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Building a camping trailer
calrugerfan
Member Posts: 18,209 ✭
UPDATE: I spoke with my grandpa. He's officially done with his small trailer. I think it's a 4 x 8 but I'll have to measure it to be sure. One fender got bent up when a tire blew so I had to hammer it back out. I picked up the trailer from my sister's house and the fender is gone. Oh well. We have a good trailer frame as a starting point. Now it's a matter of planning and building.
Between my 3 siblings and my parents, we have quite a bit of camping equipment. The problem comes when somebody wants to actually GO camping.
Problems:
1. The gear is scattered between all of us. We all live within 30 minutes of my parents and probably 45 minutes of each other at most, but the scene goes something like this: Sister to me, Can I borrow your stove? Sure, my brother has it though. Sister to brother, I'm coming over to get Cameron's stove. Can I borrow your table while I'm there? Actually, other brother has that. We end up having to gather everything from everybody.
2. Nobody has a vehicle that can carry most of the camping equipment. I have a truck and it fits nicely in the back. My siblings or my parents are always welcome to use my truck, however, my siblings all have kids. That means that they have to take two cars because the kids won't all fit in the truck.
Solution: I've decided to build a trailer to keep all of the equipment in. It will be small enough to be towed behind any of their minivans. All of the equipment will stay in the trailer at my parents' house (its the central location and they have plenty of room).
I'd like to build it so that the trailer serves not only as a transportation device, but also as a camping tool (i.e. have a place to put the stove, hang a light, hold a water jug, etc). I would also like to put a top on it so the gear isn't exposed to the elements.
The trailer that I am going to use is the 4x8 trailer kit available from Harbor Freight, this one.
Any suggestions on design? I want to keep it fairly simple. I'd like to be able to fit a very large cooler in it as well as a 6 foot folding table. Of course, it also has to have room for the tents, stove, camp kitchen, chairs, etc.
Resources available: My brother works at a sheet metal shop that also builds wooden cabinets so we've got welders, sheet metal, MDF, etc.
Again, I'd like to keep it fairly simple and also light enough to be towed by a minivan. I was also thinking about putting a bike rack on the top so the kids can take their bikes with them when they go camping.
Between my 3 siblings and my parents, we have quite a bit of camping equipment. The problem comes when somebody wants to actually GO camping.
Problems:
1. The gear is scattered between all of us. We all live within 30 minutes of my parents and probably 45 minutes of each other at most, but the scene goes something like this: Sister to me, Can I borrow your stove? Sure, my brother has it though. Sister to brother, I'm coming over to get Cameron's stove. Can I borrow your table while I'm there? Actually, other brother has that. We end up having to gather everything from everybody.
2. Nobody has a vehicle that can carry most of the camping equipment. I have a truck and it fits nicely in the back. My siblings or my parents are always welcome to use my truck, however, my siblings all have kids. That means that they have to take two cars because the kids won't all fit in the truck.
Solution: I've decided to build a trailer to keep all of the equipment in. It will be small enough to be towed behind any of their minivans. All of the equipment will stay in the trailer at my parents' house (its the central location and they have plenty of room).
I'd like to build it so that the trailer serves not only as a transportation device, but also as a camping tool (i.e. have a place to put the stove, hang a light, hold a water jug, etc). I would also like to put a top on it so the gear isn't exposed to the elements.
The trailer that I am going to use is the 4x8 trailer kit available from Harbor Freight, this one.
Any suggestions on design? I want to keep it fairly simple. I'd like to be able to fit a very large cooler in it as well as a 6 foot folding table. Of course, it also has to have room for the tents, stove, camp kitchen, chairs, etc.
Resources available: My brother works at a sheet metal shop that also builds wooden cabinets so we've got welders, sheet metal, MDF, etc.
Again, I'd like to keep it fairly simple and also light enough to be towed by a minivan. I was also thinking about putting a bike rack on the top so the kids can take their bikes with them when they go camping.
Comments
Make a real trailer.
http://abctrailerparts.com/bigaxles.html
Or a smaller axle
http://abctrailerparts.com/2kaxles.html
You got welders available
Make a real trailer.
http://abctrailerparts.com/bigaxles.html
Or a smaller axle
http://abctrailerparts.com/2kaxles.html
I should have been more specific. My brother works in the OFFICE of a sheet metal shop. Neither of us know how to weld. If we need some small things welded, his boss would be happy to do it. A trailer on the other hand would be quite expensive as far as labor goes.
But quick welds, bends, cuts, etc would be no problem. All of the professional equipment is there including a CNC router.
The Nov. or Dec. 2011 issue of The Backwoodsman Magazine had an article to do just this except they were making a small camper. Just modify their plans.
Where can I find those articles? link?
or go a bit bigger like forge said...
www.backwoodsmanmagazine.com
I have the specific magazine but I was involved in an explosion back in December and am temporarily away from my camper where I have the magazine. Otherwise I would give it to you.
FWIW,,,,,two months ago I bought a 2009 PJ 5X8 with 3500# axle for $600,,,,,It was purchased and made one trip and the owner didn't need it any longer.
Check the 'want ads',,,,there are deals out there.
The 3500# axle will be much more 'utilitarian' and serve you better.
People tend to overload the light weight trailers (axles) resulting in costly repairs,,,,,,JMHO [;)]
Would a minivan still be able to pull that up a mountain?
quote:Originally posted by shilowar
why don't you buy a 4 x 6 enclosed trailer and modify the inside to fit your needs??
or go a bit bigger like forge said...
