Cool Mods - Thread restored 10/18/2012
My daughter was getting a little warm in her bunk during our last camping trip, so I decided to put her a fan in to keep the air flowing. I had been wanting to add a 12-volt fan to the main livin...
Forum Discussion
Aye Nice Mags!
Not finished all the mods I have in mind for this first blitz.
I got a great deal on a 22 gallon barker blue tote
I removed my spare from the back bumper and built this
I recycled the u bolts from my spare carrier and picked up two cheap spare carrier mounts at Princess Auto
I made it large enough to carry a couple fold up chairs,I also stuff 50' of heavy gauge cord in there.
I coated it many times with outdoor stain, all the lumber is pressure treated, and all joints are siliconed. I used galvanized fasteners and alot of PL Premium construction adhesive. I used 1" x 1/4" self adhesive weather stripping on the trailer siding and compressed the box tightly into it. There were zero signs of rubbing after our only 400 mile trip. The lock is a typical canopy style T handle from my local rv dealer. Total cost around 80$, but i get some great deals :)
Needing a place to store the spare I used a bunch of leftovers from other mods to make a rack under the frame in front of the axles.I used Superstrut(rated for seismic bracing), 1 1/2" angle iron, and some fancy self cutting 3/8" bolts.
These superstrut spring anchors cost me over 2$ each!
I had lots of stain and plywood left over so the toolboxes really only cost me 2 more t handle sets, 2 more piano hinges, and 12 sets of spring anchors, grade 8 bolts, and lockwashers. I used 2 6" galvanized 1/2" carriage bolts to secure the tire to another piece of susperstrut above the rack. Nearly 15$ for the pair, I carry an cordless impact driver with me anyways so didn't want to mess with mounting a crank. I lightly greased the bolt threads so they should drop off easily on the side of the road
I used some heavy gauge carrying channel (used to brace steel stud framing) inside the box to prevent the plywood from crushing. Lining up 6 bolts inside a surprisingly heavy box without popping those spring anchors was a ridiculously frustrating experience.
This pic was taken with the camera nearly on the ground and makes it look flush with the frame, in fact they are a few inches recessed, none of these are lower than my sewer connections. From anywhere close to the trailer you can't even tell the boxes have handles.
Total cost counting new carlisle spare and rim was about 250$ but i had alot of misc laying around and got a good deal on the spare at you guessed it, Princess Auto.(one of my favourite toy stores)I torque'd every bolt to appropriate force, I plan to check them all a few times a year, I used lockwashers on everything so hopefully nothing will loosen over time. I used a combination of foam and rubber gasket to keep these boxes watertight.
Have a few more I'll post later. Thanks for this awesome thread. I've gotten so much inspiration from these pages.
PS: We only bought this trailer 8 weeks ago and last weekend was her maiden voyage. Everything worked like a charm!
Rob
Not finished all the mods I have in mind for this first blitz.
I got a great deal on a 22 gallon barker blue tote
I removed my spare from the back bumper and built this
I recycled the u bolts from my spare carrier and picked up two cheap spare carrier mounts at Princess Auto
I made it large enough to carry a couple fold up chairs,I also stuff 50' of heavy gauge cord in there.
I coated it many times with outdoor stain, all the lumber is pressure treated, and all joints are siliconed. I used galvanized fasteners and alot of PL Premium construction adhesive. I used 1" x 1/4" self adhesive weather stripping on the trailer siding and compressed the box tightly into it. There were zero signs of rubbing after our only 400 mile trip. The lock is a typical canopy style T handle from my local rv dealer. Total cost around 80$, but i get some great deals :)
Needing a place to store the spare I used a bunch of leftovers from other mods to make a rack under the frame in front of the axles.I used Superstrut(rated for seismic bracing), 1 1/2" angle iron, and some fancy self cutting 3/8" bolts.
These superstrut spring anchors cost me over 2$ each!
I had lots of stain and plywood left over so the toolboxes really only cost me 2 more t handle sets, 2 more piano hinges, and 12 sets of spring anchors, grade 8 bolts, and lockwashers. I used 2 6" galvanized 1/2" carriage bolts to secure the tire to another piece of susperstrut above the rack. Nearly 15$ for the pair, I carry an cordless impact driver with me anyways so didn't want to mess with mounting a crank. I lightly greased the bolt threads so they should drop off easily on the side of the road
I used some heavy gauge carrying channel (used to brace steel stud framing) inside the box to prevent the plywood from crushing. Lining up 6 bolts inside a surprisingly heavy box without popping those spring anchors was a ridiculously frustrating experience.
This pic was taken with the camera nearly on the ground and makes it look flush with the frame, in fact they are a few inches recessed, none of these are lower than my sewer connections. From anywhere close to the trailer you can't even tell the boxes have handles.
Total cost counting new carlisle spare and rim was about 250$ but i had alot of misc laying around and got a good deal on the spare at you guessed it, Princess Auto.(one of my favourite toy stores)I torque'd every bolt to appropriate force, I plan to check them all a few times a year, I used lockwashers on everything so hopefully nothing will loosen over time. I used a combination of foam and rubber gasket to keep these boxes watertight.
Have a few more I'll post later. Thanks for this awesome thread. I've gotten so much inspiration from these pages.
PS: We only bought this trailer 8 weeks ago and last weekend was her maiden voyage. Everything worked like a charm!
Rob
