Member III
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Interstate 5x8 Enclosed Multi-Use Trailer
- Thread starter socal geek guy
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Advocate III
Your trailer is really coming along, man.
If you haven't decided on what to do with bare plywood yet, especially surfaces that will see wear, try Polycrylic by Minwax. Made exactly for that kind of use, though best done on smoother ply like birch (or sand rougher grain ply smooth first); don't know what you're using. Couple coats with a light sand in between coats and you have a great, durable, and easy to care for surface.
I put it on my side cupboards and floor 7-8 years ago when hauling cargo and it's still going strong, even with pallets of cargo sliding on top of it and rubbing against the side cupboards.
I'm redoing my interior this year, with upper cabinets and door cabinets of birch ply, and wouldn't use anything else.
With all the adventuring and use I get out of my van now, I use a heavy duty indoor outdoor mat over the ply and e-track, and will be cutting same to fit the new interior. I don't care about it getting wet or dirty, sweeps easy, has a rubberized bottom, and is easy to pull out if I want to haul something and strap it down.
If you haven't decided on what to do with bare plywood yet, especially surfaces that will see wear, try Polycrylic by Minwax. Made exactly for that kind of use, though best done on smoother ply like birch (or sand rougher grain ply smooth first); don't know what you're using. Couple coats with a light sand in between coats and you have a great, durable, and easy to care for surface.
I put it on my side cupboards and floor 7-8 years ago when hauling cargo and it's still going strong, even with pallets of cargo sliding on top of it and rubbing against the side cupboards.
I'm redoing my interior this year, with upper cabinets and door cabinets of birch ply, and wouldn't use anything else.
With all the adventuring and use I get out of my van now, I use a heavy duty indoor outdoor mat over the ply and e-track, and will be cutting same to fit the new interior. I don't care about it getting wet or dirty, sweeps easy, has a rubberized bottom, and is easy to pull out if I want to haul something and strap it down.
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Enthusiast III
after looking around online and having a hard time figuring out what mattress to go with (most had mixed reviews), i found out about a local guy that makes his own folding foam mattresses and sells them at the swap meet. i contacted him and was able to stop by his place to pick up a mattress during the week and it was cool to see his set up in his garage. he truly does make the covers and cuts the foam to fit. the reviews i did see were all pretty good with people mentioning that they've had their mattresses for years.
with this mattress, i'm now looking at making a sliding platform bed that i can remove if needed. i think it would be nice if i get stuck in the trailer for a rainy day to where i can have more of a couch than just a bed.
with this mattress, i'm now looking at making a sliding platform bed that i can remove if needed. i think it would be nice if i get stuck in the trailer for a rainy day to where i can have more of a couch than just a bed.
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Enthusiast III
thanks, i am pretty happy with the window for the price and i'm trying to plan out maybe 1 or 2 more, just need to figure out where i want them.
Enthusiast III
awesome, thanks for sharing the info, it will be good to consider as an option. the van looks pretty cool, definitely pics that i can draw inspiration from.
Member III
That's how I made mine. The platform has slots in it so I can slide the frame in and out. The second mattress will be stuck to the wall with velcro as a back rest. Now I have a bed/couch. When I'm by myself, the second half will stay in the garage. Even though I designed it like that, I haven't built the second part or bought the other mattress. Part of the reason is, I need someone to sew a custom cover or finally break down and buy an industrial sewing machine (which I actually need).
When I did my interior, I lined the inside with a good rubber backed indoor/outdoor carpet. Looks good, easy to clean, a little more insulation and the best part is, the hook side of velcro sticks to it. I have pouch's stuck to parts of my wall. Even driving off road, everything stays where it should.
ohh wow, you have the bike I have been dreaming about
ps, I love your use of commercial hardware
Advocate III
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I have a mess of sewing machines that readers of this thread on fitting out trailers and such may be interested in, from old gear-driven (no belts) to more modern Heavy Duty Singers that can sew multiple layers of canvas and denim. You don't need too much of an industrial machine to do all that. You can get the same one I use the most; the HD Singer 4411 (I have two of them; set up for me and my grandkid who helps out sometimes) for around $200.00 brand new. Sometimes less at Joann Fabric if you watch for the sales.
