Trailer Tent for a small car - home build

[Bfg]

Quick update.. I decided to delay my shower and do a bit more. . .

   

^  After a quick sanding inside, I got on and gave it a coat of varnish..

Sometime I'll rub it all down again and give it another coat, but that'll probably have to wait until after the show at the end of next month. 

Of course the photos hide the smaller flaws and scabs, but considering it's been made from reclaimed wood and mostly wots-in-the-garage materials - I'm pleased it doesn't look too shabby, even without trim. 

Pete

 

[Bfg]

Nice sunny day yesterday as i was working on the Daimler in the tail end of the garage. Today I wanted to get on with the trailer ..and as soon as I stepped outside it started to spit with rain. . .

Hey up, I needed to get on with getting its body back onto the chassis, but first i spotted this  . . .

   

I cannot recall how the seal (if it has one) works between the wheel bearings and the outside world but a lot of grease is around the stub axle and so far the trailers only been towed 20 miles. Using old school technology I decided to add a felt seal to keep the grease in and the shyte out. They used to be common on wheel bearings but I made mine out of a strip of filter material (left over from having bought a filter for this apartment's cooking hood which needed cutting to size). I copiously spread (marine) grease inside it before wrapping it around the stub axle. By twisting I could further ease it into the wheel hub's gap and then fastened it in place with a cable tie.  Hopefully it will do more preventative-good than bad.

^ Next up.. was to cut and apply sticky-backed 1/8" thick neoprene onto the top of the chassis rails. The body tub will sit on this rather than chafe the paint off the steel ..&/or the paint off the wood.

 

^ Then., the end holes in the body, where the bunk board supports slot into, were cut out again.  Just a single thickness of grp laminate needed to be removed, from where I'd fibreglassed from the inside. 

The body tub was dropped onto the chassis and bolted down.  Hopefully it'll not need to come off again any time soon.  You can see the vast amount of space I had to work in, out of the steadily heavier drizzle.  It's okay as you see it ..but when the body was off the chassis it was a bit tight in there.  

Finally for today, I regreased the telescopic chassis leg, and re-mated the two chassis halves together. Rain was ever more persistent and so I quickly put the tent surround back on.   Professional trimmer huh ? ..more like Nora Batty's stockings.. !

Pesky weather has upset my schedule, but there's no point in my trying to get on with doing more today.

So I've come back into the house and put the kettle on 

Pete

 

[Bfg]

.. Sunny break in the weather today and so despite it being my day off .. I pottered some more. . .

^ The other day I'd cut the infill berth board, for the telescopic section (the white panel). It's only 61cm wide because it's the biggest piece of this plywood I had. But that's wide enough for a single person's legs to lay out on, to sleep.  The white board is the same stuff, with a laminate of GRP on either side of it, which I made the trailer's body sides from.  These sheets were bought years ago for making water tanks in my old boat.  Before that though - they were door cut-outs from a chap who made box-trailers, hence their max width of just 2ft    ..which likewise determined the height of the trailer sides !

The thinking part of the task though was ; how to support the front edge of the bunk board, after all it needs to sit at the same level as the seat and forward shelf. . . 

       

^ Almost a month ago now., I'd planned and part-made lightweight supports to go under the infill panel (sheet of grp laminated plywood) so my task was ' how to support these battens at their front end.?'    I'd always conceived the front section of the trailer ^ 2nd photo ^ to be used for cooking, with storage under.  I now reasoned the best way to secure anything being stored in there was to have a cupboard door ..originally I was thinking fiddled-shelf and storage boxes.  Having decided - I'd needed a piece of plywood for a door ..or should it be two doors for convenience ?. . . 

 

   

^  This skip-reclaimed piece of 3/8" ply was surprisingly close to the size i required, despite it having water staining and a chunk out of it.   Never mind.. I sanded the water staining mostly out (of either side), straightened its wavy edges and cut it to size. I also rounded the corners of that missing notch .. so it now looks deliberate(ish)    

I cut a piece of timber batten (..left over bracing from my old garage polytunnel) to go across the trailer ..under the top shelf, and propped it up in there.  It all started to come together ^ 2nd photo ^  The cupboard-door shuts against the transverse timber support, leaving the slot above for the bunk-support battens.

Still, I was unsure about how to hold the transverse timber in place (..strongly enough to support me !  and yet not be intrusive within the storage locker. So I stopped for the evening and varnished the new 'cupboard door'.

 

Today..  Sunday afternoon. . .

^  Spacer blocks were cut to go between the top shelf and the transverse timber (those blocks being individually positioned to locate the bunk-board support-battens) and then set screws with butterfly nuts (the sort which open up behind hollow / plasterboard panels) were found in my garage tubs of screws.  That beam is now firmly through-bolted in place.  

The cupboard door was trimmed a little here n' there before being hinged (old brass hinges, found in my box of metal bits, are very badly worn so I might invest in buying some replacements ..but then again I might not - because these do work ).   And v'wallah... we not only have a cupboard door but we have a potentially useful drop-down shelf (43" wide x 10" deep, 20-1/2" to the back of the cupboard).  

