My Project a Cargo Trailer for back country camping

[Prem]

Gil,

Nice work! And thanks for the update.

Rubber grommet or caulking in holes where wires pass through metal?



Prem

[Ageless]

Always a grommet!!

[meach4x4]

Gil,

Nice work! And thanks for the update.

Rubber grommet or caulking in holes where wires pass through metal?



Prem

For the small wires, I'm using plastic push in grommets (3/8" drill hole, 5/16" wire size)



For the 10/3 30 amp wiring, I'm using silicone caulk, since I don't have enough room for the proper sized grommet. I drilled out an oval 1/2" hole, then taped around the individual 10 guage wires (after stripping the rubber off the cable), then used silicone to hold the wires in the middle of the hole, so they won't chaffe on the edge of the hole through the frame.



Today, I installed the rest of the extruded foam insulation board. Some parts were tedious, like splitting it down to 1/2" thick where the frame has gussets at the back corners. Most of it went in pretty well.



It was nice getting all the wiring covered, except where the switches came through the foam. Here is a switch for the reading light on the driver's side



And, here is the switches for the curb side reading light, the porch light, and the dome light poking through the foam.



After I finished with the foam insulation, I cleaned up the mess inside, and started looking at battery and power panel cabinet location options
I think I'll mount the battery sideways between the two wire chases in the front of the nose.



This will get the heaviest load low and in the center of the trailer. I'll mount the power panel in the same cabinet, above the battery. I'll use fiberglass batts in the wire chases, and everywhere else that there isn't foam board. Most of these places will be covered with curved aluminum pieces from the factory. The others, I'll have to think about either fabric covered luan, or just painted luan.

Just as I was finishing the last pieces of insulation, the Fed Ex and UPS delivery guys simultaneously showed up at the curb. One with the power distribution box, LED dome and reading lights, and breakers. The other had the AGM battery. Great timing! Now, I just have to get the panelling put in so I can get to wiring up this baby!

Stay tuned!

Gil

[Prem]

Gil,

Why fiberglass for those rounded, upper corners? If it gets compressed, it loses R value. It rains tiny glass fibers unless one caulks all the panelling seams air tight (NG either way). Open pockets of no insulation develop as the fiberglass batt gives way to gravity after just a little traveling/pounding down the road.

Expanding polyurethane spray foam in a can! Wires don't move either, but they're buried. No problem. You used good wire and have appropriate fuses on every 12 VDC line going to reading lights, etc., right?

With the foam sanded flat, your idea about glued on fabric is easy and interesting. In the alternative, you could cut a run of plywood to go in on a 45 degree angle to cover the foam (without sanding). This run (say 10 inches wide), gets angle ripped sticks glued to it that perfectly mate to the ceiling and wall panelling. Predrill it and voila! Rounded corners made flat, perfectly insulated and covered.


Prem

[meach4x4]

Gil,

Why fiberglass for those rounded, upper corners? If it gets compressed, it loses R value. It rains tiny glass fibers unless one caulks all the panelling seams air tight (NG either way). Open pockets of no insulation develop as the fiberglass batt gives way to gravity after just a little traveling/pounding down the road.

Expanding polyurethane spray foam in a can! Wires don't move either, but they're buried. No problem. You used good wire and have appropriate fuses on every 12 VDC line going to reading lights, etc., right?

With the foam sanded flat, your idea about glued on fabric is easy and interesting. In the alternative, you could cut a run of plywood to go in on a 45 degree angle to cover the foam (without sanding). This run (say 10 inches wide), gets angle ripped sticks glued to it that perfectly mate to the ceiling and wall panelling. Predrill it and voila! Rounded corners made flat, perfectly insulated and covered.


Prem

First, I have to say I am totally impressed by that almost CAD quality drawing, PLUS it was drawn on what appeared to be a sheet of unused paper!!! Not a used, unopened envelope!
I like that concept. I also am second guessing the fiberglas batting idea. Your point of being exposed to micro fibers raining down through the cracks is pertinent to me.

My main drawback with expanding foam is the mess it makes. I used it for some structural insulation once, and it ended up bowing the surfaces I applied it to. Also, it was a real bear to work with once it dried. I was trying to work with a farriar's file, and it didn't even touch it.

A second concern is that I want to be able to come back in the future and add wiring, plumbing, or whatever. An example just came up, because I decided to add a second dome light over the front desk/counter space. I'm pulling in wire for it now. So, I want to keep the races flexible for future expansion. The foam would be tough to do that with.

After thinking over your suggestions and CAD drawing, I'm thinking seriously of using some 1/2 inch board foam in the corners. If I do 2 layers, I can fit it to the curves by making the inside piece smaller than the second layer. I can also use your idea of putting ripped 1 by 1 along the edge of the panelling, holding the board foam in place.

One challenge of your CAD design for me is the ripped 1 by 1. When I moved from my last home in Oregon, I sold my wood shop equipment. All I have left is the hand tools, a jig saw, router with missing base plate, and a skil saw. Nothing to rip a 1 by 1 with. As an alternative, I'm of using 3/8 inch plywood and using long sheet metal screws into the top bows to wedge the plywood against the ceiling and wall. Kind of like a cove strip is installed in a home.

