pull-out bed thoughts

[navigator]

Barrie,

Thanks! One thing on torsion axle placement; I'm guessing the measurement is to the center of the hub/tire, and not to the center of the part that mounts to the bracket/frame. I have drawn it halfway between no-load and full-load, which puts the overall height at 7'-2". Interior height of 5'-10". The main body is almost 18" off the ground, with the part under the door having just over 13" clearance. This is intended for rough road use, but not off-road. Plan on 15" wheels (P235/75R15), the axle to be 3,500 lb with brakes. May need that weight rating knocked down a bit to avoid bouncing all over the place...

Just couldn't get everything I wanted into a folding design, tempting as the idea is.

----

Miriam,

This trailer is intended for remote camping, and I don't see the need to get into it while driving to site. Also, pulling out the bed should be a very minor operation if the need to get inside arises. Being "over the hill" has made a good night's sleep harder to get, and an inner-spring mattress is hard to beat for comfort. Anything that folds would be just foam, wouldn't it?

I studied the slide situation, and while there are some very nice solutions avilailable (thanks Grant & Greg), what I need is fairly simple, and it needs to be inexpensive. A typical pop-up camper uses slides attached to/part of to the sides of the trailer, which would have to run across my doorway. The slides I went with help stiffen the pull-out, since theC-channel will be screwed to it. The stationary rollers make construction easy, and should provide pretty good leverage resistance to the part of the bed that extends from the body (and when retracted, too). The slides are pretty reasonable, should be around $200 for the whole assembly.

Here is a look at the construction around the slide; the rail has to be high enough to go out the opening, so cannot be under the bed. (If under the bed, the platform must be raised, then headroom is reduced.) The mattress is constrained in the lower part, while the raised part (over rail), gives more width in the pull-out, and provides an easy-to-reach place to put things beside you (water, weapon, etc). Strength is provided by the end and sides. So far the only thing unresolved is sealing around the slide when open; not a weather worry so much as an insect issue.

[mikeschn]

I like the development work you've done on the slideout trailer.

The only downside I can see is that you'd have to unhitch your tow vehicle in order to pull out your slideout all the way.

Mike...

[GregB]

Mike's right, you're gonna need more than a Mick Jagger, at least a Steven Tyler and maybe even a Gene Simmons to open it while attached to your TV.




GB

[bgordon]

Barrie,

Thanks! One thing on torsion axle placement; I'm guessing the measurement is to the center of the hub/tire, and not to the center of the part that mounts to the bracket/frame.

Leonard,

I've been away from the forum for a couple of days, and only read your reply now.

Yes, you're right about the axle placement. I also wondered about this in the past, but Andrew gave me the answer. The measurement is at the centre of the hub.

And yes, I also have to agree that a folding trailer is much more of a challenge as I would like it to be. I think you are on the right track though. I can understand your views on the slide-out. And I think it is quite workable.

To be honest, I am also thinking about a slideout, (rather a foldout), but to the side, as in this trailer (below). I will make a solid wall though, and not canvas as in this trailer.

I think you are going to be left with one great, functional trailer!

[DougH]

Barrie that's a neat little trailer. Got a link to their website?

[kyacker]

I'm really impressed with this idea and really like the design you've put into it. I can't wait to see it come off the paper.

[eamarquardt]

I have a couple of 10 foot pieces of aluminum "unistrut" that I bought "way back when" for a "project" I don't remember. I either didn't complete it or had a change of plans. I digress. This channel looks very much like the channel used in the commercial slides. It would be a "piece of cake" to make some nice plastic slides that mate with the internal slot perfectly (out of nylon or perhaps delrin). I'm sure you could make some "killer" slides for a fraction of "store bought". You could make your slide out without a top because your top could be the hinged hatch you are planning on anyway. If you use 1/8 ply perhaps laminated with styrofoam panels (use epoxy resin not polyester) it could be verrrrry rigid and light. I think that's what I would do. Materials would be easy to find and the most expensive part might be the epoxy resin but bought on the internet it's not that pricey.

I like your idea of the hinged cover/hatch and again think that it could serve as the top of your slideout making the slideout lighter. I agree a hurricane hinge or a "gear hinge" would be weather tight.

There you have it: "The World According to Gus".

Hope this helps,

Cheers,

Gus

[Jim55]

Doug,

Barry is VERY busy with a HUGE project. (I will let him tell you later!)

I am therefore answering for him: The website of the camper that he showed is: http://www.jurgenssafari.co.za/3.Xcape.htm

Hope this help

Jim

[navigator]

Thanks for the comments!

