Ed and the Aberts Video...with My Thoughts

Some of you may have already seen the video from other sources, but we now have the completed video that was shot just before Christmas, at our house, with Ed Helvey present. The video was shot by documentary film maker Michael Tubbs (http://michaeltubbs.com). But before you watch it, I encourage you to read on down and see my thoughts on it, then come back and enjoy it.

As with most videos of this type, there was a lot more captured that never made it to the final edit. However, I commend Michael on the great job he did in editing it down to a watchable video, although from a marketing standpoint, I would not have used names (ours or anyone else's) in the title, as that is not something people would search for on YouTube. It should have contained better keywords for the public to find it.

As far as content, there were only two things that I would have left in:

(1) My on-screen credit to Randy Vining, the famous "mobile codger" himself (http://mobilecodgers.blogspot.com), because if I hadn't found his blog and started reading it from the beginning very early in my research, I may never have had the idea to develop our cargo trailer into what it is slowly becoming.

You see, Randy started out with a cargo trailer of his own design long before he moved into a factory-built trailer. When I saw what he had done, and how much enjoyment he got from staying simple and debt free, it gave encouragement to my own thoughts to do the same.

But as with Randy, we don't look at the cargo trailer as a "forever" thing. Once we get out traveling again by this new lifestyle, and figure out what we really want going forward, we will be in a position to buy whatever we desire. Our cargo trailer is simply a temporary means, to get us out of here (where we cannot find what we might want) to a place where we have a huge selection of RV's to choose from...someplace like East Main St., Mesa, to East Main St, in Apache Junction, which is one continuous road with practically wall-to-wall RV dealers for about ten miles.

The other thing that did not make the final cut was:

(2) The elaboration on finances. In the video, all that was mentioned is our food budget. My reference to not doing without anything means much more than that. We are fortunate enough to now have Medicare, and along with that, we also both have a Plan G Medicare supplement, which will cover everything but $140 per person per year, no matter what or where it occurs. Along with that, we also have decreasing balance term life insurance to age 90. The only things we pay for are prescriptions (which we currently are not on anything), dental and eye glasses. We consider those small expenses and is not worth paying insurance for. Our vehicles are fully-insured right down to collision and rental car coverage.

We normally buy what we want when we want it, but at this stage of our lives, our wants are few, and becoming even less! All of our trailer components are brand new except what I already have on hand.

Due to our well-paying careers, we have a nice Social Security income, and even without anything else coming in from other sources, we will already have roughly one-third of our income available as excess, over and above our fixed expenses. Those fixed expenses also include the fees on two time shares, and three RV membership resort systems, mail forwarding expenses, annual bills savings plus regular savings, normal fuel costs at roughly twice what we are spending now, and many other things. So basically, the only things not already figured into fixed expenses are camping fees and entrance fees to parks, attractions, museums, and other such things. Those, along with fuel costs can easily be controlled by how much we are on the go. We estimate our average camping fees to be about $300 per month, which includes both free sources as well as paid nights in campgrounds. What we don't use will continue to go into savings for future vehicle trades, as well as normal reserves.

The point being not to brag, but to point out that not everybody who chooses this lifestyle is "down and out". We obviously have a home now (that we just spent $9,000 on last year for a complete new septic system). Although we didn't pay cash for the home, we did finance it like an RV, with 20% down for 15 years, as we have all the real estate we've purchased. We bought the home in November of 2004, so we will have very little to pay off when we sell it (hopefully this summer), and plenty of equity. Let's just say our desire to leave here is stronger than our need for maximum value, so someone will get a deal when we sell it! "Cutting our losses" (i.e., not spending any more on this place) to gain a third of our income to use for travel, far outweighs what we might gain by hanging onto it longer than we need to. It's that simple.

Also mentioned in the video was our deadline on plans to do this (also shown in the countdown timer in the right margin), but nothing was mentioned about how far back those plans go. Think in terms of mid-eighties. That's roughly 30 years! We both knew we liked to travel, and once we started RVing, we knew that it was in our plans for retirement. When we bought our first RV resort membership, we had the foresight to know what that could do for us when we could enjoy it on a "most-of-the-time" basis. Now that we have gotten rid of all obstacles to doing away with a home base completely, that dream has now turned to full-time travel, with no real estate at all. If we need a home base later, we'll go rent a place. (See the menu items at the top for more information.)

This early start also gave a chance to "get our feet wet"...with RVing nearly all over this great country in everything from pop-ups to a 40-foot motorhome. We've stayed in some very nice resorts as well as camped out in the woods with no hookups. We even managed an 866-acre RV resort for what was back then, a major player in the industry. So we aren't starting out as many retirees do...with no experience, and suddenly jumping into a huge RV that they don't know how to drive, maintain, or even how to save money with traveling in it. We've already "run the gauntlet", and now have the experience to know what we are doing and what to expect.

The cost of home ownership was "touched on", but it goes way beyond what was mentioned, and includes expenses that most people don't even include when calculating their "basis" for their house. If you are still living in a "sticks and bricks" house, your expenses go way beyond what you even thought of! Again, you'll find out more by reading the menu items at the top of this blog.

Our future plans started out with membership resorts, which will be a big part of what we do, but also moved toward time-shares, so that we could take a break from RV life a few times a year. We also want to visit people that we did not have time to visit before, as well as to take into consideration our own lives and lifestyles. Two shorter, and yet fully independent and livable vehicles (a trailer and a tow vehicle that can be slept in), seem to fit everything about our future travel plans. Here's our tow vehicle:

Our '97 Chevy G-1500 Express Conversion Van.

You can read more about our reason for our choices on the New Beginnings post, available in the archives in the right margin.

If I were buying a new cargo trailer, I would have picked something newer, maybe a size bigger both directions, and more "square-sided", but we had this one already and we're using it...for now. Keep in mind that in the video, it looks dirty and stained, but that will all be cleaned up, the paint touched up, new roof coating applied, and new wheels before we leave here. This trailer has been sitting since I closed my service business and retired in 2010.

And we only had about a week's notice, in the dead of winter, that Michael was meeting Ed here, and wanted to include us in the video. It will look a lot better by next summer.

We did NOT go out of our way to be in this video, and had to fit it all into our daily lifestyle, which right now is very chaotic, with having boxes and cartons setting all over from trying to get things listed on eBay and organize garage sales for everything else. Worrying about what this place looked like to strangers was the last thing on our minds.

During our past travels, we found that some parks have length restrictions, and 32-feet seems to be the magic number, although some places are less than that. In order to enjoy the lifestyle, we have to also consider where we want to go with any RV that we own in the future. We don't want another huge 40-foot motorhome like we had before. The expense and stress of maneuvering something that big is more than we want to deal with. Yes, we "could" afford it...we just don't want to!

Also, unless you actually download the floor plan for the trailer, you might be wondering "what about a stove?" Under the refrigerator will be a full-slide 100-pound capacity drawer, on which will be our Coleman camp stove, with a one-pound propane cylinder behind it. This way it can be used inside, while still being out of the way, or outside, if we want to cook outdoors. The latter will be true in most cases, weather permitting. Below that will be a 4-gallon under-counter electric water heater, and below that, the 12-volt water pump. The rest of that area will be storage, probably for pots and pans.

We may also purchase a Zodi portable water heater and camp shower unit, with it's own pump and reservoir, for times when we will be out boondocking and can't use the electric water heater. Don't worry, we WILL be prepared for anything before we've got everything the way we want it!

