Well, it is about time to rebuild/resurrect my camp trailer design. I first built it about 5 years ago on the back of my M416A1 military trailer. It has a hot water heater, 20 gallon water tank, electric water pump and double sink.
I started by building a frame out of 1×1 thin wall tubing. This was placed on the M416 and attached to the stock mounting points (the trailer frame was never altered). After the frame was built, I skinned it with (heavy) 14 gauge steel. I think this was over kill. I the rebuild we will be removing this an using a little lighter gauge metal or aluminum.
The water heater is a standard RV type made by Atwood. It runs on propane. There are other models that are 3 way (120v, 12v, propane) but I thought this was too much for an off road trailer. We won’t be using camp grounds with hookups and the 12 volt draws too much current for regular use. It doesn’t really take long for it to heat up with the propane. I just start the water heater first and there is hot enough water by the time camp is all set up. If I were to do it again I would consider a hot camp water heater like the ones sold by Decker’s Hot Camp (also where I will get a heater for the tent space if I decide I need one).
The sink is also a standard RV type I found at a local RV wrecking yard. I currently have a double sink installed but will be changing that to a single sink and make room for a 2 burner camp stove to it’s left. I also carry a Camp Chef 3 burner stove. The sink drains into a small holding tank that can be rolled to the nearest safe spot to drain (it is just rinse water).
Last feature that we would like to have on this trailer when it is complete is a tent mounted to the top for quick and convenient sleeping arrangements. I have looked at several designs and really like the Australian and South African types that have a large ground floor area as well as an annex off one end for covered cooking area. This is not just an off-road trailer, this is going to be a family camper.
Next is to start rebuilding including a new trailer base so I don’t have to reuse the M416A1.
After being in my shop for 5 years (but only using a decent compressor for 3) I have finally plumbed the shop for air a organized all those loose hoses I kept tripping over. After much reading I decided to go with Type L copper pipe. From what I could tell it is the second best pipe for running air in the shop. If you have the time and extra tools, consider using galvanized iron pipe. I chose copper over iron pipe because of the ease of assembly. I didn’t want to have to thread all the ends I cut to make it fit in my shop. But the advantages of iron pipe are quietness and cools the air (better heat sink) to condense the most moisture out. One other option I read about is PVC pipe. Some sites reported the ability of PVC to explode if damaged, sending sharp fragments flying through the air. I also heard of it’s ability to build up a static charge (especially if you dry your air).
The only difficulty with the copper is learning to sweat it properly, although this is much easier than it sounds. I looked around the internet and youtube and found many good demonstrations on sweating (or soldering) copper pipe.
Well, it has happened. At 8:44 pm PDT January 3, 2008 my 1987 Toyota Land Cruiser turned 300,000 miles. While this isn’t the highest mileage vehicle out there, it is my first one to reach such a distance.
I started with a filter base and a filter adapter for my size filter. Both are available from many online vendors as well as Napa or CSK. You can also buy a complete kit that comes with both pieces and a section of hose. I am trying to build my own kit, so I purchased everything separately.
For the hose, I used some high pressure hydraulic line with swivel compression fittings on one end to make installation easy. This hose is overkill and I will find a little more economical solution for the kit.