gwolff's Cargo Trailer Camper Conversion

Looking real good man keep up the good work

 

Looks good


You should get a display picture up of your Jeep

 

I've been watchng your camper build great work! We decided to go about the same route but wanted to enjoy it rt away so I cheated a little and we bought a Micro off road camper. I do fab work so I figured I'd get it set up and make any changes I wanted along the way. I'm really digging the extended tongue as I was already looking at putting the swiveling hitch on extending the tongue would also allow the use of a rear bumper with a swingout. It would also allow me more use of the toungue area for a larger box for a dual battery setup and propane mounts. Mine came with torsion suspension and 12" of ground clearance but I'm really liking the Timbren suspension as it may also allow me to fit matching wheels and tires to the truck. Great work and some great ingenuity so far keep it up I've been enjoying it. IDK what your plans are for a kitchen setup but skim through mine and see how this one is done. It saves space and is pretty handy.

 

Pics or it didnt happen

 

I don't really want to pollute his cool build with my pics. I'll find one but just click on the camper build in my sig please.

 

Very cool, I have never seen a trailer shaped like that haha. It's seems nice to have all that headroom at the entrance.

 

It functions 2 ways being raised in the back. It creates down preasure when I'm towing it and it pulld great no bouncing or wiggling around. It also gives you head room for sitting up comfortably in the rear when the bed is folded beack into a bench. Look in the build in the OP you'll see what I mean and how the cooking area is configured.

 

Alright so here is my update for today's work on the trailer. I worked from 10am to 630pm without stopping. I don't get hungry when I'm working on the trailer for some reason. I just never think to eat, I just want to work! My dad put in the floor while I worked on the tongue and that was extremely helpful.

The first thing I did was paint the tongue


While I did that, my dad installed the bottom layer of the floor (it will be insulated). It's black on bottom from the flex seal coating





Then I installed the junction box and landed all the wiring, including a new wire to go to the brakes (I ran the brake wire into the trailer instead of along the bottom of the trailer). I ran brand new wireloom and mounted it to the tongue.





Then I mounted the tongue box. NOWWWW the trailer is really started to look good! Just wait till I get the windows in, it will look like a real camper.




Here is the wiring to one of the brakes itself. (Not color coded, oh well)





I also installed new clearance lights on the fenders.



Ta Da! Looking ready to hit the trail (In a couple months, maybe)


Bonus pic of me, this is what I look like happy, when the trailer is going to plan.



I will be posting an update video below once I get it up on youtube. All in all, AWESOME DAY, couldn't be happier with the way things are progressing!

Thank you all for reading!

 

Your project is really coming along great! I get more inspired everytime I see what you've done with the tongue and all the extra space it gives you

 

The extended tongue is working out great. If you're going to convert yours, I would recommend ordering the laser cut plate from adventure trailers that will fit the 50 degree tubing and allow you to insert a receiver hitch. Pic below. In pic I am preheating the metal just to help my welder out a little bit since I'm approaching the edge of its capabilities.

 

Here is the video update link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ch9oEuaL7tU

 

Good question. It was 900 lbs before I modified it. The wheels probably added about 100 lbs, the axles probably added about 100 lbs. Plus probably another 150 lbs in tubing and 100 lbs for the spare tire and tire mount. I think its about 1400 lbs. I am hoping it will be under 2000 dry and I think that's very doable.

 

I can still move it around by hand!

 

What are your guys' thoughts about grounding the electrical? It seems common practice to just ground to the frame, but I feel like it's better practice to actually run a ground to the battery(obviously battery is grounded to frame, just mean for lights etc). Maybe ground to frame for low power objects but ground to battery for high power objects like a pump, inverter or something? I am planning on connecting the inverter and charger to the battery via bus bar. The 600 watt inverter can draw 50 amps, the charger can supply 45. I wouldn't want to ground something drawing 50 amps to the frame.

 

When I ran the wiring for my trailer. I ran everything through a bluesea fuse box. Power from the battery through a breaker into the bluesea. Thence, from there positive and negative wires to each device. The trailer frame would be grounded to the truck through the hitch. I looked at the batteries and devices as a system on its own.

 

So you actually didn't ground your battery to the frame? I feel like I might as well, it should be a good thing to have the vehicle and trailer and electronics all have the same ground potential

 

I'm not completely sure but, I believe on travel trailers only the running lights and brake system is grounded the the frame, because they draw their power from the tow vehicle. The trailer house power system is a separate identity.
On my set up I don't charge the trailer batteries with the truck. They are charge by the solar system. You would need to check if you where charging the trailer battery from your jeep while driving. Then, you may need it grounded the the frame.

 

Hmm, I guess the question then is would there be any downside to grounding to the trailer frame, even if I'm not currently charging from the tow vehicle? I can't think of a downside...

 

I don't know. It might be worth the time to check with a RV service company.

I feel like there was a reason for not connecting to the trailer frame. But, I can remember what it was. I did it about 4 years ago.

 

Btw. Your trailer is look great. Love those fenders. I've thought about doing fender like yours but, with the RTT the annex room would hang up on them.