Zodi Camp Shower courtesy of Amazon.com

To the right of that storage compartment will be drawers above and two pull-out pantries on either side of the fresh water storage. There will also be a flip-up counter extension at a 30-inch height on the end of the kitchen counter unit. It will also double as extra table space for the couch. You can read more details about that in previous posts, along with plans for under the couch and the other closet areas. Altogether, we will have nearly 42-inches of closet width for hanging clothes, and that's almost as much as we had in our 40-foot motorhome. The shorter storage area at the end of the piano will house Sharon's accordion, and above that, a box large enough for legal sized file folders.

And yes, we will have a porta-potty, and even a stand-up shower! You'll have to go back and read the past posts to figure out how we do that!

The last thing I want to mention is that the solar panels have been delayed until probably March. Due to vehicle issues and weather, it was mutually agreed to wait until a more convenient time for both of us to meet up at a half-way point.

And if you see me tip my head back, please don't take it as a sign of being "haughty"...it's the result of the focal length on my progressive lenses and trying to get closer objects in focus. The camera itself was only about 3-feet from me, due to the lack of a room big enough to shoot this video. Michael was literally across the table from us, coaching us with questions to answer.

With not being out there traveling yet, this video justifies a follow-up video, probably next winter, after we have some travel time under our belts again. Hopefully, we will have far more time to prepare for it, and have better input ahead of it being released to the public.

We also hope to do some of our own videos by then, but the reason I haven't done any so far is because I'm looking for a particular camera...one with an external microphone jack on it. And that may have to wait until we get out of here.

Please feel free to comment as you see fit, What did you think of the video? Does it add to your knowledge of what the lifestyle is all about? Don't be shy. Speak up!

Our Christmas Visitors

In the absence of progress on the trailer during this holiday season, I want to mention the three visits we have had in the past month, first from my wife's sister over Thanksgiving, along with one of our friends who moved here from Mesa, and then from one of my blog readers and a documentary producer.

We were hoping that our next visitor could have arrived over Thanksgiving, but as it turned out, it was probably better that it was delayed. I'll explain in a few moments.

Our Thanksgiving meal was a feast, considering our normal meals for the two of us are light.

We had roast turkey, green been casserole, scalloped potatoes, corn bread pudding, and many other things we don't normally have, plus enough salads and deserts to stuff a horse. Our friend from Mesa, Dave, and I had a good visit, also. Having another guy here is always a good thing, so I don't have to feel like the "odd man out" when my wife and her sister get together. They can be overwhelming at times. (:>)

On the tenth of December, our special visitor arrived...the "semi-famous" Ed Helvey (http://livingandworkingfree.com, and http://anomadicodyssey.blogspot.com), on his way from the east coast to the west, to be in time to have his Christmas with family in Fresno. In fact, he should be arriving there today, Christmas Eve...or maybe late yesterday (?), as he left here on the 18th.

We had yet another feast of a 10# pork roast, and more of the same kind of side dishes that we had over Thanksgiving, but unfortunately, I forgot to get photos of that meal. That was our welcome to Ed after his spending nearly ten hours on the road to get here that day.

We had one other visitor on the 15th, which was arranged by Ed. The now famous (to van dwellers everywhere) Michael Tubbs, producer of the YouTube documentary "Without Bound - Perspectives on Mobile Living" (see his site at http://michaeltubbs.com) arrived Monday afternoon to video both Ed and us for an upcoming documentary about our own experiences.

Ed Helvey has been traveling full time in his converted van for six years already, so has a pretty good handle on what he needs and how to manage his travels. In our case, we are going to be new to traveling this way, even though we have traveled away from home extensively, for months at a time, in our former 40-foot Bounder motorhome.

In lieu of actual vandwelling experience, we gave Michael a tour of our trailer progress and an idea of our layout and future intentions of it. He did the outside filming of our part and Ed's on Tuesday morning, and then in the afternoon and into evening we each had a couple hours of sit-down time with him in our makeshift "studio" which was actually our dining room.

It will be interesting to see how this all gets edited down into a reasonably-sized documentary, but after seeing what Michael did with the first one, we feel confident it will be handled with professional care into something we can be proud of. After all, since we aren't out there yet, it warrants a follow-up interview next fall or winter, after we get out to the Southwest and have a few months of actual experience behind us. We are sure there will be new revelations during that time as to just how our own combination of a conversion van pulling a cargo trailer camper is going to work out. We look at it as temporary, because we would never find what we would want around here, anyway. Once we get to where we "can" find more choices, our traveling mode could change.

The new documentary (yet to be titled) should be available sometime in March, according to Michael, so we will be watching anxiously for it.

One thing that I have to do a better job of is photo-documenting our progress. With everything else going on, I completely forgot about taking any pictures while Michael was here, and it was only at the end of the visit, the night before Ed left, that we actually got some pictures of ourselves.

I was fighting a cold and cough in my chest and loaded with medicine to get through the week, so if I look a little out of it, you'll understand why. I hope Michael and Ed don't catch it, because this has been nasty.

It's also the reason I haven't ventured out into the cold, damp weather to work on the trailer. The new heater is ready to hook up to provide some heat in there so I can get other things done, but it may have to wait a few days yet.

So until then, Sharon and I want all our readers to have a very Merry Christmas and a safe, healthy and prosperous New Year, and we'll be back with more progress in January. 

Installing Fantastic Fans

The last warm day before our first winter storm gave me a chance to get the two Fantastic fans and Maxx-Aire covers installed on our cargo trailer to camper conversion, so this post is mostly about that, but some other things have transpired, also, that I will talk about toward the end.

For those who have been following my progress, you will remember that I already had the openings framed in and the ceiling panels in place on the inside. I still have to cut out the holes for the ceiling lights, which will be just in front of each of the holes shown in the photo below. The fan wiring will come off those lights.

Fantastic fan openings framed in.

The only things I had to cut through yet was a thin layer of plywood and the sheet metal roofing. I got a surprise when I went up on the roof, though, and discovered that the galvanized sheet metal has developed a thin layer of rust on most of it. This will have to be dealt with during our next warm spell...meaning this winter yet...as I don't think it should wait until spring.

As you can see in the photo after the fans were installed, I am getting some rust stains on the sides, so this will have to be stopped soon. A little kit wax will take the rust marks off the painted areas, but I don't want it coming back again. The whole exterior of the trailer will get a good cleaning and waxing next summer before we leave here, and all the painted black areas around the bottom will be repainted. The wheels will also need some temporary paint, but eventually, we will get new wheels on it.

The two Maxx-Aire covers on the roof.

I already have two gallons of roof coating purchased from last spring that I never got around to applying, but now, an extra step will be required. My idea is to get some of that new primer that bonds with rust and stops it in its tracks. Most paints require temperatures in excess of 50 degrees, so I hope we have at least one more day of that in our near future. Then I will need another day to go over that with the roof coating...maybe more than one coat.

But for now, time was of the essence, so I had to work with what I had. (If we decide to keep this trailer for an extended time, I want to check on what it would cost to have a rubberized roof installed on it at some point in the future.)

The Fantastic fan installation...

My only ladders, without using the large 12-foot extension ladder, are two 6-foot fiberglass stepladders, of which one was all I needed. I would have preferred a scaffold that would go across the whole trailer so I wouldn't have to put my weight on the roof, but again, I made do with what was available.

