Ameralite ATTX 6x12 Build

[Grummy]

When it showed up we found out there was "assembly required" not just some ... the whole
of the working unit.

Sounds like there was a smartass somewhere who thought it funny to send you the entire BOM to build 1 full machine ! But look what an education you got, right ?

My old wreck is the popular Singer 111W155. I spent my working career on Pfaff machines that were marvelous by comparison, but this old tank just keeps on working... as long as I keep her oiled up anyway. And I know how many parts are in a machines parts list... more than most would realize !

For me, I couldn't imagine NOT having an industrial machine around for my personal use.... just way, way too handy. Can't wait until spring when I can get the inside of this trailer upholstered up proper.

[hankaye]

Grummy, Howdy;

The Big Dog machine in any paraloft was armed with needles stout enough and
enough shear brute strength you could make your own 50 cent pieces simply by
sewing 2 quarters together.

hank

[Grummy]

Updating my build record.... Finally a day or two with warm enough weather to work on the trailer !

A few weeks ago, I struggled thru some cold weather to cut in two windows, a 24" wide x 21" high over my sink and a 14" x 21" in the entrance door. Because it started to rain/snow, I had to put the drivers side window in temporarily without doing it 100% correctly, so that has to come back out and get finished. I'll get pics posted when that is done.

Up today though was a new battery box.


I bought a single tandem axle aluminum fender and cut it off where I needed it as seen in the photo. It's all aluminum construction, all boxed in and also supported from underneath. It will hold two group 31's with plenty of room for wiring and main fuse/breaker panel. Frankly, it looks like I might be able to add a pocket of sorts on the door to put some of that space in front of the batteries to use. I intend to put a similar "fender" cabinet on the other side for more storage, but this side might be a good place to lash down my little scissors jack and lug wrench.

It will have a tip down door on the face, probably made with more thin diamond plate.... IF I can find a reasonable place to buy it from that doesn't kill me on shipping.
In the mean time, I'll get focused on making two good battery mount brackets and getting the wire runs relocated from the temporary tongue tray I hung on it last summer.

[McDave]

Sweeeet! Another genius idea.

McDave

[Grummy]

Got a temporary cover made....

Door Open


Door Closed

[hankaye]

Grummy, Howdy;

On the plus side of things, now you already have a templet complete
with fastener holes.


hank

[Grummy]

Grummy, Howdy;

On the plus side of things, now you already have a templet complete
with fastener holes.


hank

That's what I figure too. With a cover on it now, I'm not sure it looks the way I had hoped, but it is what it is at this point. Prior to doing this, I knew for sure that we wanted a narrow table of sorts right there on top of the single fender for setting things. Now I have a much larger area there without bringing along yet another thing.

I am hoping that doing that cover in polished diamond plate brings it around to the look I was hoping for.

[Grummy]

While waiting for parts for my new fender box, I returned to re-making a larger power panel. I had used what was laying around here, but it was a little too small. Recently, I found a larger used security panel box, and it fills the area intended perfectly now that I narrowed it up a bit.

Here is a glimpse:


Bottom Left will have a tumbler switch so I can chose between Shore, Generator or Inverter, bottom right has room for the main leads inbound from the battery and outbound to the Inverter.



12 volt side on the right hinges open to reveal all the inbound wiring. The left 120v side can also be removed for wire access.

[McDave]

Hey Grummy,
Gotta say, I am really impressed with the fender boxes. Now I am considering building a pair to house fresh water tanks. I have a 25gal tank that is mounted underneath just behind the axle. But, it hangs down further than I thought it would and I want to insulate and try to eliminate as much drag under there as possible. It's also prone to damage from debris and terrain issues. It also may be possible to increase total water volume with 2 smaller tanks and have a more secure mounting situation. Not to mention I can always use more storage in general. Hope you don't mind if I copy your design, and Thanks! If you have any advice or helpful links I am all ears.

McDave

PS, Could I bother you for rough dimensions, please? I had better start looking at tanks to fit in there.
Thanks again.

McDave

[Grummy]

Hey Grummy,.....Hope you don't mind if I copy your design, and Thanks! If you have any advice or helpful links I am all ears.

