Here Goes with My Cargo Trailer Conversion, In this Sub-Foru

[CaleyAnn]

Hank, I've figured out why the new TV's don't pull in signals as well as the old CRT's. They are designed that way so that the customer has to go out and purchase an expensive antenna and booster unit, and all the other little things needed. It's kind of like how cheap printers are, until you realize just how much you have to pay for the ink.

Just got things wrapped up for the day, just as sprinkles started. Probably won't actually rain. We have a question around here, "What is rain?", and it pretty much sums up the fact we don't get much, unless it is from monsoonal flow. That usually means no rain, just flash flooding.

I think I finally got all the trim in. I used small screws to hold the trim in place, versus the staples the trailer builder used. Reason I changed is I have experience with staples, getting some pretty nasty gashes when I brushed up against one that wasn't put in correctly. And this trailer manufacturer isn't any different. There must have been a dozen staples sticking out, just waiting to tear someones arm a nice gash.

Next job is trying to figure out how to build my battery box platform for the trailer tongue. No one seems to make cargo carriers that are just say, 30-36 inches long, and 12-15 inches wide. Would be nice to get something I know can handle the weight without buckling.

[John61CT]

John, Are you saying I could spray foam over the entire area, then trim it back flat. Then just glue something over it. Hmmm..... still have that can of spray foam which probably has enough to do the job. Guess I will have to find a way to contain the foam until it dries. Also need to lay down a lot of painter drop cloths. Maybe after it is dry I coild just use fiberglass and epoxy, then paint it with a wood looking paint.

Sorry, I've lost the context.

But no, sawing the sprayed foam where it's protruded past the surrounding framing is a pain for large areas, but can be manageable for just some "peaks".

Trying to do that in order to get a flat surface to mount a flexible lining directly to the foam would be a major PITA!

I meant rigid foam board as the next-to-innermost layer.

Using that last as the inner wall of a "mold" box, which is then filled with spray or poured foam could work, but the expansion force can be **very** strong, and you want the excess to ba able to freely escape.

Better to fill the space with rigid boards as much as possible, it's cheaper and better R-value anyway.

Then the spray is just for small gaps and voids, ensuring a complete envelope.

Having a nice flat secure surface then makes 'skinning' with your interior liner relatively easy.

But having structural furring strips to mount a more solid sheet to with screws is better, especially if access is needed for later maintenance.

It also lets you put in a proper vapor barrier of plastic sheeting.

[hankaye]

CaleyAnn, Howdy;

Quality of goods bought today are far different then when we were kids, shame,
but that's what we have. There are some maps available to help you guess where
to aim your antenna like;
https://www.google.com/search?ei=opamWp ... MDPJVXg1pk

I also live in a dry area, perhaps less than an inch since the start of the water year.
Drizzles here all day yesterday gave us 0.06". A really wet day indeed!

Keep an eye on those screws, they may want to un-do themselves when you go over
some of those "finely maintained roads you'll use to access your mining sites. If they
do then give them a drop of nail polish to hold'em in.

If ya can't find a pre-made rack, go talk to a wielder, drag the trailer with ya so he can
"see" what it is you are wantin'.

hank

[CaleyAnn]

Hank, have an appointment with a welder tomorrow. Hopefully he can create a platform that my battery box can sit on/in, that can take 200 pounds of weight when bumping over dirt roads without flexing or getting metal fatigue. Like I said, I just have a three inch square trailer tongue it will rest on. Maybe he can figure how to attach the ends to the trailer frame.

If I can get something put on, I can finally finish my electrical. Everything is at a standstill because I really need the batteries in a battery box, installed on the trailer tongue, so I can then figure out the lengths of battery cables I need to connect everything up to the ground and the electrical everything box. I really want to see just how the electrical works once everything is put togehter so I can test just to make sure. I've tested each item individually, and those things work, but you never know where a mistake in the system might be made.

I finally ended up using white styrofoam to fill in the top part of the front bulkhead I've had so much trouble with. It is a bit less concave, but still is going to be one pain to figure out how to cover with something more than the foam.