To keep the ladder from tipping away from the trailer as I climbed onto the roof. I used one of my long 2-inch ratchet straps, without the buckle part. I simply hooked into one of the tool-holder holes in the top step of the ladder and threw the other end over the top of the trailer. Then I went to the doorway side and pulled it taught enough to secure the ladder and tied the loose end off to the upper cam bar hinge near the trailer side door. There was no way the ladder was going to kick out or tip over.

To keep from adding too much weight to the roof in a small area, I took a piece of 3/4-inch plywood about 3-feet square up there to kneel on while I worked. I also threw an extension cord up there for the saber saw to cut the holes out.

From the inside, I started with a 3/8-inch metal cutting drill bit and drilled a hole up through the roof at all four corners of both ceiling openings, already sized to a little over 14-inches square (standard opening for ceiling vents in RV's). These would be the guide marks to know where the holes were when I got on top of the roof. Then I used a framing square to mark straight lines on the roof at the outer edge of the holes.

Using Wiss sheet metal shears (both right and left versions) I cut the sheet metal out first. I probably could have cut everything with a fine tooth metal cutting blade in the saber saw, but couldn't find my extra blades. It already had a course wood-cutting blade in it, so I used that on the plywood, but the sheet metal had to be cut out of the way first.

After a trial fit of the vents in the holes, just to make sure they fit, I applied a 1/4-inch bead of gutter seal with the caulking gun. I know there are other caulks available, but NEVER use silicone on the exterior of RV's...ANYWHERE. I have seen that done on other RV's that I have bought used, where the previous owner tried to use it around windows and seams, and it was an ugly mess that took forever to remove so I could do it right! Silicone may be good for a lot of things, but there is always a RIGHT caulk for the RIGHT use, and this isn't it!

I know there are white exterior caulks (mainly Dicor) that work well for things like roof repairs and installing vents, but this is rural Arkansas where none is readily available, and I knew that gutter seal would do the job. The fact that it is silver in color is of no consequence, because everything will get covered over anyway with the roof coating. The main concern was how well it seals, and I can tell you that this stuff will last a lot longer than I plan to keep this trailer!

Note 1: There is a white foam gasket included with the fans, and the instructions aren't real clear on where this gasket is to be used, but it DOES NOT go on the roof. The gasket is a "light seal" to be used around the inside cover of the fan, in case it doesn't fit tight to the ceiling around the edges. Whether you need it or not is up to the installer, but DO NOT use it on the roof!

Note 2: At first glance, all the screws look alike, but if you look closely there are two different sizes of sheet metal screws. Four of them are slightly smaller, both in diameter as well as length, and those are for the inside trim escutcheon (the cover) that goes against the ceiling on the inside. DO NOT get these mixed up. Sort them out ahead of time, and leave them with the inside cover. If you try to use a larger screw in the cover, you could break the plastic around the screws, and make them useless to hold the cover on!

So with a good, heavy bead of sealant around the opening, I installed the vents into their holes and continued to install the screws that were included with the vents. Then I ran another bead of gutter seal around the edges of the vents, and also over every screw head.

The next step was to install the Maxx-Aire covers. These come with aluminum angle pieces that must first be attached to the sides of the Fantastic fan curbs. There are instructions with the covers. You must first test fit the cover over the fan, and line the clips up with the holes in the edge of the covers. I made a pencil mark on the roof adjacent to each of the mounting points, so once I removed the cover, I could see where the clips needed to go. Then I made a pencil mark through the holes onto the sides of the fan curbing, then drilled the holes.

A few things must happen here. (1) You must raise the cover of the Fantastic fan in order to reach your hand inside. (2) You still won't be able to reach anything without removing the entire shroud assembly from inside the trailer (the part with all the switches on it). First, you must remove the knob that opens the roof cover. It has one Phillips screw in the middle of it. There are only two push-on wire terminals on the switch that need to be unplugged from the switch (remember which one goes where or it won't work right), and then you can lay the shroud aside until you are ready to re-install it. (3) You should also remove the fan blade. There is one Phillips screw in the center of it, and then it will pull straight off the shaft. Be sure to pull on the center hub and not near the edges of the fan, or you could break it. When you re-install it, there is a flat on the shaft that must align with a flat inside the hole in the fan blade. Don't forget to put the screw back in the center of it!

There are instructions with the Maxx-Aire covers, but basically, you have to drill a 3/16-inch hole through the side of the Fantastic vent curb at four locations. Then there are screws and washers that must be installed in the correct order. The nuts go on the inside, and this is where you have to be able to reach through the Fan opening to hold the nuts on the inside while to you tighten the Phillips head screws on the outside. You could also have a second person hold them with a small wrench on the inside, but if you are by yourself like I was, you can also use Vice-Grips on the nuts. The Vice-Grips can hang free, as they won't be able to turn very far anyway. But it's enough to keep the nuts from turning while you tighten the screws.

I also added a little bit of gutter seal around each screw on the side that goes against the fan curbing, to make sure there would be no rain leaks through the screw holes.

Once all four of the clips are installed on each fan curb, you insert the carriage bolts supplied with the cover from the under-side of the four clips, in the long slots, so the threads are up. Then you position the Maxx-Aire cover over the clips, making sure to center it properly so it doesn't rub on the fan cover when it is raised on the under-side. Then install the lock washers and hex nuts over the carriage bolts, and snug them down just tight enough to hold. I used a 7/16ths nut driver, but a small wrench would also work. That's all there is to it on the top side.

Now you can clear everything off the roof, and go on the inside to check your work. Use the knob that raises and lowers the fan cover to make sure that you can do so without anything rubbing or binding. If it does, then figure out which way you need to move the Maxx-Aire cover, and go back up on the roof and re-position it. When everything works as it should, you can re-install the fan blade, the shroud and attach the knob, and you are done with that part.

The only other part to install is the inside trim cover against the ceiling, but I am not ready to do that yet until I paint the inside of the trailer, so those will remain in their boxes (with the correct screws) for now until I need them. They have an extra long collar on them for deeper roofs, so it may be necessary to use the saber saw to trim part of that collar off. If the trim doesn't fit tight to the ceiling, then the amount of space between the trim and the ceiling is what must be cut off before it will fit right. We'll talk more about that when the time comes to install them.

The wiring...

I was going to try to get the wiring installed before I installed the fans but that didn't happen. I can do that from the inside after I get some heat in there. Even in this thin roof, the fan assembly does not come all the way down flush with the ceiling, so I still have about an inch around the bottom where I can get a hole drilled through the framing to bring the wires in from the ceiling light...which in this case is less than a foot away.

The fans come with rather long leads on the motors, but they also include a few feet of the same wires, and a couple of insulated butt splicers, to crimp onto the wires. If your trailer was pre-wired for fans, you won't need the extra wires, but in my case I will make use of them. More on that later.

After the fans and Maxx-Aire covers were installed, I was curious to see just how much light would come in. The fans have smoke-colored covers. Plus the Maxx-Aire cover, even though it is white, restricts a little more light, so I really wanted to see how much would filter though. Since I don't have plans at this time to install windows in the trailer, these vents will be the only natural light source. So I closed the side door from the inside, and found that there is enough light to get into the trailer without falling over anything, and that is sufficient for our needs.

The front Fantastic fan in place, less wiring and inside trim.

