HELP! I'm building a custom travel trailer.

myrvplans1 wrote:

rexlion wrote:
Looking at the floor plan drawing, I don't see why you need so much aisle space. It seems like wasted space to me. Maybe you can get along with a 7' or 7.5' wide trailer, and have a smaller frontal area (better mpg). Also I'd suggest making the ceiling just a couple inches higher than your head, to keep overall height as low as possible.

As for the fridge, why not a Danfoss compressor? It is far more efficient and runs primarily on 12V. If you put two 100W solar panels on the roof, chances are you won't need the generator for anything but AC and microwave. The Danfoss will only use about 40-45 amps per day; a residential type with inverter will probably suck up twice that, plus the inverter losses, which means you need more batteries and much more genny use.

If I were doing it (and I've thought about it), I'd have a nice wide door in the rear that can be opened up while camping to enjoy the breeze and view. You'll be looking in that direction from the front sofa.

For something fairly spartan looking, I think you may have estimated a bit high. I'd think $5K-$7K for the trailer and another $8K-$10K to finish it out. But I could be wrong about that.

As for hitch, if you have a proper amount of hitch weight you should not need anything special. But if it made you feel better, an Equal-i-zer, Andersen or Dual Cam should provide everything you need and then some.

:E Thanks for the feedback. Well, I could build it with a smaller aisle, but in a small trailer I think the extra space is going to make a big difference. I hate tight spaces anywhere in an RV and while I could go a few inches lower on the ceiling my cabinet layout works better at 84" than say 78". A Danfoss Compressor?... I had to look that one up and I couldn't find anything that even looked like a fridge. I hope you are right that I estimated high on the $$$, but I've done some comparisons and it's not unusual to spend $50k on custom work. Yes, I need to look into hitches. I can't go through the hell that my Hensley hitch put me through for 3 years. You'd have a better chance of hitting the lottery twice in a day than getting that thing hitched up quick.

The Danfoss compressor is a component used in certain brands or models of refrigerators. Like this:
Truckfridge TF130
or this:
Novakool at Backwoods Solar

It really doesn't seem practical to build a floor overtop the wheel wells. Just plan your layout around the wheel wells; you'll be better off. Less weight, less height, more stable for towing due to lower center of gravity. That thing could be dangerously tippy with another floor 10" above the base floor.