Project: Stargazer

[E. Aaron Scott]

Hello everyone, first things first, I would like to give everyone a round of applause for sharing their experiences and most wonderful ideas!
Ok I would like to fill everyone in on my situation and what ideas I have for a CC. I have three main uses for a cargo conversion and I have a few ideas and would like everyone's feed back and would like to know if it is even possible. Also I will have tons of questions for the more knowledgeable people then me.
The tow vehicle is a 1993 Chevrolet C1500 Silverado ext cab 8' bed. It has a new 350 crate engine and this fall will have a new transmission. I'm not sure if the drive train has a towing package but it does have an oil cooler and transmission cooler. It is missing the decal that has the towing capacity, and looking on the internet I have found three different amounts of towing weight. (4000 lbs, 5500 lbs, 9000 lbs) So I do need to find out for sure.
The trailer that I plan on getting is a 7X18 (here is a 7X16 version, the 7X18 will weigh a couple of hundred pounds more)http://www.trailersplus.com/trailer?vin=4RACS1624CC033489

Now here are the three main uses that it will be used for:
#1 Between me and my wife, we have a large family that is spread out over Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Pennsylvania. Normally when we go visit, we would just stay with whoever we are visiting and be done with it. However we have a 9 year old son that has Aspergers Syndrome and High Anxiety Disorder. In layman's terms he becomes highly stressed in social situations. When he becomes highly stressed his body starts producing massive amounts of the CPK Enzyme. This enzyme is produced when muscle tissue suffers from trauma. It is what causes your muscles to hurt when you over do it, when working out. However when he becomes stressed his body produces about 150X of what a good workout will do. For example for an adult that is sore from a workout their CPK level would be about 120. For someone who gets banged around in a bad car wreck then their CPK level will get up to 250. Last time my son was in the hospital because of being overly stressed his CPK was over 9,000. So when we travel, we always have to have an escape plan to get him out of any social situations where he becomes stressed. We end up having to over pay for a hotel room, which is never really near the people that we a visiting. When he becomes stressed he take him to the hotel, let him relax for an hour or so then we can go visit for another hour or so before we have to repeat the process.As a result we spend an enormous amount of time traveling back and forth between the house we are visiting and the hotel. We have tried to put him in a spare bedroom but more often then not people don't understand his problem and keep interrupting his relaxing time which makes matters worse. The idea is to park the trailer in the drive of of whoever we are visiting then we sleep in it and during the day use it as a place for my son to go and watch a little tv or something to relax by himself. Then when he feels better he can just step outside and join in. This way the rest of us can spend more time visiting and my son will be more comfortable then at a hotel because the trailer will always be familiar territory for him.
#2 I am an avid amateur astronomer. At least twice a month I travel at least 100 miles to get to a dark sky observing site. The entire process now is spending two hours loading up my telescope and other gear (yes I have an 8 foot bed on my truck with a camper shell but my telescope alone takes up about 75% of it) so everything has to be put in like a puzzle. Then I drive to where I'm observing at and unload, spend another two hours setting up, organizing, and pitching a tent. Then I stay up all night observing and when the Sun comes up I get in the tent for a few hours of sleep so I wont fall asleep while driving on the way home. After sleep I get to load everything back up and go home and unload everything again. So the idea is to have a wall about two feet from the back doors of the trailer. In this space I can keep my note books, maps, eyepieces, filters and everything else. On the inside of the trailer across the back will be a queen size bed. Under the bed yet still accessible from the rear of the trailer will be storage for my telescope. Because the wall in the rear I will be able to open the back doors of the trailer, but the living quarters of the trailer will still be sealed off and hold its temp. That way I can have access to all of my astronomy gear with out disturbing who ever is sleeping in the trailer. This will make observing easier because everything will stay organized and ready to be used which will cut down my set up and tear down time to minutes instead of hours.
#3 I am also becoming a novelist. I have two published short stories and I'm about half way done with a full length novel. So when the trailer is parked at home I plan on using it as a place to take my laptop and write a few hours every day with hopefully fewer distractions then I get now.
Now I'm new to this so I have no idea on my electrical needs but here is what the trailer will have as far as electrical loads.
Air Conditioner
Heater
White Light system
Red Light system
Television
DVD Player
Small refrigerator
Small Microwave
Here is a starting point on the layout

This is a starting point. Any suggestions or ideas will be greatly appreciated.