I'm seriously thinking of taking one with me on the road to do covers and awning walls for folks.
Someday I'll start a thread on sewing gear for adventure.
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I love my bike. It's a Sondors X eBike. You can read more about it on my site here.
Yep, I left my e-track in place. Comes in handy sometimes. I designed my interior so all my gear can come out quick so I can haul sheet goods and lumber or cargo if helping someone build off-grid.
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/end thread derail
Advocate III
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Chris - for bed platforms I've done all sorts of stuff over the years in everything from pickups to station wagons to vans, and the single best, easiest, and least expensive most portable system is what I have now. It would work great in your trailer.
Those lower side cupboards I have in my van? I sized their height to be just right for sitting when I put my sliding bedboard and upholstered mattress on top, supported in the middle by a crate. They hold a shitload of gear, too, with simple finger-hole lids that come all the way off, though could be easily hinged. They're still there in the pic with all my gear, just buried behind my cases and bike.
My bed board is simple as can be: a piano-hinged two piece of 1/2" plywood, sized the same width as my two-piece mattress (about sleeping bag width at only 25", though could be whatever width anyone wants). Folds in half and stows away along that half bulkhead, or removed entirely if I don't need it.
The beauty of having the side cupboards at sitting height, though, is that I can slide that bedboard anywhere along the whole length of the van (I'm short enough to sleep in the 72" width), OR along one side or the other. I have a simple crate that is the same height of the side cupboards that supports the middle at the hinge.
SO: I have three positions I can use the bed; crossways or down either side, as well as anywhere crossways along the whole length of the van.
When going down the highway, I usually have it set up crossways, either as in the pic or ahead of the half-bulkhead and right behind the seats. That way I can go right from the front seat to the bed when stealth-camping or at truck stops, etc.
When camping, I often leave it crossways, though if I have my daughter or someone else with me, I bring along my 2nd bedboard and we each have a side, with a full front-to-back walkway down the middle.
It has proven to be the best and easiest, and least in the way, setup ever.
I can't recommend more highly the use of lower side cupboards to serve as bed supports, along with a folding bedboard, in your trailer.
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Roaddude - On the Road In North America - ROADDUDE
Roaddude - Traveling Photographer/Writer/Artist On the Road In North America. Gear, reviews, people, places, and culture.
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Enthusiast III
cleared everything out today to help a friend move, worked out awesome. the guy's kids were having fun getting in the trailer when it was empty and pretending it was an ice cream truck and taking orders using the window. got a lot of big stuff moved, worked out well.
now that the trailer is empty, i'll have to make a trip to home depot to pick up some more thin plywood so i can finish insulating the ceiling.
something i'm considering is this coupling to use and get rid of the ball hitch set up. i like the lock and roll hitch, but its a little on the pricey end.
now that the trailer is empty, i'll have to make a trip to home depot to pick up some more thin plywood so i can finish insulating the ceiling.
something i'm considering is this coupling to use and get rid of the ball hitch set up. i like the lock and roll hitch, but its a little on the pricey end.
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Enthusiast III
i've been pretty busy with work the last couple months, so the trailer has been less of a priority until now. i'm getting things ready for a trip from SoCal to Montana to visit family and i just got a couple things to work on for now.
first, my neighbor does flooring and he told me before a couple months back that if he had left over flooring, he'd hook me up. last week he gave me 3 boxes of the vinyl slat flooring that looks like hardwood. should be plenty to get the floor done in the trailer and it will look nice. one thing i was missing from my tools was a circular saw, so i ordered a milwaukee kit with a circular saw. will come in handy to do the floor trim along the walls to give a finished look to the floor.
before i do the floor though, i need to open up the walls again to get access in for the fender bolts. i want to raise up the fenders a little more to give a little better clearance for tires and i picked up some 1 inch steel box tube to run across the wall to anchor into. I did this for the window to give it a little support from the bottom and strengthen up the "chassis" a little bit.