Today, I installed all the panelling and the two slider windows. I'm at a point where I'm going to build the cabinet for the battery and the distribution center before doing the ceiling. I also want to hook up all the 12 v lines and check them out (again). I want to make sure I didn't run any screws through them before I button up the top curves.

I love your input... keep it comin'!

Gil

[Prem]

Gil,

Okay. Well, if yur gunna make some cabinets or shelves, seems you could use a $79.95 Delta table saw. (I'm on the 6th year with mine and the original blade.) Very light and portable!

Hardened, expanded, polyurethane foam is shaped with a Surform hand plane. They come flat or rounded and short or long.

Auto body tool also.

Where in Oregon?

Prem

[Prem]

Gil wrote:

I'm of using 3/8 inch plywood and using long sheet metal screws into the top bows to wedge the plywood against the ceiling and wall. Kind of like a cove strip is installed in a home.

I did the same thing in my jumbo bus. But it looked a little hokey, especially with the 90 degree edges showing and the overlaps. Looked like fancy shingles (not!).

BTW, I am the last guy to be advocating getting a table saw. I splattered the tip of my right index finger with it putting the last piece of plywood into my teardrop. It looked like a nick at the time and wasn't even bleeding. I went in and showered. wrapped it real good and went to teach my class. About an hour into it, blood started leaking through and dripping on the floor. My students freaked out. I finished the 2-hour class and went to the emergency room. It took 6 stiches. It's only slightly deformed because the stock blade has a narrow curf!

Real men don't use blade guards.

Prem

[meach4x4]

Gil,


[b]Where in Oregon?

Prem

During the 13 years I lived there, I lived in several places (in order):

Beaverton
Banks
Aumsville
Hillsboro
North Plains
Wilsonville

I sold my entire wood shop (compressor, dust collector, table saw, drill press, band saw, miter saw, and 1/2" router with table) to my lucky neighbor when I moved from North Plains to Wilsonville (a downsizing kind of thing)


Gil

[meach4x4]

[
... Real men don't use blade guards.

Prem

Yeah, but they do use push sticks, if they want to avoid bleeding on their desks!

[meach4x4]

I didn't take any new pics today, but I did finish putting the panelling in and the windows in. I still need to install Luan on the ceiling and the battey and power panel cabinet in front.

This is a pic of the interior when it was stock:



When I was re-installing the curved aluminum corner flashings in the nose, I started thinking of how easy it would be to use the same aluminum flashings to finish the gap between the ceiling and the floor. It would match the rest of the interior's industrial look. I'm going to investigate it while I'm putting in the ceiling.


Gil

[Ageless]

Real men don't use blade guards.

. . . . .and have names like Stubby or Shorty

[starleen2]

Real men don't use blade guards.

. . . . .and have names like Stubby or Shorty

[meach4x4]

Well, I dithered for a couple of days on how I am going to finish the ceiling.

At one point, I decided to use FRP (Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic). I liked that it was bright, easy to clean, and flexible enough to bend around the corners down to the walls. The FRP was 3 times as expensive as my previous plan (using Luan plywood) but I thought it might be worth it.

After bringing it home, I determined it was going to be too flexible for the ceiling. Since the top bows of the frame are 24" apart, the FRP would sag between the bows, so I gave up on the idea, and went back to using Luan.

Meanwhile, I determined I would try using the foam board to insulate the top corners. It all started with a little prototyping just to see how bad it would be. I cut a piece that was a little oversized for the distance from the ceiling down to the top of the wall, and tried it for size. After working it for a while, I decided that cutting it into two pieces would make it much easier, and followed the curve of the top much closer.



After staring at it for a while, I decided to insulate all the side cornices with this method. I can seal up the cracks with foam adhesive, spray foam, and aluminum duct tape.

After finishing the sides, I looked at the back cap for a bit, and decided to continue with the same technique and see how it fits.



By using the foam board adhesive, I was able to create a close fit in the back cap, so I decided to give the corners a try



The corners were tricky, and took a few pieces to fill all the little niches and cracks, but I will be able to seal them up with more non expanding foam and then I plan to put the aluminum duct tape on before the panelling to seal out any draft. You may notice the rough-in wiring for speaker and reading light poking out of the side, below the wire for the 30 amp service.

After the rear cap and sides were done, I decided to attack the front cap and see how much of it could be done with the foam board. The corners in front went pretty well.



Then I did the front center.



So, after a few hours of hacking away and jamming in foam, the entire trailer is lined with pink foam, and after a little sealing around the cracks, I can install the ceiling of Luan.



And then, I will build the front cabinet and desk so I can wire up this mess of wires



Stay tuned!

Gil

[Prem]

Gil,

That'll work just fine! More than one way to skin a cat...insulate corners.

Prem (with multiple push sticks for the table saw)

[meach4x4]

Gil,

...
Prem (with multiple push sticks for the table saw)

And I laugh as I notice that the smiley only has 3 fingers and a thumb.