[DTCOOPER]

The beauty of a CT conversion is that our imaginations are the only limits.. We've had ours about 3-4 months, and our layout has changed a few times. We use ours for toy hauling and camping. You can check out some of the pictures in my build thread to see what we've done thus far. One thing I can't stress enough is "INSULATE, INSULATE, INSULATE"...
It makes for much more comfort at all times. And also using the AC or Heater less time.

Good luck with your build, and post lots of pictures. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions you may have.

[E. Aaron Scott]

Hey thanks. Insulation will be key. I live in Oklahoma and for three to four months of the year we have to run A/C during the day and blast the heater at night.

Right now before we get too much into plans I need to establish the towing capacity of my truck. I'm pretty positive that I have the power but I don't want to over do it. Also would a 7X18 be too much for a 1/2 ton? I pulled one of those 6X12 U-Haul trailers loaded while moving and could barely tell that it was back there. Since then I got the new engine and add close to another 100 hp.
If someone could point me in the direction of a reliable place to find out what my towing capacity is, that would be great.

[DTCOOPER]

unfortunately, the engine and transmission aren't going to do much for your tow "rating". However, we both know that those items will increase the pleasure of towing said load.
1/2 ton trucks weren't rated to tow nearly as much 15-20 years ago, as they have been in the past say 5-8 years.

My 1/2 ton Tundra is rated to tow 10k. I wouldn't make a habit of it though. I towed a 8k pound camper about 800 miles in August. And while the truck did fine, and the added trailer brakes helped, it was not an "enjoyable" experience for me. Your trailer should weigh roughly 2800-3000 dry I'd think. Your truck is probably rated to tow 5k. And I believe you'd be safe and reasonable to tow every bit of that 5k. Especially if you'd add some helper leaf springs or air bags in the rear. I'd seriously suggest trailer brakes. They make towing much more enjoyable, knowing you can stop safely and effectively.

my 24' CT weighed 3200 empty. Now with insulation, paneling, wiring, e trac, holding tanks, dorm frig, etc. I'm at 3800 pounds.
I figure by the time I install the cabinets, shower pan, bathroom walls, etc. I'll be around 4500 pounds. And that's before I add the toys in the back (Harley, 4 wheelers, dirtbikes, Kawasaki Mule).

[E. Aaron Scott]

The size of the trailer is not set in stone. The 7X18 would be the maximum size that I would want to pull. About 99% of the time I will be using it by myself and my family will be in it an average of 20 nights a year spread out over the year. If I can find or think of a smaller design for 4 people to sleep comfortable (me and the wife in one bed and I have two kids and they would each need a bed) then I would prefer that. I looked at Slide In Campers and they were just too cramped, weighed too much for my truck and cost way too much. I just want something that we can sleep in, and still move around during the night and something as open as possible during the day. I could go with even a 6X12 if I could figure out a way to make it work.

As far as breaks, to me personally I won't pull a trailer that does not have them. I always make it a habit to be more caution then necessary. So trailer breaks are a must.

I'm also wondering if anyone has ever done a slide out section on a cargo trailer. Not sure if the frame could handle something like that though.

[Shadow Catcher]

As a aspie I can well understand your son's situation and the idea of a mobile quiet room is a very good idea. I too have difficulty with some social situations and have had 53 years more to learn to deal with it.
Are you familiar with Temple Grandin's web site and more importantly here squeeze machine. This sort of thing deep touch, works for some/many of us. PM me if I can be of help.
On another note there was some one else on the forum who did a star gazing CT.
Tom

[roadinspector]

Hey thanks. Insulation will be key. I live in Oklahoma and for three to four months of the year we have to run A/C during the day and blast the heater at night.