i have a friend that offered me some jeep wheels with tires to run on the trailer for $50, but after looking up info on spacers and how they work with trailer hubs, it sounds like the 2.25-2.5" spacers i'd need to make the wheels work with the hubs and clear the trailer, it doesn't sound like the route i want to go. i'm currently looking for some 15" trailer wheels, then i want to pick up some car or truck tires to toss on there. still looking around for some good used tires, but 15" is becoming harder to come by on the used market. may just have to do new tires and suck it up. i'd love to get some all terrains (doesn't matter the brand) so that i can worry less about durability of the tires.
pics and progress updates soon to come.
first, my neighbor does flooring and he told me before a couple months back that if he had left over flooring, he'd hook me up. last week he gave me 3 boxes of the vinyl slat flooring that looks like hardwood. should be plenty to get the floor done in the trailer and it will look nice. one thing i was missing from my tools was a circular saw, so i ordered a milwaukee kit with a circular saw. will come in handy to do the floor trim along the walls to give a finished look to the floor.
before i do the floor though, i need to open up the walls again to get access in for the fender bolts. i want to raise up the fenders a little more to give a little better clearance for tires and i picked up some 1 inch steel box tube to run across the wall to anchor into. I did this for the window to give it a little support from the bottom and strengthen up the "chassis" a little bit.
i have a friend that offered me some jeep wheels with tires to run on the trailer for $50, but after looking up info on spacers and how they work with trailer hubs, it sounds like the 2.25-2.5" spacers i'd need to make the wheels work with the hubs and clear the trailer, it doesn't sound like the route i want to go. i'm currently looking for some 15" trailer wheels, then i want to pick up some car or truck tires to toss on there. still looking around for some good used tires, but 15" is becoming harder to come by on the used market. may just have to do new tires and suck it up. i'd love to get some all terrains (doesn't matter the brand) so that i can worry less about durability of the tires.
pics and progress updates soon to come.
Enthusiast III
got a decent amount of things done this weekend, lots of little things and some semi bigger. i got some general grabber atx tires ordered and will go pick up some wheels either today or tomorrow so that i have some better tires. i wanted something with more durability and better speed ratings, so that's why i went with the all terrains as i don't have much faith in the regular cheap trailer tires that came with it.
i got the walls removed to trim the bottoms to make room for the flooring and i also to raise the fenders a little more. got the fenders raised and anchored in a little better so that they're more sturdy. sealed up the old holes and put a bead of silicone around where the fender meets the body. while i had the walls down, i put a better bead of silicone around the window on the inside. put the insulation back in and the wall panels, then started on the flooring. i got very lucky and the flooring that my neighbor gave to me worked great and it went way easier than i had anticipated.
if any of you end up using the vinyl plank flooring, it goes really easy using a circular saw with a fine finishing blade and a jigsaw if you need to do any curved cuts. you can clean up some of the cuts a little using a utility knife. i also recommend getting tools similar to these in an amazon link. the job went way smoother with these tools, especially with the metal bar to help tighten up the gaps on the ends of each plank. once again the jackery came in very handy to power the jigsaw and it had no problem giving enough power to cut through the planks.
i got lucky where there was a small enough gap on the last row where i can cover the gap with some trim for the floor boards around the bottom edges of the walls. i'll have to get nicer threshold plates on the entry ways to make it look nicer and anchor in the ends/side. i only used about half of the planks that i had on hand, so i have lots of extra to use if i have to replace any of the planks.
overall, i really like the look of the floor, its a lot nicer to crawl on while in the trailer and i can't stress how easy it was to install. now i need to figure out what i'm going to do with the walls. i'm still leaning towards carpet to have a soft surface to lean against, cut down on condensation, and act as sound deadening.
i also have my first aid kit mostly put together and it will stay in the trailer full time. i found a smallish plano sealed container for about $13 and i'm pretty happy with it. i wanted something fairly durable and water tight, so this will work well for this application.
i got the walls removed to trim the bottoms to make room for the flooring and i also to raise the fenders a little more. got the fenders raised and anchored in a little better so that they're more sturdy. sealed up the old holes and put a bead of silicone around where the fender meets the body. while i had the walls down, i put a better bead of silicone around the window on the inside. put the insulation back in and the wall panels, then started on the flooring. i got very lucky and the flooring that my neighbor gave to me worked great and it went way easier than i had anticipated.
