Safety Issue - Could you please check my camper?

[sophia0606]

Hi,

I started my DIY trailer on 6x12 and finished the bottom box. Now I am planning to add the top part (originally I started with the raised top, but I changed the plan because I cannot raise the top by hand. It was too heavy) and getting worried about the safety issue. I feel like it is too high for my trailer and it might tip over. Could anyone guide me how I can check it is safe as an engineering aspect? I really appreciate.

[rjgimp]

Generally speaking I would not consider the dimensions you have to be a problem. What materials are involved? If you somehow have a heavier structure in the roof than the walls and base you might end up a bit too top heavy but usually if the height of your box is not greater than the width you should be ok. You might consider also angling the side edges of the roof like you have the front and rear.

[QueticoBill]

Won't fit through a normal 7' garage door. Stable (try not to put much storage high to avoid a lot of weight high) but also a lot of wind res is stance when driving and a pretty good wind load on sides if in the open. 50 - 60 mph wind on a side is near 500 pounds.

[sophia0606]

Generally speaking I would not consider the dimensions you have to be a problem. What materials are involved? If you somehow have a heavier structure in the roof than the walls and base you might end up a bit too top heavy but usually if the height of your box is not greater than the width you should be ok. You might consider also angling the side edges of the roof like you have the front and rear.

Thanks. The bottom material is plywood/form/wallpanel and I am planning to have form/wallpanel only on the top.

[sophia0606]

Won't fit through a normal 7' garage door. Stable (try not to put much storage high to avoid a lot of weight high) but also a lot of wind res is stance when driving and a pretty good wind load on sides if in the open. 50 - 60 mph wind on a side is near 500 pounds.

My garage door is 8', so it might fit I am also worrying about the wind.. Should I change my plan back to "the raised top", not fixed one?

[saywhatthat]

That is the sides of a small camping trailer . there has been small camping trailers around for a few years

[QueticoBill]

Won't fit through a normal 7' garage door. Stable (try not to put much storage high to avoid a lot of weight high) but also a lot of wind res is stance when driving and a pretty good wind load on sides if in the open. 50 - 60 mph wind on a side is near 500 pounds.

My garage door is 8', so it might fit I am also worrying about the wind.. Should I change my plan back to "the raised top", not fixed one?

Or build it stronger. Its 6 x 12 sides and not at all aerodynamic versus a 4 or 5 x 8 to 10 teardrop with a nod to aerodynamic.

[swoody126]

sophia0606, your proposed sized box trailer and even taller ones are common on the market and get LOADED with stuff and hauled everywhere

i personally have a 6x6x12 that has been loaded heavy and towed 1/2 way across the country and then towed back plumb empty w/o any issues

your real concern should be your tow vehicle when trying to run down the highway into a wind

a 6' tall x 6' wide going into a strong wind will exhaustipate many mid sized SUV's and 1/2 ton pick ups

your READY TO CAMP WEIGHT will amaze you !!! ... specially in a 6x6x12 box

you can easily overload a 3500# axle

just an old man's way of looking at things

sw

[MickinOz]

"exhaustipate"? Damn I like it. May I use it?
I'll trade you "rucious".

[sophia0606]

I have a honda pilot and its towing capacity is 4500 pounds. My camper itself (not trailer) would be about 1000 pounds. What would happen if it “ exhaustipates”?

[swoody126]

I have a honda pilot and its towing capacity is 4500 pounds. My camper itself (not trailer) would be about 1000 pounds. What would happen if it “ exhaustipates”?

sophia0606, you made me look up the specs for a pilot

looks like 3000#-5000# ... depending

looking like the major issue would be frontal windage

your car is 71"± tall and everything above that will slow you down and reduce your mpg's more than your projected/dreamed finished weight

i'm assuming(i hope knot falsely) your vehicle is equipped with the factory towing package which includes extra cooling capacity for your oil and transmission fluid in addition to providing a hitch n trailer wiring

w/ the advertised 280hp v-6 you will have plenty ponies to wag the weight butt the windage will be your issue going fwd

have you considered a well down the center to allow you to stand up inside w/o having to build up so tall ?

or maybe doing the trolly roof w/ slanted ends to reduce your frontal exposure ?

or possibly a combination of the 2

i know my 6x6x12 with a flat front enclosed trailer sure drug my cherokee(4.0 6cyl) down when it was empty

just an old man's 2¢ worth

BON CHANCE

sw

[QueticoBill]

I'll rephrase my comment to say yes you can build it exactly as presented, but the same methods and materials used for smaller teardrops may not be strong enough.

[western traveler]

I seem to recall a couple of aftermarket systems for trailer roof lifts here. There were a few over on Pinterest when I did a search. Is that a possibility?

[S. Heisley]

You've gotten some really good answers here but I don't think anybody has been given enough information to be able to answer your question adequately.

1) Stopping ability is critical.
- You don't list what state you're from so nobody can check what you can legally tow *and stop* with your car. (but you can!)
- You tell us the size (6x12') but don't tell us what you are using for a trailer. Does it have brakes?

2)Just because your Honda pilot can tow 4500 lbs. doesn't mean it should.
- Does it have a tow package? That would protect your Honda's transmission.
- How much is your Honda Pilot rated to stop? (The year it was manufactured and how it was made can be an issue. Check your user manual under brakes or braking or stopping power.)

3) Do you want it to fit in your garage?
- If you want to fit it in your garage, even an 8' door may not be enough, if you haven't planned properly.
- You don't tell us the height of your intended trailer chassis so we really can't calculate if it will fit in your garage. (but you can.)
- You don't tell us what the floor to ground height is. (If you're using a reclaimed trailer chassis, some of those have a lower floor frame than the frame that the sides are bolted to.)

The bottom material is plywood/form/wallpanel and I am planning to have form/wallpanel only on the top.

4) What is 'form'? Did you mean foam?
- Weight and shape are critical, both for gas mileage and tow-ability and for wind velocity.
- If you don't have enough weight to fight high winds, it will blow over but too much weight will hinder stopping.
- Be aware that even semi trucks have been blown over by high winds.

You can still possibly do this. Make your lifting top out of foam and you should be able to lift it. Use as little wooden framework as possible.

[S. Heisley]

PS. You might get a lot more help if you could post more pictures. I know that with this system, that can be difficult but I understand that, if you upload your pictures to Facebook, you can transfer them from there to here. Alternately, some people have squeezed down the size of their pictures using the Microsoft Paint program. Still others have used Tapatalk to upload their photos.

Disclaimer:
Please recognize that the majority of our members ( including me) are not engineers but we help and share through what we've self-taught ourselves and through what we've done and/or have been educated about.