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

Converting Cargo Trailers into TTTs

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

Postby hankaye » Wed Jan 31, 2018 9:52 am

CaleyAnn, Howdy;

CaleyAnn wrote:Hank,
I'm sure I could find a welder, but I made up my pea brain, and decided to go lithium. Much less hassle. I just plug in one unit on solar, while the other powers what I need during the day, though most of the day nothing will be powered except maybe the computer fans to keep air movement inside the trailer. One battery unit should keep me powered for a night.


Yes Mame, you got it.

I see this in my mind's view screen when I read this comment;
https://t4.ftcdn.net/jpg/00/12/01/45/50 ... sIzKuJ.jpg

Ment in a most respectful manner.

hank
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Re: Here Goes with My Cargo Trailer Conversion, In this Sub-

Postby CaleyAnn » Wed Jan 31, 2018 3:40 pm

Randy, Believe it or not, I took what another person suggested, and doubled it. I am putting two intake fans on one side of the trailer at the bottom, and putting two exhaust fans on the other side, at the top. They are PC cooling fans that run off of 12 VDC, and draw almost no power, probably less than an amp for all four. This will get my air inside the trailer flowing, and not becoming hot and stagnant.

Feather, Not going to fool with the engineering and specifications of either my trailer or car. That is just asking for trouble. Something will more than likely break, and because my car is somewhat aged, it will probably be the one that breaks.
I'm going to put the crank down trailer lift on the front back where the dealership had positioned it. It seemed to keep the trailer set better than where I have it now.

I got my Vintage Technologies door for that inner back wall. It came in good condition. No instructions are given for installing it, but I am guessing it isn't too difficult to put in. I just have to construct the back inner framework so that all the screws required to keep it in place have something to bite into. I'll have to double up on the 1.5x1.5 inch framework around the door, probably just put in 2x4's. Right now I have enough wood to build this framework, and I think I have enough odds and ends of 1/8 Luan ply to skin both sides.
Last edited by CaleyAnn on Thu Feb 01, 2018 8:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Here Goes with My Cargo Trailer Conversion, In this Sub-

Postby racerrandy » Wed Jan 31, 2018 8:05 pm

CaleyAnn wrote:Randy, Believe it or not, I took what another person suggested, and doubled it. I am putting two intake fans on one side of the trailer at the bottom, and putting two exhaust fans on the other side, at the top. They are PC cooling fans that run off of 12 VDC, and draw almost no power, probably less than an amp for all four. This will get my air inside the trailer flowing, and now becoming hot and stagnant




Thats a great idea! I have some PC fans myself in my camper, but I like to use the small usb fans to blow right on me. I even do it in the winter time. :beer:






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

Postby CaleyAnn » Thu Feb 01, 2018 5:53 pm

As promised, but a tad late, here is a picture of my insulation work. I still have the top bulkhead part to do, which is going to be a real challenge. It is both deeper, and higher than the rest of the bulkhead wall. Not sure why it is so much deeper.

Once I have that done, I can then seal any cracks with what insulation I have remaining, and then seal everything up with the aluminum reflective tape.
Attachments
Trailer Insulation.JPG
Trailer Insulation.JPG (71.95 KiB) Viewed 4990 times
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Re: Here Goes with My Cargo Trailer Conversion, In this Sub-

Postby bete » Thu Feb 01, 2018 7:18 pm

Nice job, looks neater than my work.
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Re: Here Goes with My Cargo Trailer Conversion, In this Sub-

Postby norgewizard » Thu Feb 01, 2018 8:34 pm

Nice job!!!!!!!!!!!
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Re: Here Goes with My Cargo Trailer Conversion, In this Sub-

Postby McDave » Fri Feb 02, 2018 6:44 pm

That's a pretty tidy job, Caley Ann. If you have any big gaps you can use the spray foam and just shave off the excess.
Well done.

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

Postby CaleyAnn » Sat Feb 03, 2018 7:04 pm

Thanks Guys. There are some small gaps. I will check the local hardware store for a small amount of this injectable foam.

Right now I am having difficulty with electrical wire. I already know the sizes I want, 14 and 12 Gauge, and of course they must be red or black so I can keep track of positive and negative.

What I keep running into is what I guess is speaker wire. It is copper clad aluminum, with is pretty stiff stuff, if I remember correctly. But, from what I know, aluminum has more resistance than pure copper wire.

Since I am just wiring for 12 volts DC, what is the recommended wire composition, pure copper, or copper clad aluminum? There's a huge price difference, but price is not always the best way to go.
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Re: Here Goes with My Cargo Trailer Conversion, In this Sub-

Postby CaleyAnn » Sat Feb 03, 2018 7:17 pm

One of the building problems when it comes to electrical is the fact that the way the trailer framework, outer metal skin and inner plywood skin are designed, I only have a little over one inch between those skins. Some of my electrical parts require more than that one inch clearance, so, I will have to mount all of these little devices on standouts. What I mean by that is I will have to put a block of wood on the plywood sheath to allow these devices enough room so that the electrical connections are not touching the outer metal skin. I will have to use fan-fold blue insulation foam between the metal trailer skin and those electrical connections.