                    

^the bunk-board infill works fine, and ^ second photo ^ there's still 18" = ample room for my size 13's inside the trailer tent. That fold down shelf may be particularly useful for brewing early morning coffee ..when the bunk-board is still in place. 

   

Looking forward (..pun intended ) to brewing a cuppa in my new micro-kitchenette.  Wow ! doesn't that cupboard door's cut-out handle look stylish   Useful 2-1/2 cu. ft. storage volume (43" x 10" x 10") ..once I put a secure latch on that cupboard door ..for provisions, cooking utilities, beer, wine, brandy, etc.  For being towed ; the length of the trailer is telescopically shortened and the footwell gap between the berth seat and this little cabinet is closed ..so the cupboard door cannot open and its contents spill out. 

I packed up early today because I've done what was needed..  but first I had a quick run around with sand paper and then a dusting off before varnishing. . .

^ left to dry overnight.. clear varnished primarily to seal the wood.. to keep moisture out and for ease of cleaning. It'll probably be used like this for Malvern. More refined and perhaps more appropriate to cooking surface treatment and cosmetics can wait. I just need to get it together and for everything to dry before the end of the month.

It all looks pretty obvious now but, I was scratching my head as to how easiest (..and least intrusive) I might support the bunk-board, and then what to do regarding keeping kitchen stuff in storage. Plastic tubs within that space should work well for breakfast stuff, light lunch provisions, and beverages for a long weekend away.

I'm happy with the result, the trailer's potential and today's progress.

Bidding you a pleasant Sunday evening.

Pete.    

 

[Bfg]

A bit of a diversion today, as I'm back to trying to fit a towing hitch to Katie, my TR4, the intended tow car (which in turn led to this trailer's diminutive size) . . .

The towing bracket was kindly donated by my friend Rich.  It is from a TR4 and actually came with fitting instructions  (oooh ! )  ..so I hoped fitting it onto Katie  would be a straightforward and  relatively quick task...

Perhaps not too unexpectedly with me.. it tossed a wide-ball at every turn.  Not least it seems - because my car is the later TR4A (with IRS) which has a different chassis. . .

 

    

^ the instruction advise 3 hour fitting time including the electrics.  Two afternoon's later . . .  

From the diagram you can see three pieces of angle iron and a number of flat clamping plates and their bolts. As the side profile of that diagram shows ; those plates clamp around two of the chassis' cross tube members.  Flat plates clamping to round cross tubes.  I should have taken this as an omen regarding its fit.  

Issue 1..  the TR4A doesn't have the second cross member (tucked just under the rear valance panel).  

Issue 2.. the instructions say to put the bolts through the clamping plates and hang them from the cross tube ..ready to take the angle iron legs.  The third photo shows that although one bolt can be fitted to the plate and that slipped between the cross tube member and the spare-wheel-well..  it is physically impossible to get the other bolt in.   Naturally, the bolts are way too long to go up from the underside, and they have long shanks so cannot be cut to size.   Alternatives had to be found.

   

Issue 3..  ^ the tow-bar is evidently second hand and has been previously fitted (to another car). The instructions also mention the angle-iron's flange has been cut away to clear the exhaust.  However as set up - the tow bar bracket aims directly at the the exhaust mount, and there's nowhere near enough clearance for that bracket to fit over the tail-pipe, despite its flange having been cut away. 

Never mind.., the ball end of this bracket is a bolted assembly.. I just need to undo those bolts and swivel the leg inboard of the exhaust bracket. Structurally it's not ideal, as it's best to be as close to the rear chassis rails as possible.  But as mine is just a lightweight trailer ..mounting it inboard should be okay.  The other side of the car doesn't have a tail-pipe, so that clamp can still be next to the chassis rail.   Oh no it can't ...because that moves the ball off centre ^ 2nd photo ^.   

Ah, I think "..if I shorten the leg on the left hand (tail pipe) side, then the ball will move across". . . 

   

^ Exhaust tail-pipe side, mark & redrill the pair of holes 1-1/4" further down the leg.  Wooh.. that steel is hard to drill.!  Oh did I mention working outside and crawling under the car while being pestered by rain showers ? ... Never-the-less success  

or not. . .

^ Pete you really are a dumb arse at times.  Never mind, drill the other side to be the same. And likewise bring that clamp inside the (unused) exhaust bracket so they match, is sitting square and centralised.  At least the ball will not stick out so far.      Again mounting that clamp part way down the cross tube is structurally less than ideal    .... oh sod it I now just wanted it done.!

 

    

^ I redrilled the off-side angle iron to the same dimensions as I'd done on the near-side, and although there's no tail pipe on this side there is a stub, which oddly enough is perfectly positioned to foul the (redrilled) tow-bar bracket.  Take it off again and cut it back (twice )..   Okay we are getting there. The bracket is now clamped to the chassis cross tube. But still there's nothing to bolt the ball end of the bracket onto.    Heavier rain stopped play.

