7x7x16 V Nose Cargo Trailer Conversion, First Build

[Iconfabul8]

You are going to have to forgive my O.C.D., but I took a few liberties under your sink. I convoluted it a little for
demonstration purposes, all you would have to do is flip the trap and shorten the pex (bottom pic).
By so doing, 2 of your joints won't be permanently below the waterline. Probably works fine the way it is, I just
thought I would provide a visual of my mind cramps. In any case it's lookin good. You have come a long way.


Would actually look more like this.

[jr9744]

You are going to have to forgive my O.C.D., but I took a few liberties under your sink. I convoluted it a little for
demonstration purposes, all you would have to do is flip the trap and shorten the pex (bottom pic).
By so doing, 2 of your joints won't be permanently below the waterline. Probably works fine the way it is, I just
thought I would provide a visual of my mind cramps. In any case it's lookin good. You have come a long way.


Would actually look more like this.

Your OCD is always welcome here. Thanks for the visuals.

I've learned through this process that I am no fan of plumbing. So making a change at this point has to have a strong case for me (like leaks). What would i gain by moving those two joints below the waterline? Is it for better drainage? Or more for astethics?

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[McDave]

@ Don,
Yep, Murdoch's Ranch and Home Supply. You can get baby chicks and Kubota tractors, Black Bear Jerky and outboard motors. Fence post and flannel underwear. We also have a lumber yard and a NAPA. And of coarse John Deere. Those stores are all located in "literal boondocks". I am just about 2 miles out from there. We also have the oldest Saddle and Tack makers and Western Wear store in the country. The Saddlery. And 2 museums. A saddle tack museum upstairs from the store and The Range Riders museum. It is a community museum that people in the county donated all the articles and the stories that go with them. It is located at the Cavalry Fort Keogh where Custer and his boys used to hang out on the weekends before... well, you know. "That Battlefield" is about 60miles away. They have a weeklong re-enactment Pioneer Days and Last Stand. Everybody camps out in covered wagons and lives like the Pioneers of that time.Very cool. The Last Stand show is amazing. 200+ Indian and Calvary soldiers on horseback recreating the battle. Put that on your bucket list. Early July or late June I think.

I don't have a vacuum. A guy has to draw a line somewhere.. but I do have a broom.

Ha! Well it was either the dust buster or a cappacuinno smoothie machine. But I won it at the Bar so I kept it.

If I could do what I do for a living in a small rural place... I'd be there already.

That's the point in your career when you start a "Consultant" business and work offsite and telecommute. That's what I told my wife anyway. YMMV

McDave

[jr9744]

My trip to FL is postponed. So I decided I would take her for a 'test' trip this weekend to see how she does (Also to get this itch out of my system so I can really finish).

I have reservations for French State Park in PA for the weekend. It has electric, sewer, and water. I'm looking forward to it. I'm sure it'll also help me figure out some more designs for the rest of the space.

My goal over these next days is to seal the shower, and get the gray tank installed. Then buy some beer, food, water, and anything else I can think of for this trip.

[McDave]

Sorry about Fla. But great idea to get out there and shake her down. Remember to have some fun. All work and no play makes jr an angry plumber. It's funny though, suddenly paying a plumber or other tradesman $150-200/hr sounds like a bargain. Maybe we are paying the paper movers and cubicle jockeys and entertainers too big of a share of the pie? Something to consider.

McDave

[jr9744]

@McDave I just noticed your location is Montana. Never been to that side of the states. One day.

I'm just returning from my 3 day trip, and it was really a good experience. On the night I arrived, there was a truck camper and 5th wheeler on the loop. I found my site, but there were NO lights anywhere on this campground except the 'bathrooms' in the center of the loop. I basically had to back my trailer into a pitch dark site. Lesson learned, i'll need better lights around the trailer for this case.

Once my trailer was parked, I opened her up to find a nice surprise of stuff everywhere. I'm getting better at securing things for travel. It's a process, but my last drive home it went much better. I turned on the heater, switched the fridge to ac, and really just tried to come familiar with my area.

The first two nights were rainy, and we got a white Christmas Eve and Day. I slept on the floor all nights because I forgot a piece for my air pump. I was able to cook, shower, and use the toilet with no problems. I did add 1 1/2 inch vent to the black tank, and had no smells at all.

Here are some pics of the trip.

