Folding Foamie Camper a la Casita or Esterel in the Works

[TinkerTailor]

That is a really excellent idea! Only problem is I don’t know how to weld! I would love to learn, but I’m not sure if I have the time right now. Going to have to think about that one though, long and hard. Crawling under the trailer gets less appealing the more I think about it.

[GPW]

TT, welding is pretty EASY if you have someone knowledgable to show you how ( or watch the gazillion videos on You tube to learn to weld ) … The new little welders ( cheap) work fine for our kind of welding needs …
Here’s a pic of welding on my old SAAB resto … Easy with a modicum of practice … A valuable skill to learn for trailer work …

[TinkerTailor]

Oh man, looks like I might have to learn to weld...thanks for the ideas and encouragement. I think I'm going to plan on learning and tack-welding the nuts onto the trailer, though it'll probably come later in my overall process.

Oleg, were you thinking of using lock nuts, or just regular hex nuts?

[TinkerTailor]

So, work continues on the camper though at a slower pace as the academic year has started back up. Here are a few new pictures:



Filling in the wheelwells with wood, then caulking and painting with leftover Elastomeric house paint.



Installing NRP on the bottom.



NRP installed, caulked, wheelwells painted. Bottom pretty much done.

I've done some more work, but no pictures yet. Turned the bad boy over, PMF on the inside, some fairing and priming, soon to apply a coat of ghcoe's thickened primer mixture to the outside. Then I need to rout the mortises for the wall hinges before moving on to the upper walls. Also, I bought a welder on sale from Harbor Freight, so I plan to tack weld hex nuts on the trailer for easier assembly/disassembly. I took the trailer out on a renegade lumber run (no DMV appointments available yet) and discovered the rear lights don't work, maybe due bad grounds, so I'm going to run a dedicated ground line instead of relying on the painted, folding trailer frame.

[OP827]

Nice work and any progress is still a progress. I did not think of locking nuts. I am not a specialist in this field, but I think that locking nut in this case could be an overkill. I would just drop some paint in the nut hole to prevent it from loosing and also future seizing from corrosion, then use a good size washer and tighten it. Also I do not know if all metal locking nuts are easily found in retail. Nylon locking nut insert would melt from welding.
Question: what did you use as a glue for NRP installation?

[rjgimp]

So if you have the top-down height of the capsule down to a bit over two feet and you already plan to install a system of pulleys and such in your garage ceiling... would you be able to just store it suspended from the pulleys so as not to have to wrastle the thing onto its side? The weight won't be that much but the dimensions make something like that so unwieldy it requires three men and a boy to accomplish such a thing safely.

[jim_manley]

As for welding your nuts to the frame to avoid having to reach/crawl under it to remove the shell - DON'T DO THAT!!! It could it hurt a lot - don't ask me how I know this ... does observing someone doing "laptop welding" create any frightening visuals?

A much easier solution might be to use machine screw wall anchors. You might have to drill out the holes in the frame a bit if you want to use larger-diameter bolts, but there are plenty of holes in HF trailer frames to provide more than sufficient hold-down force, such that smaller-diameter bolts could be used.

For those who have been on the site for more than a couple of years, yes, I'm baaaa-aaaaack! I'll be continuing posts on my wackadoodle Safari Condo Alto inspired tiltable-roof foolishness at DIY SIP Modular Foamie Experimental Insanity.

[OP827]

TinkerTailor, I only saw two successful and documented implementation of convertible removable trailer on this forum here and another one here. The process of installing and removing the body of the trailer can be unsafe (pinch points, heavy weight lifting etc) and there are a lot of details to think of to make it work.

I was wondering what is your idea of a system to lift/remove and then install this body on the trailer? There are considerations for a safe lifting setup and body abrasion or other kind of damage while moving it around.

[rjgimp]

I agree with Oleg, regularly uncoupling the capsule from the trailer chassis isn't for the faint of heart (though I have seen a couple other builds with that as a stated goal) and I can imagine it would only be a matter of time before Newton and his band of gremlins decided something needed to go wrong. Adding to that equation tilting the thing onto its side after it has been removed from the chassis just seems a bit too close to craziness territory.

[TinkerTailor]

Oleg, I used this adhesive

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Liquid-Nail ... /100171523

About a gallon and half. Let's just say I'm glad it's on the bottom, because it didn't go as smoothly as I thought it would, though I think it'll do the job for the underside.

Should have realized the plastic lock nuts wouldn't work for welding. Thanks again for the idea.

As for the other queries - Thanks for your suggestions and troubleshooting. I'm planning something like the lift system shown in the vintage plans linked in the first post (I think) of this thread (close to the end of the article/plans), but hung from the ceiling. My garage ceiling height is too low for that to serve as permanent storage, though - I wish!

The side storage is a bit crazy, I agree, and I'm hoping to not have to take it on/off too much, but I think it's a must for my scenario, at least at times.

I have already had to put the bottom assembly up on its side and push it around by myself on dollies a number of times. That component is definitely the heaviest part of the cabin, though there is still plenty to build, so it's not a true representation of how tough it'd be. I plan to have it strapped to the wall it's stored against when it is on the side.

Nonetheless, I hear you all and I am leaning more towards leaving it on the trailer and parking it on the street some of the time (all of the time?). This is more tempting since I'll need to install a bolt-on tongue extension that, when on, won't allow the trailer to fold up, so that complicates the removal process a bit more. There is no doubt that it will be a hassle to get on and off.

Still unsure about the street, though. I live in a big city, so parking is pretty tight and theft is a potential issue. Nonetheless I have been noticing a few more little trailers in my neighborhood, which is reassuring. No side yard or such and storage is too expensive.

Here is a view of the top side:



After this photo was taken I put ghcoe's thickened primer mix on yesterday and it worked well, though I need to give it a light sand. Thanks again for all the feedback.

[OP827]

Making the cabin removable and turn-able on its side is an interesting design challenge and I do support your intention in finding a working design solution. Thanks for sharing your ideas here.

[TinkerTailor]

Thanks for the words of encouragement, Oleg.

A bit more getting done. Slowly but surely. Side walls framed, except for window openings.



Filling in the framing with foam:



Full of foam, no window openings as of yet:



I have both side walls done up to this point. Next I'll frame in window openings and then make the front and back walls before skinning everything with pmf and routing in the hinge mortises (if you look closely you can see that the mortises in the base are done).

[OP827]

Looking great! I am really curious what are you going to do with your floor plan. Looks like enough space to have a bathroom area...
Also I have a couple questions: 1) did you design how are you going to lift the roof and front and back walls with it and 2) how are you going to tie the roof down for transport. Sloped roof represents some new challenges vs traditional old flat roof design for tie down since the roof edge at the back is farther away from lower wall.

[hossesdad]

Hi tinker, Oleg suggested welding bolts to the frame for a removable top, but you don’t weld. Have you ever seen a rivnut? It’s a nut like a huge pop rivet. I use them. You don’t need a special tool to put them in, a length of steel with a hole a few washers and a wrench are what I use. Google will show you how. Same end result as olegs suggestion. The nut stays with the steel, you can remove and replace the bolt as mant times as you like. Just saying.

[Terra6]

Couple suggestions on the removable aspect.
1. Slide in locking track between lower and upper.
Full length channel or spaced tabs.
2. Positioning channel/tab stops up front with locking pins in the back or some combination/variation.
3. For removal, hand winch off onto cradle dolly which then pivot cantilevers onto trailer edge/side up against wall.
Reverse for installation.

Simple, just a little design engineering and fabrication to complete.