Today, Monday. . .

   

^ just forward of the rear valance panel is where the TR4 has a second cross member but the later TR4A and subsequent models do not.   So I'll make & bolt one on then. I cleaned up a length of box section, left over from making the trailer's chassis and made a couple of end plates. . .

   

^ trial fit.  I made it precision fit to bolt onto the chassis rails on either side.  I still had to drill and tap into the side of the rail, but one of my modification for this car's replacement chassis was extra thickness inside these rails ..so I'd have enough steel to tap a thread into.   However, while laying under there considering the options - I realised., if I welded the end plates on - then I wouldn't be able to get this cross member into place, passed the rail's bottom flange.   I could have, but didn't want to weld the 2nd cross beam in - because it was wrong for this car.  Despite its individuality I do try to keep it so as to be mainly easily revertible to original spec.  

Revising the idea.. I could bend the plates I made to 90 degrees and drill and bolt those to both the chassis rails and this cross beam. 

Fitting this towing bracket was manifesting itself like a tacky soap opera with a poor cast.  I wanted out. 

I had previously considered bolting a block wood to the underside of the spare wheel well and through bolting the bracket to it.  15+ years ago I had a classic S-type Jaguar (1966 model) and I made a towing bracket for that. I emulated an established design ..which bolted the tow bar directly to its spare wheel well.  With twin exhausts on that car there was little option, but it worked fine.  Again my trailer at that time was lightweight.  Tired of piddling around with this one, I opted to do the same. . .

    

^ First find some bolts. Then, with a bit of manipulation involving packing spacers in the front cross tube mountings, two of the existing holes in the tow bar legs coincided with the ribs pressed into the spare wheel well.  I carefully drill the spare wheel well.  Next., cut a piece of timber, to be an interference fit between the chassis rails, and knock it into position. Through drill for the bolts. Pack the height with spacers to compensate for the block of wood being a little to shallow (necessary to physically get it in there) and job done .. at last .. almost . . .

Usefully, the timber is a fraction of the weight of a steel cross-beam, even though the piece I cut was a lightweight box-section.  And being a solid block, it works great as a spacer for the through bolts to convey ball hitch up n' down loads. Those forces are transmitted to the spare-wheel-well, which (when in good condition) is a surprisingly robust pressing. Indeed, it is plenty strong enough to take my 106kg weight bouncing on it.     ...It would be interesting to know what the neighbours think of such antics.. 

Of course, the clamps around the forward cross-tube are plenty strong enough to take the in-line towing loads of a light trailer (385kg gross). And the angle-iron's geometry  /\ triangulation mostly transfers the sideways forces from the ball hitch to the chassis  .. but because the timber beam is so tightly fitted across-wise - it and the through-bolts add substantially to the towing bracket's lateral rigidity. 

 

   

^ Said piece of timber removed and given a liberal coating of polyester resin, particularly its end grain end - to protect from moisture ingress.  The towing hitch will be removed inbetween most camping trips but still I'd prefer not to encourage either rust or rot on my cars.

 

And while I had resin mixed, I similarly sealed along the top edges of the trailer's body. 

That's it for today, and I'm glad to have now mostly done that 3 hour job.

Bidding you a good eve'ng

Pete.

 

p.s. ... just a few posts below shows the towing hitch painted and fitted. 

Pete

 

[Bfg]

No comment with regard to using a bit of wood..?

Naturally from the perspective of a man who has designed, built and sailed wooden boats, and have been to Norway to see the Viking ship museum - it not an issue, but for most car owners I would have thought it was questionable ..

P. 

[Zelandeth]

7 minutes ago, Bfg said:

No comment with regard to using a bit of wood..?

Naturally from the perspective of a man who has designed, built and sailed wooden boats, and have been to Norway to see the Viking ship museum - it not an issue, but for most car owners I would have thought it was questionable ..

P. 

Wood seems to work just fine for Morgan!

Honestly having seen how sketchy the tow bar fitting has been on some of the cars I've owned I reckon your solution will be absolutely fine for your intended use.  I might have slightly more reservations if it were a typical family towing a 50% overweight full size caravan with no concept of nose weight, but given your attitude to these things I doubt there are any worries.  Especially as I'm sure you'll be checking for any signs of degredation of the involved components on a regular basis.

[Mally]

I'd have used steel box, but it won't fall off.

[Surface Rust]

As you say the wood is just a spacer in this configuration, but I am curious if you have a spreader plate under the bolt heads in the wheel well?

Reason I ask is that it looks like your bar would pivot around the clamps on the round chassis cross member and therefore the braking forces could apply a downward 'pull' on the wheel well.

[jonathan_dyane]

This is pretty much my favourite thread on here at the minute, I love the ingenuity and workmanship.

[Bfg]

Quick TR towing hitch update . . .

   

 ^ as was     ............................................      and as is  ^ ^

in short . . .

