Is this repairable? My son accidentally used the wrong ball size towing our enclosed trailer and it came loose while driving, denting the front corner/door frame area pretty badly. The trailer itself still seems okay, but the door area is pushed in now.
Can this usually be pulled back out/fixed by a trailer or welding shop, or are we looking at major damage? Any idea on rough cost or recommendations aroundSarasota County? He’s devastated.
Like a silvery sided cardboard under the aluminum roof skin. In pics it kinda looks like inside of the walls but if you look closely it is more shiny. It’s cardboardish - lays on the roof bows then the roof skin layer over top .
They call it “Therma Cool Ceiling Liner” - standard on a few brands of trailers
“ A Therma Cool ceiling liner is a thermal barrier and radiant heat reflector commonly used in enclosed cargo, utility, and RV trailers. It is designed to deflect solar heat, helping to lower the interior temperature of the trailer during hot summer months and improve overall climate control. [1, 2, 3]
Key Benefits & Details:
Temperature Reduction: Prevents the metal roof from radiating heat directly into the trailer, keeping the interior significantly cooler.
Trailer Compatibility: Often offered as an optional add-on or standard feature when purchasing enclosed trailers (e.g., for 5x8, 6x12, or 8.5x14 trailers).”
Hey everyone! Quick question for anyone who has a Walk-On Roof Upgrade on their cargo trailer.
Can you drop a photo of what your interior ceiling looks like in the comments?
The Details: My custom trailer is fully completed and currently sitting on the dealer's lot. The sales rep just sent me some pictures of the inside. My build sheet specifies a walk-on roof with 12" On-Center roof bows and 3/8" plywood decking.
Normally, I would expect to look up at the ceiling and see the plywood resting directly on top of the metal bows. Instead, I can see the metal cross-bows and then just a dark gray/black material resting right on top of them—no visible wood grain at all.
When I questioned it, they explained that the plywood is layered "in between" it.
I’ve just never seen a walk-on roof constructed where the plywood is sandwiched between two pieces of membrane that way before.
If you have a factory walk-on roof, what does your ceiling look like from the inside? Do you see raw plywood when you look up, or are you looking at a membrane skin?
Note: I specifically requested for the trim pieces not to be installed.
Any photos or insight from you guys would be a massive help before I make my next move with the dealer. Thanks in advance!
We are building out a 7x12 7’ high v nose, we know we want roughly 3 windows, and I know how to install traditional house windows, and RV windows, my question is, we have added some traditional 2x4 framing on the inside of our trailer to accommodate some extra insulation (wife is very concerned she won’t be warm enough in the cooler months with a mini split so we compromised and are adding some extra insulation between the skin of the trailer and interior wall using the space in the 2x4 framing) would you still use traditional rv windows and just have a 4” deep window sill? Or do something else?
I want to mount a motorcycle to my new (to me) teardrop.
The motorcycles im looking at are only about 400 pounds.
Is it possible to mount it to one side of my camper? I already have an idea of how I'd do it, and I'd be sending it to a fab shop to be done. I'm more so curious about if it will cause a huge imbalance. Also there's a door on both sides so I'm not really worried about blocking one.
Last resort would be removing the big toolbox and putting it there, but that's where my AC is so I'd rather not touch it.
Specs
6x8 trailer with 6’9” interior ceilings
1800-2000lbs loaded
Barn doors
Trailer brakes added
100 watt solar and 100 AH battery
30 amp hook up
2.5 gal Rheem residential hot water heater
Outdoor shower
Cassette toilet
6.5’ long Murphy bed
Fridge
Deep sink with 6 gal grey water
8x5gal container drawers
Fully insulated
8x10 awning
Two windows
12v vent fan
Portable AC with fresh air intake and plumbed in condensate line
Been slowly dialing in our cargo trailer camper build and it’s finally getting to the point where it actually works really well for both camping and work travel. Thought I’d share a few things that ended up mattering more than I expected in case it helps somebody planning their own build.
The whole setup is kind of built around flexibility. The cabinet system holds 5-gallon Lowe’s tubs so we can swap bins depending on the trip—food bins, clothes bins, camping gear, work tools, etc. Same idea with the Packout setup. I can reconfigure the whole trailer pretty quickly depending on whether it’s a camping weekend or a work trip. Dedicated Milwaukee bins for camping gear have made life way easier than digging through random totes.
A few things I’m really glad we did:
Deep kitchen sink instead of one of those tiny shallow bar sinks a lot of trailer builds use. Being able to actually wash larger pans is a huge quality of life improvement.
Cabinets are a couple inches taller than normal residential height. I’m 6’2” and it honestly feels way more comfortable to use daily. Bonus was it gave extra room underneath for drawers, the gray water tank, AC setup, deeper sink, and storage.
Murphy bed built from 1x6s so it could fit a real 4-5” camping mattress instead of those super thin cushions.
Outdoor shower + 2.5 gallon Rheem water heater. Sounds tiny but it gives enough hot water for a quick shower which is all we really wanted.
Portable AC with a fresh air intake through the side wall actually works surprisingly well.
