Monday, September 1, 2014
AC& DC Power
I've only been able to work on the trailer sporadically for a while now as real life has been massively interfering, but here's a sneak peak at the AC and DC power panels. Details in a later post...
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Light that side door!
Materials:
Bargman RV Porch Light without switch (Amazon.com)
JR 2 gang RV light switch (Amazon.com)
LED 1156 250 lumen bulb (Amazon.com)
Wire, connectors, grommet & caulking
Black spray paint for plastic
I wanted a black light fixture for this project, but all I could find was off white*, so the first step was to lightly scuff and wash the fixture body, then paint it black. The paint took several days to fully cure, but it looks good.
* I did find a black one, but it was a fancy one that came with a custom LED bulb and sold for $25. A $5 light, $10 bulb and paint I already had fit my budget much better.
Installation:
The old switch just inside the side door that controlled the dome light:
I had to widen the hole in the plywood, as the new switch needed more room behind it. After playing around with various small saws in an attempt to make certain that I didn't poke a hole in the aluminum skin that was only 1.5" past the plywood I finally remembered that I had bought a RotoZip several years ago for another project. This thing is made for cutting holes in sheet goods and once I'd spent 15 minutes figuring out where I had put it, the job was done in 5 minutes. The power taps the power wire for the dome light with a simple jumper. As I'm going to be using all LED bulbs in the new setup, I'm not worried about the additional amp draw, as even with multiple lights running off the line, the total amperage will be 1/4 to 1/3 of the incandescent that was there.
And the finished switch, including some labels made with a Brother PTouch Labeler borrowed from work. There's a screw hole from the old one still exposed, but I'll drop a little wood putty into it to seal/hide it.
For the porch light itself, I drilled a 3/8" hole though the skin of the trailer, put a rubber grommet from Radio Shack in it and threaded the wires through to the switch and a ground point on the frame. I was originally going to screw it to the skin, but the thinness of the skin convinced me I'd be better off using aluminum blind rivets, so that's what I did. Pop the LED bulb in, replace the cover and apply a bead of caulking around the outside edge and we've got a porch light:
I like this light so much that I'm going to add a second one to the front of the trailer as a tongue/hookup light. I also found the Bargman model in black so I won't have to paint the second one.
Bargman RV Porch Light without switch (Amazon.com)
JR 2 gang RV light switch (Amazon.com)
LED 1156 250 lumen bulb (Amazon.com)
Wire, connectors, grommet & caulking
Black spray paint for plastic
I wanted a black light fixture for this project, but all I could find was off white*, so the first step was to lightly scuff and wash the fixture body, then paint it black. The paint took several days to fully cure, but it looks good.
* I did find a black one, but it was a fancy one that came with a custom LED bulb and sold for $25. A $5 light, $10 bulb and paint I already had fit my budget much better.
Installation:
The old switch just inside the side door that controlled the dome light:
I had to widen the hole in the plywood, as the new switch needed more room behind it. After playing around with various small saws in an attempt to make certain that I didn't poke a hole in the aluminum skin that was only 1.5" past the plywood I finally remembered that I had bought a RotoZip several years ago for another project. This thing is made for cutting holes in sheet goods and once I'd spent 15 minutes figuring out where I had put it, the job was done in 5 minutes. The power taps the power wire for the dome light with a simple jumper. As I'm going to be using all LED bulbs in the new setup, I'm not worried about the additional amp draw, as even with multiple lights running off the line, the total amperage will be 1/4 to 1/3 of the incandescent that was there.
And the finished switch, including some labels made with a Brother PTouch Labeler borrowed from work. There's a screw hole from the old one still exposed, but I'll drop a little wood putty into it to seal/hide it.
For the porch light itself, I drilled a 3/8" hole though the skin of the trailer, put a rubber grommet from Radio Shack in it and threaded the wires through to the switch and a ground point on the frame. I was originally going to screw it to the skin, but the thinness of the skin convinced me I'd be better off using aluminum blind rivets, so that's what I did. Pop the LED bulb in, replace the cover and apply a bead of caulking around the outside edge and we've got a porch light:
I like this light so much that I'm going to add a second one to the front of the trailer as a tongue/hookup light. I also found the Bargman model in black so I won't have to paint the second one.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
A couple of "Before" pictures
A couple of "Before" pictures for the record. The exterior shot is a few years old and shows my TV, a 2001 Dodge Dakota.