         

^ sanding linisher + power wire brush, then paint with rust converter ... ^ ^ wash off excess rust converter and dry. Paint with epoxy primer .... ^ ^ ^ cosmetic flash coat of signal red paint to match Katie.

   

^ details of the final fitting ..bolted through the timber cross beam (resin coated, epoxied primed and flash coat of colour) to the spare wheel well. The piece of black rubber is to prevent the rear valance edge from chafing (which from prior ownership ..was evident as a groove worn across the top of the angle iron).   And ^ ^ the cross beam clamps, with steel packer vertically placed between the tube and the forward bolt to minimise end float, as well as point loading / wear between the bolt and tube.  As you can see the exhaust silencer's stub is now clear by 1/4".

   

      

^ inside the boot ; spreader plates dished to the shape of the spare-wheel-well's pressing.   ^ ^ thick felt (from the Daimler) under the spare wheel, prevents those bolt heads from chafing against the tyre.  ^ ^ ^

    

^ That'll work.  

I've still to do the wiring and fit the trailer light connector, which I didn't want sticking out alongside the ball hitch.

That's all for now. Hopefully more later.

Pete 

p.s. the trailer's socket-connector and wiring is just a few post below ...

 

[Bfg]

19 hours ago, Surface Rust said:

As you say the wood is just a spacer in this configuration, but I am curious if you have a spreader plate under the bolt heads in the wheel well?

Reason I ask is that it looks like your bar would pivot around the clamps on the round chassis cross member and therefore the braking forces could apply a downward 'pull' on the wheel well.

Thanks, good point..,

As you can see (in this last post) I have indeed used small spreader plates inside the wheel well.    When I did my previously owned S-type Jaguar I welded doubler plates to the well.  But that car, with its 3.8litre straight six was capable of towing a much heavier trailer or caravan. 

i agree there will be downward force on the spare wheel well and its fastenings.  at last count the trailer's nose weight was about 12kg ..plus whatever the pitching inertia might be.  The trailer is unbraked, but because the ball is some 3" higher than the cross tube ..as the car accelerates there will be a turning moment adding to that load.  Of course the trailer itself will pivot on its axle and so I'm not anticipating anything near the 106kg of me jumping up n' down on it.  Still, I'll monitor the wheel well for deformation and if necessary will make broader doubler plates. 

Cheers, Pete

 

[Bfg]

^ the space is compact.. if not exactly bijou.  Perhaps because sleeping on plywood boards is only a a platform above from sleeping on the cold n' lumpy ground.. What I'd rather like is a mattress. . .

.. as if by magic . .

   

^ Lightweight and pretty easy to stow away, inbetween seasonal use.  Appropriate for camping in all weathers, it's also waterproof and easy to clean. I have used a similar self inflating mattress before, and they work well both as padding as as a thermal barrier from the cold lumpy ground. Those were just 1" thick when inflated and way too small for me.  This one is thicker and better sized for me. I think will fit the bill, in the trailer tent. 

Specifications ;  Length: 198cm, Width: 76cm, Inflated thickness: 7.5cm,  Stowed pack Size: 81 x 19cm,  Weight: 3.2kg,  Fabric (Top) : 75D*150D Peach Fabric, embossed with PVC coating,  Fabric (Bottom face): 190T 75D Polyester Pongee with PVC coating, air valves: x2 for ease / quickness of inflation & packing away, Model: SKU: ORSM1003, cost me: £45.99 in p&p < here > .  As a bonus - I now have a guest bed for when my mate comes to eat me out of house n' home and otherwise samples* the brandy.! 

It's probably quite comfortable for sunbathing too.

 

  

^ Soft furnishings oooowah ! ...3" mattress thickness is a luxury unbeknown throughout my former camping years.   I'm pleased with that.

     

^ Room to spare, even for a Bfg's odd-sock feet !  with bedside shelf space alongside for bits n' pieces we nowadays all seem to have with us.   Plus., there's enough room, even without pushing the mattress to one side, for me to sit to put me shoes on and my feet on the ground. 

 

^ after opening the valve it's easy to fold the mattress in half and adjust the cushion's support for sitting.  It's not nearly so pretty as fitted caravan or camper-van cushions may be, but then £45 doesn't buy much in the way of bespoke upholstery. Perhaps I might find a daytime-use cover to go over it in this folded state. 

I'm beginning to think this camping-trailer might work. 

Pete

[Bfg]

On 05/06/2024 at 15:00, Bfg said:

    

^ That'll work.  

I've still to do the wiring and fit the trailer light connector, which I didn't want sticking out alongside the ball hitch.

Yesterday I added the 7-pin wiring connector for the trailer's lights.  Apparently these connector plugs are known as 12N.  and as I said before I didn't want it it sticking out alongside the ball, not least because when not in use, il'l probably take the towing hitch off the car and that's quicker and easier if I don't also have to disconnect and pull the wiring out.

