Roll-Off Camper For Small Trailer
#31
Woo Hoo!  Am I excited.  I got down to the cargo trailer dealership, and looked at the trailers.  My impression of the V-nosed 4x6 trailer was spot on, too narrow and too low a ceiling.  I looked at two 5x8 trailers, one which was perfect, but was way over my budget.  Seems the price went up in the past few days.  Guess it was on sale then.  Looked at another, but the weight was 890 pounds, which my poor Honda CRV, aka "Blue Pony" would not have liked.  So I broke down and asked about the other 4x6 trailer, and got the surprise I was not expecting.  The specs said the inside length was 72 inches, which is one inch too short for my long body.  I asked if I lay down to see if I fit, and was totally floored that when I streteched to my max, I still had 3-4 inches of room.  This trailer also is four or so inches wider than the other one, and best of all, the roof is significantly higher.  The weight was only 610 pounds dry.  So I said "YES!"  I also ordered the front and back stands to be installed.  Trailer didn't come with those.

So, after 5 hours, I was back on the road to home.  I was really worried by Blue Pony would be cranky with the load behind her, but it turns out that the three grades I had to climb, one a really good one, was uneventful.  My temperature gauge never crossed the half way mark, and that was only on the very steep grade.

  I am now set to do the conversion, which I will probably need lots of help on.  Insulation should be pretty easy, as the 1 inch pink foam will fit perfectly behind the plywood sheeting that is inside the trailer, and the metal outside walls.

Trailer does not have a side door, so I think I have solved that problem.  I will use a half inch sheet of plywood to create a wall just inside the rear trailer door.  In that plywood will be a door that I can lock from the inside.  All I will have to do is put cleates(?) on the backside of the plywood along the side walls and the roof, which should hold it in place.  And it will be easy to remove.  Just have to remove some screws I will use to hold it in place.

One problem is I cannot put a ventilation fan in the ceiling.  It will void the warranty I have on the ceiling.  So I will have to use an inside fan.  Somehow I will have to put in some kind of vents on the trailer sides or possibly the front, so I can get some air circulation.  Not sure I can put a fan mounted at one of those locations.  Probably need someone with experience to tell me if that is possible.

I will have a solar panel setup also.  I think I can run a cable to a box I plan on putting on the V trailer hitch bars on the front.  I am hoping to put some deep cell batteries, or whatever they are called.  Will also put the controller there.  I believe there is a control unit that also goes with such a system, and I probably will mount that inside on the front wall.

Since the trailer is still pretty narrow, I will only have one storage bench on one side.  I plan on putting a table in that does double duty, as a table and when the legs are remove, bed platform.  The other side will be held up with a 2x2 mounted on the wall.  

I have enough room in the front to put in a small counter, and some small cupboards at the ceiling.

And that is probably all I can manage to put in this tiny trailer.  But is sure beats going to a motel, or camping in a tent.  I will just have to somehow solve the heating and cooling part.

I have a creature comfort dual duty tent I will place next to it when I am not at a campground.  One side is for a potty, and the other as a shower.  Of course, that only works during the summer.  Gotta figure out another way of getting clean when it is cold.  Unfortunately the other part still has to be done in that little two room tent.  Brrrrr!!!!

I also found out tonight when I got home that I can put this trailer in my backyard.  My pedestrian gate is about six inches wider.  So it will be easier to do the conversion back there.

As I said, I am very happy.  Now the hard work comes trying to make things to put inside.  I am not a very good carpenter, so I will need lots of help on how to go about things.  CaleyAnn
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#32
Lynden, I did a very heavy haul the other day with my Snowbear trailer, and the two strips of wood on either side of the center steel section got torn up pretty badly. Guess I should be happy that wood lasted nearly 10 years. Anyway, I am replacing those sheets of wood, and then will put another sheet over the entire bed. The nice thing is I have a template of the front corner which is curved on both sides, so making the new strips and big sheet should be easy.

I probably am going to make my roll-off teardrop camper, even though I just purchased my small cargo trailer to be converted. I can take my time with this build, and use your pictures, and other links to help me come up with what will work for me. So, thanks Everyone for posting the various links. They will be browsed and put to use when they fit my plans.

