chunks of it under there, but probably no more than one more stud's worth.

And I'm not really that worried about weight. Pulling with either a F150 or 250. No Yugos

i do understand the impetus of most folks on this forum being SMALL & LIGHT WEIGHT howsumever w/ your "economy/small" TV being an F-150 i don't think the weight of an extra 4x2 or 3 will threaten the overall concept

the IMPORTANT issue is the platform for the bride's special bed

and scrimping there is not an option

i feel the fact you are building w/ foam may be confusing some where their thinking more closely aligns w/ the backpacker/gram weenie's aversion to even the smallest addition of weight instead of ease of build and insulation qualities...

as one who subscribes to the 5-"P's" method of working i applaud your Prior Planning around readily available storage units sliding under the bed frame platform

an inch or so is not a tie breaker when it makes organization more streamlined by utilizing store-boughten tubs in lieu of having to fab a custom unit

ONWARD...

sw

[Redneck Packrat]

I do have a limit on the curb weight. But it's arbitrary. 2000#. Just because I think it's realistic, and it'll keep me from tinkering and adding and monkeying with stuff as I build. I'm just about finished with all the heavy stuff. Another platform for my bed along one wall, that folds up unless I'm actually in it, and a couple batteries. The remaining foam and coverings are negligible weight-wise.

I have no brakes on the trailer....in fact, I've never owned a trailer with brakes. And I've pulled LOTS of trailers, heavily loaded. But I rarely go out of state with a trailer, and don't want issues with the brake laws. Texas is generous with the 4500# threshold and generally lax attitude. The only place I have gone outside Texas with a trailer is to/from New Venezuela. (In-laws live up about an hour from Chicago.) That state is also very easy and laid back in practice....IN PRACTICE.... but there's enough laws on the books to give Barney Fife something to ruin your day if he's of a mind to.

All this adds up to possible headaches and I'm trying to minimize those by doing a good job, way under weight threshold for brakes, and looking decent enough where the first impression is "Wow, that's homemade?" with a grin, instead of "That's GOTTA be homemade!" with a snicker.

Dawned sunny today, which might be deceptive, but there's currently the correct amount of light outside for the time of morning, unlike the last few where it seemed like just before dawn all the way til 10:00 Might actually be able to go do this little stucco side-job and gather up the dead presidents for the rest of the foam! Same kind of process and thinking as foam, canvas and house paint, just different, more-brittle materials! But first, the rest of the coffee.....

[GPW]

Bill, I wouldn’t worry about weight that much since you’re building for special purpose … Do what ya’ gotta do … more coffee … I’m doing the same … and it’s raining here … again ...

[Redneck Packrat]

Well, got the sun back today, and it was steaming hot

Short day, had to be home earlier than usual, but did a lot of monkeying with the oddball stuff in front, making it up as I go. I put in another rib just back of the front bed. Screwed it to the bedframe and legs, and added the 2x4's between that and the front corner posts:


Then, on the top of the long bed rail support up against the foam, I added 3 ribs centered on where a 48"W roof foam piece will be. That gives me a 48" flat roof from the front wall all the way back, at a 45* angle for the first foot and a half or so then rest is flat roof.




Those are either pocket screwed with 2 1/2", or if I could get to the backsides, they're screwed through with a 3" screw.

The shape of it is now apparent. Back wall is going to be a sheer vertical wall, with the top rounded about 1" radius as the front corners are, just for aesthetics' sake as well as not giving the canvas a sharp edge to fight over. All the "corners" are going to get rounded similarly.




No windows...yet. Yeah, I know that. I plan to just cut them out and fit them in where they go after the whole thing is foamed, before canvasing it, much like the CTC guys do their cargo trailers: Cut the foam, then cut the ribs that get in the way back with one of those oscillating tools, frame out the window hole, and go from there. Same with the door. Maybe. Figuring to slap the back wall on it, let it dry for overnight, then cut the door hole in it after the wall dries in place. Of course, if I do something stupid like leave my phone or keys inside on the floor, or if the dog sneaks in, I'm gonna have to accelerate plans to cut an opening

I also have yet to put the mero corner pieces in the front two corners, where the two mitered triangles butt up against each other in the corners. Lots of compound cutting gonna be going on. For me, that comes with a good dose of waste and new cuss words especially when I get all proud of myself for completing the first one, then DON'T remember to make the other one mirror-image

Someday soon, more fun n games.

[depatty]

Looking good! Edge angles on the front triangles look like they are gonna be "interesting" to cut.

[Redneck Packrat]

Looking good! Edge angles on the front triangles look like they are gonna be "interesting" to cut.

That's why the expectation of new words and some waste pieces... no, not waste, they'll be useful on the next build.

Besides, that's where a can of Great Stuff will come in VERY handy!

[pchast]

You can always glue foam back together and reuse it somewhere else.......

[KCStudly]

Make yourself a hand sanding block that uses belt sander belts. Solves many fitment issues.

Simple piece of 1/2 inch ply with a small block of wood and scrap piece of foam to set belt tension and give something to hold onto.