PS, Could I bother you for rough dimensions, please? I had better start looking at tanks to fit in there.
McDave

COPY AWAY ! That's what forums are for, right ?

I had a specific goal of getting enough floor length to for two group 31's, though, if I end up with dual batteries, it will probably be two 6 volt'ers. The overall dimensions I ended with are roughly a trapezoid that is 30" long, 16" high and 10" deep. The trapezoid aspect leans about 5 inches forward, so one has to keep that in mind.

Now, I ended up purchasing a 68" long fender because some others I found that were longer had crazy shipping costs. And because I was thinking about two group 31's, I used 38" of that fender up by the time I had appropriate overlap on the front. So, the other side when I get to it will end up a little shorter, but I'd bet no one would ever notice. I also considered putting the WHOLE dual tire fender on and simply slipped in the rear vertical portion of the original, but I have that rear outlet in the way. In retrospect, I could have covered the outlet... just left it inside the box and left a hole in the bottom for cord routing... oh well.... no shortage of "in retrospect" on a guys first cargo build.

Of course one also could set the fender lower than the front one if those gains are necessary. I kept mine flush with the existing because when camped, I always dreamed I'd put one of those table hanging brackets on the side to set things on. Now with this fender's added length, I wont need to drag yet another thing along.

Overall strength considerations are a MUST here, and one would need to do a few calculations to see if water would end up being heavier than two batteries in the amount of space given. Of course there are always ways to make it strong enough. I was actually surprised to see just how much the fender itself did to add rigidity, even though I only was able to catch two vertical wall joists. I have screws in mine currently, but they will be riveted.

Of course UNDER supports are key. I made two vertical supports that are now riveted into the floor joists, the frame perimeter, and the box itself.



What you can do comes down to what you have for a trailer, where the floor joists are and or whether you need to also attach to the trailer floor itself. I and a neighbor both stood on mine when finished ! So a combined weight of 400+ pounds really did not flex much at all.

It will be interesting to see what you can find for tanks. I'm sure there will be something out there, albeit square. I am also looking for water tank options but have been focused on something that will fit between the floor joists. Everything I find is either too small in volume or too just too large in height. When I get a little farther along and can study what and where my weight concerns will balance out, maybe I too will be considering that other side for a water tank.

[Grummy]

Some weekend progress was made on a simple sliding tray for the battery so that water can be checked easily.



I only have one battery at the moment and I am going to see if having only one ends up working well enough for me once I get solar on the roof. Please ignore the temporary fuse... I did not have any ANL fuses here but wanted to fire the system up safely.

I also got my new combination AC / DC Power panel installed.



Now unlike my first panel, I have more room inside for better/safer AC wire routing, a drum switch that allows a quick change between Front Shore (Generator), Rear Shore, or Inverter. I'll snap some inside pics when I can drop the door. Today, it decided to rain.


Last year I needed a quick inverter for running my dorm fridge during an 8 hour drive. Not having time to order the desired thing, I bought this little 1000 watt Shumacher modified sine wave unit for around $80. To my surprise, it does run my TV, DVD and even my Microwave without funny noises or other weirdness. So for now, I'm just going to use it and focus money elsewhere.

[McDave]

Thanks Grummy.
That is exactly what I had in mind for supports. Plus a couple metal straps to keep the tanks in the boxes! So I found some 16 gallon tanks that should work fine in that space. 24 x 15 x 10. If you are wanting floor mounted tanks check these guys out. The have a bunch but if I remember correctly I couldn't find any thing to match the floor joice spacing which is 23"? not on center but the space between. Plus I added a couple cuzz I haul the Harley and the Indian, sometimes both in there. Anyways, Looks like I can gain 7 gallons or roughly 25%. Each tank filled would be approx. 125 lbs. probably less than 2 batteries. And the weight/ balance won't change much in relation to the axle and hitch, That is where my tank is located now. A bit higher CG and an extra 28 lbs on each side. I really don't need the extra capacity but I do have a issue with symmetry, so if I can feed my OCD and do something good at the same time, Davey Likey!
Here is the link...

https://www.recpro.com/16-gallon-rv-wat ... -bpa-free/
Thanks again,

McDave

[Grummy]

........ I do have a issue with symmetry
McDave

Symmetry.... I guess I shoot for that when I do things, that along with thinking about FORM before FUNCTION. And that is a real challenge when building a lot of things into a small trailer.

