jfb1969
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Re: 22' travel trailer rebuild from the frame up - NEED HELP!
poppa wrote: time, energy and money? this troll dont care. he is still posting pics of "how its gonna be" 7 years after first post. it has been entertaining and a learning experience though. lol Seems that you're the only troll here. As Gdetrailer said, sometimes life gets in the way and plans have to change. You know, little things...like finding out your spouse has breast cancer and having to deal with that. Abraham Lincoln once said, "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt."1.8KViews0likes0CommentsRe: 22' travel trailer rebuild from the frame up - NEED HELP!
So I thought I'd share some computer renderings for the design I have worked up. Over the past couple of years my wife and I have thoroughly discussed how we want to use our TT in the future. We plan to do a lot of traveling to see all of the natural wonders in the continental US and possibly Canada and Mexico. I want something that has a max length under 26' (bumper to hitch) so that we can camp at pretty much any national park without issue. I also want to keep it under 26' to reduce fuel consumption when towing. I also want it to feel as open as possible...which is tough with a small box length and no slides, so compromises have to be made. For us that meant not having the sleeping area separated from the (public) seating area. To make my wife happy, she wants a decent size bathroom and electric fireplace. In order to have the room to accomodate her wishes (and satisfy my love of vintage trailer design) I have gone with a cab-over type of design (like a vintage Shasta Astrodome TT). This actually allowed me to design a king size upper bunk and a U-shaped dinette that converts to a full size queen. I think it can very comfortably sleep four adults and two small kids. The small "L" off of the upper bunk measures 66"x32", so it it would work for younger (grand) children. Lots of storage in the bathroom! The area under the storage is where the water heater will be and also exterior accessed storage. Kitchen counter measures 96"! Two large wardrobes or one could be used as a pantry. 10 cu.ft. 12v refridgerator. Above the fridge is the breaker/load center. Electric fireplace for the wife! The top lifts and has storage for the dinette table and the pedestal legs. Configured for seating with the table and legs stored away. Configured for dining with the ladder to access the upper king bunk. There is 25" from the top of the mattress to the ceiling, so it should feel pretty open. Dinette converted to a full size queen bunk (60"x80") Exterior view1.8KViews0likes0CommentsRe: 22' travel trailer rebuild from the frame up - NEED HELP!
Gdetrailer wrote: As you are most likely aware of, building a trailer from scratch in PA and getting it titled is a real buzz kill pain in the behind.. If I can buy a titled TT, PennDOT doesn't need to know how much work I've done to it! ;)1.8KViews0likes0CommentsRe: 22' travel trailer rebuild from the frame up - NEED HELP!
I just went back and re-read my post and realized I messed up a bit. My plan in the future will be to find a similarly sized TT for cheap and do a frame up build on that. After doing all of the work on this one, I certainly wouldn't want to scap it all! I'll find another family that will be able to enjoy it.1.8KViews0likes0CommentsRe: 22' travel trailer rebuild from the frame up - NEED HELP!
Wow, I can't believe it's been almost 7 years since I started this thread. Although I haven't done the complete tear down/rebuild yet, I did do some major renovation in 2018. I basically gutted half of the interior by removing the rear bunk area and the bathroom and then rebuilt/reconfigured it a little bit. I need to fix some rot in the front corners, but that will probably happen next year. Some time in the next month or two I will be replacing the axles, I lost a bearing on a trip and it chewed up the end of the spindle pretty badly. Unfortunately a direct replacement axle is no longer available (3" drop spindle), so I have to replace both axles and brakes (ouch!). I still do plan on tearing it down to the frame, but that's been pushed off for at least 5 or more years. The plus side is that I have had a lot longer to think about how I want to use the trailer in the future and I have probably gone through dozens of different design ideas and finally came up with something that my wife and I are both very happy with. Gutting sleeping area and bathroom. Had to fix a little rot in the corner. Closing the walls back up. Checking the bathroom wall framing. Putting new flooring down. Bathroom walls, tub franibg and vanity getting installed New tub/shower surround and vanity installed. I replaced the vent chase to give a little more storage. New bunk arrangement, a bunk on each side with a raised transverse bunk along the back wall that can be folded up when not needed. New upper cabinet on each side with a shelf between them. Bunks also double as seating. A queen size sleeping area can be made by placing a support between the two bottom bunks. A new barn style sliding door for the bathroom. Peel and stick tiles to spruce up the kitchen.1.8KViews0likes0CommentsRe: 22' travel trailer rebuild from the frame up - NEED HELP!
Another thought I had is to go with polyethelene (PEX) tubing for my water lines. My current TT has what looks to be grey PVC or poly tubing but it has 90 degree elbows and T junctions. I'd like to eliminate the elbows 100% and as many T's as possible. Does anyone have experience using PEX in a trailer?1.8KViews0likes0CommentsRe: 22' travel trailer rebuild from the frame up - NEED HELP!
Thanks Westend...I was leaning towards running through the ceiling/roof. It seems like it will be the simpler choice as I wouldn't have to run the wires during the construction of the floor. I like the idea of the junction boxes, I'll have to explore that. The 110v will be for the receptacles and the A/C, so that will be pretty minimal - maybe 6-8 receptacles. The 12v wiring will be much more significant. I plan to add 4 or 5 USB 12v charging jacks. I'd also like to add a small solar panel just to keep the batteries topped off when the trailer isn't in use. I plan to go with LED lighting, to reduce power consumption. I think I'll stick with 30A service as it's more than sufficient for my needs.507Views0likes0CommentsRe: 22' travel trailer rebuild from the frame up - NEED HELP!
coolbreeze01 wrote: If building a TT from scratch, I would concentrate on the frame/running gear first. If I'm going to build a TT from scratch, I'm going to need to have everything planned out as much as possible before I ever begin. Going back to fix mistakes can be costly and time consuming. For those that have done a trailer renovation, is it best to run wiring from the load center (to outlets and such) through the ceiling/roof or through the floor?239Views0likes0CommentsRe: 22' travel trailer rebuild from the frame up - NEED HELP!
JIMNLIN wrote: You will be taking the metal skins off from top down and if reinstalling them they will go from the bottom up. Be sure and make a numbering system where each skin goes if your going to reuse them. unfortunately I won't be able to reuse any of the existing aluminum siding because I will be moving most of the windows around. JIMNLIN wrote: What are your plans for some type of material (luan/celotex/other material) under the roof skin and over the roof truss ribs for the metal skin to bond to? I plan to use the same construction on the roof as the side walls. 1/4" luan skins and either 1-1/2 or 2" framing. That may change based off of how the existing roof is constructed. The existing roof has held up very well and there have not been any roof leaks that I have seen. The existing roof is aluminum and I believe it is a floating roof that is just held down around the perimeter by the trim and maybe some adhesive.239Views0likes0CommentsRe: 22' travel trailer rebuild from the frame up - NEED HELP!
Boband4 wrote: There are 5 of us and shoes are always a problem. Can you put the cubbies next to the door so the muddy shoes dont track through the trailer? Good suggestion but no, there's no room. The cubbies will be directly across from the door, so they are only 6 feet away! Boband4 wrote: Also, plan a place for a kitchen wastebasket! I am on my 2nd trailer and neither had a planned place so it just sits in the middle of the floor. Very functional but always have to work around it. I had given that some thought but with a small trailer like this, storage space is at a premium. I'd prefer to move a wastebasket out of the way when necessary than to lose valuable space inside a cabinet.240Views0likes0Comments
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