I also wear transitions lenses in my glasses, and they were still gray from being outside in the sun, but even so, I could still see well enough to get around without falling over anything on the floor. Once my eyes adjusted, and my glasses started to clear up, it became better. It's just enough light to see to work at the computer, and enough that we will know when the sun comes up, but not enough to keep us from sleeping if we decide to sleep in. If we need more, we will have two overhead LED lights (as soon as I change the lamps in them), plus we will have LED lighting under the cabinets on both sides of the trailer, plus Sharon's piano light, so we'll be fine. We may add some extra lights later, like one in the closet, and one near the head of each bed for a reading light.

Other good news!

Also on Monday, the day I installed the fans, The Fed Ex driver delivered the two 6-volt deep cycle batteries I ordered on Amazon. Yay!

The two new 6-volt deep cycle batteries.

I unpacked them to see how big they were, and they will fit nicely in the bottom of the closet, in a compartment next to the porta-potty. The 1500-watt inverter will be mounted to the side wall of the closet directly above the batteries, and the refrigerator will be on the other side of that wall, so I can run the cord right through the wall behind the refrigerator and plug it directly into the inverter. There will be a shore power AC receptacle next to it, so if we have shore power, I'll simply unplug from the converter and plug into the other receptacle. The inverter will only be used when in transit, or when boondocking.

These batteries weigh about 77 pounds each, which is why I wanted that weight positioned just ahead of the axle. Everything that I designed into this trailer was located with its weight in mind, so that it remains balanced evenly side to side, and with not too much weight on the tongue, nor in the back end...which causes "fishtailing" going down the road!

I still have to purchase a converter/charger, and that will probably (undecided yet) be mounted in the rear storage compartment along with most of the other electrical distribution system. The only other thing that I plan to put in the compartment with the batteries is a fuse block for the 12-volt circuits.

Nearly all wiring will be surface mounted with WireMold or through the overhead cabinets, in case anyone was wondering about that. With only 1-1/4-inch sidewalls, there's just not enough thickness for recessed wiring and electrical boxes.

As far as a monitor panel, I have some other good news, thanks to one of my readers. Barring any unforeseen events, by mid-December I will have a new roof rack and two 100-watt solar panels and all the wiring. Not sure yet if any kind of charge controller is with the package (if any), but even if it is, I may want a better one, so it is somewhat of a moot point. Before I'm done with that part, I will have a top-of-the-line charge controller and monitor panel so I can see everything that is happening with the system. After I use it for awhile, I will know first-hand whether I will need to add another panel, or even more batteries.

Solar is one of those things that has so many variables...electrical losses due to heat, wiring, shade on the panels, etc., etc., plus varying loads and the amount of time those loads are used. No matter what calculations you use, they are still only going to get you "close". The proof will come in actual use, and that's what we're working toward.

Eventually, we will want the capability of longer boondocking ability, but this setup will get us started, and then we'll add to it if we need to.

Future power plans...

As I have mentioned before, our next towing vehicle will have to have a generator and air conditioning on it...because of our German Spitz. If we have to leave him in the vehicle while we shop or sightsee, and it's more than 70 degrees out, he will need A/C to stay comfortable. And the vehicle will also solve the problem of needing a generator if we are boondocking. We can plug the trailer into the RV and run the generator long enough to recharge the trailer batteries, use the microwave, or anything else we need to do with power.

We will be looking for a large Class B or "B+" for our tow vehicle...possibly a Road Trek, Pleasureway, Leisure Travel, or something similar. We have decided that a large motorhome again is not in our best interest for the type of traveling we want to do. With the cargo trailer as both extra storage as well as extra living quarters, we don't need anything bigger, and yet whatever it is will still be small enough for a daily runner. The trailer can go with or stay at a campground. That will be decided on a daily basis.

Keeping warm...

Also arriving on Friday (the day this post goes online) will be the new Broan wall mount electric heater, that will go in the center of the rear bulkhead wall that will divide the rear storage compartment from the living area. The heater will face forward, right down the middle aisle, and is fan-forced, so that warm air will circulate all through the trailer when we have shore power available. It has two heat settings, 500-watts and 1000-watts, which should provide plenty of heat for the places we will be camping. Also, being permanently mounted, it's one less thing to have to store when not using it.

Until I get the wall built, I'll rig it up with a temporary cord and use to heat the trailer this winter while I finish the inside work. If we should need heat for boondocking, we plan to also have a Mr. Heater Big Buddy propane catalytic heater. Hopefully, we won't need either heater very often as we don't plan to stay where the temperature doesn't agree with us!

Keeping cool...

The new 5,050 BTU GE air conditioner is unpacked and setting to the right of the batteries in the photo above, in roughly the position it will be mounted permanently in the front of the couch. Holes with screens and filters will have to be cut down through the floor behind it for the incoming and outgoing air for the "outside" portion of it. Baffles will have to be inserted under the couch to keep the incoming and outgoing air separated. I will also fabricate some "hoods" for the underside of the floor to protect these holes through the floor from road water and debris getting splashed into them from underneath. The front side will have the air diverter pointed upward and toward the middle of the trailer, toward the center aisle, so it will work great. I have seen this setup used on many of the new smaller RV's.

The other item is our new Hamilton Beach 2-door refrigerator/freezer that will set on top of the counter top to the left of the sink. Sharon discovered this at Walmart this last week, and knowing that they only keep enough on hand to fill the shelf space, we decided to to go back and get it that same night before it was bought by someone else. Yesterday, I cut the shipping bands on it and pulled the cover off so we could actually see what the inside looks like, and we were both VERY pleased! The freezer compartment on this thing is cavernous! (Excuse the photo below, as it was night-time in our poorly lit garage, and the camera didn't want to focus properly.)

Our new double-door refrigerator!

Most of these refrigerators that are designed for "under-counter" use (less than 34 inches tall) have small freezers on them, especially if they are single door models. We wanted a freezer compartment large enough to hold a tub of ice cream, a couple of ice cube trays, some gel packs for our "day-trip" coolers, and enough left for whatever food we need to keep frozen...maybe even a small pizza! This one will definitely do the job!

I will leave it in the garage until we need it in the trailer. While in the garage, I have to get it up on a bench to change the door swing on it. They always seem to come hinged on the right, but for our use, we need it to be hinged on the left, so the opening faces the kitchen work area. This one allows the conversion.

The refrigerator section is only 3.1 cubic feet, but that's about the size we had in our truck camper, and if we need more, we still have a 40-quart and a console sized (Peltier Effect) powered cooler for any extra needs. Based on past refrigeration needs, I doubt we will need them, except for day trips, which is why we will need the gel packs to help them cool down quicker and run more efficiently.

This refrigerator is just under 33-inches tall, and will fit nicely between the countertop and the ceiling in the trailer, putting it up high where we can see what's in it. We would never buy an RV where the refrigerator is at floor level, because it's too hard to see what's in it! Those RV's aren't made for older folks with bad backs!

We have the countertop, also, a dark blend of white, brown and black laminate, "granite look". It's one of the stock colors that Home Depot carries. It's a post-formed style, but with more of a square edge, rather than the typical rounded edge.

And we have the double set of bi-fold closet doors. Those will open up twice, to form an enclosure in front of the closet for more room and privacy for the porta-potty. More on all this stuff later, as it gets installed.

Getting wet...

We also have a brand new stainless steel bar sink, but I still have to order the high-rise faucet for it yet (with a sprayer, which will also double as an emergency shower wand with our Bivouac Buddy shower enclosure) (That was discussed in a previous post).