First thought was to have it the Vee of the towing bracket, but then without drilling the rear valance panel or the towing bracket there was nowhere convenient to bolt it to. So I looked into where the bumper brackets normally go.  I cannot get my hand in those holes so to connect the trailer plug into the socket would be awkward but further under the rear wheel arch I did this. . .

    

^ The chassis bracket is for the rear bumper's side stays, already drilled and with captive nuts. To this I added a simple 90-deg steel bracket (..from wherever in my scrap metal pot, which was also drilled and plated for the task.). And then, because the wiring connector-socket which came with the TR4 towing bracket was rough and without its cap, I used the one from my Chrysler Voyager ..which sadly went to the breakers a few months ago. This socket is in very good condition and I also knew it worked fine with both my own and a previously-borrowed trailer light-board.

Admittedly the socket's new location, under the rear wheel-arch, looks awkward, but in practice it's not so difficult to reach especially as there's direct eye line through the rear bumper holes in the valance ..and of course it isn't something that is connected or unconnected every five minutes. 

Naturally the wiring from the trailer needs to be 50cm longer, but that's hardly an issue when I've got to make that from scratch.  To me the connector socket being out of sight, and it not and its wiring not having to be removed when I take the towing bracket off are outweighing benefits.

There was a blank grommet through the body tub into the space under the petrol tank, which I've reused with a wiring grommet for the wires to be routed into the boot, where the car's real light connections are. . .

^ the 7-pin trailer wiring colour codes were found on the internet, which to my mind lack any logic.  The ex-Chrysler's socket was already wired and I'd taken the length of wire which had led to that car's wiring loom, so all I needed to do was to solder bullet-connectors onto their ends, appropriate to plug straight into the TR's wiring.  I labelled the wires so anyone in the future can follow which wire is for what. . .

    

^ The panel in the boot, which covers the fuel tank, needed to come out to firstly reach the grommet through the body shell, and also to run a wire across the car to the bullet-connector of the left hand indicator.  The other wires (brake, sidelights, earth and RH indicator were each on this side.  My TR nor the trailer have rear fog lamps but the wire's there in case.      ^ ^ Job done and checked to work correctly with the trailer board.  

This trailer board will not be used with the trailer-tent as that has fitted lights, but it is reassuring to know that the car's wiring is correct for whatever I might subsequently be towing ..for example if I were to borrow a small box trailer to transport something dirty.  And that my trailer tent's wiring will subsequently be wired 'as UK 7-pin standard'.

Pete

 

     

[Noel Tidybeard]

why not do what modern set-ups do and have the socket pivot up & down behind the valence?

[Bfg]

21 minutes ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

why not do what modern set-ups do and have the socket pivot up & down behind the valence?

Good idea, didn't know that's how they now do it, so I never thought of it.  I've just used what I had for quickest & easiest solution.

Would such a configuration work under here ? . . .

Pete 

[Noel Tidybeard]

don't see why not

[Bfg]

Trailer-tent .. work in progress. . .

       

^ If I were Chinese by origin I would be ashamed of my nationality. It's a country now infamous for the crap products it makes.  And it's not because its produce is made down to a budget, it's because their workers are paid a pittance and so they don't don't care a shit, and marketing / sales says it's okay. There's next to no design cost either, because these rear lamps are rip-off of those used on VW combi / camper vans. 

But these new parts rusted before even being commissioned ; the chrome rim is pitted. I've cleaned it up but pitting doesn't polish out, so I'm now fitting it the other way up. I've waxed the chrome in the hope that it might slow further deterioration down.   The nickel plated housing was also rusty and so I've rubbed that down and painted over with epoxy primer. The plastic lens and rubber seal don't mate... on the left (orange indicator lens) there's a gap between the lens and the rubber which will let water in. On the right (red side/ brake light) the plastic is too bulky.   I plan to use black windscreen sealant to seal the gaps ..what can I say, but that I don't want damp inside.

   

These 'repro' lamp units were not exactly cheap, but still no bulbs were supplied, nor screws.  I don't know how the original VW combi lens were fitted, but the on these there is a thread through the housing ..one at either end.  I tried long set-screws through the lens with a nut behind the housing to fasten that, and then after passing through the trailer's body a large washer and another nut to fasten it.  That of course meant the whole lamp has to be removed to change a bulb.  In any case., although I'd consider myself accordingly careful - the lens just broke.  Upon inspection the broken plastic edge was around half-a-mm thick.  Down one side of the moulded lens its flange ..which closes against the rubber seal was similarly "skimpish".

  

^ using copious amounts of epoxy glue, I've now reinforced around each fastening hole. I've also added aluminium foil behind the reflector, and LED bulbs.  My TR4 already has LED sidelights and indicators (with appropriate relay) and is wired for hazards too ..just in case. So it makes sense to use LED for a trailer ..just in case !  The bulb's bayonets and their fittings were each smeared with Vaseline to curb corrosion.  

For wiring of these lights - I took a shortcut. . .

