Weekend Update

 This was supposed to be a post about the first wall was standing and here's the video.  Didn't quite get there for a number of reasons, but I did:

• 
  Get the right side wall (left has been ready for a week) pocket drilled, grooves cleaned out, and a couple of little annoyances fixed.  Rounded corners cleaned up too!
• Varnished back wall, ceiling panels
• Accumulated a little more hardware in prep for final assembly. 

Fridge and stove shelves going together.  It took a little more time and a couple of false starts to get the clearance right so that things fit together properly.  

Hint: 40 thousandths seems about right.  Teeth are 1.98 and notches are 2.02 inches.  

Glued together with Titebond II.  They seem to be plenty strong.  

I got this task out of the way mostly on timing, and to ensure I could size the back partitions correctly. 

Roof spars bundled up to cut wireways.  Yes, I certainly could've done it on the table saw with a sled and a dado blade, but it would take me longer to set that up than it took to draw it in CAD and cut it with CNC.

These started out as an 11' plank of basswood that was pretty straight, dry and pretty good grain structure.  A few passes on the table saw and we have 1 1/4x 2¨ spars.  And I still have a nice bit of basswood in reserve (probably for the hatch!)

The sides came home.   You can see the cladding aluminum standing behind them waiting its turn.  The right side (shown here) will probably get bolted to the floor on Wednesday.

   

Last but not least, the trailer chassis finally got out of the garage, and the floor got checked for fit.  I always assumed it would fit properly - and it did.  

Lights on, wheels up

 Well, on one side anyway...  

My focus for today was going to be getting the wheels on, and moving the trailer out from wall a little bit.  And I got a good start on it this morning, packed the bearings, assembled the new hubs, and installed the left side wheel adapter.  A couple of notes about Timbren suspensions.  
1.  Check the entire order as soon as you get it.  My suspension was OK, but the boxes with the brakes were both damaged.  One of the grease seals was damaged from banging around in the box in a baggie with the lug nuts and bearings.  

2.  The instructions recommend 50 lb/ft of torque on the backing plate.  Not sure how since most of the bolts are partially/completely obscured.  Had to fake that.

3.  The main mounting bolts and spindle plate bolts require 105 lb/ft.  This means a 1/2 torque wrench.  Not everyone has that laying around, so be aware.

4.  The instructions also say to seat the bearings with 200lb/ft of torque and back off. I'm not an expert, but my sense is that this is a really bad idea.  My best guidance on wheel bearings is that you need only enough pressure to load the bearings and take the play out.  e-trailer has a much more rational set of numbers, and you can probably find 50 YouTube videos on installing trailer bearings. 

I hung the wheel and checked for interference.  Uhh.  Red flag.There's perhaps a 3/32¨ gap between the pivot bolt head and the tire.  Looks like I goofed on the spacer dimension. Got an inch, need 1.5...  That'll add a few day's delay in moving the trailer, but I can keep working on other projects - like the lights and brake wiring - while the wider adapters are on order.  I think the extra spacing will be fine.  If it was >2¨, I would drop back and order the long spindles instead.

 

With the suspension about as done as possible, I started working on the wiring, pulling wire through the entire perimeter, and connecting lights.  I'll have another day of hooking up lights if today is any judge.  Great plan going in, execution a little flawed.  I'm glad I got the 200 count butt splices - I wound up re-doing several today.  The lights draw around around 25mA each, so I won't plan to leave the running lights on when parked.  Still, that's considerably less than the equivalent incandescent!!!

Pardon the messy garage.  It's about 50 degrees in the garage (with the heater), and snow outside.  My wife was nice enough to let me move her car out for the day, which adds a bit more room to work.  The marker lights are push-in, while the tails are screw-in.  

The big learning for the day is that there is truly a huge difference between stranded copper, and copper clad aluminum wiring.  i think the aluminum stuff is fine for the lights - it's inside, and won't move around but I'll run pure copper for the brake wiring.  

A tip if you don't work with wiring very much:

You _can_ get away with stripping wire with a utility knife, and crimping with a pair of kitchen pliers, and I've certainly done so in an emergency.  A step up is a crimping tool like sold in kits at the parts store.  They work, but it's not great. 