Right now before we get too much into plans I need to establish the towing capacity of my truck. I'm pretty positive that I have the power but I don't want to over do it. Also would a 7X18 be too much for a 1/2 ton? I pulled one of those 6X12 U-Haul trailers loaded while moving and could barely tell that it was back there. Since then I got the new engine and add close to another 100 hp.
If someone could point me in the direction of a reliable place to find out what my towing capacity is, that would be great.

Hey Aaron,
First, WELCOME!!
I found this site that is supposed to assist with this. Pull your VIN # off your pickup and type it in.
http://www.vtxoa.com/forums/showthread.php?289752-GM-VIN-Decoder-for-folks-who-tow
You can also take the VIN # down to a dealer and they should be able to fill in any blanks that are left unknown from this site.

We have close friends that have an aspie son. There is light at the end of the tunnel. They were sure that he would not be a functional part of society for years. They hooked up with Autism Speaks. http://www.autismspeaks.org/ If you haven't connected with this organization, I highly suggest you do. This has been such a blessing. They got him into the right therapy and treatment. He is a freshman in college and living on campus 60 miles from home. He still has issues but he knows how to deal with them now. His mother started an annual Autism Walk locally. It not only raised a lot of money for research, it introduced several folks to where they can get help. It has been wonderful watching and being a part of this growth and change. Prayers are extended to you and your family.

Please keep us informed on your build. No matter the experience of anyone, we can learn from you too. Fresh eyes are a wonderful thing.

Earnest

[E. Aaron Scott]

Thanks for all of the great information.

Now my son is almost 10 and the have a counselor that comes to the house once a week. We have had her only since June, and we can already see a huge difference. The largest problem is dealing with the schools. The district does not admit that he has Aspergers and regardless of how many Doctors that go to the school on our behalf, they still will not budge. He is in 4th grade and once a month the entire school gathers in the gym for something like a pep assembly. This is way too much for him and we are trying to have it set up for him to go set in the office or library during this. When we requested it they said that it will effect his grade for the entire week. Since he is a die hard rule follower, getting a bad grade is unacceptable so he is miserable. It could be a lot worse. My wife is a stay at home mom, and having this free time she worked her way up to be president of the PTA. That is helping a lot.
I have read a couple of Temple's books. I have not checked out much online stuff but I will get on that.

I have found some floor plans for some Slide in Campers and commercially converted cargo trailers. So of course it has the monkey in my head running crazy with different ideas. So for now I will be drawing them out and playing around with them a bit and try to come up with a plan. Of course the best laid battle plans get tossed aside once the first shot is fired.

[E. Aaron Scott]

Well I finally got one problem solved. I went to http://www.chevrolet.com and emailed them with my VIN and GVRW and everything else I could think of. I didn't expect anything because I have done this in the past with no luck. Within an hour I got this response.


Dear Aaron,


Thank you for contacting the Chevrolet Customer Assistance Center. We appreciate you taking the time to write us about your interest in finding out the towing capacity, the GCWR of your 1993 Chevrolet C1500.


We are more than glad to assist you on this matter. We have carefully researched the information you are seeking and based from the info that we got, the towing capacity of your vehicle is 6500 lbs and the GCWR (Gross Combination Weight Rating) of your vehicle is 11,000 lbs. In addition, Maximum trailer ratings are calculated assuming standard equipped vehicle, driver and required trailering equipments. The weight of optional equipment, passengers and cargo will reduce the maximum trailer weight your vehicle can tow. 10 to 15% of the trailer weight is the recommended trailer tongue load. A good rule of thumb is to distribute 60% of the load of the trailer and evenly from side to side. We hope that this information has been helpful to you.


If you should need to contact us in the future, simply reply to this message or call our Chevrolet Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-222-1020. Customer Relationship Specialists are available Monday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Eastern Time.


I was a bit surprised with the 6500# tow weight. It is much better then the 4k or 5k that I was expecting. So now I'm pretty positive that my plans should be ok with weight. I do not think I will go 5k in my conversion at the most, but I needed to make sure.