   

^ The local caravan dealer / shop has these trailer light boards, with 4m of wire and spade connector ends, which is what my trailer lamps need., for £22.  So, aside from number plate lights, which I've otherwise ordered ..these light-boards saved me buying ; the plug, the wire, and the connectors separately.. and a few hours putting it all together.  The cable is too long for my little trailer, but I can live with the excess coiled up within the storage bin under the bunk.   I could have used these bulbs too but I'll just keep them as spares. 

 

^ before fitting the lamps into the trailer's body I checked their correct function and marked on the lamps which colour wire goes to which connector.   Those are of course the same as in the colour-code diagram I copied in a previous post. 

Regarding fitting, I twice drilled the flange in the repro lamp housing - for small stainless-steel self-tappers. These screw straight into the trailer body to secure the lamp units, which leaves the captive threads for just the lens .. meaning I can now change bulbs without removing the whole assembly.

^ Those lamps are now fitted, and I'm waiting for a new number plate and LED number plate lamps to come through the post. These will be the same as those used on the Triumph.  Quite possibly being a new trailer it ought to have a yellow reflective number plate rather than the Black on aluminium, I'm not sure. We'll have to wait and see if the police can be bothered with such things, when the tow car itself has the same.  

Oh yes did I mention it keeps raining on me ! ?

- - -

Moving on . . .

it's funny how such little things can have such a big effect. In this case about 50cc of paint. . .

    

^ after a thorough scrubbing x3 times to clean out the pinholes in the grp I've painted the lid in pine-green. Using Deluxe sprit-based (rather than water based) it covered incredibly well.  I wanted satin finish but the store didn't have the matting chemical in stock and as it's on the other side of town I opted to make do with gloss.  It may at first seem an odd colour choice for a trailer intended to be towed behind a red sports car, but there is madness in my method..

 

Oh did i mention it keeps raining while I'm trying to get on.. ?   but this close up shot might also reveal that I've deliberately made no attempt to fill the texture of the fibreglass cloth I used.  I want this grp lid to look like it's covered in green canvas ..or at least the green fabric the tent is made of. . .

^ Now it looks like a tent on top of a trailer ..which is what it is !

And as I'm not adverse to wild camping, even though that is usually not allowed in this country, the green is more discrete.

The colour may not be to everybody's taste, but it works for me as a tent ..much better than a lighter colour top (below).   I'm just in the process of tidying up the body, including white painting over the corner seams and getting rid of rusty fastenings used for assembly. And then I'll decide whether to paint part of the trailer body green too ? ..perhaps just leaving a white stripe as a contrast for better visibility when towing ?    

Pete

^ Aside from the shameful presentation of the so-called ' professionally made and fitted ' canvas..  I felt the lid needed to blend-in a lot more.  Signal red to match the TR would have been far too brash for my conservative nature, white was an option but no good for discrete camping in the wild, so I opted for the green. 

[Dan302]

The green looks good!

[Dobloseven]

Obviously, it's a one off for your own use.But if you were going to market it commercially,what would you call it?Needs a snappy name.Something like "Trailboy Nipper"?

[rusty_vw_man]

That’s a cracking looking little trailer tent you’ve made there! I know you’re not happy with the canvas, but even so it’s still orders of magnitude beyond what I (and possibly lots of others!) could manage! 

[Bfg]

9 hours ago, rusty_vw_man said:

That’s a cracking looking little trailer tent you’ve made there! I know you’re not happy with the canvas, but even so it’s still orders of magnitude beyond what I (and possibly lots of others!) could manage! 

Thank you.,   As I said before I'm self taught and anyone ought to be able to do much the same.  Making the first one is where mistakes are made, but if anyone followed the design and developed / improved upon it then I'm sure it would be much quicker in the build, 20+kg lighter, as well as be cheaper and be overall better.  

I may resort to having someone more competent re-cut the canvas, and fit zips as and where they were meant to be..   In the meantime, if I have enough time during the next two weeks, I'll have a go in improve its tensioning myself ..with additional pressed studs, elastic cord and webbing.  It's outside my expertize but I think could be improved. 

My immediate task is to replace ferrous screws with stainless.  It is inexcusable for the trimmer of marine hoods and biminis to have used screws which rust even where there's no salt-water.

Pete

[Bfg]

10 hours ago, Dobloseven said:

Obviously, it's a one off for your own use.But if you were going to market it commercially,what would you call it?Needs a snappy name.Something like "Trailboy Nipper"?