All of these two projects might go by the wayside in several years, once I purchase my new medium sized SUV. I hope there is a medium sized SUV made that can tow 1500 pounds and have 4-wheel drive. That way I can graduate to either a larger cargo trailer to convert, or get a pre-made camping trailer. But or now, I will get some wood working experience with these two projects. Thanks again to all for your kind inputs. CaleyAnn
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#33
I have a pretty sturdy 5x8 utility trailer that I tow behind by Toyota hatchback that I've considered building a slide on teardrop for. It tows fine with a a couple of hundred bd/ft of lumber AND a portable sawmill on it, so I'm sure the weight would be OK. I was thinking I could go out  over the sides with the body, and have storage spaces under the sleeping area? But it's still on the "someday" list as we have two youngsters at home still, so need more space when we travel.

Those cheap Asian build trailers have a pretty poor reputation here, breaking axles, poor welding, frames bending etc. Mine was built locally, welded up and then the whole frame hot dip galvanised before it was finished off. Cost a bit more, but you can tell the differnence, and yes it's got "normal" 14" car type tires etc. 

A few things to consider with towing. It's not usually just the weight that's the problem. Balance is critical, between 5 and 10% of the trailer weight needs to be on the drawbar, so consider that when you design and load your trailer. Consider where any heavier items like water tanks and luggage are going to sit. 

The next is stopping, and that's what usually limits the tow capacity of small vehicles. Locally a "Corolla" like mine is rated to tow 2860lb, IF the trailer has brakes. About 1,000 without brakes. That's down to the vehicles weight and ability to control the load behind it in an emergency situation.  

Lastly, the mechanical condition of your tow vehicle. The extra load will soon highlight any fault in the vehicle, like a bad radiator or worn out transmission. Driving carefully and getting into the slow lane on the hills will help of course.  If you can't drive a modern vehicle all day at 1/2 throttle, then it's got a problem. If that's doing 80mph unloaded, or 50 mph loaded up, load on the engine is about the same, and if it breaks, well it needed fixing.
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#34
whole nuther forum dedicated to teardrops


Teardrop forum
"Oh. Um, l-- look, i-- i-- if we built this large wooden badger" ~ Sir Bedevere
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#35
(01-15-2018, 07:48 AM)CaleyAnn Wrote: Windfalla,  That is one beautiful work of art.  Unfortunately I live in the high desert of southern California, and I do not have a garage or a carport.  That woodwork would deteriorate in just a year or two regardless of what I did to preserve it.

I am beginning to wonder if this trailer is actually big enough inside for my purpose.  The interior dimensions are only 84"L x 41"W x 48"H.  So there's not a lot of room to work with when it comes to a raised bed that can have some storage beneath it.  And I really wonder if I can somehow fit some 12x12 cupboards along the top on one side.  The weight is ideal for my little Honda CRV at just 460 pounds, but I am beginning to think I need to try a trailer that is one size larger, 5x8.  Or maybe I just need to hope I can build something.  

My carpentry skills are pretty bad.  I just attempted to do mortises and tenons, and it was an extreme failure.  My mortises I tried to drill and then chisel out, but I still had crooked sides even with the fact I used a jig on the drill press to make the initial holes.  For some reason the drill bit still wandered.  It could have been that I tried to use a 1/2 inch diameter drill bit to create the holes, and then try to cut out the material between the holes with that same bit.  I just don't have the experience on how to use these big power tools.

I have similar problems using my band saw with the 1/8 inch deep saw blade.  I try cutting a straight line in wood, but the blade seems to wander.  Knowing how things are, the blade probably was not deep enough for cutting like that.  My drill press only takes 1/8 thru 3/8 inch blades.  So I have a very steep learning curve right now.  So right now I am doubting that I have the ability to actually build something like this.  CaleyAnn


Maybe another way: http://www.thesquidget.com/
a little simpler...I almost built this before we got our cottage on the lake....good luck to you.
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#36
Don't worry LWB, I finally got invited to a Teardrop trailer forum, and will be moving there. But I will be starting a thread here, when I need help building something I have never done, which is just about everything.

