Cargo Trailer

Canvas covered foamies (Thrifty Alternatives...)

Moderator: eaglesdare

Cargo Trailer

Postby greaper007 » Thu Jan 26, 2017 3:29 pm

I've been thinking about building a foamie cargo trailer on top of my 4x8 HF trailer. I'd really like to build a td, but with a family of 4 we can't all sleep inside, and my kids aren't old enough to tent it on their own. So I'd really like to make a trailer that just stores our camping stuff full time so it would be easier to scootch off for the weekend.

So far, I'm having a hard time figuring out a few things. The rear door, interior sheathing, and how to put a roof rack on top that could carry my canoe, pod....whatever (preferably homemade to save a few bucks).


I remember that there was a cargo trailer thread on here a year or so ago, but I can't seem to find it for the life of me.
greaper007
Teardrop Inspector
 
Posts: 24
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2013 6:13 pm

Re: Cargo Trailer

Postby GPW » Fri Jan 27, 2017 6:26 am

We’re looking for you . Here’s something that would be easy, and with a minimum of wood framing inside that should support a roof rack ... :thinking:

97014
There’s no place like Foam !
User avatar
GPW
Gold Donating Member
 
Posts: 14911
Images: 546
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2006 7:58 pm
Location: New Orleans

Re: Cargo Trailer

Postby greaper007 » Fri Jan 27, 2017 2:01 pm

Thanks for the reply. I like that look of that one. I've looked around the forums but I haven't seen very many instances of homemade racks. I know that e-trailers has some cargo trailer racks, but I'd like to save a few bucks by making something out of electrical conduit. I just can't seem to be able to come up with homemade roof brackets to attach the conduit to the roof.

For the doors do you think 1x lumber frames with canvas covered foam would work. Any ideas on hardware? Again, I've seen commercial trailer hardware but since this is low weight I'd love to save some money by using Home Depot stuff.
greaper007
Teardrop Inspector
 
Posts: 24
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2013 6:13 pm
Top

Re: Cargo Trailer

Postby KCStudly » Fri Jan 27, 2017 2:57 pm

The biggest thing to prioritize in my mind is to make sure you maintain a border (partial wall) around the rear doors, like GPW shows in his sketch. This border is basically equivalent to the shear wall, the same as a TD bulkhead, that provides all of the strength at the rear end that keeps the walls and roof from racking, especially from the weight of the side swinging barn style doors when they are open (no matter how light you build them). Consider that little panel frame around the back is the only gusseting you will get in a true (empty) CT, but a 4 or 6 inch gusset is way better than no gusset at all. This will keep your doors from sagging, keep them sealing well and latching properly with typical hardware store hardware.

If you look at a tractor trailer "van" trailer or box truck you will note that they don't have this feature. It allows for a bigger opening and avoids the potential of having a fork truck wipe out the wing walls. However, these trailers can be quite floppy when the doors are open. If you look at the way the door latch works, they have cams (or toggles) that lock the tops and bottoms of the outer flap door in rigidly (at the opening edges) so that the doors register together in the jambs and become the shear wall when underway.

Even enclosed car hauler trailers with folding ramp doors and not much of a door flange will usually use the same style of top and bottom bar latch (can't remember the trade name for it ATM). Here's an example. You can't really make out the cam latches at the ends of the pipe, but they are there inside of the aluminum sockets that get mounted to the box.
KC
My Build: The Poet Creek Express Hybrid Foamie

Poet Creek Or Bust
Engineering the TLAR way - "That Looks About Right"
TnTTT ORIGINAL 200A LANTERN CLUB = "The 200A Gang"
Green Lantern Corpsmen
User avatar
KCStudly
Donating Member
 
Posts: 9610
Images: 8169
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2012 10:18 pm
Location: Southeastern CT, USA
Top

Re: Cargo Trailer

Postby greaper007 » Sun Jan 29, 2017 9:26 pm

Interesting, I was thinking the same thing. How wide do you think the rear walls should be, and what material would be best to construct them from? Thanks for the picture of the door hardware too. It seems like that would work well with some wood blocking also.
greaper007
Teardrop Inspector
 
Posts: 24
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2013 6:13 pm
Top

Re: Cargo Trailer

Postby KCStudly » Mon Jan 30, 2017 8:36 am

I didn't necessarily mean to imply that you should use the bar style clamps, just that there is a reason that they use that style on commercial trucks. Though, aside from the weight that they would add, they wouldn't be a bad choice. Like I said in the above post, by keeping the flange wall you should be able to use any type of hardware you prefer.

On a 4 or 5 wide box my TLAR radar says that 4 to 6 inches would be a good perimeter, and I would skin at least one side of the "panel" in 5mm (1/4 nom, 3/16 actual) ply with the ply fully glued to the foam and (at least) 1x perimeter frame. Extra blocking where hinges and latches need to be. Some may opine that PMF alone would be enough of a skin, and it may be, but I am quite happy with the added structure I get from skinning one side with ply, so I think it would be justified in this high shear load situation.

Also, should be noted that in another recent thread (IIRC it was the "A more durable foamie?" thread) someone commented about using the same schedule of materials on both sides of a SIP style panel to avoid thermal/moisture swelling warping. I haven't experienced that problem, at least not that I've noticed in my build area (more or less unheated, been thru several seasonal cycles, one side receives more exposure to sunlight than the other, albeit thru thermal pane windows).
KC
My Build: The Poet Creek Express Hybrid Foamie

Poet Creek Or Bust
Engineering the TLAR way - "That Looks About Right"
TnTTT ORIGINAL 200A LANTERN CLUB = "The 200A Gang"
Green Lantern Corpsmen
User avatar
KCStudly
Donating Member
 
Posts: 9610
Images: 8169
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2012 10:18 pm
Location: Southeastern CT, USA
Top


Return to Foamies

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests