Building your own TT

Here's a GREAT opportunity for you to join the "Tiny House on Wheels" movement. It it's most simplistic explanation, you simply build a traditional wood structure house on a trailer frame. Click here.

The darn "choice triangle" always come into play. Easy, Fast, Cheap - choose one, choose two for double the cost, choosing two is mutually exclusive of whatever the third choice might be.

Food for thought:
Carbon fiber sandwich

Half inch thick 4ft x 8ft panel is $1200... but far lighter than anything else only 3.8oz per square-foot. That 4x8 sheet weighs less than a gallon of milk!

72cougarxr7 wrote:
Thinking of building my own travel trailer. I bought an old TT frame I was going to convert into a car trailer. I've been thinking more and more that I should just by a car hauler and build a TT on this frame.
The frame has a 18' deck, which is what I want size wise.

I know a few on here have done it, how did it work out?

What did you use for siding and roofing?
My little Prowler has aluminum, and I'm ok with that if I can buy it reasonable and figure out how to work with it.

What is a good place to shop for holding tanks and appliances and windows and doors?

Anyone have floor plan ideas? looking at a queen bed for the wife and I and single bunks for my 2 kids. Not sure if an 18' deck has room for that.

I'm pretty good at carpentry, plumbing and wiring.

If anyone that has built one has any advise or pics, I would appreciate it!

For hauling cars, buy a purpose build car hauler trailer, they are far better built than a RV trailer frame. To use a RV trailer frame as a car hauler you would end up spending a lot of money on steel and welding rods in order to beef it up enough for cars/vehicles.

8-9 yrs ago I bought a 18ft 10K flatbed trailer for about $4K, it is wide and heavy enough to haul a 1 ton pickup truck!

As far as building a RV off that frame you have, that is a good start to that type of project. Someone else had all the labor in removing and disposing of the box.

You can take a look at my rebuild HERE for some ideas.

I used FRP panels which is fiberglass reinforced panels which you can get at Lowes or Home Depot. Downside is they are only in 4x8 sheets and at that time was $28 per sheet.

Made for a lot of fiberglassing the seams on my part.

I used it for the roof also but it has been problematic of the last couple of years with wanting to split and crack causing some roof leaks. Rubber roof it or one piece aluminum the roof.

I used a rather new aluminumized rubber membrane material called PEEL AND SEAL this year, it only comes in 3ft wide rolls so you do have to overlap it and will have overlap seams.

You can find it HERE

VERY STICKY and if it touches it's self it is game over..

If that fails to work, I WILL be ordering a one piece sheet of aluminum.. Truck shipping on the aluminum and not many places sell it.

One of the largest RV salvage parts places you will find is RV PARTS NATION in Elkart IN.. From what I understand is they buy leftover parts from the RV manufacturers and have multiple warehouses..

For siding, I would suggest aluminum, I think over all it will be less work and less hassle.. But you will have to have it truck shipped, just too long for any other method of shipping.

As far as buying windows, door, tanks and such, they can be had new but shipping is going to add up. ALL-RITE MANUFACTURING makes custom windows, doors, baggage doors and trim but it IS expensive.

You might wish to check around for another used junker travel trailer ans a donor for these items.. Just one window at All-rite can easily set you back $400!

Somewhere on this website, there was a fellow by the name of Chad who built a fiver from scratch.. Perhaps someone else knows his screen name and can find it for you..

I wish you luck and if you decide to build, take photos and share.. We LOVE to see folks projects!

I did this. Well, sort of.

Way back when I had to build a car trailer because I was racing cars. I didn't have any money but I could weld so I designed and built a flatbed car trailer. Used it for many years and it towed better than any trailer I have towed since.

I was always worried about someone taking parts off of my car when parked so I wanted an enclosed trailer. I still didn't have any money so I designed an enclosure that I welded up and put on my flatbed.

I used 4x8' sheet aluminum on the sides. I did not want any leaks in the roof so I went to the Fruehauf trailers and bought the same roll roofing they put on diesel tractor trailers. Thick stuff, but it goes from the very bottom in front to the very back of the trailer. One piece, no leaks. I didn't even drill holes in the roof to attach the roof because I didn't want anywhere for leaks to start at all. (Can you tell I hate leaks?)

Anyway, fast forward. I always wanted to stay at the track but had nowhere to sleep except the truck. I also didn't have anywhere to make food. So I designed a front area with a kitchen and stove and sink and microwave and what have you. I nabbed the stuff out of old campers and trailers over the years that my friends were going to throw away.

All of the front area is welded in place but none of the appliances are there yet. I was hopping to do that this summer.......but...

Anyway it looks really good and I'm very happy with my "toy hauler" that I made.


Now the bad part:
Would I recommend anybody do this? Can't say I can. I only saved a little money over a built trailer. The trailer manufactures buy their stuff by the train load. I buy one piece and they charge an arm and a leg for it so you don't really save that much. Don't get me wrong, I love my trailer but it was a LOT of work and time and money. That was when I was young and work was no big deal. Now days I'm lazy and don't want to spend 10 hrs a day welding up tubing and riveting aluminum paneling all day.

If you're looking for something to do; have at it. If you're trying to save money, I can't recommend doing this.

Good luck!

One other thing: You better really know what you're doing with weights and balances and where everything is going to go. If not, you can get in BIG trouble.

tatest wrote:
You might visit the RV and Motorhome Hall of Fame and look at the construction of trailers from the 1930s and 1940s, or find plans in Popular Science, Popular Mechanics and Mechanics Illustrated from the 40s and 50s when homebuilding was popular. It is not necessary to use the construction techniques employed by the RV industry today, when you already have a platform as solid as a car hauler.

Interesting that GlenL plans are still around. They were an important source for homebuilding of boats and RVs 50-60 years ago. Some of the materials might be hard to find (like Masonite and Celotex) having been since replaced by other products (mostly foam core) in housing construction.

I am surprised also, but here is a link to TT plans.

Glen-L

tatest wrote:

GordonThree wrote:
I love how the Europeans get away towing so much trailer with sedans, minivans and compact suvs. Are the laws of physics different over there?

1. The trailers are much lighter than you think they would be from photos or even seeing them on the road. More camper than house on wheels, with respect to fitting out.

2. Generally, they don't try to tow at 70 to 80 mph, and the weight distribution and pivot to axle distances are optimized for stability in the 40-50 mph range.

Actually , not true your first statement. European Caravans are the basis of "bach's or
fixed Recreational Housing in New Zealand. They also use US and Australian Trailers
Decrepit example

European interior

If you are starting from the frame, the material cost alone, not counting any labor, will far exceed the price of a good used TT of the same length. Just remember a TT without at least one slide is almost worthless when it comes time to sell.

JWRoberts wrote:
If you are starting from the frame, the material cost alone, not counting any labor, will far exceed the price of a good used TT of the same length. Just remember a TT without at least one slide is almost worthless when it comes time to sell.

Nonsense!

Having a slide or no slide has no bearing on whether a trailer will sell or not.

There ARE plenty of folks like ME that PREFER the simplicity of not having a slide.

Slides add complexity mechanically and weight to a trailer and not to mention a highly potential for water leaks AND FAILURES of the slide mech.

Just because YOU prefer a slide does not mean "EVERYONE" prefers or wants one..

BUT, you also need to realize when one undertakes this type of "project" it tends to be something that one is PLANNING TO KEEP.. IE it will not be built to sell or flip.

A home built trailer will always be more expensive, there is no way to buy the materials as cheap as a factory.. RV manufacturers buy in huge bulk, they get large volume discounts and they can leverage even the freight costs to a much more reasonable level.

Try to make the floor all aluminum as well as the roof. If that's not possible use marine grade plywood.

Gdetrailer wrote:

JWRoberts wrote:
If you are starting from the frame, the material cost alone, not counting any labor, will far exceed the price of a good used TT of the same length. Just remember a TT without at least one slide is almost worthless when it comes time to sell.

Nonsense!

Having a slide or no slide has no bearing on whether a trailer will sell or not.

There ARE plenty of folks like ME that PREFER the simplicity of not having a slide.

Slides add complexity mechanically and weight to a trailer and not to mention a highly potential for water leaks AND FAILURES of the slide mech.

Just because YOU prefer a slide does not mean "EVERYONE" prefers or wants one..

BUT, you also need to realize when one undertakes this type of "project" it tends to be something that one is PLANNING TO KEEP.. IE it will not be built to sell or flip.

A home built trailer will always be more expensive, there is no way to buy the materials as cheap as a factory.. RV manufacturers buy in huge bulk, they get large volume discounts and they can leverage even the freight costs to a much more reasonable level.

X2 Well said! Happy camping and building'
Bill