Don & Christi's 6 x 10 Cargo Conversion

[GPW]

Don , you have 1 year on me ... Hope you're feeling better !!!!
I'm 6'3" and 240 lbs... too huge to be sleeping on the top berth .... May have to start searching for a 7' wide ...

Here it's HOT all (most) of the time , so a little cool would be most welcome ... Old waterbed trick , put a polyester blanket over the mattress then your sheets ... the poly reflects your heat , keeps you toasty!!! May work on the air mattress too ...

[vtx1029]

Our trailer is 8.5' wide or about 8' 1" inside so going across was our best use of space.

How tall is your trailer inside? The reason I ask is because there may be a easier way I liked your e-track idea but some folding bunks may work better for you. Build like a torsion box platform for each bunk then put some hinges on one side and screw them to the wall then loosely bolt the outside to a 2x4 on the short side of each bunk so they pivot and you can just lift them up and fold against the trailer wall.

If you wanted the ability to snuggle with the mrs you could have another bunk fold down from the other side of the trailer at the same height of the lower bunk.

We ditched the air bed idea for memory foam mattress topper now it's almost as comfy as my bed at home.

We did bunk beds in our trailer and it worked out awesome! The top one is fixed but half of the lower one lifts up so we can get our bikes in there

Sorry about the mess

VTX,

Mess or no, that's a nice looking setup How wide is your CT? Mine is only 5'9" inside side to side and I'm 6'1" but I mostly sleep on my side so bunks in the rear should work. I'm going with the E-track so both bunks will be removable to get the Harley in when we want to take it along, not to mention I already have the E-Track hardware, just need to reconfigure it for bunks.

Another thing I noticed about the inflatable air mattress that, while it is very comfortable, it gets cold in the early hours of night/morning on cold nights when there is no heat going in the CT. It's sort of like sleeping on a water bed that has no heater, though not as cold as the latter.

Thank you for the pics of your CT!

Don

[d30gaijin]

VTX,

For now I'll try the bunk beds with the E-Track since I have what I need to make them with simple modifications.

Trailer height inside is about 6' 3" at the peak. I am 6'1" tall and can just clear the overhead lights positioned in the center (highest point of my CT), but then again maybe I have shrunk in height over the last 20 years, I hear that happens as we age. My primary concern is stuffing my at least... now-a-days, 6 foot frame into a 5'9" long bunk (crosswise in the CT). I should be able to deal with it but if not then I will reconfigure and go with GPW's lengthwise trundle bed concept. I prefer the bunk concept but will go with whatever is most comfortable in the long run.

Been down with the funk but am on the mend and hope to be out soon reconfiguring the CT in anticipation of our next trip, which we hope to make before the summer is totally gone, and even if it is... well we'll go anyway and just crank up the heater. We don't have much space to heat and found a tiny 110v fanned electric resistance heater can blow us out of there overnight (that was in low 40 degree windy conditions).

I've still a lot to do to finish up the CT conversion but it is campable for now. We like that.

Don

[GPW]

I actually like bunk beds (as long as I'm on the bottom ) and think that the train bunk setup works great ...

[d30gaijin]

I actually like bunk beds (as long as I'm on the bottom ) and think that the train bunk setup works great ...

GPW,

Oh that is a sweet photo! Very warm and cozy looking.

The bug is slowly leaving me, very slowly indeed, but I am at least now to the point where I can think about working on the CT again (not dead tired dragging my @ss home from work each day). I hope to get the E-Track reconfigured and the wood cut/recut to make the upper/lower bunks. If I can get that done this weekend then I can start moving forward on finishing the mid and forward areas of the CT. If the bunk beds work out then that will allow me to move the shower a bit further aft freeing up valuable galley counter space we would have lost due to the original positioning of the shower enclosure.

Be that as it may, getting the bunk beds done is critical to everything else since we want to make another camping trip, or two, with the CT soon before the weather goes south (We want the extra floor space the bunks will provide in case the weather gets inclement while we're out).

Originally I thought windows would be the most critical installation we needed due to the tiny size of the CT. Not so after our first camping experience. It was nice to go inside the CT and close out the world. We have plenty of light in the CT with the 3 double fixture 12v lights combined with the factory installed roof vent/skylight to the extent that windows now go to the lowest priority i.e., we like shutting off outside light and noise by not having windows. If we want more light we simply step outdoor of the CT and enjoy the fresh air and sunlight.

Don

[GPW]

Don , glad you're feeling better ... looking forward to your progress!!!

[d30gaijin]

Don , glad you're feeling better ... looking forward to your progress!!!

GPW,

Well that was a bust. Found out (after going to my Doc) What I had migrated to the lungs and turned into bronchitis. No wonder it would come and go and still keep kicking my @ss. I am on antibiotics now so hope they kick in soon to get me over this dragging on mess I find myself down with. I am really anxious to get into the CT and get the bunk beds sorted out so I can move on with other stuff to finish the CT. We still hope to get that done, or at least the bunks, and get in a few more camping trips before the Idaho weather shuts us out for the winter.

Any luck on your end finding a CT to convert?

Don

[GPW]

Don , I has chronic bronchitis as a kid , turned out to being around everybody smoking (everybody did it then ) ... Soon as I got out of that environment , it went away ...
Get well soon ... !!!!

