1000lb or less trailer for 4 adults?

[kudzu]

Would like to suggest you make the lower, non-folding, sections of sidewalls as high as reasonable. You are showing height as shy of 2 1/2 feet. The camper could be more functional if you made the sidewalls approx counter height, so maybe 6 inches taller than shown in picture. This greatly increases storage area & your back will appreciate not having everything so low.

[loaderman]

GPW _ Bears! we saw two last weekend within 2 miles of the campground.
As far as keeping the trailer light goes I am thinking aluminum may be to expensive so I need to design a trailer that can support the weight but not over build. Perhaps I could find a used tent trailer!

Kudzu - good point about the counter height - maybe 3' would be better. I had thought of useing cubes that we would stack on top of the in-place 2' height to bring it up to 3'.

[KCStudly]

Stacking modular cubes means more material because they are each self contained, instead of built in w/ single dividers. Start thinking lighter.

12x7, that's 84 sq ft
1000 lbs, that's barely 12 lbs per sq ft from the ground to infinity (i.e. including the trailer, wheels, hitch and all). So start thinking about it this way, "how am I only going to put 12 lbs of stuff in this 1 sq ft column of space... total.

Yes, some of the open areas will be easy, just floor and ceiling, but you will need those to make up for the heavy areas; bulkheads, windows, wheels, frame.

One more bit of perspective: none of my cats weigh 12 lbs (I have three, the heaviest is 10.5 lbs and he's no slouch). Pick up a cat. 12 lbs is not a lot to work with.



Guy: "Hey dude, what's your trailer weigh?"
Dude: "Who me, uh, about 95 cats."



I think I've invented a new unit of measure.

My custom trailer is sturdier than most, but not hugely over built (except for the over spec'd axle). It weighs 472 lbs.

[loaderman]

Yes to do 84sf in 1000-1200lbs is not going to be easy. when you look at about 500lbs for the trailer alone that is only 5-700 for the rest.
The Harbour freight type trailer is about 300lbs, but only 4 by 8 so not big enough. The 7' body would be too wide on that small a trailer.

Hmmm, cats? I need a van with more cat capacity!

[GPW]

Aircraft builders face these figures all the time .... Planes have to be Strong , yet Light , and be able to go 400+ MPH ... That’s a LOT faster than our trailers are pulled ...

I’ll go out on a limb here and make the general statement .... : Most people tend to OVERBUILD !!!
If you want LIGHT , you have to design well and use LIGHT materials ... Starting with trailers ( the HEAVIEST part of the equation) Lightening there allows for more cabin structure weight . A light trailer is an Aluminum trailer ... But they are pricy ...
The FoamStream is < 1000# , ~72 sq.ft. floor space and not really as light as it could be .. Big enough for four easily ... better for three ( me , wife, dog) ... I don’t see a big problem ...

Ps. And Leave the Cast Iron at home ... It’s CAMPING , not going to Grandma’s house... To be light you have to THINK LIGHT !!!

[ghcoe]

I think it can be doable. Like GPW says, most people way overbuild. There is a lot of strength in the foam alone. With bulkheads and cabinets built right, also with foam, it starts to really become a self supporting structure. The only wood I have in my build is the floor and a few floor supports. Everything above the floor is foam, flashing/beading, paint, glue. I was shooting for a 500-600lbs trailer. Calculating known weights in my build now, I believe I am in the 425lbs range. I will be real happy with a 450lbs build and I have a bit to go before that.

[KCStudly]

So at 5x8 (?) that 500 lb (likely finished, but not loaded for camping) weight = 12.5 lbs/sq ft.

Good job GHC!

[GPW]

GH, WELL DONE !!!

[KennethW]

Overbuilt?
Mine has 2" foam floor and 1" walls and 5' wide roof no wood not even in the doors No roof supports(1" foam, FRP and canvas). I don't think I over built. I could have used less FRP I guess.
80 mph and 6000 miles did not blow apart,so all's good. Yes, I now know even my very light weigh build is strong enough. Most people over build by a factor of at lest 5 some times 10.

[KennethW]

Yes to do 84sf in 1000-1200lbs is not going to be easy. when you look at about 500lbs for the trailer alone that is only 5-700 for the rest.
The Harbour freight type trailer is about 300lbs, but only 4 by 8 so not big enough. The 7' body would be too wide on that small a trailer.

Hmmm, cats? I need a van with more cat capacity!

FYI, here is a way to make a Harbor freight trailer work. It would only be a foot and a half over hang with some support over the axle sub frame.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=64690&p=1150951&hilit=angle+iron+cut+axle#p1150983

[loaderman]

I am in Canada and the harbour freight type trailer I can get up here would cost about $800.00 canadian with taxes and shipping!
I have a similar trailer already from when I was doing carpentry. It has already been widened to 4'-4" so a 4'-1" melamine sheet fits in. I widened it similar to the thread above, just got a larger pipe to fit over as I was told this would be much stronger then going inside. It has been lengthened to 10'-6" long so 16' material does not cause to much sway. Unfortunately we welded on angle iron and probably doubled the weight!


I can get an used snow bear utility trailer but from what I read the sides are integral to the strength so I could not cut them off.

Need to look at a used boat trailer or a tent trailer frame.

[GPW]

Lo, the trailer is everything ... So get what trailer you can afford and build to suit that ... From our experience , boat trailers (what we’ve used ) are rather high sitting , Utility trailers , low ... and everything else in between ...
The intriguing idea of a “Utility” trailer is you can easily build a slide on/off cabin , and still have the use of the trailer ...

[KCStudly]

The intriguing idea of a “Utility” trailer is you can easily build a slide on/off cabin , and still have the use of the trailer ...

Intriguing, yes, but if you read the posts from people who start out thinking this way (myself included... and in fact am still thinking about it for a potential #2), it seldom ever turns out that way in the end. By the time all of the effort goes into finishing (...95%...) they realize that actually pulling off or putting on the cabin is no where near as quick and easy a task as they had hoped it would be; opting instead to get a separate dedicated UT.

Think of it this way. Just going to the effort of hitching up my UT is more work than I want to do most times, plus I don't store it at home, so whenever possible I don't bother using it if there is an easier way. Now if I had to deal with a camper sitting on top of it first, well, that gets to be some work and time. Whenever I tell Karl I'm going to use the UT, he says, "You sure you don't want to just use my (pickup) truck?". Nine times out of ten problem solved. For that tenth time I use the UT.

Sure, a person can argue that they don't have space to store two trailers, or they don't have a friend with a P/U. Just saying, things are never as easy or as practical as you think they should be.

So why would I still consider building a slide out? Karl has a fork truck.

[ghcoe]

So at 5x8 (?) that 500 lb (likely finished, but not loaded for camping) weight = 12.5 lbs/sq ft.

Good job GHC!

5'4" x 8'4". Of course that does not include the yet to be built tongue box. '

[loaderman]

The intriguing idea of a “Utility” trailer is you can easily build a slide on/off cabin , and still have the use of the trailer ...

This can be done, to make removal easier build it like a truck camper, so you jack it up, back in trailer, and lower it on. although probably to heavy for my build.

I was looking at different build threads and trailer frames and realized something. usually we build a trailer then build a floor on that, what is the floor was the trailer and the trailer the floor? I vaguely remember reading an old magazine article (popular science/ or something) where they did that. I am going over to the trailer building section and discuss it as more people will see it there I think.