Solar runs the lights and roof fan, while shore power is 30 amp for the AC and water heater.
8x10 awning ended up making the trailer feel twice as big when parked.
One thing I didn’t expect was how much the modular storage changed everything. Being able to pull one bin out and replace it with another in seconds has made the trailer way more usable than having fixed cabinets packed with loose stuff.
Still tweaking little things, but overall we wanted something simple, functional, easy to maintain, and capable of hauling tools for work while still being comfortable to camp in. So far it’s been doing exactly that. Took over a year to get to this point. Next addition is a shower shelter that deploys from the side of the trailer. Looking for suggestions and also open for feedback on potential additions. Really went back and forth on the water heater-instant gas heater, no heater, a cheap no name? Settled on the Rheem even this it was almost $300 because it is easy to drain and had one of the lowest profiles with best reviews. 1500 watts and replenishes blisteringly fast. Highly recommend. I believe they also have a 4 gal. In retrospect-I would have been able to fit it, but not I have gear room under the sink….
For adjustable height bed support, and general attachment purposes. I welded in a 2"x1" aluminum stud, sistered to the factory 1"x1" stud. Installed rivet nuts centered on the two studs, and attached recessed L track. Foam board and wall sheathing will sit below the side flanges of the L track when finished
Okay so you know how the big box cargo trailers often have the large drawbridge like door (I don’t know what they’re called) on the back? I’ve seen a lot of people turn them into porches, but I had an idea I think would be really cool and I’m wondering how feasible it would be.
My idea is that rather than turn it into a porch, you would attach your bed to it. And to keep everything enclosed, surround it with fabric like on a pop up camper. That way, the bed essentially takes up no interior space, leaving more room for storage, kitchen space, bathroom, whatever. When it’s time to drive off, it would close back up just like a Murphy bed.
I know absolutely nothing about converting cargo trailers besides the few YouTube videos I’ve watched for fun, so I’m really just asking out of curiosity, not an intention to ever do it (I wish though).
Excuse my improper terms but that’s what he called himself! I built out a cargo camper in Colorado for an insanely good snowboarder. He ended up living in it full time at Breckenridge while working there. Thought it was pretty cool - super simple and clean build. Now I help people build theirs! Reach out if you need some assistance I love this niche community.
I own a company that provides custom cut wall liners for vans.
We are looking for other outlets for our liners and thought of this community.
The material is 4mm grey polypropylene panels that we can cut to size (original sheet size is 5’ x 10’).
The material is waterproof and doesn’t warp like mdf. We use it mainly on delivery vans to protect their exterior walls from internal impacts.
We can cut these to specific sizes and then they can be screwed or glued to provide protection on the inside of the trailer.
If this is something that interests you please feel free to DM me.
Thanks
Looking at getting some bigger tires for extra ground clearance and keep the torsion system. Trailer weighs about 2200kg(4850lbs) not 100% on tongue weight. Tires size currently on there is 205/75R15, but thinking of getting a truck or SUV tire to put in place of the ST tires. I know ST have a sturdier sidewall and whatnot for tight cornering while backing up and the like. But with the weight not being close to max, has anyone else done this successfully or unsuccessfully?
I'd have to double check to see if I could fit 31's in there, but 235/75R15 would for sure. I'm open to thought and ideas. I've priced out new torsion and spring axles and they are a pretty penny!
Hello all,
I’m curious on what would be the best option for mounting 2x 5000W generators plus the compressor for a mini split on an v-nose enclosed trailer. I have the image of possibly have the 2 generators stacked on some kind of bracket on top of the tongue of the trailer and the compressor mounted with strut on the front trailer wall. That or have the compressor mounted on the tongue and one compressor on one wall of the front of the trailer and the other on the opposite. Just not sure if if would be okay to mount the generators to the studs of the wall of the trailer.
Thank you to those who have the time to respond. If any of you have images would be great to see as well.
I’m currently planning the electrical setup for my trailer conversion looking for honest and constructive feedback. I am definitely not an electrician!
I already own two Bluetti power stations. I have two specifically for redundancy. Because I already have them, they must be the foundation of this build.
I plan to split the workload, Bluetti #1 will run all AC loads, and Bluetti #2 will run all 12V DC loads.
AC Loads Mini-split AC, washer/dryer combo, and small kitchen appliances. The washer/dryer will realistically only be used when I am plugged into shore power.
DC Loads everything else. Lights, water pump, fans, and a 12V RV refrigerator.
Starting off with 600W of roof solar for each Bluetti. I have two portable 350W panels that came with the systems.
Shore Power: Both units can charge via shore power when available.
I've attached a diagram of my planned routing. The items in the diagram except for the Bluetti’s are just used to show.
Any glaring safety issues or bottlenecks?
I appreciate any advice, critiques, or resources. Thank you!
What do you guys suggest I do to weather seal it? Would just a deck stain/sealant be enough, or should I do something else? Maybe caulking on the edges?
Please don't come at me about the size of the wood that was used. It's heavy, I know. It'll be OK.