I did not realize that one could fit 16 gallons in that area given that what I am looking for to fit in between 14.5" floor joists is always coming in less than half of that.

I currently have a 12 gallon grey tank just behind the axle with the heavier "drain side" to the drivers side. This adds more weight to by drivers side when full, a side already carrying the majority of load when no motorcycle is loaded, thus the move of the battery to the right rear.

With the grey weight, one can always find a way to add tongue weight if necessary... or just get it emptied. My fresh tank target is just ahead of the axle, and I hoped to find something around 10 gallons and slide it to the right side as another weight counter balance. So far, most tanks I have found that could fit are either too small in volume or too tall and way over in volume, the too tall being the biggest problem.

My solar components arrive next, but after that, I will be digging again for the right tank, and your link is one I have never seen yet. Thanks !

[Grummy]

Spent the weekend getting all my Solar in order. I had to run the necessary wires from the MPPT controller into my new battery compartment first, then I got busy with a mounting system.

Because I am going to attach a rear screened in room to the trailer, I wrestled with different ideas for mounting the panels. I wanted to find some Z-channel aluminum, but could not find what I wanted, or at least find it affordable. Another prerequisite was for it all to be rather low profile.

Not wanting to drill any holes in the center of the roof, I used 1.5" x 1.5" x 1/16" thick aluminum angle for the two main mounting rails. They are attached with two screws into each side, right into the top aluminum wall tubes. These will eventually be riveted. To make the system not only rely on those rivets, I used 3M tape under the angle. NO WAY this thing is going to pull off the roof !



The wire gland is my only actual hole thru the roof other than the fan, and when I installed it, I flanged the aluminum roofing UP so there is a raised area of roof metal making water to less likely leak in immediately if the seal ever fails. It's also located in a spot where the underneath will always have easy access for inspection.



The panels themselves mount on their own 1.5" x 1" x 1/16" angle, and they are spaced in between the two main rails with 1/2" spacers. This allows me to have a little wiggle room if I need to swap panels some day with some that are an inch longer than these.

I was going to use Renogy panels, but did some reading on these Rich Solar 100 watt'rs. The quality looks really good, they have had great reviews and they were only $89 per panel!



I also researched for a long time for my next Charge controller. Last time I used a 45 watt Tri-Star PWM controller. This time I settled on the newer Triron MPPT version from EPEver because it has a SCREEN with details instead of just blinking LED sequences. I still went with a 40 Amp unit in case I decide to grow the system. It will take me a while to figure out all the bells and whistles this thing has.

Of course it looks like the next week is cool and rainy, so I probably will not get a good grip on how this setup will perform.

[Grummy]

Work continues on my ATTX. I knew I wanted some sort of screen room either under my side awning or a rear awning. I was going to make an enclosure for my side awning first, but in an upcoming trip, I have a granddaughter that needs a spot for a cot. So, I started with a rear awning.



I wanted added height right at the doorway so that in the event of rain, more or most water would run off the back rather than onto the roof, even though what does run onto the roof can not get into the space under the awning because it uses a keder rail bonded to the roof.

Two short poles extend the door latches for the trailer end, and two additional telescopic poles go together to make a rear framework.

To enclose the rear, I figured I would purchase something "pre-made" to work with because one certainly can not buy material buy the yard anywhere near what you can buy some imported tent for when it comes to ripstop nylon. I got this > https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BX ... UTF8&psc=1

And with that, I modified it into this:



Still have some seams to cut open and take up to tighten things up. That will also pull some of the wrinkles out of it.

I modified the original layout such that I have 3 screened windows, and the one in the rear uses the zippers from the original "tent door" to make a new opening door that fits the location better. With an hour or so more of sewing here and there, I think she'll work quite well for those times when I need that type of added "space".



Seems like there is no end to what yet has to be done, but I remind myself it all does not need to be FINISHED to enjoy it !