Thread: Design and build a camper trailer - novice

Looking good. I like the positive pressure fan idea. Will be interested to see how that works. I used to work at the Open cut Coal mines in the Latrobe Valley and the main switch room in the Loy Yank bunker is right in the middle of the dustiest part of the building and is pressurised and did a very good job of keeping things clean. It still got some dust in, but only a tiny fraction of what would otherwise have got in there.

Originally Posted by bacicat

Looking good. I like the positive pressure fan idea. Will be interested to see how that works. I used to work at the Open cut Coal mines in the Latrobe Valley and the main switch room in the Loy Yank bunker is right in the middle of the dustiest part of the building and is pressurised and did a very good job of keeping things clean. It still got some dust in, but only a tiny fraction of what would otherwise have got in there.

That was what I was hoping for.... stole the idea from caravaners.

Draw slide turned up for the fridge yesterday, so I spent half the day fitting those and making up the draw slide. It's looking like it will work pretty good.

Was thinking about power usage with a fridge and solar was my favourite idea for keeping things going. 1st I thought i'd use a flexible solar panel, and throw it over the airtop before lifting the airtop. But they are super expensive compared to solid units. So then thought maybe just use the fold out units that sit beside the trailer, but they leave stuff on the ground where you can trip on it - and it's more stuff to set up! YUCK! So what I'd love to do is have a slide system for a solid panel that slides under the RTT, but because of the finished hight of the slide on a standard draw slide would leave the panel at a great height for me to gouge eyes out on the corners. So has anyone made a sliding/tilting arrangement that would move the panel up out of the way? I thought about a drop fridge slide sort of setup but that would still leave a bit of draw runner sticking out at eye level. Any ideas, hints, suggestions, pictures would be great!

Thanks ahead!

Telescopic awning mounting.... Down - transport height


UP


Awning installed - temporarily for testing purposes


Fridge/esky slide nearly finished








Just another pic.


Have decided that I will put a sliding solar panel in. Just have to save up for it and the bits and pieces I will need. Also have to engineer the slide/tilt system.

Gave up work today because I ran out of steel... well need some different steel.

Might cut out the floor tomorrow ready for installation, see if I can get someone to help me out.

Looking good Debruiser.......

How are you going to deal with the cladding of the box. Straight down the sides to the bottom rail. If so, what will you do about the water/rain that will run down the side between it and the trailer wall and sit underneath. Or have you got a cunning plan such as stepping it out over the capping of the trailer walls.

Not a criticism, just wondering for my own ideas thats all.

Mick

Originally Posted by Cracka

Looking good Debruiser.......

How are you going to deal with the cladding of the box. Straight down the sides to the bottom rail. If so, what will you do about the water/rain that will run down the side between it and the trailer wall and sit underneath. Or have you got a cunning plan such as stepping it out over the capping of the trailer walls.

Not a criticism, just wondering for my own ideas thats all.

Mick

umm.. yes.... hadn't thought about that! it's a good point because the trailer will hold water! gee... dont you just hate when you think you have everything pretty much under control and you've missed a biggy!

I was going to sheet straight down to the bottom of the box with plain old ali. (0.6mm) I will have to sleep on that one. Thanks Mick

Thats ok mate, we've all been there I'm sure. Its one of the issues I had been thinking about and couldn't see if you had thought about it.

Just a thought, if you made the frame work above the trailer walls just outside the outer edge, you could sheet to below the top edge of the wall. And then have a sealing strip, be it rubber or neoprene on the top edge of the trailer wall for the frame work to drop down onto then hopefully making it waterproof.

Or if you didn't want to adjust your frame, maybe make like a z shaped flashing to go down the frame, across the trailer wall and then down a little way. Your outer sheeting could then just go down over this. You could still have a seal under here as well.

Just a couple of ideas.

Mick

Originally Posted by Cracka

Thats ok mate, we've all been there I'm sure. Its one of the issues I had been thinking about and couldn't see if you had thought about it.

Just a thought, if you made the frame work above the trailer walls just outside the outer edge, you could sheet to below the top edge of the wall. And then have a sealing strip, be it rubber or neoprene on the top edge of the trailer wall for the frame work to drop down onto then hopefully making it waterproof.

Or if you didn't want to adjust your frame, maybe make like a z shaped flashing to go down the frame, across the trailer wall and then down a little way. Your outer sheeting could then just go down over this. You could still have a seal under here as well.

Just a couple of ideas.

Mick

Thanks for the ideas Mick. I should have made it hang on the sides of the trailer as you suggested, it would have bought me some extra room inside as a bonus. I was trying to keep it narrow because the trailer is already wider than the defender so didn't want to make too much air drag... Would have also let me make the fridge slide ~75mm lower. I've had to put the fridge on top of the runners instead of between; I ran out of room in there, my original calculations were obviously out by 10mms or so

Maybe a piece of flashing is a good idea. OR I saw a friend or a friend who had a tray back camper (on a 4ton truck) his storage doors on the outside, he'd used a piece of 4x4 flare - you know the generic stuff that TJM/ARB/supercheap sell. He didn't put the wire in, just the rubber, and it worked like a gutter sort of thing to run the water away from the open door. Maybe something like that would be a good alternative, that way it's a bit flexible and shouldn't get damaged loading and unloading. I would have to find a cheaper alternative to the flare stuff though, it's EXPENSIVE and I'd need roughly 7.2meters of it!!!!!! maybe Ovesco has something.... Let me know if you see something.