Vent Screen Damage & Repair
While cleaning up the trailer in preparation for the bigger work I discovered that at some point I must have hit the vent screen with the corner of something, causing an L shaped tear. The screening is metal and fused into the plastic of the frame.
I didn't feel like trying to track down (and pay for) a replacement and I had some extremely thin wire hanging about from a previous project so I threaded up a medium sized needle and simply stitched it back together. It's not the prettiest, but it's functional!
I didn't feel like trying to track down (and pay for) a replacement and I had some extremely thin wire hanging about from a previous project so I threaded up a medium sized needle and simply stitched it back together. It's not the prettiest, but it's functional!
Saturday, May 24, 2014
The Plan
Ok, so, now for the plan to accomplish the goal:
Back wall:
Door with upper screen and privacy shield & lower solid panel
- The ramp must be able to close with back wall in place
- The back wall must be easily removed and stored.
To accomplish this I intend to build the back wall in two pieces out of a lightweight wood such as cedar with Luan for the solid panels. The screening will be from a roll of "animal proof" heavy duty screening I already have. Standard spring loaded screen door hinges from the hardware store will handle keeping the door closed. I may or may not add a latch or at least an internal hook. The door is not meant for security, I will simple close the ramp when away from the trailer. The two pieces will be attached to each other and to the trailer with wing bolts or something similarly easy to remove. Privacy shielding for the screened sections will be via shades. I'm not sure if I'll get some tent canvas and do it the old fashioned way or just get some cheap roll up window shades.
Insulated roof:
This has two purposes. 1> Help keep the trailer cool when I can't park it in the shade. 2> Deaden the sound of rain on the aluminum roof.
The roof ribs are 24" on center. I will be using 1" foam insulation, cut to fit and press fit into the space for the flat sections. I'm not sure yet what I will use on the curved sections.
Once the insulation is in, the flat sections of the ceiling will be covered with 1/8" luan plywood. Again, I'm not certain what I will use on the curved sections.I've located a place that sells the stuff the factories use if you order a finishes ceiling, but it's a little pricy.
Place to put fan:
This is a little ambiguous, but I have a camping fan that runs off of batteries or AC and I'm thinking of building a small shelf onto the back wall to hold it.
120v AC input (Shore Power):
I want to be able to hook up to campground electrical so I plan to install a shore power system with a Marineco 20amp inlet and a breaker box with a 20 amp main breaker/cutoff and 2 or 3 internal outlets.
Front shelf:
The trailer is actually almost 13 feet long inside on the center line due to the rounded nose so I plan to put a shelf in the nose at around 4ft from the floor. This will help protect the AC breaker box and give me somewhere to store small. lightweight gear.
Porch Light:
An RV style porch light with an LED bulb next to the side door will come in handy for camping. I plan to replace the single wall switch inside with a 2 gang switch to control both the ceiling light and the porch light.
LED interior lighting:
This one got added when I took the exsisting celing light down while working on the porch light and realized that it had been crushed at all the mounting points.
Door holdback for side door:
For some reason, the trailer didn't have one from the factory. I'm not sure if they forgot it or what, but I've always used a bungee cord from the padlock hasp to the tongue when I needed to hold it open. Since I'll be placing the lock through the hasp while camping (to prevent being locked in), I'll need to add one.
LED Tail lights:
After looking at a lot of LED tail lights, ranging in price from $15 to $40, I decided to use the $15 ones from Harbor Freight. They've gotten good reviews and are the least expensive.
Fresh coat of paint on floor:
It's been 10 years since I painted the floor. I think a fresh coat of Rustoleum Grey is in order.
Flow-through vents:
Most medium to high end trailers seem to come with these now, but they were pretty much unknown when I bough mine. They are easy to get, relatively easy to install and keep the trailer from turning into an oven inside while towing in warm weather.
As yet undecided if will be done or how:
Roof Paint:
Paint the roof with a white elastomeric paint meant for RVs. This would reseal the roof and reflect a lot of the sunlight (and therefore a lot of the heat!)
Screening for side door:
An actual addon screen door? Build one? Buy an RV screen door? Get one of those "instant screen door things from Walmart?
Table of some sort:
I'll probably just use the fold up wooden table I use for SCA events.
RV style Step for side door:
At $50-$60, I may just use a small stool as a step.