I also have to order the two 8-gallon Reliance Hydrollers yet (shown in an earlier post), for our fresh water supply, as well as the 12-volt demand water pump and a 4-gallon electric water heater. Later on, I will order a small gray water tank (also shown in an earlier post) that will go in the rear storage compartment. I'll pickup whatever plumbing fittings, electrical fittings and other hardware I need as I will use them.

Going forward...

I should be in the process of hooking up the new heater as you read this post this weekend, and then I will be ready to start the cabinet building...probably starting with the framework for the rear bulkhead wall, so I can mount the heater in it. The bulkhead wall is removable so that next year, as the time to leave gets closer, we can get Sharon's piano into the trailer.

The next thing will probably be the kitchen cabinet, so I can install the countertop on it and (1) get it out of my way, and (2) have some additional work area. The rest will be fit in as it needs to be.

As always, comments and discussion are always encouraged. And I want to thank the reader for his offer this week, and look forward to getting together next month. And for those who use my links, I thank you for helping me to keep the lights on!

Until next time, stay well and travel safe!

Miscalculations in time...

Due to some circumstances beyond our control (kind of like a broken calendar), we have had to readjust our departure time to a slightly later date...by about two months. But before I get into that, please note that I have added photos to the previous blog post today, and revised some wording on it.

Now, to the reasoning for the delay, as some of you may know from reading my other blog, we have had one grand mess this last winter with having to have a whole new septic system installed here at home. It was actually started in early November, and still isn't done yet. It's functional...it's just that the yard still doesn't have grass growing on it yet, and it won't be done until it looks like it was never worked on! We have had so much rain this year, that trying to get everything back-filled and get the ground graded back level again has been a nightmare.

Last month (June) we finally got someone in here to grade it back down, but that was even difficult, and it still wasn't "ideal". Still, it cost us another $1000, bringing the total for all of this project to roughly $9000...and we may not be done yet!

We really need to have some fill dirt brought in and then have that leveled out, but I am going to try to work with what we have...if it ever stops raining enough to get it done! Red clay is no fun to work in when it's wet!

To make a long story short, the septic tank ended up being a size bigger than we needed, but the installer already had the hole dug and lined with gravel. The new tank was about a foot taller than what should have gone in, but he said it would be fine, even though I knew it wouldn't be. As a result, everything else, including the drainage lines are also higher then they should be. Even though we should have had plenty of dirt to spare, it got spread too far out, and then some of it got packed down so tight, that the tractor blade just bounced over it after it dried out. Bringing in a heavier tractor won't help, because he may crunch the lines that in some places are at the top of the ground already. So the only safe way to do it is to either spend another $1000+ for more fill dirt and subsequent leveling again, or just try to rake it a little at a time by hand to redistribute the dirt that we have.

I am choosing the latter, because if we spend any more money on this place, it will only delay us even further in getting out of here. As it is, this last expenditure (along with a couple other minor automotive things, like a new fuel pump on the conversion van) has now backed up our departure to (at least) August 1st of 2015. I have just gone through the procedure to reset the countdown timer in the side margin on all of our travel sites, so they are now correct to the best of my knowledge.

This is going to put us in a bind. We have to have the cargo trailer and van ready to travel, but I already know that some things aren't going to be done when we leave here, simply because of time and money. No big deal. I will have tools with me to finish what we need to after we're on the road.

The other issue is weather. When we leave here, we already know that we are heading to Indiana, to spend some much overdue time with Sharon's sister. How much time remains to be seen yet, as it depends on how soon we get out of here. From there, we also have to get to South Dakota before it starts getting cold up there, so that we can establish a new residency in that state. (We don't plan to live there...just have our address there through a mail forwarding company.) We can do everything else by phone or by mail, but when it comes to driver's licenses, we HAVE to be there in person. Hopefully, that won't take more than an overnight stop before we hit the road again, headed for Colorado.

In late May, we learned that our home membership resort in Indiana was being shut down. As a result, our membership has now been moved to Blue Mesa Ranch in Gunnison, Colorado (http://www.bluemesarvcamping.com/), right at the east end of Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

We hope to be able to have some time to spend there, but again, we want to get out of there and headed toward Southern Arizona before it gets cold in Colorado. In many parts of the country, including Indiana, it can remain decent until about mid-October, but in the higher latitudes and elevations, it's going to get cold much quicker. So this first time out is going to be a race against the weather, more than anything else.

Our original planned departure of June 1st would have given us more time in the warm weather, and a more relaxed schedule, even up north, but we can't do anything about that now. It will be what it will be.

As far as the cargo trailer, I now have the insulation done on the curved top edges of the side walls. I have to do some wiring for the Fantastic fans yet, and then pick up and install the ceiling panels. Next Monday (7/21) I will order the two new Fantastic fans and the Maxx-Aire vent covers, and then get those installed. That will make it more comfortable in there, and also allow me to work on rainy days, if I need to. Right now, the only way I can stand it in there is to have both the ramp door and the side door open to get a breeze through the trailer.

As soon as I get that done, I will need to do the new luan underlayment and commercial tile on the floor, as everything else has to go on top of that. Then I will get the new air conditioner ordered that will go under the front couch. I need to get it first, to be able to fit everything on the couch framework, including the baffles that will divide the incoming and outgoing air at the back of the air conditioner, and know where to cut the holes in the floor. Once that is boxed in I will be able to cool it down in the trailer and get rid of the humidity so I can stand to work in there for the rest of the summer. After the air conditioning is functional, will come all the rest of the interior framing and cabinets.

I still have a few things to get done on the conversion van, too, including getting the new 2-inch receiver hitch installed, and figuring out what to do about privacy curtains. As with the trailer, some things may have to wait until we can get on the road.

That August 1st date is critical because we have it projected out that the last payment on our second time-share and also one last credit card will occur almost simultaneously around that time (hopefully a little before). Once that is done, Sharon can get out of Walmart, and then we can start stockpiling excess monies and hit the road. It would be nice if the house sells, too, by that time, but it won't stop us from leaving. When it finally sells, it will add that much more to our monthly excess, and then we can spend what we need to to for whatever didn't get done prior to our departure. I already know that some of that will include additional battery power and solar panels, but we can get by with one battery to start out, as long as we can plug in at night.

I'm sure there will be many little things that we will think of after we get to living in the trailer for awhile. Improvements never seem to stop, especially for that first year out.

In order to get Sharon out of Walmart ASAP (next July or August at this point) we HAVE to keep our noses to the grindstone and NOT spend anything that we don't absolutely have to have, whether that be on this house, yard work, or for the vehicles. Once we get those last two bills paid off, and get her out of Walmart, then we can play catch up on everything else as we need to.

It's going to be a long year!

As always, comments are welcome. Don't be shy!

   

Choosing a Cargo Trailer for Conversion to a Camper

In the process of building up this trailer into a camper, I have noticed several things about it that I would NOT want to see on a new trailer, so I want to give you some pointers on what to watch for. Then I will get back to posting about the build of our trailer. But first let me remind you that I just went back through the previous posts and updated the New Beginnings post with better (and more) information, as well as some minor changes on the other posts, and now I will tell you how we got to this point.

The trailer as it looked in early spring this year.

This trailer was not intended for this purpose to begin with, nor did we buy it for this purpose. It was originally built as a motorcycle trailer, and that's what it was used for by the original owner. It's a 2000 model year Haulmark, with "MC" in the model number. We bought it in 2004. It belonged to the neighbor across the street from us in Mesa, and was a good buy at only $1600.