Still looking for a CT , just found that deal on a tiny 4X8... The guy wanted to trade me for a guitar ... It did have a massive frame , but the box was just too small ... May get it anyway as a small cargo trailer for hauling around the band eqpt. Never enough trailers eh ? hahaha

Luck as it is, I just applied for social security (old) , so I might be able to even get something new ...

[d30gaijin]

Don , I had chronic bronchitis as a kid , turned out to being around everybody smoking (everybody did it then ) ... Soon as I got out of that environment , it went away ...
Get well soon ... !!!!

Still looking for a CT , just found that deal on a tiny 4X8... The guy wanted to trade me for a guitar ... It did have a massive frame , but the box was just too small ... May get it anyway as a small cargo trailer for hauling around the band eqpt. Never enough trailers eh ? hahaha

Luck as it is, I just applied for social security (old) , so I might be able to even get something new ...

GPW,

A trade for a guitar seems like a good deal, of course I know nothing about guitar values but I am confident you do. What the heck? I say go for it. A small trailer is better than no trailer, especially if it requires no cash outlay. You can always use it for something., especially an escape trailer should the need arise, and in NOLA that is a very real possibility this time of the year.

I am facing the application for SSI soon too. I find it disgusting that the left (I am one of those who clings to my religion and guns) hates on us on the right who apply for SSI claiming we're hypocrites... uh I don't think so. I have been forced to pay into SSI for well over 40 years against my will, amounting to well over a hundred thousand dollars (times two if we take into account the wife). If the left thinks that I should not draw it i.e., increasing the national debt thereby making me out to be a hypocrite to do so, that's fine with me. Just give me back every penny I have paid in with reasonable (40 plus years worth of interest earned) and I will go away and manage my own retirement. Alas, that won't happen. They have bankrupted SSI by stealing the funds. The whole thing makes me sick to think about and I suspect I shouldn't be voicing it here so I will say no more on the subject.

Don

[Prem]

Ouu.....Titanium Donating Member

Hey Don,

How much titanium did you donate to this operation?



Prem in jest

[GPW]

Don , We paid in , we should get something out, right? .... and for me , it will be greatly appreciated in times like these ... Thinking I can save a bit and actually buy a good cargo trailer now ...
Regarding politics , I'm definitely in the middle ... like crossing the street , looking both ways ... I'm only concerned what's good for ALL the people ... all this party silliness only divides us , after all we are ALL Americans ... one country , one people ... with different opinions... No reason to gang up on our fellow citizens...

Those who seek to divide us with hate , and fear , only weaken our country and our bond ...

Seriously thinking about that guitar /trailer trade... beneficial to both parties... now that's a good trade !!!

[d30gaijin]

Ouu.....Titanium Donating Member

Hey Don,

How much titanium did you donate to this operation?



Prem in jest

Not as much as being here has saved me in time, effort saved, and money... I think... let me rethink that... no no no, this web site has definitely saved me mucho deniero thanks to all the expertise here, such as folks like you.
Don

[d30gaijin]

Don , We paid in , we should get something out, right? .... and for me , it will be greatly appreciated in times like these ... Thinking I can save a bit and actually buy a good cargo trailer now ...
Regarding politics , I'm definitely in the middle ... like crossing the street , looking both ways ... I'm only concerned what's good for ALL the people ... all this party silliness only divides us , after all we are ALL Americans ... one country , one people ... with different opinions... No reason to gang up on our fellow citizens...

Those who seek to divide us with hate , and fear , only weaken our country and our bond ...

Seriously thinking about that guitar /trailer trade... beneficial to both parties... now that's a good trade !!!

GPW,

Well said and I agree and I will now step down from the soap box because this isn't the place to discuss such things so I will get back on topic.

Let us know if you go for the 4x8. It will be interesting to see what you do with it.

Don

[GPW]

Sorry to get OT so quickly ... back on track ....

4X8 still a possibility... The wife's going to have a "cow"... " another trailer?"... Already have three, TT, stripped Boat trailer waiting for a box , and the boat/w trailer ... another one shouldn't make much difference huh ?

[d30gaijin]

Back on my feet and getting things done after a less than pleasant bout with bronchitis. Be that as it may, after our maiden camping trip with the CT over Labor Day Weekend it quickly became obvious that a queen size bed in a 6x10 CT wasn't going to cut it, not unless our only desire was to either sleep or be outside. There was simply no room inside to relax if the weather turned inclement, which it did. And as comfortable as the big queen bed was for sleeping, well it just was not practical. We knew we had to reconsider our CT configuration. We decided to go with aft placed bunk beds, in part because we could still use the in place E-Track mounts, add another pair above, re-cut the plywood bed base pieces and have a nice pair of bunks that are still completely removable, in fact if we decide to go back to the queen bed every thing remains in place and would only require the addition of a couple of cuts of new 4x8 plywood.

The photos below tell the story of the new configuration. We now have room inside for a table and chairs to get out of the weather if we need to, or to watch TV, work on the computer, more room for cooking inside should weather dictate that, and it gives me a little more leeway for design of the shower that will eventually be installed.

Next we'll be making some mattresses for the bunks (the bunks are 30" wide and 69" long) and then I will turn my attention to finishing up the forward galley area (building some additional shelving, installing cabinet doors to enclose the water heater, fresh water tank, drain tank/bucket, etc.).

Don