Cost is a factor here. I figure a few hundred for the trailer and then use scraps and unwanted pieces from my brother's shop.
You will probably have to contact The Backwoodsman Magazine.
www.backwoodsmanmagazine.com
I have the specific magazine but I was involved in an explosion back in December and am temporarily away from my camper where I have the magazine. Otherwise I would give it to you.
And I already gave that one away too. It had a great meat Processing Article in it that a freind wanted.
quote:Originally posted by aglore
You will probably have to contact The Backwoodsman Magazine.
www.backwoodsmanmagazine.com
I have the specific magazine but I was involved in an explosion back in December and am temporarily away from my camper where I have the magazine. Otherwise I would give it to you.
And I already gave that one away too. It had a great meat Processing Article in it that a freind wanted.
I looked online and it looks like they put select past articles up about 6 months after publishing. I think I may subscribe to that magazine though. Looks like it has some really good info.
quote:Originally posted by grumpygy
quote:Originally posted by aglore
You will probably have to contact The Backwoodsman Magazine.
www.backwoodsmanmagazine.com
I have the specific magazine but I was involved in an explosion back in December and am temporarily away from my camper where I have the magazine. Otherwise I would give it to you.
And I already gave that one away too. It had a great meat Processing Article in it that a freind wanted.
I looked online and it looks like they put select past articles up about 6 months after publishing. I think I may subscribe to that magazine though. Looks like it has some really good info.
I realize that this might be sacrilege in the internet age but most places still have community libraries. Lots of info there that hasn't made it to the internet yet.[:)]
If you are dead set on getting this trailer then inspect it personally first. Make sure it doesn't flex while bouncing on it, etc. The Chinese 'steel' they use in their junk bends like spaghetti no matter how thick it is. F-China BTW.
After purchasing some items from HF I would run away from that thing that they are calling a trailer. One thing I bought that stands out is a wagon rated for 1000# that came with nuts and bolts that didn't fit together and seemed to be made of aluminum. It was poorly designed and wouldn't keep from rolling over weather loaded or empty.
If you are dead set on getting this trailer then inspect it personally first. Make sure it doesn't flex while bouncing on it, etc. The Chinese 'steel' they use in their junk bends like spaghetti no matter how thick it is. F-China BTW.
Yeah, that is a concern of mine because of "quality" of their products. I'm actually hoping that we can use the small trailer that my grandpa has. Since I purchased a 16 foot flat bed, his small trailer hasn't gotten much use.
If anybody has that issue, I would be very grateful to get a copy or a scan of the article.
They fit in the back of my pickup but might be a little large for a car.
When we go camping all we need is food, drink, and clothing, plus the tubs.
I've seen pick up beds that have been made into trailers, $150 to $300 .
I now have a trailer. And I'm trying to avoid it looking like white trash. Not that all pickup bed-trailers are white trash, but a lot of them have that "vibe".
If you don't like the idea of looking like trailer trash, man up and buy an rv and a truck that can pull it.
I have concerns about the existing tires/frame/spring setup if more than 750# is riding on it, especially on longer trips or rough roads. Tire/spring failure will ruin your trip and possibly cause an accident. The really small trailers like Harbor Freight sells are really meant to be disposable but there are some that are well built. I bought a 4'x6' to haul an ATV that has a 2000# axle and decent angle iron frame but is still limited by the tire/wheel setup. It bounces like a ball at road speed on even a smooth road and would shake most addon enclosures to pieces in short order.
calrugerfan
If you don't like the idea of looking like trailer trash, man up and buy an rv and a truck that can pull it.
My 38 foot, triple slide toyhauler and Dodge Ram 3500 dually with Cummins diesel engine definitely fits that bill. However, I'm the only one in the family with experience pulling it and I'm not about to go pulling it around for each of my siblings that wants to go camping for a night.
The small trailer is more to hold all of our equipment that we use for tent camping. My sister has a 15 passenger van because she has 7 kids. She has a good amount of cargo room in the back but other than that, nobody in my family can really take much when they go camping unless they take my truck. Of course, when they take my truck, they can't take all the kids. It's a catch 22.
Basically, I want to build something that can house all of the gear all the time (it will free up space in the garage) and make it more convenient when we want to go camping as a whole family. It would also double as a "ready to go" evacuation trailer should we have to leave the area quickly.
If you don't go overboard on the structure, you can probably build a "mini cargo" trailer on your old frame that will contain your euipment in a secure and weatherproof manner.
I have concerns about the existing tires/frame/spring setup if more than 750# is riding on it, especially on longer trips or rough roads. Tire/spring failure will ruin your trip and possibly cause an accident. The really small trailers like Harbor Freight sells are really meant to be disposable but there are some that are well built. I bought a 4'x6' to haul an ATV that has a 2000# axle and decent angle iron frame but is still limited by the tire/wheel setup. It bounces like a ball at road speed on even a smooth road and would shake most addon enclosures to pieces in short order.
I haven't checked the weight rating of the axle yet, but the trailer is pretty solid. We used to use it for taking the large riding lawn mower in for repairs. Our camping gear wouldn't be a lot of weight. It's just that some of it is pretty bulky.
Are you talking about building a small cargo trailer like this?
That would work well, but it might be a little out of my skill set. I'm sure that I could get some help, but it seems like it could get expensive really quick for all that metal.