Modified Grasshopper, more diamond plate

[MKE_Tear]

Time to move my posts out of the “Newbieâ€

[rxc463]

Great start Looking good

[glassice]

Holy cow bat person your moving right along

[MKE_Tear]

Thanks guys!

Ha! Glassice: I can see where you would think that was all done so quickly. Same looking angles, lighting, background, and the fact that I posted all of those shots in one message, but the reality is that was several WEEKS worth of work and many (MANY!) trips to the hardware store(s). I’m not a big fan of this saying, but as they say, “You’re on teardrop time.â€

[steve smoot]

No matter how long it has taken, you are doing a nice job...

[MKE_Tear]

No matter how long it has taken, you are doing a nice job...

Thanks, Steve!

I've purchased tools I never thought I would own (table saw) to tools I had never even heard of (Kreg jig). It's an adventure every day!!

Speaking of...today I fixed up the (hopefully!) "final" template of the doors. (Thanks to absolutsnwbrdr he told me how to put them in -- if you haven't seen his build, you'll be blown away: http://tinyurl.com/zketeard ) Anyways, I hung it up and think the doors need to be raised an inch or two. Currently, they sit right below the height of my shoulders.










and, my favorite shot of them all, from the second story (I call it the snooper):

[MKE_Tear]

I cut the holes tonight...


Hole #1:




Hole #2:




And wifey makes a special guest appearance:

[MKE_Tear]

Not much of an update but...

1. The height of the door was raised one inch (before the cut -- should have said that earlier),
2. Primed the rest of the inside (been doing 3 coats to be extra-sure/safe),
3. I have been filling the screw holes and the gaps where the plywood was stretched, and
4. Test fit the window -- I can see progress!!













Anybody ever used/heard of aluthane? (Aluminum Filled Urethane Metallic Coating)

http://www.epoxyproducts.com/aluthane.html

http://www.epoxyproducts.com/dataaluthane.pdf

It's a metallic coating or moisture cured urethane and I'm going to cover my outside plywood in it. Instead of a two-component system like epoxy, you just roll it on, and you can put another coat on in 1-2 hours. I ordered a gallon and will report back afterwards. Hopefully, I will get it next week and can put it on over the next week or two.

[MKE_Tear]

From fear of this...




I got out the power sprayer & primed the frame (studs/spars/supports).


Here are the before shots:














to the after shots:


















Now I've got a skeleton.

[Cliffmeister2000]

What's your towing capacity? That looks like it's going to be heavy...

[MKE_Tear]

Vehicle is 2,000 and the trailer is 1,500.

EDIT: Changed as of May 2011...got a new tow vehicle. It's towing capacity is 3,500 (not that it should really matter much).

[Cliffmeister2000]

My trailer weighs in at 1,340, and I used 1x lumber for the framing. I hope you meet your 1,500 goal!

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Not much of an update but...

1. The height of the door was raised one inch (before the cut -- should have said that earlier),
2. Primed the rest of the inside (been doing 3 coats to be extra-sure/safe),
3. I have been filling the screw holes and the gaps where the plywood was stretched, and
4. Test fit the window -- I can see progress!!

Test fitting the door is definitely an exciting point in the build! Looks good!!

[MKE_Tear]

My trailer weighs in at 1,340, and I used 1x lumber for the framing. I hope you meet your 1,500 goal!

Me, too!

I put in a lot of (potentially) additional/extra spars & studs but each round or series really firmed things up. I realize you need some flex but it felt like it had just a bit too much. I just don't want to see the thing blow up in my rear view mirror.

Test fitting the door is definitely an exciting point in the build! Looks good!!

Thanks, Zach!!!

Next up: the pink stuff.

[Cliffmeister2000]

The real strength comes from the skin on the frame, creating a torsion box. The frame does not have to be very strong.