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Post by scrub-buster on Mar 14, 2016 7:31:45 GMT -5
Not too sure that you will save anything over just going out and buying a used camper, but looks like a fun project. I like projects like that. Way back when, a fella I worked with converted an old bread truck into his own low budget motor home camper. They had a lot of fun with that rig. I could have found an old camper for less money but it wouldn't be able to haul the amount of wood that this one will be able to. And where I camp I won't need the kitchen or tiny bathroom that campers have. It would have been wasted space. Plus I'd rather have a camper that looked like an old tool shed rolling down the road. That's more my style. I'm going to load it up with bow staves in a couple of months and head to Tennessee. It will more than pay for itself on that first trip.
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Post by saltydog on Mar 14, 2016 8:01:20 GMT -5
Coming along good with it there scrub. Thanks for sharing
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Post by scrub-buster on Mar 14, 2016 12:15:47 GMT -5
The wood siding is going slow but looking good.
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Post by scrub-buster on Mar 14, 2016 19:21:05 GMT -5
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Post by bullseye69 on Mar 14, 2016 20:06:28 GMT -5
Nice job so far!! I love making something out of nothing. Its very rewarding.
Do the surge brakes not work? I like them better than electric brakes, anybody can pull it then.
Corrugated steel would look good for the roof.
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Post by scrub-buster on Mar 14, 2016 20:23:13 GMT -5
When I got the trailer the brake line was disconnected from the tongue unit. I have no idea if they work or not. I'm guessing they were sticking or causing them some kind of problem and they just disabled them.
I'm using corrugated steel for the roof.
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Post by saltydog on Mar 14, 2016 21:09:33 GMT -5
scrub how you think the wood weight would compare to metal siding weight ? Do you have manufactured windows and door for it ? Whats your ideas for that ? Looks like you really got your work cut out for you on the brake actuator !!!
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Post by scrub-buster on Mar 14, 2016 22:47:26 GMT -5
I'm going to make the doors and windows. I've got some ideas on how to do it. I'm not sure how the metal siding would have compared in weight. I resawed the boards so they aren't very thick. I wanted the look of the barn siding.
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Post by scrub-buster on Mar 16, 2016 19:40:30 GMT -5
I got the siding put on the other side today. It's ready for a roof now. Might try to get started on that tomorrow. I'm loving the looks of the barn siding. I had just enough full length boards to finish both sides. I had 7 left over but they all had issues. I'm using shorter pieces for the doors. I put a couple 1x12's on the front of the storage area. I don't want the load sliding forward if I have to stop suddenly. I need to get a 1x8 and some plywood to get the box enclosed. When I finish the interior I'll cover up the 1x boards with whatever I put on the walls.
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Post by scrub-buster on Mar 17, 2016 21:20:00 GMT -5
I started putting the metal on this afternoon. Trying to put corrugated metal on a curved surface that's slightly less than square has been a challenge. I am going to put more screws in it after its all down. I need to trim up the edges a little also.
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Post by saltydog on Mar 18, 2016 10:10:27 GMT -5
Strating to look like an Airstream to me. You taking orders soon?
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Post by scrub-buster on Mar 23, 2016 20:18:25 GMT -5
I painted the underneath side of the deck boards with some industrial epoxy paint. When I put the deck down it was cold outside and I wasn't thinking about the carpenter bees boring into the bottom of it. If I was smart I would have painted the boards before bolting them down. That would have been easier than crawling under it with a paint brush. I'm hoping the thick layer of paint keeps them from boring holes. I went to the barn that I got the siding from and gathered up some old rusty hinges. They should match the siding perfectly. My Dad donated a couple old padlocks to the project. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get the one cleaned up or not. It has some corrosion on it.
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Post by scrub-buster on Mar 23, 2016 20:19:06 GMT -5
I put some trim boards inside the windows and the door today. I framed up the door and put shims all the way around it so I could clamp it in place. I put all the siding boards on and put a board across the middle. I'm going to put another board across the top and bottom and then put a couple boards at a 45 degree angle between them. It should look like an old barn door. I left it clamped in place until I get the hinges on it. This weekend I'm going to pull it to my house so I can finish up the roof. I don't have enough head room to finish it where it is sitting right now.
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Post by duff on Mar 24, 2016 4:41:50 GMT -5
Looks good!
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Post by pigeonflier on Mar 24, 2016 6:34:22 GMT -5
Right on lookin good!!!!!!
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Post by scrub-buster on Mar 26, 2016 20:14:29 GMT -5
I'll bring it to Moontree next year Dave. I might have to get someone with 4WD to haul it around back to the flat area. I woke up bright and early today. I wanted to spend all day working on the camper since the weather is so nice. I put the hinges on the door and then got my Dad to help me lower it down and haul it to my house. His utility truck handled the job easily. That makes me think my truck will have no problem pulling it. This is the first time I've been able to get back and see how it looks. We parked it in my driveway and just as I was getting ready to start on the roof I got a phone call asking if I could help the neighbor lady remove a big dead ash tree from her yard. So my full day of working on the camper didn't get started until after 2:00 pm. I was able to get the rest of the roof screwed down. I still need to trim the edges and do a little finish work to it.
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Post by esshup on Mar 27, 2016 10:19:12 GMT -5
Looks great!
One thing I found out towing a trailer on the highway with a smaller vehicle is that wind resistance really starts building up at highway speeds, even if the trailer is very light. That puts a lot of stress on the transmission so even if it is a manual trans, the gear lube/fluid in it will get HOT.
Take it out for a trial drive for 1/2 hr or so before taking it on a long trip.
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Post by scrub-buster on Mar 27, 2016 20:36:01 GMT -5
Thanks for the tip esshup. We are going to take it on a test run before I haul it to Tennessee. I got a lot done on it today. I added another roof support in the front and screwed down an overlap that looked like it would catch the wind. I trimmed up the edges of the roof where it didn't line up even. I cut the plywood for the bed support. I'm going to wait to screw it down until I finish up the back doors. I also finished the front door. I've been putting off making the back doors because I knew it would be a pain to figure out. When I framed up the walls I had no clue how I was going to make the back doors. I had to move some boards and chisel a couple more back out of the way to make room for the doors. I had to bend the hinges around the corner to make them work. There was a lot of redneck engineering involved in making everything fit. I still need to put the top, bottom, and angle boards on them. I'm still trying to figure out a way to lock them shut. They swing open wide to allow plenty of room for loading or unloading the storage area.
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on Mar 28, 2016 8:11:58 GMT -5
That's looking nice! I didn't realize the cargo space was going to have an outside access. I like it.
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Post by scrub-buster on Mar 28, 2016 8:26:02 GMT -5
I'll be hauling over 100 bow staves in the cargo area. I needed an easy way to get them in and out.
We had a band of storms blow through last night. It rained pretty hard for a while. I checked the camper and it was dry inside. There was a little moisture around the door frame but I haven't put any weather stripping around it yet. I was pretty happy with the rain test run.
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