So this pretty much ends this thread. Thanks for the help and advice. I will be back when help is needed. CaleyAnn
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#37
(01-14-2018, 06:04 PM)CaleyAnn Wrote: photobug,  I have a 2001 Honda CRV, with the smallest engine.  Technically it wasn't designed to tow anything, but I got U-Haul to install a trailer hitch so I could make my move from California to Florida.  I hauled the U-Hauls biggest single axle trailer fully loaded, but only averaged about 50mph due to the load, and my fear of losing control of the load.  I eventually moved back to California with the same setup.  But that was when my car was only a few years old.  It is now 16 years old, and doesn't like a lot of weight behind it when going up hill.  Therefore, any trailer over 8 feet and over 860 pounds will not work.  I need a few hundred pounds of weight to include as cargo for no more than 860 pounds which a friend told me was just about how much my car could handle

 I would love a bigger travel trailer, but right now I am paying off debt like my mortgage and credit card.  This is first priority before a new vehicle, or fancy trailer

 So I am stuck with trying to modify a trailer that will fit my specs, or just build a roll-off box for my little Snowbear utility trailer.  If I had my druthers, I would buy a used 18-20 foot motor home camper, or if I could find one, a Toyota cab-over camper truck.  I missed out on a Toiyota by 3 days for $2500 when my friend told me about it.  But I live in southern California, and all the lists I have looked at have had such things, but they get snapped up so quickly, it makes your head spin.

 Anyway, back to wood type stuff, like finishing the inside of a enclosed trailer.  If I do buy one this Tuesday, I will come back for advice, and lots of questions. I've getting what they call "Gold Fever".  Digging for gold is fun, and if I work hard, I can get about 1/4 ounce in about a week of the powder type stuff that the old timers weren't interested in.  So a camper is a must.  Motels cost an average of $50 per day, which basically kills whatever money I would get from the mined gold.  CaleyAnn
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But whatever you do, pay attention to wheel size and tires rated for the service you plan to use it for..and for safe towing make sure the weight on the hitch is 12/15% of the gross weight of the trailer..If not you can have "sway" like you wont believe. Keep the heavy stuff in the front of the trailer.
Often Tested.    Always Faithful.      Brothers Forever

Jack Edgar, Sgt. U.S. Marines, Korea, America's Forgotten War
Get off my lawn !
Upset





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#38
Timberwold, Thanks. Sounds very much like determining the aircraft center of gravity to have a stable platform. I was told 10 percent or possibly a tad more. I used to drive 18-wheelers, so I know I need to balance my load to keep the trailer from taking over, especially in slippery conditions.

Anyway, like I said, I finally got onto the Trailer Forum, and I will discontinue here. I only came here because I was in need of advice. And I still will need advice when it comes to the wood working part of the trailer. Right now I am concerned with the electrical and insulation part, which I am asking questions about on the Trailer Forum. Bye CaleyAnn
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#39
First I would like to welcome you to WoodNet and glad you joined.

One option you could think about is a Popup trailer which has a hard floor and sides to three feet and the top is solid also.
The only thing if you really wished is when the top is up and you do not like the cloth you can just put up some precut 1/4" plywood to make it more sturdier for you.

Also no matter which way you go make sure you put jacks on all four sides also so you can level it up at night to sleep right.
As of this time I am not teaching vets to turn. Also please do not send any items to me without prior notification.  Thank You Everyone.

It is always the right time, to do the right thing.
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#40
(01-17-2018, 10:10 PM)CaleyAnn Wrote: Timberwold,  Thanks.  Sounds very much like determining the aircraft center of gravity to have a stable platform.  I was told 10 percent or possibly a tad more.  I used to drive 18-wheelers, so I know I need to balance my load to keep the trailer from taking over, especially in slippery conditions.  

Anyway, like I said, I finally got onto the Trailer Forum, and I will discontinue here.  I only came here because I was in need of advice.  And I still will need advice when it comes to the wood working part of the trailer.  Right now I am concerned with the electrical and insulation part, which I am asking questions about on the Trailer Forum.  Bye  CaleyAnn
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With your trailering experience, you already know more than 75% of the folks on the road, Caleyann.
Big Grin ..My experience comes from 35 years in Fleet Operation and Mtce for a large power company with 2500 vehicles and very heavy equipment for high voltage power line construction.
The only other suggestion I would make at this time is to put all your wiring that is outside the body, inside plastic loom, clipped to the frame rails every two feet and secured properly at the termination...16ga wire throughout is good, 14ga is even better.
Winkgrin
Often Tested.    Always Faithful.      Brothers Forever

Jack Edgar, Sgt. U.S. Marines, Korea, America's Forgotten War
Get off my lawn !
Upset





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