if any of you end up using the vinyl plank flooring, it goes really easy using a circular saw with a fine finishing blade and a jigsaw if you need to do any curved cuts. you can clean up some of the cuts a little using a utility knife. i also recommend getting tools similar to these in an amazon link. the job went way smoother with these tools, especially with the metal bar to help tighten up the gaps on the ends of each plank. once again the jackery came in very handy to power the jigsaw and it had no problem giving enough power to cut through the planks.
i got lucky where there was a small enough gap on the last row where i can cover the gap with some trim for the floor boards around the bottom edges of the walls. i'll have to get nicer threshold plates on the entry ways to make it look nicer and anchor in the ends/side. i only used about half of the planks that i had on hand, so i have lots of extra to use if i have to replace any of the planks.
overall, i really like the look of the floor, its a lot nicer to crawl on while in the trailer and i can't stress how easy it was to install. now i need to figure out what i'm going to do with the walls. i'm still leaning towards carpet to have a soft surface to lean against, cut down on condensation, and act as sound deadening.
i also have my first aid kit mostly put together and it will stay in the trailer full time. i found a smallish plano sealed container for about $13 and i'm pretty happy with it. i wanted something fairly durable and water tight, so this will work well for this application.
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There are "lift kits" available for the Dexter type torsion axles. Basically relocation points to give you a couple inches of clearance if needed.
Enthusiast III
yeah, i have looked at them, but i'm kind of stuck with what i have since the trailer barely clears the garage door to get it in there. i'll be running the same size tire , but i wanted just a little more clearance in the "wheel well" area when the spring compresses and the wheel/tire moves upward. when i first got the trailer, the fenders were just kind of slapped on and sent. one of the fenders was only maybe 4 inches off the tire on one side where the other was about 7-8 above the tire. initially i moved the low side up to even it out, but this time i moved it up so that i have about 10 inches to the top of the tire.
if i ever move and have better garage clearance, i wouldn't mind a little bit of a lift, but so far it's been ok.
if i ever move and have better garage clearance, i wouldn't mind a little bit of a lift, but so far it's been ok.
Enthusiast III
my tires finally arrived this morning after some issues with the shipping company, but tire rack was excellent with their customer service. they contacted the shipping company to have them figure out what happened on their end and also started processing a replacement order to send in case the shipping company couldn't get it together. tires were supposed to arrive yesterday and i stayed home minus a couple times to take the dog out to use the bathroom. tracking info said out for delivery even as i checked before going to bed at 11pm. this morning i checked and it said they were delivered. i guess the call from tire rack sorted it out and they dropped off the tires.
that being said, i got some liquid metal wheels from discount tire back on tuesday, so all i need to do is install them and i should be good to go. the tires look good and its interesting how close the tread patterns and side blocks that lead to the side walls mimic the bfg ko2's. having more durable tires and being able to keep the original wheels/tires inside the trailer as spares makes me feel more at ease on long trips or going on trails.
that being said, i got some liquid metal wheels from discount tire back on tuesday, so all i need to do is install them and i should be good to go. the tires look good and its interesting how close the tread patterns and side blocks that lead to the side walls mimic the bfg ko2's. having more durable tires and being able to keep the original wheels/tires inside the trailer as spares makes me feel more at ease on long trips or going on trails.
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Enthusiast III
got the tires on the new wheels and they're on the trailer. they're the same size as what was on there, and its funny how deceiving they are side by side new vs old. the old tires had more rounded off tread on the outer edges where the general grabbers have more squared off tread that goes further out to the sidewalls. when you look at them the grabbers look wider, but they actually are the same width. the new set up fits perfectly and looks good. the wheels are a little more grey than silver, but that's not a big deal.
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Enthusiast III
i brought the trailer with me on a trip from socal to montana to visit family and i will say that with good weight distribution and the new tires, the trailer really tows well. it was hot on the whole trip going north, but it wasn't too much for my suv and i was able to cruise down the interstate no problem. the drive up was pretty non stop, but on the way back i plan on stopping at least once at a national park (tbd) and camping in it with the finished floor and the finished insulation (the last trip i didn't have the ceiling done).
