S. Heisley wrote:The strength of the trailer is equal to the sum of its parts, not any one part.
Therefore, you can go with 1x2" studs with 1x3" around the doors and where you might be hanging something. Except for the deck, don't plan on more than 1/4" plywood for walls and roof. Use 1/8" plywood sides if you are sandwiching it with studs and Styrofoam in between. 3/4" Styrofoam fits perfectly between 1x2 or 1/3" studs, weighs very little, and adds considerable strength to the end product, as well as giving insulating properties.
I made a new design for the sidewalls, replacing most 2x3 with 2x2, and removing the base plate. My rational:
1. I don't think the base plate is required and it allows me to install the doors 2.5 inch lower, directly on the floor.
2. Based on feedback and discussions on this forum, seems like 2x2 is strong enough. 1x2 might be strong enough as well, but I'm worried about having only 3/4 inch of wood to screw in, vs 1.5 inches.
3. I plan on leaving it 2x3 for the top plate, to have more room to attach the gutters for the roof rack. This must help a bit in spreading the roof rack load as well across the vertical studs.
4. Because of the heavy double duty doors in the back, I left it as doubled 2x3s. Maybe this could be a single 2x4, I'm not sure. I just want to be able to attach 270 hinges and almost hang myself on it without flexing the corner.