The welder arrived today and I got the receiver hitch welded to the frame. This was my first real welding job. I have done two other hack job repairs that turned out fair at best, those were done with a free 115v AC welder I was given. The new welder that came today is the Amico 160 DC Inverter welder off of Amazon for $180 shipped and with tax. It is functional for me. Seems like a good deal.
I was reminded how horrible I am at welding. Rather I found out, again. My "beads" did not look anything like I had envisioned in my head. I swore at a few stuck rods . All my beautiful prep work, perfectly clean metal, good cuts and no burs.... I ended up with a bunch of burned uneven beads and welds. When looking at the pictures please feel free to have your fun. I'm thick skinned. I am in my later 30s and this was my first real run at welding. Overall I am pleased. Those pictures show the finished product, that is as good as they are going to get.
The positives:
It is solid.
I did not put any holes through any of the metal. I think I came close at least once.
Our camper frame now has a 2" receiver hitch mounted to it. I'm sure it will support anything I am going to put on it.
After wire brushing and grinding off the biggest bumps it doesn't look too horrible.
Its probably comparable to some of the worse looking farm welds I have seen.
It will work and it will be under the camper, out of view, anyways.
I was a little better at welding by the end of the project than I was at the beginning. Emphasis on the word little.
Now I have a welder for just a little more than I would have paid someone more skilled to do this for me. I like the welder, it seems good to me. I'll give it five stars on Amazon.
The next pics will be of the floor deck, or maybe some leveling feet but those can go on afterwards. After the floor we'll be building the internal frame.
I am considering two options for the floor. It will be either OSB or a lower grade plywood. I'll rabbet and glue the separate pieces together along the seams. Yes either way it will be a little rough at the seam. The underside will be painted with some exterior paint.
Any thoughts on one floor material over another?
For the underside paint I have just been shopping big box stores, hoping to come across some exterior oil paint on the oops rack. Does anybody have any thoughts on the best way to seal up the underside of the camper?