by NorthEGPhoto » Thu May 10, 2018 6:55 am
So, I'm no carpenter. By day I'm a systems analyst, and by any other time a photographer. I do have a keen insight into systems, and making things jive.. but I figgured for my first build I'd go by the good o'l addage of 'keep it simple, stupid'.
The trailer I have is.. well, oddly dimentioned.. it is 7.7 X 6.5. When I decked it, I extended the 7 all the way to 8 Ft. It overhangs the back of the rear rail a bit, but that really shouldn't be a problem with the 3/4" ply supporting what will essentially just be a wall. if it becomes a problem, it is easy enough to reinforce it.
Another little caveat is the fact the wheels are inside the frame, making humps inside the floor.. which is just a tad annoying, but I've built nice rectangular wells which I bolted steel Princess Auto fenders under to keep the spray where it belongs, on the ground. I also coated the underside of the wood with tar based undercoat, so there shouldn't be any issues.
For the roof, there's going to be a vent - I got a cheap one with no fan, so i'll be installing a 120mm computer fan (if it fits.) and wiring in a rheostat to handle fan speed on my 12V. I also have a set of 6 flush mount dc LED lights that will be doing internal lighting, and I'll be building my own 'stargazer' out of a 2X1' piece of lexan which I'll be doing my very best to mount at a very slight angle to the top of the roof to avoid any strange water pooling.
The side window is simply a cabin window I picked up on sale, I kind of want another window on the passenger side, but that isn't in the budget right now.. so I'll most likely be building supports for it with plans for future installation. The roof, front and rear walls will be around 2" in thickness to allow for wiring to pass through easily without compromising strength, and the side walls will be 1". I do intend to run the trailer lighting through the frame, so the side marker lights will probably change as I want to avoid having as much wiring available to the elements as possible.
I will be installing a flush mount female plug on the front of the frame, with a watertight plug for the connector, and similarly on my tow vehicle. I'll keep a length of cable hidden in the trailer that can be plugged between the tow vehicle and the trailer when needed. I don't intend to tow anything else, but if I do i'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
I'm keeping all my hookups on the driver's side. I understand most places will have hookups on the passenger side, but for the most part I intend to be going Dry, using my generator, or the solar panels I've got stowed. if I do use shore power at some point, I'll use an extension cord. For stored power, I'll just be using a regular old car battery, and this will be safely housed inside the trailer, with aims to replace it with a proper battery probably next year. Something sealed and AGM most like. I've got a design to deal with any charging vapors in my head just need to stick it on 'paper'. Essentially, a box with a tube at the top that will vent outside, most likely I'll be doing a heat exchanger - or trying my best to anyhow. Warm air full of hydrogen rises to the top, which will go out the tube, while a secondary, longer, internal tube will go to the bottom of the box, and through convection should suck in cool clean air from outside. Hard to describe, i'll just have to draw it next time.
Anyhow.. musing mostly, but my materials list is pretty much complete. There will be other things listed, hinges and such.. but for the initial buildout they won't be needed immediately. And I have things like the marker lights, and door hardware piled in the back room waiting the frame to be built.
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- Simple is best
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"In the morning, the light is golden, in the midday 'tis time to nap, and in the evening the light returns. Into the night the stars shine brightly, now if only the moon would stay out of sight." - Some photographer