I had helped a work associate set up a company to import steel tool boards from Sweden, and since I was the first distributor, my intention was to use the trailer as a mobile demonstration unit, and travel around the southwest setting up dealers under me, whom I would then keep stocked with product.

But before that could come about, I could see what was happening with sales of the product, and it never got a good chance to be a success for many reasons, which I won't go into here. Let's just say that I sold more online than the other five distributors combined could sell in face to face sales before the importing company folded. The product was great...just too expensive for the American market. So anyway, the trailer set empty for awhile, until we used it to help move us from Mesa, AZ back to Arkansas. I knew it would be heavily loaded, so before we even made the first trip with it, we had electric brakes installed on it, just to be safe.

We had it packed like a sardine can, making sure to keep the major part of the weight over the axle, but during the first trip back here with it, the cheap tongue bent and dropped the frame to the pavement about 200 miles short of our destination. We had to have a flatbed wrecker come and pick it up and carry it the rest of the way. After emptying the trailer, we had it hauled to a welding shop, where they replaced the old 2-inch stamped steel tongue with 4-inch iron C-channel beams.

Notice how thin the original tongue was.

Notice the new 4-inch iron C-channel tongue, and the latch with the lock through it.

We used it once more, to bring another load back from Arizona, and that time, we blew a tire just north of El Paso. Once we were rescued from the I-10 Interstate, our repair crew led us into El Paso to a tire shop where we immediately had both 4-ply tires replaced with 8-ply tires.

Other than that, we used it for light-duty work in my contracting business, where it was never overloaded (but now could have been, after all the upgrades). So that is how we came to be in possession of this trailer, otherwise I would have been looking for something different for conversion to a camper. And I certainly would hope that Haulmark has improved their construction methods as well as their quality control in the past 14 years!

Here are the negative things that I have noticed about this trailer:

1. In the front left corner, they used too short a piece of plywood on the floor, and it left a gap at the end big enough I could see the ground through it, and which a mouse would have no trouble entering through. Not a big deal, as I have another layer of flooring, plus new tile going over it, and I have already closed the gap with construction adhesive.
2. As I started removing the plywood walls to insulate behind them, I discovered that only the top roof bows had been painted! They left the steel studs in the sidewall without any coating at all, and many of them were showing signs of surface rust!
3. As I was removing the plywood from the walls, I noticed that the screws were poorly installed. Some had missed the metal studs, and they left them there anyway and drove another screw next to them. In many places the spacing was very uneven, and in some places screws were missing completely (I will buy another box of screws and install more where it needs them).
4. There was never a ceiling in this trailer (only the metal roof), so I have to install that brand new.
5. The cheap 1/8th-inch plywood strips that they used for batten strips over the plywood joints were stapled on with the smallest staples I have ever seen...about the size of a 20-gauge AWG wire size (about like you'd see in an office stapler designed for paper) and only 3/8ths of an inch long, so they didn't even penetrate all the way through the plywood behind the trim! They used the same size staples to try to attach the cove molding at the base of the walls, and half of that was coming loose! Some staples didn't even show a 16th of an inch on the back side!
6. The trailer had no brakes on it when I bought it, and I paid a professional hitch shop about $800 to have electric brakes installed and the old four conductor flat plug wiring harness and plug updated to seven pin round. Fortunately, the axle already had the correct backer plates behind the wheels or that would not have been possible without changing out the whole axle.
7. The original trailer tongue was a very thin, 2-inch stamped steel tongue, which was barely enough to meet the load the trailer was designed for...but no more. It may have been OK for the "pulling" weight of the trailer, but definitely not for the straight down "carrying" weight of anything but a properly loaded motorcycle, for which the hoop for the front wheel was still installed on the floor.
8. Although the trailer has a deck plate rock guard shield on the front, it is very poorly installed. The front radius of the deck plate is inconsistent, and there are gaps between the deck plate and the aluminum siding that even metal screws couldn't pull together. One that was installed has stripped the threads on the screw, and now I must find an even larger screw to try to fix the problem. The two outer studs in the front wall are back too far and not consistent with the radius of the front wall. You can see what I mean in one of the photos of the front end below. This is why the stone guard would not draw up properly to the siding.
9. The side door "keeper"...the little latch that is supposed to hold the door open so the wind doesn't blow it shut...was made out of plastic. It was badly sun-damaged and dried out, and has since broken off. I crimped a piece of lamp tubing over the shaft as a temporary repair, but now I must find a metal one to replace it.
   
   

   

   The door keeper shaft has been repaired for now, but needs to be replaced.

   
   
10. During the measuring for the insulation board to fit between the steel wall studs, I saw many inconsistencies...as much as half-an inch from top to bottom. You would think that a company this big would have a jig to hold these studs at a consistent spacing, so that the studs, as well the entire trailer, would remain consistently square and true. I also noticed a difference of MORE than a half-inch when measuring the interior width. The measurements at the top were not consistent with the bottom, nor were they consistent front to back.
11. They can say what they want to about curved sides and front being better for wind resistance, but I can tell you that it's not enough to offset the added costs and aggravation of trying to fit things to curved walls and ceilings! For one thing, I am going to be pulling this with a high-top van that is already taller and wider than this trailer, so I doubt the curved front is going to make a hill of beans difference in fuel economy! And as far as the sides, that little bit of curvature at the top of the walls isn't going to make a hill of beans difference when it comes to side winds. Other trailers with straight sides and straight fronts have been pulled down the road for years. Only the really curved ones, like the Airstreams, have been proven to handle better in side winds or get better fuel economy because of the rounded shape.

So now that I have seen all the faults of this trailer (hopefully), let me point out what I will be looking for "IF" (and that's a BIG "IF") we ever buy another cargo trailer to convert to a camper. That alone is questionable, since we are looking at this current trailer as a temporary fix to get us away from here to other areas where they have a better selection of RV's. Also, I am not getting any younger, and I don't want any more major projects. I want to be out traveling...not building another thing to travel in!

Fifteen things to look for in a cargo trailer to convert to a camper:

1. I would be looking for a cargo trailer with straight sides, square corners, a flat roof and a V-front. Although the curvature of a Haulmark does little for fuel economy and handling, a V-front definitely cuts through the wind better, as well as providing additional interior space. You can't buy stock cabinets at a builder store and expect them to fit a curved wall...in either direction! But with straight sides, you can walk into any builder store and buy stock cabinets, including wall cabinets, just like you would for your kitchen or bathroom at home...and that can save you a ton of time and expense by getting away from all that custom cutting to make things fit!
2. I would be looking for a trailer that is well built, from the materials it's made from to the quality control of the workmanship that goes into it. I would be inspecting the size and material that the tongue is made from, to make sure it can handle weight put in the front of the trailer, not just over the wheels.
3. I would be looking at the interior finish to see if fasteners are consistent and of proper size for the job. No loose screws that didn't hit anything, and no staples that are too small to hold what they are put into! Also, is the trim cut properly and mitered for the proper angles?
4. I would be looking for a trailer that was already insulated, which would save a lot of time in having to do a job (installing paneling) three times...once to install it, once to remove it to insulate behind it, and again to re-install it. Remember, you are paying for all that labor time...one way or the other! Better to have it done by the factory, where they can do it a whole lot more efficiently than you can, and do it the FIRST time!
5. I would be looking for a trailer with at least a place for roof vents, already framed in. A cheap roof vent can easily be upgraded to a Fantastic fan, if the hole is at least framed for it. They're all 14-inches square. But if you have to frame for the fan as well as install it, and provide wiring for it, you are looking at more expense and more work!
6. I would be looking for a Bargman type latch with deadbolt on the side door, or at least have one installed by the dealer. Ours only had a cam bar latch, and I had to spend over $30 for a new latch and then install it myself! A cam bar latch is great for security, and works fine for the rear doors or a ramp door, but now we have both on our trailer. And if you also have a cam bar latch like ours, make sure you have an extra hasp on the other side of the doorway to lock that bar back, so no one can come along and lock you inside!
   