I have altered the profile a bit, to gain more interior height. The current design would provide just over six feet from dropped floor to ceiling. I am in the 5'-10: range, so this would be comfortable for me (but Barrie would have a problem...). The drawing shows the dimensions, but I left off the floor-to-ground measurement, which is 1'-3" to top of dropped floor (doorway). The trailer will stand about 7'-6" tall, lots more than a TD, but way less than most travel trailers. I know my choice of ride-height is a major conrtibutor to the elevation, but I need the ground clearance.



Gus,

A ply-foam laminate sounds interesting for the pull-out, have you experimented with anything like that? Make the exterior skin filon instead of 1/8" ply, and no more finishing would be required. I had planned on building the main body sides of 1/2" plywood, but would consider other options. I am not overly concerned about insulation. I'm guessing the foam to use is the closed-cell type, not the expanded polystyrene (beads)?

Fancy slides are not required, and I probably could fabricate something using uni-strut. Looked at a Jayco pop-up with a slide-out dinette, and saw that it uses what looks like heavy-duty drawer slides. Have also seen a design using square pipe-in-a-pipe for the slide.

After firming up the design, the plan is to work over the frame, mount a new torsion axle, and add the stabilizers. This is of course a pay-as-you-go operation, and currently the going will be slow...

[bgordon]

Doug,

Barry is VERY busy with a HUGE project. (I will let him tell you later!)

I am therefore answering for him: The website of the camper that he showed is: http://www.jurgenssafari.co.za/3.Xcape.htm

Hope this help

Jim

Jim,

Thanks for helping me out! I only visited the forum today and would have been very late in replying to this one!

Doug, by the way, this trailer retails for the equivalent of about $ 14000.

[bgordon]

The current design would provide just over six feet from dropped floor to ceiling. I am in the 5'-10: range, so this would be comfortable for me (but Barrie would have a problem...)

Leonard,

Yep. This would be a slouchy for me...

But hey, I like the profile.

By the way, regarding ground clearance. Here in the bush of South Africa we find that ground clearance is only a big problem at the rear of the trailer. When going through rough terrain, the back/bottom of the trailer usually bumps on something. That's why most offroad trailers are raised at the back. Like this one. Could a raised back work in your profile?

[navigator]

Here is an illustration of one of my main concerns regarding ground clearance:



Around here, many of the dirt roads incorporate large mounds used for water diversion, basically jumbo speedbumps. Low cars can bottom out on them, and that issue gets worse when you consider pulling a trailer: the tow vehicle (in my case a Tahoe) has already cleared the bump, putting the hitch at road level; if anything ahead of the trailer axle is too low, it will scrape through the rocks and dirt.

The opposite problem is dips/water crossings, where the rear of the trailer is more likely to hit the ground as the front is climbing out of the low spot. This is where the angled rear end is useful, and is why I rounded the rear of my trailer, instead of the normal Scotty square.

The Xcape trailer has an approach angle of 9 degrees, and a departure angle of 24 degrees; mine is 12 and 21, not bad for a trailer that is not intended for off-road use. Mine has a bit more ground clearance, is less than 4" taller, and is 27" shorter. I expect it will be a lot less dollars, too!

Did a lot more reading here last night, and I like the idea of a laminate body all the way around, with the carved-up sheet of plywood for the framing. Had thought about using steel tubing for the spars, but it looks like a laminate roof would be plenty strong enough, using poplar for the spars.

I have added 8" to the tongue, to keep the tow vehicle from contacting the trailer on tight turns. This brings the overall length to right at 13', back where it started as a Scotty, but now more of the body is ahead of the axle.

[bgordon]

Leonard,

Mmmm. From the previous post it seems that you did your work well. I get the impression that you're ready to go!

The fact that your axle is placed slightly further to the back than 'normal', will also help ground clearance at the back. It seems that all the major concerns have been dealt with, not so?

One last thing. Make sure your nose wheel can fold away properly. My current trailer's nosewheel sometimes hits the ground when I go over a big bump. That's something one seldom thinks about when designing a trailer.

[onemanbander]

Okay- I know this is kind of an old thread... but I was watching "RV Crazy" which I recorded on my Media Center PC for the 3rd or 4th time.

A trailer caught my eye that had a pop out and I immediately thought of this thread- I know it doesn't offer much help, but to see what little they show, you can watch it on youtube here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4q3N-JC ... re=related

They show the trailer I am talking about for a few seconds at about 3:47 into the clip.

Watching it on youtube is hardly worth it as the picture is really unclear- if you happen to have the opportunity to see or record it on TV, it is much clearer.

Hope this offers a little bit of help.
Peace
J

[navigator]

That's the Wild Goose/Kamp Master that you're seeing, a longer trailer (12' body) that opens to standing height using canvas sides to fil the gap. Do a search, you'll find many references to it, and even plans in the Design Library linked in the header above. It is a very good design.