Thought is to take a 15' to 20' long landscape trailer as thebase to build a custom travel trailer.Anyone ever build their own trailer?Thoughts, ideas, comments, all appreciated.

Make sure your landscape trailer is heavy duty. When people do custom builds, they’re significantly heavier than what is mass produced. I have friends who built a gypsy trailer and they flattened the frame on it.Otherwise, the sky is the limit! Building your own trailer is an amazing opportunity to build exactly what you want.

Many people, me included, convert cargo trailers to campers. Some are over 30' but most are smaller. Get exactly what you want and only what you want. Fun too.

I asked a local steel fabricator who specializes in trailer frame work and repair what brands of enclosed utility trailers they recommended. They told me Pace or Hallmark were good brands to purchase. They do not sell trailers at all so they have nothing to gain by recommending them.I've been looking into building a 14 or 16 footer with 7000 lb cargo capacity. I will be purchasing one as soon as I get my shed/workshop built. I hope to retire in the about two to three years and then I'm hoping to go full-time nomad and travel the country.There are lots of YouTube videos that show people building out their own trailers as well as some full-time nomads giving tours of their trailers and interviewing other people about their trailers and how they built them.Another source for ideas are those that have built their own RV's using step vans, box trucks or Mercedes and Dodge Ram ProMaster vans. There are a lot of similar ideas with these and the trailers as well.Bob Wells YouTube channel CheapRVLiving is a good place to look for ideas.

Weigh each part/piece as you build. Don’t guess.

There is a youtube ch called"I Ride" Tiny House AdventuresBill spent a year or so building his trailer, and now he and his wife have hit the road in it. He did a nice of documenting the build in his videos.

Build Your Own Travel Trailer | Good Sam Community

Kdotmatrix
Explorer
May 30, 2024
I have built one out of pure necessity. Most of the materials i had tucked away or given to me. The biggest important factor in the entire build was to keep the camper weight itself to a minimum. I framed the exterior walls with 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 3' soild styrene deck spindles each extended on each end with hollow vinyl spindles of the same dimension giving me roughly 8' high walls. Each stud (connected spindles) were placed 4' to 4' to 2'= 10' length and for the width i settled on 70" just because that was the length of other material i had. I know you may think 4' centers are to far apart however if you use 16" tie down straps and hurricane clips at each joint and use strictly screws only the frame will stand and once you sheet the walls the frame will be solid. Stagger sheets of 1/4" plywood adds to stability. Once done sheeting wrap entire structure in as thick of plastic as you can, painters drop cloth type plastic works great. Wrap 2 times completely paying attention to not staple in the field rather stay to the edges and lap all over under. Lastly get two 15'x20' tarps (I used camouflage ones from harbor freight at $20 a piece. I used corrugated metal roofing to do the roof but i didn't sheet it with any wood, just the metal. Now you'll have a basic rigid box to do any custom build you want and have almost no substantial weight to tend with. Kdotmatrix I have video and images of my home build if anyone wants to see email me kdotscomc@gmail.com
JRscooby
Explorer II
Sep 10, 2019
APT wrote:
Factory built RV uses far lighter construction materials.

You are right, a home built will likely be heavier. But if within the weight limits of the trailer not a issue. And the home built, using the heavier material, the house likely will be more rigid, no matter what frame it is on.
OTOH, a heavy built house, on a high load capacity machinery trailer? The TV better have a red oval, nothing with a blue one would have the capacity...
APT
Explorer
Sep 10, 2019
Factory built RV uses far lighter construction materials.
JRscooby
Explorer II
Sep 10, 2019
rjstractor wrote:
For a builder that wanted to build it literally from the frame up, a flatbed equipment hauler has the frame strength you need, especially the 10K+ GVWR ones.

If you or the OP need that kind of strength, how can you get by with a factory built TT, with a frame that has no where near that strength?
JRscooby
Explorer II
Sep 10, 2019
rjstractor wrote:
For a builder that wanted to build it literally from the frame up, a flatbed equipment hauler has the frame strength you need, especially the 10K+ GVWR ones.