But if you have a lot of connections to make, and want clean strips, and clean crimps, get good tools.  I have had my strippers (Klein 11063W) for at least 20 years.  The blades are replaceable, and they make perfects strips every time.  
The crimpers are new this job.  My grip strength is not what it was years ago, so I opted for a new pair of Haisstronica insulated connector crimpers.  They work very well.  Also, having some sort of table to keep your tools handy, and that can follow you around the job is a big help.  I should add a piece of cardboard just to keep things from falling through.  (hasn't been an issue, but the next task involves a lot of screws, clamps and drill bits.  I think I'll cut up a dog food box...

Draft look at the camper!!!

The frame is ready to go to powder coat, even if I wasn't!  I'll try to get pics from that step of the process, but - I really doubt that will happen...  It's been cold and snowy enough to keep me from wanting to load up the utility trailer, so hopefully tomorrow!

In the meantime, I've been spending time working in FreeCAD sketching out the camper. FreeCAD makes some tasks much easier - like taking 38.1mm off the outer profile to form the core of the walls, but managing all the constraints, attachment offsets and keeping everything in line is a royal pain.  I know about a 10th of the things I probably should, and am doubtlessly doing this the hard way - but hey - that's how I learn.  As the line goes in one of my favorite songs, ¨...if you came by it easy, you wouldn't be you.¨

Anyway, here are a couple of sketches/assemblies:

The outer profile has changed a bit from my first sketches  I decided I wasn't thrilled with the vertical lines front and rear, and since I was already beyond a convenient 8 sheet of wood, it didn't really matter if it ran a little long.  So the back and front arcs make it closer to 10'3''.  It's amazing what that couple of inches adds to the look.

The bed area is queen size - 58Wx78Lx6H.  The cupboard on the center wall is intended to be hanging locker on one side, and shelves on the other.  Should be plenty of room.

I truly don't remember whose video/build journal I saw with the headboard, but I had to steal that idea.  It's about 4¨ at the top, and 6¨ at the bottom.  It'll grow shelves, and be set up for a tongue mounted AC unit blowing in from the top.  The 10 degree angle is pretty comfy for leaning against to read or watch videos.

Behind the wall is the mechanical/electrical bay.  It's sized for a Propex 2211 on one side, and a 200AH battery system on the other.  

I'd still like to install a 20 gallon belly tank, but at this point I will go with the big blue jug out back, and another stored in the tow vehicle for shower water if we're off-grid.   

The kitchen is still a work in progress.  Mostly, I am leaning toward a fairly spartan - and flexible - arrangement since I don't know what I will really like, need, or want.  The bottom space is sufficient for a 55l fridge on one side, and a water jug + drawers on the other.  I'll have a Camp Chef Everest on a slide out, probably on the left side.  There will also be some sort of containment system at the back of the counter to hold 'stuff'.  

That's a really quick tour, and at least a glimpse of where my head is at.  The amount of learning I've done from the tnttt and youtube communities is incredible.  I've changed or tweaked so many things already based on videos or posts from fellow builders, and I appreciate everyone who has put their thoughts out there!

Ready for powder coating!

 It was a boring day.  Boring holes in the frame, that is :)

My buddy Kris came down and helped me get the frame down on the blocks, double check alignment, clamp the suspension,  mark the holes, check the alignment again, and then drill the holes.  And I have to confess that I can't drill a straight thru hole to save my life.  I'm going to find a way to get at least a couple of them a little off center.  But at the end of the day, I thin we are 'close enough'.  Triangulating spindle to tongue is within 1/32 of an inch.  I'll get it professionally aligned once everything is together, and the body weight is on the frame, but this will do for now - especially when it will be taken apart again.

Assembled Timbren suspension units in place!  These are definitely heavy duty!  Grade 8 bolts thru the  frame.   i had a little sticker shock when I bought nuts, bolts, and washers.

The Timbren specd reinforcement plates fit well.  Only a little nudging was needed to get them properly aligned.  

One 'sticker shock' item for me was the bill for Grade 8 hardware!  Bolts for both the suspension and the receiver were nearly $100.  That's the price for doing it right.

Final inspection tomorrow, and off to the powder coaters on Monday!