home built plans

JBarca wrote:
Gdetrailer brings up some great points and details out the process at least for PA.

Another question is insurance. Has anyone been able to get an actual RV policy on a home built or rebuilt unit? And what did you go through?

I am contemplating doing a total camper rebuild in a few years verses a new rig. I would use my own chassis and only tweak the floor plan but the rest of the build is all new.

Then comes the RV insurance. Right now I am insured under an RV policy that will pay out a declared amount regardless of age if a total loss is encountered. I only have it for the 1 sad day that may ever happen. When I get done, the camper itself would be all new but the frame and axles. While I may not get my time back, getting the materials back would be a minimum.

John

While I was researching building one from scratch, I was not worried about RV insurance. Basically in MANY cases, your auto policy covers your trailer as long as it is being towed or if it connected to your vehicle while parked. If your auto insurance doesn't cover while towing you can often get a low cost "rider" to the policy which will cover the towing.

While not in use as long as it is stored on my home property it is covered by my home owners insurance.

The only time it would not be covered by insurance is when it is parked at a campground or any other place disconnected from my vehicle..

Basically it would be considered "self" insured while camping and disconnected from my vehicle. In other words if my trailer were to burn down or be stolen while camping and it was not attached to my vehicle I would get nothing.

Now take into consideration that IF you pay for a RV insurance "policy" you will spend a lot of money over those years of ownership and have a lot of duplication of coverage all in the hopes that you will be covered in the off chance something bad happens while camping and the trailer is not attached to your vehicle.

Say your policy for your trailer is $50 per month, that is $600 per year. Over 10 years that is $6000 paid to some guy who is partying on YOUR money..

I look at it like this.. The money I spent rebuilding my TT is less than the $6K and I have no problems either rebuilding another trailer or building one from scratch if need be.

The only real reason you would ever "need" RV insurance is if you have a loan. That is because the LENDER is taking a risk and they will want paid in full one way or another. Carrying RV insurance past the loan pay off you are paying for duplicate coverage and in most cases you will pay more for the insurance than the trailer is worth..

People put too much faith in buying unneeded "insurance" which often duplicates other insurance you may already have. Ask your agents the right questions and you can often save a bunch of money.

Insurance may be an issue. All I could get was coverage on the cargo trailer, not the conversion.

Thanks for the replies. I have used Glen L boat plans before. They are a good resource. I live in Florida and titling is not too bad of a process.

The Teardrop Tiny Travel Trailer Forum has some free plans and some great information including cargo trailer conversions.

Gdetrailer brings up some great points and details out the process at least for PA.

Another question is insurance. Has anyone been able to get an actual RV policy on a home built or rebuilt unit? And what did you go through?

I am contemplating doing a total camper rebuild in a few years verses a new rig. I would use my own chassis and only tweak the floor plan but the rest of the build is all new.

Then comes the RV insurance. Right now I am insured under an RV policy that will pay out a declared amount regardless of age if a total loss is encountered. I only have it for the 1 sad day that may ever happen. When I get done, the camper itself would be all new but the frame and axles. While I may not get my time back, getting the materials back would be a minimum.

John

workhardplayharder wrote:
I am in the process of selling Class A and getting back to the basics. I am looking for a set of plans for a trailer that is a little bigger then a tear drop but small enough to be towed by a small SUV (3500 lb tow limit).

Glen L that Snowman posted is most likely the best source of "plans" you are going to find.

If nothing else buy the plans for the frame then modify everything else to suit your taste..

HOWEVER!

You NEED to check with your own states DMV and get ALL the facts on how to title your trailer.

Many states getting a title can be a huge hassle. It would be terrible to invest a lot of money and time in building a trailer to only find out the state refuses to title the trailer..

In PA, they have very specific sequence that you must follow.

1) You MUST HAVE RECEIPTS (bill of sale) of ALL MAJOR components like axle, springs, frame materials and such.

2) You MUST follow any and all safety related items in placement and quantity (IE exterior lighting height and placement) per the state rules.

3) Once built the trailer MUST be taken to a state approved and licensed inspection station.

4) Inspection mechanic MUST inspect the trailer for all required elements then fill out all proper paperwork then send that with FOUR photos (front, sides and rear that YOU provide) to Harrisburg (where PADOT HQ is). You pay the mechanic a fee for this service PLUS the PADOT application fees.

5) Then you WAIT and hopefully you get a title up to six or more weeks later.

6) Then you will need to take the title to a Notary and buy a plate plus pay any taxes that the state feels you owe.

7) Then if trailer is 3K lbs or higher GVW you will need to take the trailer back to your inspection mechanic to get the trailer "inspected" for the year (get a inspection sticker put on).

8) Now you can go camping...

Hopefully your state is not as demanding..

For those reasons above I bought an older used and beat up TT and gutted it.

My suggestion would be to buy a small utility trailer which you can find often at Tractor Supply, Home Depot, lowes. The type I am talking about is those small open landscape trailers with the steel mesh floors. Often a small one can be had for $500-$1000 and buying one will get you a certificate of origin.

The Certificate of origin is an important document which you can submit to your DMV with a fee of course and they WILL ISSUE you a title with no hassle.

Once you have a title then you simply can build your floor, walls and roof on the trailer...

I should note.. that it is your responsibility to PROPERLY BALANCE the load on your trailer. You MUST have a minimum of 10% of the trailer weight ON THE TONGUE. less than 10% and you will have a "tiger" by it's tail and it will not tow properly.

You will need to carefully weigh all of the stuff you put into it like A/C, furnace, fridge and such.. Everything must be placed in such a way to balance the load from front to back and even side to side..

I thought about it before I bought my trailer. Just no time.

Still probably will one day. Maybe a truck camper or a clone of the retro http://www.riversidervs.net/Model-155--Retro-w-wetbath-.html

I think part of what is wrong with America. Nobody thinks or makes anything anymore. Heck, they dont even fix anything these days. Just toss it and buy new.

I converted a 6 x 12 v nose cargo trailer that served us well. Loaded weight was 2400 lbs.
Good luck.

I would look for an all aluminum cargo trailer and work off that platform, if I wanted to totally custom build a TT. That would get you a new shell. I investigated this exercise before I custom built my old Starcraft. Even though I can (and have) build everything about a trailer, buying a built frame, running gear, and body, is cheaper than doing it all myself. The least expensive manner is buying a used trailer with good running gear that is in bad shape and gutting the inside.

If you start looking through the build threads of builders starting with a frame-up build, I think you'll find that even steel construction trailers come in over budget when all is done. Your weight allowances push towards an aluminum frame and that gets into specialty welding.

Have you looked at the Camplite trailers? I think they might sell a model that is close to what you're after. If you put a lot of factors on the agenda like work time, resale value, immediate use, etc., it may be a better solution.

If you do go ahead and build DIY, be sure to post back with your progress, it is interesting as heck to see what others do. Good luck going forward.

Another possibility is to buy a tiny toyhauler such as from this company, and finish it yourself. They will custom build and equip to suit, too.

https://www.dunesport.com/