I don't think I posted this, but here is what the shower looked like for the trip. I'm not to sold on the shower handles yet. They seem to leak and it comes from inside the handles.


Kitchen ready pre-trip


Our site for the weekend


The only fire I could get started. Next time I will come more prepared to start a fire in the pit. I do need more outdoor lighting, and an awning would be nice. I need more camp gear in general though


Christmas Eve Snow. It was cold outside. The trailer insulation held up well though. The small space heater I had did the job. I do have it on my list to add the 2 inches of insulation under the trailer. A must in cold weather. Also the brightest light showing there is one of my indoor recessed LED lights. All the outside lights I've purchased have bombed so far. I may give the ones Dave suggested a try.


I had to add an extra latch to the bottom of the door to stop the 'draft' of cold air coming in. It really did its' job. I also added some hooks and a handle to close the door. Once it's finished, i'll put some nice hooks on the door.


Sun coming up and showing itself



Me and the pooch on a cold morning.


So up next for me is:
- Windows. Need some of these!
- Floor Insulation
- A Bed! I've thought up some contraption I have to figure out how to actually build now. More to come on this.
- Gray Tank Installed. I drained to the floor this trip.
- Shower draining issues. I'm not sure if this was due to 'frozen' pipes or just poor drainage, but my shower doesn't drain well.
- Flooring. I want to get those floors done.
- I have to finish putting eternabond on the roof. Some of those minor holes become apparent when it was raining. Good thing I saw them now.
- I want to build boxes to complete the 'command center'
- Water Heater issues. I'm not impressed with the Eco-temp. It takes a few seconds to get going (I can deal with this), but it only cycles on for a few seconds and then shuts off. Leaving me with scalding hot water and then cold water. No steady stream of hot water. Not sure how to fix this, but I'll have to research this.
- I'm sure there is more

So overall a good trip. Happy with my build so far and was really excited to use everything and actually take a trip. Now I'm looking forward to fixing some of my major issues and probably taking another 'test' trip...lol

[Padilen]

Looks like you had a great Christmas camping. The hot water issue is something I and Tommy(another CTC modder) also noticed. The suggested fix didn't fix!
As for you stuff moving while traveling, secure test and repeat.
For fire starting little candles,votive candles, fireplace starter logs cut in smaller pieces work well. I have a plastic tote with candles, small pieces of wood and charcoal. I also have an old small cast iron pot, with a gas stove grate, that I use to cook.
I insulated my floor underside, then caulked and painted. Pics sould be in me thread, It's Sort of mine.

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[jr9744]

Looks like you had a great Christmas camping. The hot water issue is something I and Tommy(another CTC modder) also noticed. The suggested fix didn't fix!
As for you stuff moving while traveling, secure test and repeat.
For fire starting little candles,votive candles, fireplace starter logs cut in smaller pieces work well. I have a plastic tote with candles, small pieces of wood and charcoal. I also have an old small cast iron pot, with a gas stove grate, that I use to cook.
I insulated my floor underside, then caulked and painted. Pics sould be in me thread, It's Sort of mine.

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Yeah, I had a good time. Looking forward to the next one.

Bummer on the tank. It was expensive! I want more stable hot water. What did you end up doing?

I have a few cast iron skillets, but I have to season them.

I will be having a fire crate. I tried throwing 2x2s in there with no luck...lol

I'll check out your thread on the floor insulation. This is high in my list now.

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[Padilen]

Looks like you had a great Christmas camping. The hot water issue is something I and Tommy(another CTC modder) also noticed. The suggested fix didn't fix!
As for you stuff moving while traveling, secure test and repeat.
For fire starting little candles,votive candles, fireplace starter logs cut in smaller pieces work well. I have a plastic tote with candles, small pieces of wood and charcoal. I also have an old small cast iron pot, with a gas stove grate, that I use to cook.
I insulated my floor underside, then caulked and painted. Pics sould be in me thread, It's Sort of mine.

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Yeah, I had a good time. Looking forward to the next one.

Bummer on the tank. It was expensive! I want more stable hot water. What did you end up doing?

I have a few cast iron skillets, but I have to season them.

I will be having a fire crate. I tried throwing 2x2s in there with no luck...lol

I'll check out your thread on the floor insulation. This is high in my list now.