Enthusiast III
the trip back home was long, but good. the trailer was great to have and got a lot of use for utility things while i was visiting family and i camped one night in washington east of monroe.
while i was visiting family, i used it for hauling all the branches i cut down out of my sister's trees. the trailer was empty of all my gear and then filled wall to wall / floor to ceiling with branches to take to the compost recycler. i also used it for hauling deck lumber and also for hauling concrete paver stones. it was great to use it to make the work i did easier.
camping i went with a friend from washington where we did an overnight east of the town of monroe (north east of seattle). it was drizzling rain outside, which was a nice break from the heat wave that was happening in the pacific north west. temperatures at night were around 54 degrees and i stayed pretty warm in the trailer even with the window open. it was super nice being up off the ground and dry while it was raining outside. in the morning i set the mattress up into the couch configuration. i enjoyed sitting up with my pup and drinking a red bull while listening to the rain outside and being comfortable inside.
i intended on going down the coast while driving through oregon, but it was taking way too long, so i ended up getting back onto the 5 interstate. i did make a detour when heading south in washington getting onto the highway 4 starting in kelso, wa and running along the columbia river on the washington side. i crossed over to oregon using the bridge that goes to astoria, or. following the 101 highway, i went down to cannon beach and saw haystack rock (had to since i loved the goonies), then drove the 101 all the way down to tilamook. all i can say is that the drive was absolutely beautiful and i am happy that i did that section. by the time i got to tilamook, it had taken me a little over 3 hours to get there from when i left the 5 interstate in washington, so i made the decision to take the highway 6 and get back onto the interstate near beaverton so that i could get through oregon a little quicker. the highway 6 runs along the wilson river and it was also a great drive. after getting through oregon, the drive through california was uneventful and warm. felt good to get home though.
with all that, i can't wait for the next trip.
while i was visiting family, i used it for hauling all the branches i cut down out of my sister's trees. the trailer was empty of all my gear and then filled wall to wall / floor to ceiling with branches to take to the compost recycler. i also used it for hauling deck lumber and also for hauling concrete paver stones. it was great to use it to make the work i did easier.
camping i went with a friend from washington where we did an overnight east of the town of monroe (north east of seattle). it was drizzling rain outside, which was a nice break from the heat wave that was happening in the pacific north west. temperatures at night were around 54 degrees and i stayed pretty warm in the trailer even with the window open. it was super nice being up off the ground and dry while it was raining outside. in the morning i set the mattress up into the couch configuration. i enjoyed sitting up with my pup and drinking a red bull while listening to the rain outside and being comfortable inside.
i intended on going down the coast while driving through oregon, but it was taking way too long, so i ended up getting back onto the 5 interstate. i did make a detour when heading south in washington getting onto the highway 4 starting in kelso, wa and running along the columbia river on the washington side. i crossed over to oregon using the bridge that goes to astoria, or. following the 101 highway, i went down to cannon beach and saw haystack rock (had to since i loved the goonies), then drove the 101 all the way down to tilamook. all i can say is that the drive was absolutely beautiful and i am happy that i did that section. by the time i got to tilamook, it had taken me a little over 3 hours to get there from when i left the 5 interstate in washington, so i made the decision to take the highway 6 and get back onto the interstate near beaverton so that i could get through oregon a little quicker. the highway 6 runs along the wilson river and it was also a great drive. after getting through oregon, the drive through california was uneventful and warm. felt good to get home though.
with all that, i can't wait for the next trip.
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Enthusiast III
worked on the mounts for my awning last weekend and put some primer and paint on yesterday. i plan on putting a couple more coats of paint on today. i think these will work out nice as they feel very sturdy and i got the clearances i needed when lowered to get the trailer in the garage. it will be nice to lift it up higher when i get to camp since i'm taller.
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Enthusiast III
finally got the awning mounted up. clears the garage door in the low position, easy to slide up the mounts to get the extra height.