The  long n' the short of it  is that if I were to make it commercially I'd probably also make a version 150mm wider with a 125cm interior width, which in practice might otherwise serve as an 'occasional' two-berth.  Possibly that might effect its name.?     I once designed and made a telescopic mini-bike (using mechanicals of the 50cc Honda Melody) and I named that ' shrinx '.  I sorta like that.   For this trailer though, I'd might chose the name of a famous trail and name it after that. The Appalachian Trail, is a hiking trail but otherwise it would be a great name.  Conversely as I'm into ancient history, of the English, I might go for 'Fosse or Pennine way'    .. or then again if I'm just feeling flippant I might choose something like 'Kwie'  (kamper with impressive erection) 

For marketing though it's often better to identify a product's, if not unique but then not overly common, concept ...which leads to the suggestion  Clam-shell 1.1   Although not an attractive name, it's design would soon be known far n' wide throughout the industry ..And that of course is crucial to sales enquires.  The name 'clamshell' may be more attractive in another language., or perhaps 'Clamshell trailer tents ' ought to be the manufacturing company's name ?  leading to ; Clamshell's 'Pearl ' and Clamshell's 'Oyster' as model names ?   The prospects open up and I can already feel a teardrop caravan with a clamshell roof opening up..

I could over-think this, but I'm sure others will have suggestions ..some funny, some less polite than others !  💩

 

 

[Bfg]

I had a longish day working on the trailer yesterday, although there's little to show for it. . .

I started off by removing the wrap-around canvas, clearing the polytunnel-shed out, and putting the closed trailer in there ..as it's the only bit of nearly level in this garden.  I needed to check the height of the towing hitch now that the body tub is all together.  Its height was set at 42cm when I built the chassis, and as far as I might gather, with the body on - it still is.  Clearly the suspension is barely moving with so little weight.  Still, with that confirmed, I needed to adjust it - to suit the car.

Having used a proprietary tow-bar bracket, and without resorting to cutting the car's rear valance panel away, Katie's  ball-hitch height (static and unladen) is 39cm.  ie., 3cm lower than the trailer's coupling. This height difference will effect the trailer's pitch as it's being towed. In this circumstance the bottom front edge of the trailer would be more susceptible to grounding ...and as correctly pointed out - it is already rather low. 

Naturally I couldn't sit myself in the car, at the same time as measuring the height of the ball-hitch, so I loaded my long-reach trolley jack into the car's boot, along with a spare car battery and tools ..to simulate loaded condition. These dropped the ball-hitch height by 1cm. 

With a 38cm ball-hitch height, I need to lower the height of the trailer's hitch by 4cm or thereabouts.  Doing this was not five minute task but it ought to be done.  In any case I need to paint under the front section of the body tub.

   

^ front (telescopic leg) section of the chassis out.

   

  

With the ball hitch and jockey wheel removed, I marked the swan-neck ready to cut the 4cm height down. Aside from being a sod to hold still, that was easy enough. ^^ the 40mm length of box section removed was then also cut in two to fit inside the swan-neck as an inside ^^^ sleeve.  The sleeve (an interference fit) was tacked into place for the head to be refitted, leaving a 1.5 - 2mm gap to ensure full weld-penetration.  I don't know if it will help but I squirted rust-converter inside the tube to help keep internal corrosion at bay.

 

^   I also welded a slightly rounded cap on the top of the tube to prevent rain water ingress.  Task done..  and ready to to be cleaned off and repainted. 

   

^ while I had the rust converter out I also cleaned off the flaky paint and surface rust around the almost new wheel's valve stem.  Again crap quality where the wheel is painted but not the hole for the valve.   Again I didn't buy the cheapest, but every product nowadays manufactured seems to be as bad ..ruined by a minor detail of negligible if any cost.     ^^ the hitch-lock I'd order came in the post.  Despite such a unique trailer being unlikely to be nicked, it does seem a worthwhile exercise to add some sort of deterrent, for when leaving the trailer on a camps site and going out for the day.   

I did a number of other jobs, but nothing much to be seen..   Still progress however little is still progress 

Pete

 

^ Oh and did I mention.. it keeps raining around here..

[Noel Tidybeard]

you will prolly need a pair of triangle reflectors to be 100% legal on the rear

 

and no i don't think you mentioned the rain 🤔

[Talbot]

On 07/06/2024 at 10:52, Bfg said:

the 7-pin trailer wiring colour codes were found on the internet, which to my mind lack any logic. 

The colour codes are very easy to remember though.:

Signals are yeLLow and gReen (L and R)
Tail lamps are bLack and bRown (L and R)
bRakes are Red.
Earth is White, as black is already in use, and the only one left is blue for the foglamp.   I can never remember the pin numberings, but the colours are very easy.

[Bfg]

Yesterday's progress kept on getting interrupted by periods of 'precipitation', but I needed to get on with finishing off the trailer's body . . .

   

^ Underside of the front section was still unfinished and in fact, not wholly unexpectedly, had slightly deteriorated since I made it.  Standing unused in the back garden for almost two years will do that.           ^^ the front skirt (normally facing downwards) had taken in moisture and its end grain was turning mouldy.  This was too deep to just sand out or even to wire brush out..   so I've trimmed 4 - 5mm off of it.  

I've now sealed the end-grain edge with polyester resin.  Although previously filleted, I'd also missed fibreglassing that downturn to the base. the sides had been done but not that front skirt - that's similarly now done.  