I installed my TV wall mount also. As usual, I had problems running into the trailer metal framework, and had to keep shifting the mount until I found a spot that kind of works. Still ran into the trailer frame with one bolt, but just said the heck with it. The mount is firm, and not going anywhere. I still will have to strap the TV to the wall before moving, so it doesn't try to swing out, or back and forth.

Hopefully next month I will get a chance to finally use what I have created.

[John61CT]

Make sure your tongue weight doesn't go much over 10% total trailer weight.

15% is a stretch, compensate with weight behind the axles, or a longer tongue.

[CaleyAnn]

I'll have the 40# generator inside the back door, so that should counter balance things fairly well. That teardrop door is also a little added weight to the rear. Right now most of the added weight I have installed is either in the trailer rear, or over the wheels.

Not sure how you extend the tongue, if needed. I certainly would like about another 18 inches longe, as it would make seeing easier when backing. It would also make it easier for me to back over my flood berm

[McDave]

Hey Caley Ann,
John61ct is right about watching that tongue weight. It can really affect the handling and performance of your tow vehicle. You may want to talk to your welder/fabricator about extending tongue and what you would like to be able to do. Those kind of guys are generally very knowledgeable and have seen a lot of custom work.
This is a tool to help you visualise and track weight and balance of your trailer.
https://www.engineersedge.com/calculato ... alance.htm
Just insert your values in the boxes where the red numbers are, and it will do the math for you. There are a couple different methods of finding your tongue weight, and your welder may be able to do that for you as well.
Get the info from the tag on the trailer for GVWR and work from there, example GVWR 2500lbs, target tongue weight 250-375lbs. That is loaded weight. You will need to know curb weight (empty, as delivered), cabin length, overall length from hitch to rear door, distance from axle center to rear door, and weights and locations of loads you added.
You may want to consider upholstery/fabric carpet etc. to finish the bulkhead as you can make it conform to odd shapes.
Hope this helps.

McDave

[hankaye]

CaleyAnn, Howdy;

Everything that McDave said, I agree with.

Good luck with your appointment.

hank

[CaleyAnn]

Gentlemen, today was a total disaster. I go to see the welder, and he is not open. My phone call the other day had him stating he woud be there all day. On top of that, after I pulled alongside the curb, and turned off my car, I got out, and checked to make sure he wasn't there. When I got back to my car, I found that my transmission shift interlock would not move. Also discovered that the turn signals and horn did not work. After some thought, I figured it had to be fuses. I checked them all, and only found one that was blown, the turn signals one. I could not find a fuse for the horn or interlock on the inside fuse panel.

One guy at the body shop said he would help, and popped the hood, showing me that there was another fuse panel. And yes, another fuse for those two items was blown. I said this could only have happened because I hooked up my trailer lights. He said yes, probaby have a short somewhere on the trailer. So it seems that my work on the trailer has caused me more work. I have to locate where I apparently drove a screw through a wire, or somehow got a bare part of a wire shorting against the metal somewhere.

Whan I got home, I parked the trailer, and decided to test my teardrop door, which I had failed to really test. I got in the trailer, and tried to close the door with the sliding bolt, and found the additional thickness of the trim wood hampered that. I had to cut a notch, and finally the bolt slid home. I closed the big door, and then proceeded to open the teardrop door, only to find that I could not easily get out through the teardrop door. In my haste to build my bed platform, I had failed to cut away a big curve of material from the bed platform near the door.

So I have my work cut out for me again. It seems I am always making more work for myself. That is possibly inexperience, but I just call it plain stupidity. Should have figure all these things out.

Now, after such a nice day, I hope I can somehow locate a welder somewhere in the Inland Empire, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. There has to be one that will actually keep an appointment, a do quality work.