   
   
   
   
7. I would be looking for a deck plate stone guard on the front of the trailer...one that hugs the siding and fits properly. Anyone who has ever pulled a trailer knows how much junk gets thrown back there by the rear wheels of the towing vehicle, even on paved roads. A stone guard will keep the front of the trailer looking new for a long time, and will be a good selling point for the next buyer, so it is well worth the extra expense.
8. I would be looking at the rest of the siding, to make sure it is straight and not buckled anywhere, and I would be paying attention to seams and how they are put together.
   
   

   

   Note the stone guard, but also notice the wavy siding on the front of the trailer!
   

   
   

9. I would be making sure that the trailer was built with a metal cage, and not just wood as many travel trailers are. I don't even know if any cargo trailers are made with wood, but if they are, I wouldn't want one!
10. I would be looking for not only good tire tread, I would be looking for the age of the tires, as well as the load rating and the number of plies. Having already dealt with a number of flats on trailers, I can tell you it is no fun. And many trailer tires are actually cheap, under-rated tires that are not fit for use on a passenger vehicle! In fact, they are ILLEGAL to use on a passenger vehicle! That alone should tell you something! If they aren't good enough to keep people safe, why would I want them on a trailer of any kind? Just because people don't ride in trailers doesn't mean they aren't due just as much respect as a passenger carrying vehicle! I want GOOD tires on a trailer, preferably over-rated for the weight of the trailer! I don't want to have to figure out where the nearest road service is when I may be out wandering and not know where I am myself! And even though I know more about changing tires than the average person, I am getting to the age where I don't want to have to mess with changing it myself, especially on the side of a busy freeway!
11. I would be looking for a good anti-theft locking mechanism on the trailer hitch itself. Cargo trailers are a highly resellable item to thieves, as many of them all look alike, and are hard to tell if they are stolen. Ours has a latch that comes down whether it is on or off the ball, and we can put a padlock through it. (Shown on one of the pictures above.) I also have a device that fits into the ball socket itself, and locks in place with a key. In addition, you can also wrap your safety chains around the locking mechanism and put an additional padlock through the links. Since trailers always should have wheel chocks handy to keep them from rolling, you can get the kind that are hollow, and run a chain through the wheel chocks and through the spokes of the wheel, and if possible, over a part of the frame or suspension. That way, a desperate thief can't even hook onto the tongue with a chain and drag the trailer away, because the wheels won't roll! 
12. I would make sure that the trailer has a clear and proper title to it. ALL trailers have titles...even those cheap little Harbor Freight trailers, and even home-built trailers have to be titled if they are used on public roads! I have seen cases where in some states it is not a requirement to "register" them and put plates on them, so some people think they don't even have to have them titled in their names...but they DO! The guy I bought our trailer from lived in Wisconsin, and he never had the trailer titled in his name! He tried to give me a manufacturer's original title, which is illegal to pass on to someone else unless you are a licensed dealer...which he wasn't! He tried to argue that in Wisconsin he didn't have to "register" it! That may be true that it doesn't need plates in that state, but titling and registration are two separate processes! Since he sold that trailer to someone who wasn't going to use it in Wisconsin, and whose own state required plates, he is legally obligated to furnish a title that was first titled in HIS name! ANY vehicle that has a title HAS to be titled in the legal owner's name before they can pass that title to someone else! He argued that with me to the end, and because I was already four states away when I discovered it, he had me over a barrel! I already had put over $800 into electric brakes on it, plus the tongue replacement, plus I was nowhere near him, or I would have dumped it back in his lap in a heartbeat! Instead, I was forced to pay the $35 for his title work AND his late fees, which I shouldn't have had to pay, and I couldn't do anything about it! And I never spoke to the ignorant, tightwad, rotten S-O-B again, either, even though we lived across the street from him until we moved out of the place completely! And by the way, when they first moved in, I even GAVE him an extra aluminum stepladder! You'd think the least he could do is pay for his own title work! I have little tolerance for people like that...as you can tell!
13. I would want an electric jack on the tongue of the trailer with a disconnect switch mounted inside the trailer somewhere. Thieves can't steal the trailer if they can't retract the jack post! Some people may be satisfied with a crank-down jack...if they don't have a bad back. The one on our trailer is an "add-on" type that clamps to one side of the tongue. It has a pivot on it that allows it to to swivel up parallel to the tongue, so there's nothing hanging down to catch on anything. (shown in one of the photos above.) I really like that feature, but if you have one that is mounted through the hole in the top of the hitch, like most of the power jacks are, you may end up with too much hanging down...especially if your trailer sets low to begin with, like most cargo trailers. If you use a jack of that type, you may have to cut some off the bottom of it, or take a chance that it will catch on something when going down the road...or over a railroad track, or over a curb, or over a speed bump, or...well...you get the idea. A jack of any type should never hang down lower than the bottom of your hitch. You can always add a few blocks under it if you have to...but you will have one heck of a time trying to straighten out a bent 1-1/2-inch shaft on a hundred dollar jack post if you catch it on something!
14. I would want stabilizer jacks on both rear corners of the trailer. A single stabilizer in the middle is worthless. With two, you can adjust them to the levelness of the ground, and when you power down your front jack, you can use that three point method for leveling the trailer side to side as well as front to back. Our trailer has "flip down" stabilizers, which are not true "jacks", as they won't raise the trailer...only hold it at the height you set them at. Also, in order to flip them back into position, you usually have to let the front of the trailer down, and then raise it back up again after the stabilizers are in position. They will get the job done for now, but will likely get replaced with scissors style jacks welded in their place, as soon as we can get somewhere to have it done.
    
    

    

    Stabilizers are not true "jacks" as they won't raise anything on their own.

    
    
15. The choice of a ramp door as opposed to dual barn doors at the back is one of preference, but I'll tell you my reasoning for wanting a ramp door. For one, it's easier to move heavy items (like my wife's piano, cycles or an ATV) in and out on a ramp than having to lift them. Secondly, if you put jack stands under the end of the door, it makes a great raised deck or patio so you don't have to get out in the grass and stir up all those mosquitoes. Thirdly, and this is already an option on some higher end toy haulers and cargo trailers, is that you can get a canvas screen cover made for it so that you can use it as a screen room. Doors are worthless except to hang things on. I feel that a ramp is far more versatile.
    
    

    

    A ramp door is far more functional for us than typical "barn" doors.

    So that's the main things to look for if you are planning to buy a cargo trailer to convert to a camper, whether it be new or used. These items apply to any size trailer, and the size is a matter of personal needs. All I can recommend there is to not go any bigger than you absolutely need to. Plan out your space on a scale drawing. I have been working on our plan for nearly a year, and still think of minor changes now and then. If you want to see what we have done, go to the New Beginnings post, and look about half way down the page, in the updates, for a link to an OpenOffice file download for it. If we can fit everything we want for full-timing into a 6 x 12 trailer, including a future washer/dryer and even a dishwasher, there is no reason you can't do it! If I can think of anything else, I will update this accordingly.