If you or the OP need that kind of strength, how can you get by with a factory built TT, with a frame that has no where near that strength?
rjstractor
Nomad
Sep 09, 2019
Maybe the OP meant equipment trailer rather than landscape trailer. For a builder that wanted to build it literally from the frame up, a flatbed equipment hauler has the frame strength you need, especially the 10K+ GVWR ones.
APT
Explorer
Sep 09, 2019
What are your goals of custom? I expect a lot of time, money in materials, and weight compared to a $15k TT. If you have the tow vehicle, time, and money, it could be fun and built with your pride.
trailer_newbe
Explorer II
Sep 06, 2019
Landscape trailers will likely lack the frame strength you will need. I know someone who built their own and they used a enclosed car hauler. If you can afford this route, you will have the strength and it will last a very long time.
Boband4
Explorer
Sep 06, 2019
Check out the user "Westend" - he did a great documentary thread when he built his "Cowboy Hilton". That thread is what hooked me on this site.
JRscooby
Explorer II
Sep 06, 2019
Gdetrailer wrote:

Your sarcasm has been noted..

Actually, YES, I HAVE "paid attention" to the frames of TTs. In fact I have studied a lot of trailer frame designs because my plan for my second TT WAS to build from scratch frame up..

But you missed the point. The house bolted to the frame is the strength of the trailer. While it is true, remove the top rail from the landscape trailer, and you don't have much strength left. You will need to understand this when designing/building but bolt a house to it and you can replace the lost strength.

What YOU did was wrong to start with, NEVER unbolt the "house" until you are ready to "scoop" it off the frame. The "house" by design ACTS as one huge truss and adds considerable amount of strength to the steel frame.

Yes, you understand. Why not the OP?

YOU should have cut the bolts at the dump, THEN push or better yet LIFT the house off the frame (pushing off can twist or tweak the now weakened frame).

No. What I learned I should of done was towed to the dump, un-hooked next to the pit, used the loader or excavator to lay the trailer on it's side, cut of the suspension and coupler. Let the big toys smash and put it in pit. The scrap value of the frame was not worth the labor to get it.

Those cheap landscape trailers WILL make a horrible base for any "RV" unless you REWORK the frame CONSIDERABLY which WILL require a lot of heavier steel.. New steel prices are insane..

Now IF the OP is considering a heavy duty flatbed trailer with real I beams and has 2" deck boards then that IS a different critter than the cheap landscape trailers..

I have not done a lot of work on RV frames, or for that matter landscape trailer frame. But I have worked on the trailers, and can say that for the same GVWR, the landscape trailer would win. (Most I have worked on lately haul 3 zero turns, a couple of walk behinds, plus fuel tank, tools, and whatever the crew is likely to need.

I also have a 18' heavy duty 10K GVWR flat bed trailer which CAN and is able to haul a full sized pickup truck up to 7500 lbs.. It IS a beast, weighing in at 2,400 lbs EMPTY.

Compare that to a cheap landscape trailer which might weigh in at 700-800 lbs..

Yeah, my 18ft trailer did cost me $3500 vs a cheap landscape trailer at $1000 but I can assure you a 7500 lb truck would simply squash the cheap landscape trailer..

I still have some light duty stuff like that, that I built myself

Just trying to steer the OP away from a potential money pit mistake that they WILL regret down the road.

Don't ignore the foundation, going cheap on that will result in reworking and reworking and reworking..

I can see no reason why somebody wanting to build should be told it must be on something that much stiffer than what the factory uses. A little stiffer, like the landscape trailer might be better than factory frame...

But, hey carry on folks, MR "Scooby" your shot of sarcasm reminds me of why I rarely post on this forum any more..

I'm sorry, I had no intention to wad panties. I saw what I thought, and still think, was false information. If that offends you I think that is on you. Maybe the OP should look under a few TTs before he decides what to start with. I recommend thinking about a water damaged RV as a source of appliances, if not frame, for the build.

Forum Discussion

Build Your Own Travel Trailer

About Travel Trailer Group

Related Content

Travel Trailer

Travel Trailer Tires

Quality Travel Trailer

Travel Trailer Length

Travel Trailer Tow Vehicle