[CaleyAnn]

I just did some calculations based on 10% load on the trailer tongue. This is based on a GWVR 2000 pounds, minus the trailer weight. So it seems I only have 140 pounds to play with. The two batteries are 61 pounds each, and I am figuring the wiring another couple of pounds. The battery box is 18 pounds. Not sure what the support platform would be, but I am guessing another 20 pounds. That doesn't include the weight forward of the wheel well that I have added, which is probably another 10 pounds.

This is not looking promising. Looks like I am over by about 40 pounds. And I definitely have no idea how I can extend my 3 inch diameter square trailer tongue another, say 18 inches to compensate. I have no welders in the local area that I can depend on. Are there ready made extensions I can add myself, what do not require welding?

This whole camper trailer thing is beginning to get me frustrated, and it is just possible I will just quit thinking about lead acid batteries, and go back to my Lithium Polymer battery packs. At least I can put them here and there around the trailer to balance out the trailer. Seems that going with lead acid is definitely more expensive than the Lithium Polymer when you factor in everything.

In fact, I have just decided to give up on 6V golf cart batteries as just too expensive over the long run. Anyone need a 27" inch aluminum battery box that can hold these 6 volt batteries. Yes, I foolishly purchased one that I will not now need.

[hankaye]

CaleyAnn, Howdy;

Sounds like you had yourself "A Day" ... Go fill up the tub with some bubble bath, uncork a bottle
of your favorite grape juice sit back and soak those frustrations away. Get a good night's sleep an
ponder it out tomorrow over a cup or 2 of coffee.
Chat wiff ya on the 'morrow here.

hank

[CaleyAnn]

Hank, Today got my brain in gear, something that really hasn't happened since I started this project. The biggest mistake I made was the teardrop door purchase. I should have thought about one of those little windows, and installed it in the trailer rear door. That way I would have never did any slice and dice of the rear door, except for a small opening. And I still would have had the option of the bolt latch on the side. Now I have a monstrosisty that cannot be repaired. I am out nearly a thousand dollars trying to make things work. And I have suffered enough grief with this project. I am thinking seriously of just removing the back door, and getting it replaced with a new one, if Interstate Trailers will sell me a new one.

Instead of fooling with putting something in the new back door, if I can get one, I will, for the time forego doing any more cutting into the trailer skin, and just live with the fact that when the rear door is closed, I won't have a way to see outside.

Anyway, If and when I do get the electrical short found and fixed, and everything closed back up, I am going to quit on this project, and live with what I have wrought. I just wish I had had more experience to think all of this before I had gone and destroyed everything.

[hankaye]

CaleyAnn, Howdy;

Ok, sounds like you've given it a good ponder. If I my suggest this,
call the Interstate folks and ask about the replacement door AND
ask if they would fit it with a window for you. This gives them the
headache. I would also ask if they would install one that has an
Emergency exit feature. Something to think about ...

Well, you've been through one he**ofa learning curve, more like an
upright wall. Personally, I hate it when that happens.
Good luck with your communications with Interstate, I had some
good folks when I bought mine.

hank

PS. Almost forgot, ... here some ideas about the "extension" you were asking about
for the hitch.
https://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/tow ... extensions

[CaleyAnn]

Hank, these hitch extensions look like they would ber inserted into the square opening on the rear of my car where the 2 inch tow ball is. Would this actually make a difference in the weight balance of the trailer. I thought the trailer tongue would have to be extended to fit that purpose.

I already wrote Interstate Trailers about a replacement door, but didn't think of asking if they could get a window as you suggested. I was just hoping for a window that had half of it that could be raised, so I could get some air flow.

[hankaye]

CaleyAnn, Howdy;

The hitch extensions allow more distance between the tow vehicle and the trailer.
Yes, the weight that is transferred at the hitch and ball will be slightly greater, but
not so much as to raise your front wheels off the ground or cause handling problems.
It should give you room for a tray to hold a few items that won't fit in the trailer.

Thought I'd go see what else may be available and stumbled across this nifty do-wa;
https://www.harborfreight.com/500-lb-ca ... 66983.html
Thinking that if you find a welder that can keep an appointment see if he can turn
the above item into a hitch extender so you have room for your whatnots and such.

hank