As always, if you have any questions, I'm here every day.

Fastec Door Latch

Be sure to check the blog archive in the right column to see the "New Beginnings" post if you haven't yet read it. We're just getting started with this new blog, and there will be lots more to come.

In preparing our cargo trailer for full-time travel, one of the first things that absolutely MUST be done is to keep someone from locking us in!

The former motorcycle trailer only has what I call a "cam bar" over the doors, similar to what a truck would use to secure its doors. The long pole along side the door has cams at the top and bottom to fold over the door edges, and then the bar swings around and over the edge to fit into a "hasp" near the middle of the door. It's very good for security, and one reason we like having it, but it's very inconvenient as far as using the door while you're on the inside. From the outside, there's no way to get a hold of the door to pull it open (except for the hasp), no way to hold the door closed from the inside, and no way to get it open from the inside.

But that's obviously why they don't use them on RV doors. We want to keep the cam bar for security for when we have to park the trailer and go away, but for our needs, we also want a standard RV door latch of some kind for when we are "home". I was familiar with Bargman latches, having owned many RV's with that type of door latch on them, but after shopping around, we decided to go with a Fastec, which is basically the same design, and slightly less money.

After much searching, I found that with combined shipping costs and price point, theirs was the best buy on Amazon.

This door lock combines both a latch as well as a built in deadbolt, plus it can be bought in several finishes (white, black, chrome) to suit any needs. Since our trailer is white, we wanted to stick with that color.

However, even installing this latch isn't going to keep someone from using the cam bar to lock us in. The solution for that was obtained at a trailer manufacturer in Elkhart last September. It is a standard item for nearly any cargo trailer that uses cam bar locks, so any trailer supply place should have one, but unfortunately, they don't seem to be available on Amazon without buying the entire cam bar assembly. Chances are, you can even find them on eBay, but I'm not even sure what the correct name for it is, other than "cam bar hasp", and neither did the clerk that waited on me, but I could clearly see what it was through the plastic packaging, and recognized it as soon as I saw it. I simply call it a "cam bar hasp" for lack of correct terms. You can see an example of it next to the new latch opening in the photo below, although we haven't installed the new one yet.

A second hasp is required on the side of the trailer, to the left of the door, the same height and distance from the door as the original, to lock the bar back, in the open position. When the bar is swung back to that side, and set into the hasp, the padlock is reattached to keep it there while the trailer is occupied.

Because of the way we will be camping, and where, we wanted to make sure the trailer was secure. By mounting the new door latch in line with the cam bar handle, it provides double protection by covering the new latch. Also, there was already wood blocking inside the door in that area, so we didn't have to take the whole door apart to add it. 

The lock opening cut into the trailer door.

Since these latches don't come with any instruction sheet or template (at least the one we bought didn't have paperwork with it), measurements had to carefully be taken from the latch itself, and then a rough sketch created as to what the hole would look like, and how it would be positioned. The new hole had to be carefully measured out and then cut through the sheet metal of the door as well as the inside plywood. Had there not been blocking inside the door in that area, it could have meant removing the inside plywood, and adding a wooden core to the door for strength. 

The lock opening from the inside of the trailer door.

Also, there were trim screws in both the front and back of the door, which had to be temporarily removed, cut off, and then reinstalled, otherwise they would have been in the way of the door bolt. in the photo below, you can see the empty hole on the inside of the door edge.

The Fastec door lock installed. Note the empty screw hole in the frame of the door.

Next, the edge of the door had to be carefully cut for the door bolt section, and the lock had to be carefully measured from the edge of the door, so that the bolt section would fit flush with the door edge. This is probably the most critical cut, other than the backset for the latch itself. In this case, the latch fit perfectly against the corner trim on the door, and nothing else had to be cut. Once the lock was in the door, then I had to carefully drill the holes in the jamb for the latch bolt, as well as the deadbolt, but since they were designed to use the same opening, it was just one rectangular hole.

The striker plate that we couldn't use because there wasn't enough room.

The only problem I ran into there, was that the space between the door and the frame wasn't enough to allow me to use the new striker plate that was included with the lock. Even if it had been totally flat, it could have caused rubbing problems, so the plate shown in the photo above was not used at all. Instead, I just marked out the opening, predrilled some starter holes, and then cut the rest out with a saber saw with a fine-tooth metal cutting blade in it. This was not easy, because behind the trim was a square steel tube (part of the framing of the trailer) and I had to hold the saber saw free-hand so it would not cut so deep as to bottom out on the other side of the tube, and yet not get so far away as to bounce out of the hole. That's why the edges of the hole are "less than perfect". That. and the fact that I used a very sharp chisel to cut through the aluminum first, and then cut the steel part afterward. That's what files are for...right? 

The door bolt holes being cut into the door frame.

After everything was cut out, and I smoothed up the edges of the hole with a flat file, the door closes perfectly...just enough to push it shut without extra force, and tight enough that there is no play in  the door. The picture below was taken before the filing was done on the edges. The finished opening looks a lot better than the photo. I'm sure it doesn't look like a factory stamped hole, but like an old contractor used to always tell me, "It's good enough for who it's for".

The door bolt hole nearly finished, except for filing the edges.

The photo below shows the new lock installed except for one screw in the door frame, which had to be cut off before reinstalling it.

The new Fastec lock installed next to the cam bar hasp. One frame screw missing yet.

And when the cam bar is put back in the locked position it covers the door latch, so no one can tamper with it. That little thing that the padlock is attached to is what I previously referred to as the hasp, for lack of a better name. I have a brand new one just like it, that will be attached on the left side of the door, to lock the handle in the open position, so that no one can lock us inside the trailer. That is a MUST for safety reasons, as there is no other exit from this trailer...unless we later decide to add a skylight that also serves as an emergency exit, like many truck campers have. We may do that. Later.

The finished lock installation with the cam bar covering it.

For the cam bar hasp on the trailer side, I'm almost certain that there is no backing where I need to install it, so that will have to wait until I can pull the plywood from the inside to insulate behind it, at which time I will install wood blocking where necessary.

Now that I can close the door properly, I can get a cord run in there to provide lights and heat, and then I can work out there whenever I want...unless it's too hot. As long as the weather permits, I can open both the side door and the rear ramp and get a nice breeze through the trailer. I will do that during the next phase, of adding blocking and insulation to the ceiling and sidewalls. Then I have to do some minor wiring. All of that is necessary before I install the two Fantastic ceiling fans (reversible, three speed, thermostat controlled). Once those are installed I will have all kinds of air movement!

I originally thought of getting fans with rain sensors on them, but then I realized that if it's a hot, muggy day and it rains, we don't want to be stuck in there with the vents closed and no windows to open! That's when we realized that Maxx-Aire rain caps over the vents would be the better way to go, for a lot of reasons. On one hand it would allow the vents to be open even if it were raining, and make having rain sensors kind of a moot point. But on the other hand it takes away from the low profile and stealth of the trailer. As is, it will still fit inside a standard 8-foot high garage door. If I add the caps, it won't. But then, if we're full-timing, we won't have a garage!

Problem solved!

The next post will be installing the access opening for the power cord, and then the start of the blocking, for edges of paneling, for mounting things or hanging things on the paneling, etc., etc.

Any questions...about anything? Let me know!