LED Clearance Lights:
These are easy to get but it'll be about $100 to buy enough to do the whole trailer.
Deep cycle battery/Converter:
I'd love to have this for lights, etc when not hooked to AC, but the RV AC to DC converters are expensive even used and a decent deep cycle battery is another $100. I just don't know if I'm going to use it as a camper often enough to warrant the expense.
Back wall:
Door with upper screen and privacy shield & lower solid panel
- The ramp must be able to close with back wall in place
- The back wall must be easily removed and stored.
To accomplish this I intend to build the back wall in two pieces out of a lightweight wood such as cedar with Luan for the solid panels. The screening will be from a roll of "animal proof" heavy duty screening I already have. Standard spring loaded screen door hinges from the hardware store will handle keeping the door closed. I may or may not add a latch or at least an internal hook. The door is not meant for security, I will simple close the ramp when away from the trailer. The two pieces will be attached to each other and to the trailer with wing bolts or something similarly easy to remove. Privacy shielding for the screened sections will be via shades. I'm not sure if I'll get some tent canvas and do it the old fashioned way or just get some cheap roll up window shades.
Insulated roof:
This has two purposes. 1> Help keep the trailer cool when I can't park it in the shade. 2> Deaden the sound of rain on the aluminum roof.
The roof ribs are 24" on center. I will be using 1" foam insulation, cut to fit and press fit into the space for the flat sections. I'm not sure yet what I will use on the curved sections.
Once the insulation is in, the flat sections of the ceiling will be covered with 1/8" luan plywood. Again, I'm not certain what I will use on the curved sections.I've located a place that sells the stuff the factories use if you order a finishes ceiling, but it's a little pricy.
Place to put fan:
This is a little ambiguous, but I have a camping fan that runs off of batteries or AC and I'm thinking of building a small shelf onto the back wall to hold it.
120v AC input (Shore Power):
I want to be able to hook up to campground electrical so I plan to install a shore power system with a Marineco 20amp inlet and a breaker box with a 20 amp main breaker/cutoff and 2 or 3 internal outlets.
Front shelf:
The trailer is actually almost 13 feet long inside on the center line due to the rounded nose so I plan to put a shelf in the nose at around 4ft from the floor. This will help protect the AC breaker box and give me somewhere to store small. lightweight gear.
Porch Light:
An RV style porch light with an LED bulb next to the side door will come in handy for camping. I plan to replace the single wall switch inside with a 2 gang switch to control both the ceiling light and the porch light.
LED interior lighting:
This one got added when I took the exsisting celing light down while working on the porch light and realized that it had been crushed at all the mounting points.
Door holdback for side door:
For some reason, the trailer didn't have one from the factory. I'm not sure if they forgot it or what, but I've always used a bungee cord from the padlock hasp to the tongue when I needed to hold it open. Since I'll be placing the lock through the hasp while camping (to prevent being locked in), I'll need to add one.
LED Tail lights:
After looking at a lot of LED tail lights, ranging in price from $15 to $40, I decided to use the $15 ones from Harbor Freight. They've gotten good reviews and are the least expensive.
Fresh coat of paint on floor:
It's been 10 years since I painted the floor. I think a fresh coat of Rustoleum Grey is in order.
Flow-through vents:
Most medium to high end trailers seem to come with these now, but they were pretty much unknown when I bough mine. They are easy to get, relatively easy to install and keep the trailer from turning into an oven inside while towing in warm weather.
As yet undecided if will be done or how:
Roof Paint:
Paint the roof with a white elastomeric paint meant for RVs. This would reseal the roof and reflect a lot of the sunlight (and therefore a lot of the heat!)
Screening for side door:
An actual addon screen door? Build one? Buy an RV screen door? Get one of those "instant screen door things from Walmart?
Table of some sort:
I'll probably just use the fold up wooden table I use for SCA events.
RV style Step for side door:
At $50-$60, I may just use a small stool as a step.
LED Clearance Lights:
These are easy to get but it'll be about $100 to buy enough to do the whole trailer.
Deep cycle battery/Converter:
I'd love to have this for lights, etc when not hooked to AC, but the RV AC to DC converters are expensive even used and a decent deep cycle battery is another $100. I just don't know if I'm going to use it as a camper often enough to warrant the expense.