And. while I had the tools out.., I cut plywood load-bearing pads, to go under the lid's props ..to stop those from poking into soft ground. Likewise, those were coated with resin to keep the damp out ..as was the bottom end-grain of those props.

 

   

^  Apparently there was an air show somewhere south west of Ipswich, as there were waves of military jets fly in formation, unusually low .. and then also this Jumbo ..the photo opportunity was only missed by one second.!        ^^ getting on with the trailer, inbetween further precipitation, I did manage to paint the underside of this front section, and to give the inside of that locker a first coat of paint.  The underside of the body is now done (protected from water ingress) and is ready to be reassembled.

 

    

^ Sticky-backed neoprene (closed cell, so it doesn't hold moisture) just 2mm thick on top of the chassis - helps level any surface irregularity, prevents chafing of the paint, and then also works as a gasket to seal around each of the body fastenings.   I had to redrill one of the two through-fastenings, down the front, 40mm lower to suit the lowered swan neck / towing hitch height. 

And then it did it again . . .

Noel Tidybeard.. Did I mention precipitation ?

 

 

 

[Noel Tidybeard]

no i believe you did not 🤔

[Bfg]

No news is good news .. in today's instance ..  No rain today

After two whole days off working on the trailer or any other of my ongoing projects, I'm into trailer reassembly . . .

.

After a bit of outstanding painting of a few things, including the inside of the towing hitch which was stained with rust, I've now reassembled it and the jockey wheel back onto the, now lowered, swan neck.  These are again sitting on closed cell neoprene tape to help keep the moisture out.  Tbh I spent more time sorting out stainless-steel bolts, nuts and washers than doing the spanner work.  But it's done now and hopefully good to go. 

^ front n' rear half of the trailer are now back together again.  Note the (resin sealed) weight distribution pads under the lids stays. There's another pad under the chassis tube, well its block under the front edge of the seat.  Altogether they've tightened the whole structure up.  Beforehand the legs tended to push into the grass or loose stones and then everything was free to twist.  There's just a couple more blocks to make and fit, to add belt to the braces, so to speak.

Aside from cosmetics it's mostly coming together now.  And as this is the chassis / body tub's final assembly, I'm feeling pretty optimistic. 

Hopefully a bit more ..later.

Pete

[sheffcortinacentre]

What about a concertina style floor to cover the gap?

The front cupboard door & a double piece fromm the rear part or vice versa if that makes since with couple of battens like your bed bridging piece..

[Bfg]

^ Interesting idea - Thanks.  yes I understand the idea of two hinge down floor board pieces supported by floor beams      As it happens, I've already bought a rubber backed door mat, to lay on the grass where the telescopic section is.  The reason being., is that I need headroom more than a floor off the ground.  And my standing on a mat, which is on the grass, gives another 7" of floor to headroom dimension, compared to having floor boards.    Of course if I have uninvited guests ..perhaps field mice.. then I may have to re-think the strategy.

 

This evening's update. . .

     

^ Was like this . . .                                                                                           and     ^ ^ is now like this.      I've used Deluxe Weather-shield (Exterior wall paint) to freshen up the inside of the lid ..paint which I had left over from the boat's interior, .  As you can see the cupboard door is back on, and I've tried to upcycle a magnetic latch from a kitchen cabinet ..but it's pretty pathetic, so i need to do it again.   Otherwise, you might just make out new blocks above the lid stays. . .

    

^  Without the blocks, the stays can bend when the lid is loaded by the wind.  In bending - the stay's tops slide a little up the lid. I've only seen them move a few mm in gusty winds but then my back garden is very sheltered.  My fear is that a strong gust of wind ..across an open field, may actually break the wooden stays. And that would wake me from my slumber.     The blocks will prevent their slipping up the lid and therefore the wood from bending. The loading is transferred instead to the vertical, via the block to timber 'column' and down to the ground pads.. 

^ ^ The velcro was a detail change the trimmer made. I'd wanted a strip of fabric securely fastened to the lid (..as it is across the top, via a rope-bead within a track) and then a forward zip to detach the door from the tent surround.  My concept was for just the door to be opened without loosing the front triangular corners ..which would remain in place to shield the cooker from the wind.  However the chap musta thought he was cleverer than me ..and in any case could save himself a few quid by not fitting that zip (even though it was figured within the quote).   Using a rope edge in a track was clearly too much like effort, so he just stuck sticky backed velcro onto the raw fibreglass.  Even on the day i collected it ..it had already peeled away.  

Today, just to get the trailer ready for use at the end of this month - I've re-glued that velcro (using Thixofix contact adhesive.  This awkward to use rubberised adhesive used to be made by Dunlop, and was very good. Nowadays it's under Alpha branding and I can only hope it works.  I've screw fastened stainless penny washers at either end ..to prevent the velcro from peeling away.      

     

^ Hopefully that will serve purpose for the time being, and then I can have the tent altered at my future leisure.

Again small but worthwhile progress.

Bidding you a good evening.

Pete