Instead of using little blocks of wood, I am thinking of putting a strip of 1x4 pine on each wall. I can use my router to cut a groove in the back side of this board to accommodate the wiring, and bore holes to accommodate the devices. This is the only way I can figure out how to wire my trailer, as there is no room in the walls for electrical wires. It also means that most of this will be up near the ceiling, so I can also run my trailer lighting wiring in those same back side grooves. I'll have to come u p with some way of making this strip of wood look nice; probably more router work

As I said, I am using the exact same plywood paneling that came with the trailer. I plan to just screw it back in place, and then place these trim pieces atop that ply. Places where the trailer manufacturer did not cover the metal of the trailer, I will have to figure out how to attach some kind of bendable wood to the metal trailer support studs. Anyone happen to have done this? I think there are screws that will drill into these metal studs. Not sure I have to pre-drill holes, or if these screws can pierce this metal. Still have a long learning curve just to get the interior skin, and electrical in.
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Re: Here Goes with My Cargo Trailer Conversion, In this Sub-

Postby bete » Sat Feb 03, 2018 8:27 pm

I found some nice wire on Amazon that had both red and black wires together, they had several different gauge.
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Re: Here Goes with My Cargo Trailer Conversion, In this Sub-

Postby John61CT » Sat Feb 03, 2018 11:02 pm

Marine grade tinned fine stranded copper, aka UL1426 w/ 105C insulation

Good brands are Ancor, Pacer, Berkshire, East Penn


custom terminated made for you

Genuinedealz.com
http://www.bestboatwire.com/custom-cables

the latter also sells quality wire and terminations if you want to DIY, but good crimpers are very expensive
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Re: Here Goes with My Cargo Trailer Conversion, In this Sub-

Postby Iconfabul8 » Sun Feb 04, 2018 12:49 am

bete wrote:I found some nice wire on Amazon that had both red and black wires together, they had several different gauge.


I kinda got duped by the Ebay wire. Most of the Zip wire is copper clad aluminum. Which isn't terrible, but had I discovered that before I had it all installed to my lights, I might not have used it. It does solder and conducts electrons just fine. But the thought of aluminum kinda miffs me that I didnt find out till it was too late. I got to admit tho, it is real handy and nice to have the two wires hooked together. It is also possible that you can get the stuff in solid copper as well.
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Re: Here Goes with My Cargo Trailer Conversion, In this Sub-

Postby McDave » Sun Feb 04, 2018 2:56 am

Hey Caley Ann,
I bought my wire off Ebay from these guys. I received exactly what I ordered and also stocked up on connectors.
http://stores.ebay.com/gaugewireandcable/

If you have access to Johnstone Supply or Fastenal you can find a lot of things there as well, and if all else fails go see the guys down at NAPA.

https://www.johnstonesupply.com/storefront/
https://www.fastenal.com/
https://www.napaonline.com/

I ran all my wiring in a "chase" at the weird corner space between the roof and walls and dropped them down at the rear corners, following the trailer light wiring. I concealed the wiring and dealt with that transition by putting up 2 pieces of trim that run the length of the trailer and sliding old license plates in there, but you could use anything you like. I have seen strip LEDs and a plastic lens used to create long lights, or panelling etc. I have access to the wiring very easy and can change it anytime. Just an idea. Most 12v trailer items are made with the shallow wall space in mind but I like your idea of a 1x4 to mount things on.
Here are some pics. The plates are at a 45 to the ceiling and wall and wiring is behind in that space.

McDave
146343146345146344

PS I got a label maker at Walmart for 13.00 . They are great for labelling wiring and switches, relays etc. Comes in handy when running wires.
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Re: Here Goes with My Cargo Trailer Conversion, In this Sub-

Postby CaleyAnn » Sun Feb 04, 2018 6:23 pm

Thanks Everyone. Seems I cannot figure out what things are called in order to Google them. Just lack of experience on my part. I am starting kind of late in life with this type of stuff.

Anyway, I put the two types of wire on my wishlist, and will order very soon.

I think that my idea of just making 1x4 inch decorative trim with grooves in them to accommodate my 12 volt wiring will pretty much do the same as putting up small false walls to hide the wires. I just have to figure out how to attach thingsto the trailer metal framework. It will take me time to figure things out.
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Re: Here Goes with My Cargo Trailer Conversion, In this Sub-

Postby CaleyAnn » Mon Feb 05, 2018 3:23 pm

Whew, just got back inside from working on the trailer. Here in 29 Palms, it is in the 80's believe it or not, and it is even hotter inside the trailer.

I did what spray foaming of cracks I could. There weren't many, as I cut the foam over sized and jammed it in. If I had known that the forward bulkhead was not symmetrical when it comes to the metal support studs, I probably wouldn't have had any cracks. Seems whomever was building the forward end was a bit off with gaps in the flooring, showing roadway, and those support studs being off almost an inch from square.

After foaming the cracks I laid down the reflective sealing tape to close the really tiny gaps, which probably do not exist, but I wanted to be careful. I thought three rolls of this tape would be enough, but it being only two inches wide, I need double that to completely seal everything.

The upper forward bulkhead gap is still not filled. I will have to purchase a couple sheets of the pink hard hobby foam. It's R3, but it will help. Thew foam I am using is R6. I guess that with the sealing tape, then sheathing over with 1/8 sheeting, the R value will increase a little.

As for the electrical wire, I ordered both 14 and 16 gauge based on what I read. The only one that requires 12 is the socket that the heating blanket will be plugged into, and that really isn't necessary. Just being cautious.
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