small off-road trailer conversion...

[86 slo-vo]

hey guys im new to the site, i picked up a small (very small) enclosed trailer this week to convert into a camper.

basically just for weekend wheeling trips, just needed something big enough for me to sleep in.

well searching craigslist one day this thing popped up, he had it listed for $600 and just for shits and giggles i sent him an offer for $300....suprisingly he said come get it. well it was smaller then he had advertised but barely just big enough for what i needed. i told him i would think about it, the next day i called him and offered $225 and again he said come get it so that i did.



its 6 foot long and just under 4ft wide and high, like i said just enough room to sleep in


the problem was is that my trail rig's hitch is way way up, about 32-34 inches off the ground and the trailer sat low. so the first round of business was lifting it up more so i flipped the axle and added some of my stock ranger 235/75/15 wheels and tires which meant i had to do some work on the fenders.

pretty much cut them and raised them enough for a little coverage, they are ugly so i may make some more later on.


so far i got it insulated with 3/4 in the walls and started on some small shelving inside to have some storage


i wanted to make sure i had a matching spare on the trailer so i welded in some extra plate on the rear door and added a tire carrier from a bronco 2




ive still got alot of work to do, but i think the end result will fit my needs nicely, this thing is super light weight and should tow nicely behind my trail rig to the trails





thanks for reading.

[eatatjoz]

Nice score. The trail rig in nice too.
Keep those photos coming.

[S. Heisley]

$225? I'd say you did good!

One thing that I would do before you try to sleep in it, though, is put in either a window or a vent. It could get pretty stuffy in there. Can you open those doors from the inside?

[86 slo-vo]

Nice score. The trail rig in nice too.
Keep those photos coming.

thanks man, it should come along pretty quickly....

the problem i am having is finding some windows at a decent price, dont really want to fork out $100 a piece for a small window.

[86 slo-vo]

a few more pictures...

[86 slo-vo]

heck, man, you did not have to build the outsides. your can just hop in and camp! Now I would say just start adding all the life time of acecessrories and life long add ons. slowcowboy.

lol yup not alot to it, going to keep things pretty simple, i am going to put a battery and an inverter in the front toolbox and some electrical inside and a few creative ways for storage to fit everything i need for a trip

ive slept in trucks and back seats just about anywhere so this thing should feel like home, looking at it it seems tiny but when inside its really not bad at all

im also going to add some halogen lights on the outside for truck repairs after dark and general camp light when its needed

after days of searching for some decently priced windows none have popped up, so not sure what im going to do there yet

[eatatjoz]

Do you care if the windows open? Are your walls 2" thick?

[86 slo-vo]

Do you care if the windows open? Are your walls 2" thick?

if i can get them for cheap a solid window would be fine for me, just need something for light. the walls are about 1.25 thick

i ordered a small hatch last night so hopefully it will be here soon

[eatatjoz]

I don't know if I have anything that will work for walls that size.
I was actually thinking of garage door windows, but they come in 1 3/8" and 2" thickness frames (and the ones for the plain steel doors) I don't know that any of them would work for you.
I've got one old jalosey window from my old cab-over but it's crusty and ugly... I wouldn't use it on a dog house.

[86 slo-vo]

I don't know if I have anything that will work for walls that size.
I was actually thinking of garage door windows, but they come in 1 3/8" and 2" thickness frames (and the ones for the plain steel doors) I don't know that any of them would work for you.
I've got one old jalosey window from my old cab-over but it's crusty and ugly... I wouldn't use it on a dog house.

i thought of a garage window myself but couldnt seem to find any around...


i could easily make one work with some trim on the inside to make the frame pull tight

[eatatjoz]

Pm me an address and I'll see what it cost to ship.
I've got 16"x21" or 16x43

[86 slo-vo]

Pm me an address and I'll see what it cost to ship.
I've got 16"x21" or 16x43

pm'd....


ive been looking around and i think i am going to invest in this setup...

http://www.harborfreight.com/45-watt-so ... 90599.html

and mount it on top and a deep cycle battery in the front toolbox with an inverter for power.

from looking around it seems to be a decent setup

[eatatjoz]

build a cage of expanded metal on top of it if you're going into the woods.
I lost one to a tree limb on my rig.
It worked great until it got a splinter.

[86 slo-vo]

build a cage of expanded metal on top of it if you're going into the woods.
I lost one to a tree limb on my rig.
It worked great until it got a splinter.

ive got some small mesh so that doesnt sound like a bad idea, are you running the same kit or another one?

[eatatjoz]

Mine was a single panel.
15watt I think. I need to go back and get another or just replace it with the one you're thinking of getting.
With just the one HF panel, I didn't need to worry about charging the battery. Of course, I rely on lanterns and battery operated radios. The battery in the camper is just a luxury to me.