Installing the cabin

[kartvines]

This may sound like a dumb question, but how do you hold the cabin sides up to the trailer floor during attachment? Being I want to glue and nail and or screw what hold it steady as well as level during this process. I will be working alone. Is screws better than nails, I think they the hold better, but originally it was nailed. If screws get used then everything must be pre-drilled and countersunk, which is a job in itself.

[mikeschn]

The floor should be sitting on your chassis, which should already be level. You can predrill and countersink your holes for your screws. Yes, you want to use screws! It helps if you can find a helper for a couple minutes while you get the first 2 screws into each side!!!

Mike...

[asianflava]

The floor should be sitting on your chassis, which should already be level.Mike...

Unless you have a skirt, I built the body on the ground with the floor spaced up. When there is enough strength, I will lift the whole body onto the frame.

[Arne]

if you build on the trailer, be sure to put jacks under each corner and level it. do not depend on the wheels as support. they should be off the trailer of at least off the ground......

[kartvines]

Yes I understand that my floor will already be bolted onto my trailer, my concern are then what. I want to be able to attach my sides without worrying about it dropping while I drill and then set my screws. the glue should be no problem, being I can apply it first, but then the sides will be lube up ready to slide while I start the attaching. On my Scad-A-Bout, the sides do not rest against the floor, they have to be held in mid air, lining up to where they are screwed onto the floor.

[ALAN GEDDES]

Would it be possible for you to add a couple of temporary cleats to the inside of wall that would sit on floor at the desired height ? Just a thought that might help.

[kartvines]

That does not sound like a too bad of an idea, with the exception that my interior panel will already be installed . So the nails would damage the panel

[dguff]

You can use shims under the floor extending out past the edge of the floor. Then just rest the sides on the shims and butt the sidewall up to the floor and screw it in.

If the floor is already on the frame I did the same thing by wedging some aluminum angle between the floor and the frame for a shelf for the side to sit on while I screwed it to the floor. It only take about four pieces of 1 1/2"angle about 6" long spread along the frame from front to back to rest the side upon.

Jerome

[Larwyn]

Yes I understand that my floor will already be bolted onto my trailer, my concern are then what. I want to be able to attach my sides without worrying about it dropping while I drill and then set my screws. the glue should be no problem, being I can apply it first, but then the sides will be lube up ready to slide while I start the attaching. On my Scad-A-Bout, the sides do not rest against the floor, they have to be held in mid air, lining up to where they are screwed onto the floor.

Take the time to build a jig that will support the wall at the proper hight. Still seems you would come out better if you enlisted some help to hold the wall verticle on top of the jig while you drive the first few screws.

In my case the walls sit of the floor with only the outside panel covering the edge of the floor. I had someone hold the walls verticle while I put two barclamps at the bottom corners of the door opening and clamped the overlaping portion of the outside panels to the floor. Then added a couple of temporary stringers, also clamped in place with bar clamps. Once the front bulkhead was in place I was able to loosen the bottom clamps and rasise the panels onto temporary spacers while I spread the glue. This way, with the panels attached to each other it was a simple matter to remove the blocking, droping the walls back to the floor into the bed of glue then screw it into place. It worked for me and I only needed help for 5 minutes or less.

[Gage]

Mike, My sides are hung below the floor. What I did was add/glue a 1"x2" strip to my sides
and then drill 4 1/2" holes in each side for which I ran 1/2" threaded stk thru. Asked a
neihbor to give me a hand lifting the sides up on the floor and help hold them in place while
I made the needed adjustments on the threaded stk. (see pics below) or see page 4 of my
build (http://gages-56.com/tear4.html). That's just the way I did it. The other way which may
be a little simpler would be like Larwyn said. Make a jig or some 90 deg. supports.


Have a good day,
Gage
P.S. Nobody told me I was suppose to remove the wheels.

[Jiminsav]

just my 2 cents worth, but i wouldn't screw my sides into the side of the floor..i set mine on the floor and screwed up and in and put a 1x2 on the inside of that and screwed it to the side..i don't trust metal screws to hold up a dead weight over a bumpy road.

[ALAN GEDDES]

After seeing your picture it seems to me that you could safely clamp a long cleat/board to the inside of wall so that it would sit on floor.

[fornesto]

I used a 6' scrap of 2 x 4, cut two 1/2" cuts, 2" deep and 54" apart (extra-wide trailer) into the scrap and created a sort of yoke that held the two sides upright and in position. I used two of these.

[mexican tear]

I used the left over parts of the sides, where I cut out the front profile, to hold the sides up for the first few screws.

see photo DSC03844 in my alvum below or in the hall of fame.

kai