The Goal
The Stealth Camper Project:
Ok, so, my goal with this project is to take my 2004 Pace American 12'x6' Single Axle Cargosport trailer and rig it for simple warm weather camping. As I need to continue to use it as a cargo trailer, this won't be a full on, kitchen, bathroom, etc conversion, but just adding enough to be able to do simple camping.
I custom ordered this trailer from the Pace factory (via a local dealer) back in 2004. This was before Pace went bankrupt and was bought out by Look Trailers. At the time Pace was one of the top trailer lines in the country. I don't know how they are now as the local dealer I bought from did not pick them back up and there are no other Pace dealers anywhere near me.
To the basic package I added the following factory options:
Double layer floor (lower 3/4" PT, upper regular 3/4" plywood
Medium Duty Ramp door (2000lb limit)
32" Side Door
Cam Locks on all doors
6" Extra height
Blue skin color
Bent Tube Tongue
Electric Brakes w/ breakaway system
Wall switch for interior light
Front Diamond Plate Stoneguard
Tongue Mount spare tire carrier
E-Track at the 3ft mark on both sides inside
Standard features of note for this project:
3/8" Plywood walls
Manual roof vent
Truck Light brand lighting (2 combo tail/stop/turn, 9 upper running/clearance, 4 fender clearance)
Single RV style interior light
When I first got the trailer I painted the floor and ramp with an oil based grey paint, adding traction sand to the ramp paint. I also added some of the red/white reflective strips that you see on the sides of tractor trailers to the doors and, later, a couple of battery powered, stick-on LED lights for light when not hooked to the truck.
As a side note, if I were ordering the trailer again, I would order it as a tandem axle and I would not get the bent tube tongue.
I made two lists, one for Requirements and one for "Nice to have"
Requirements:
Back wall with door, screens and privacy shields
- Ramp door must be able to close with back wall in place
- Back wall must be easily removed and stored.
- Insulated roof
- Place to put a fan
Nice to have:
Screening for side door
120v AC input (Shore Power)
Front shelf
Table of some sort
Porch Light
LED interior lighting
Step for side door
Door holdback for side door (For some reason, it didn't have one from the factory)
LED Tail lights
LED Clearance Lights
Fresh coat of paint on floor
Deep cycle battery
Flow-through vents
Ok, so, my goal with this project is to take my 2004 Pace American 12'x6' Single Axle Cargosport trailer and rig it for simple warm weather camping. As I need to continue to use it as a cargo trailer, this won't be a full on, kitchen, bathroom, etc conversion, but just adding enough to be able to do simple camping.
I custom ordered this trailer from the Pace factory (via a local dealer) back in 2004. This was before Pace went bankrupt and was bought out by Look Trailers. At the time Pace was one of the top trailer lines in the country. I don't know how they are now as the local dealer I bought from did not pick them back up and there are no other Pace dealers anywhere near me.
To the basic package I added the following factory options:
Double layer floor (lower 3/4" PT, upper regular 3/4" plywood
Medium Duty Ramp door (2000lb limit)
32" Side Door
Cam Locks on all doors
6" Extra height
Blue skin color
Bent Tube Tongue
Electric Brakes w/ breakaway system
Wall switch for interior light
Front Diamond Plate Stoneguard
Tongue Mount spare tire carrier
E-Track at the 3ft mark on both sides inside
Standard features of note for this project:
3/8" Plywood walls
Manual roof vent
Truck Light brand lighting (2 combo tail/stop/turn, 9 upper running/clearance, 4 fender clearance)
Single RV style interior light
When I first got the trailer I painted the floor and ramp with an oil based grey paint, adding traction sand to the ramp paint. I also added some of the red/white reflective strips that you see on the sides of tractor trailers to the doors and, later, a couple of battery powered, stick-on LED lights for light when not hooked to the truck.
As a side note, if I were ordering the trailer again, I would order it as a tandem axle and I would not get the bent tube tongue.
I made two lists, one for Requirements and one for "Nice to have"
Requirements:
Back wall with door, screens and privacy shields
- Ramp door must be able to close with back wall in place
- Back wall must be easily removed and stored.
- Insulated roof
- Place to put a fan
Nice to have:
Screening for side door
120v AC input (Shore Power)
Front shelf
Table of some sort
Porch Light
LED interior lighting
Step for side door
Door holdback for side door (For some reason, it didn't have one from the factory)
LED Tail lights
LED Clearance Lights
Fresh coat of paint on floor
Deep cycle battery
Flow-through vents
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