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Oops,
my old cast iron holds the charcoal, and I then use what ever to cook in or with. Another cast iron, or just a pan, or pie iron, hot dog stick.

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[hankaye]

jr9744, Howdy;

About your "leaky" shower fittings. The ones made for RVs and some of the household
ones have a drip feature designed into them so that they dribble when you turn off the
flow at the shower head and also when you turn off the water so that the hose can drain.

hank

[jr9744]

jr9744, Howdy;

About your "leaky" shower fittings. The ones made for RVs and some of the household
ones have a drip feature designed into them so that they dribble when you turn off the
flow at the shower head and also when you turn off the water so that the hose can drain.

hank

Mines are dribbling where the handles are to turn on and off the water. In fairness, I'm not using the washer and tightner thing they gave Me, but space is tight. It's also all plastic. I may replace it, any suggestions?

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[hankaye]

jr9744, Howdy;

jr9744

That dribbler valve is where the hose connects to the faucet housing, if that helpa any.
Sorry, should have mentioned that first time 'round.

hank

[McDave]

Alright jr,
That's pretty damn good for the first trial run. I'm not sure if you ever get everything secured while in transit. I have yet to open that door and not find something upside down. If you are lucky its just the laundry basket, but if the BBQ brisket and fixins get away from ya it's a nightmare.
I have the same water heater as you and Padilen and have ZERO issues with it. Just have to remember that the water absorbs a lot of heat when it is not moving so you will get a hot shot followed by a cold slug then back to normal operation. But you should be able to run continuously at your desired temp. Play with the heat and water flow controls when you are at home and see if you can get a better feel for it. It is possible you have a pressure problem, (remember the sink issue) the flame won't stay on without pressure, but you should be able to set the flow and flame and have a steady temp till you run out of gas or water. You should have a strainer in the line before the pump that may be clogged. Mine looks like this and is attached to the pump intake.
http://www.rvpartscountry.com/Flojet-Mini-Strainer.html
The doors on these rigs leave a lot to be desired. I'm gonna make a real effort to design a better seal for mine. I can see daylight all the way around it. All the insulation in the world is useless with that big of a gap. And the ramp door is even worse. Not a big deal above freezing but at a certain point the cold air pushing in can't be heated fast enough.
As for night maneuvers, well they are never easy but a set of reverse/ramp lights really do help me. I have them wired so they come on when the truck reverse lights come on and they point about 6ft behind and to either side of the trailer so you can see them in your mirrors. Really lights up the area. They can also be controlled by a switch in the trailer and can be rotated right/left and up/down. The motion sensing porch light is very handy. If you are inside and open the door the light comes on, or if it senses any movement (warm bodies) in the area. It has a photocell that turns it off in daylight and if the battery gets low it shuts off and a red light will blink to warn you. If there is no motion it shuts off after 60 sec. You can also put it in manual mode and use a switch inside for on/ off. It is LED and only draws 2.5 watts when lit up. It wasn't cheap but I love it.
https://www.amazon.com/Starlights-SL-10 ... BZGJQ3PNFB
ramp lights/reverse lights
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EA ... UTF8&psc=1

If you ever get up to Montana bring the tailwagger. I'll set you up with one of these so the natives will leave you alone. You have earned it.


McDave

[flboy]

jr9744... good to see you out enjoying your rig. You will get it just the way you like it in no time. Sorry to hear about all your stuff breaking loose inside.

I put magnets or baby latches on all the cabinet doors, fridge door and etc.. Evert hing else, I tie off to the E-trac. So far I have been lucky, but I'd by lying if I said I did not learn by the school of hard knocks like the others. It is a mistake we all make.

Good luck with your build and Happy New Year!

[jr9744]

I have the same water heater as you and Padilen and have ZERO issues with it.
McDave

That's pretty encouraging. I'm going to mess with it to see if I can get a stable hot water supply. I think my 'rv' faucet may be at fault. It tries to preserve water and probably lowers the pressure. The sink when I tried a week or so ago gave me consistent hot water, which is why I didn't even test the shower at that time. The strainer is in place although not facing completely down like the manual said. I hope I can get it, cause this is one expensive mistake if not.

I'm gonna order the starlight and see how that goes. At this point I just want something that works.

@flboy I will be investing in more magnets and latches. when I got to the park, my fridge door was wide open and beer and other stuff everywhere. What a joy.