Building my own Trailer

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Akg980

Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2012
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15
Hello all,

This might seem a little crazy but I am really passionate and excited about building my own RV (that might be the wrong terminology) on a trailer. I have my design concept down and now I am diving into product specification and construction documents. But before I get to far I have a question for this forum. When you purchased a RV, what did not meet your exceptions, and what are you wishing your RV has but doesn't?  Also are there any common annoyances that you find with RV's that you would fix if you designed an RV for yourself?
 
It has always amazed me that there are few handicap capable/ assisted living capable trailer options. While these could be put on aftermarket, if they were planned for, then studs would be in the right place etc.

A grab bar and a wall mount seat in the shower
an angled exterior rail that extend further than the standard ones http://store.yourspecialneedssolutions.com/handicap-handrails/handicap-grab-bars-angled-pt/prod_87.html
Or, a ramp instead of the stairs
Bigger typefaces on things like the furnace thermostat
handicap door levers http://store.yourspecialneedssolutions.com/daily-living/daily-living-aids-products/handicap-door-levers/prod_78.html
 
For Size I am thinking 18 Long x 8 Wide ( I think that's the limit for the width). As for the handicap capable / assisted living I am a residential designer and we hear that a lot also. It's really a great idea, my design has stairs to an elevated bed so I don't think my design will be the best for handicap capable, even though I agree it is a market that can and probably will expand.
 
Not to throw rain on your project but..... there may some gremlins lurking later on.

  The trailer needs to be licensed...as what, a homemade trailer? Will you need safety checks and by whom?

You know we are now living in an over regulated era in almost everything.

Just a thought, I don't know what the process is.

 
I'm thinking 102" width would be acceptable for legal purposes. I researched some state laws earlier this year because someone wanted to register an office trailer as a RV and move it to some property I own.  Seems like all the RV size limits I found were 102", same as a freight trailer.

A county appraiser told me people are buying box trailers from Lowz and HD and legally converting them into living quarters. I know homebuilt utility trailers are street legal in Alabama and don't even require registration if they're less than 12 feet bed length. Maybe a homebuilt travel trailer would be legal as long as you could pass inspection and come up with a title needed for registration. I'd definitely do a lot of research before beginning a project like this. It would be a shame to build a nice trailer and find all it's good for is a yard shed.
 
Hi Wil_B and Carson, I hear you... I know that might be a huge hurtle, I am expecting regulations, inspections, and verification. I don't plan on cutting any corners.  I want to do it right, and make it nice. I know from this forum and though other research that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) apply to all vehicles, including motorized and towable RVs.

The RVIA is the ANSI standards body for RV construction and ANSI 119.2 is the governing standard, but it incorporates NFPA 1192 as well. RVIA members voluntarily observe ANSI 119.2.  Some 15 states, e.g. Florida & Oregon, require compliance with the ANSI 119.2 standard for a new RV to be sold within the state, but other states have lesser or different requirements. NFPA 1192 applies in all 50 states, as far as I know.

But I am not deterred, I am taking it one step at a time, the right way.
 
Akg980 said:
Hello all,

This might seem a little crazy but I am really passionate and excited about building my own RV (that might be the wrong terminology) on a trailer. I have my design concept down and now I am diving into product specification and construction documents. But before I get to far I have a question for this forum. When you purchased a RV, what did not meet your exceptions, and what are you wishing your RV has but doesn't?  Also are there any common annoyances that you find with RV's that you would fix if you designed an RV for yourself?
Click to expand...

You may find airforums.com to be a useful resource as there are many members there who have modified their vintage Airstreams to the extent that they are better understood as a new trailer except for the frame and outer shell.  The early 1970s Airstreams are often chosen for this approach as they are inexpensive and few people would want to restore the factory interiors of this era to their original appearance (avocado, shag, woodgrain paneling).

I am happy with the design and layout of my Airstream with a couple of minor exceptions:
1. The dinette is a few inches too small there having been more space devoted to the credenza area than necessary.
2. I hit my head on the cupboards above the sink when washing dishes
3. There is only room for two batteries instead of 4
4. I wish they'd used the pergo flooring in the lounge area instead of carpet, because the carpet has stained badly with use.

The Airstream Classic Twin I have has an excellent interior design, IMO, very workable with all kinds of little touches here and there that make it more useful -- Two compartments accessible from both inside and outside, well thought out use of space in the bedroom, deep sink in the bathroom for washing clothes, enclosed and heated water and holding tanks, good balance of space usage overall, lots of windows, etc.  You might want to consider its layout as a starting point for balance of space.
 
Two things that are important to us are a bathroom/shower that is actually big enough to use and comfortable seating. Sitting at the dinette for much time gets real old real fast. If the trailer is used primarily in the summer months this is not too much of a problem because you spend most of your time outside.

We just got back from an elk-hunting trip and found the seating in my 17? hunting trailer a little lacking. You get back from a hunt tired and wanting to sit for a while. It gets dark about 4:30 pm and it is too cold to sit outside. To sit around at the dinette for 3 or 4 hours just didn?t work.

Maybe I?m just getting old. I need a place to put my feet up.
 
We saw this one at Harbor View RV Park across from NYC last June.  Really cute.  The guy made it himself.  It was a family of four.  The kids had a loft to sleep in.
 

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Thats a cool house, I am thinking about a Tiny House Crossover. The personal touch of a tiny house but built for rv'ing. I also agree with you Asrsw, the dinette won't cut it for comfortable seating.
 
Bago said:
We saw this one at Harbor View RV Park across from NYC last June.  Really cute.  The guy made it himself.  It was a family of four.  The kids had a loft to sleep in.
Click to expand...

That is just tooo cool!  Love it. 
 
I have a design in mind too. I will likely use a donor trailer, and call it a "one wall remodel".
 
That's a cool video Mopar1973Man, I can't believe he used 2x2's instead of 2x4's, any thought on that or is that standard?
 
I have built quite a few enclosed gooseneck racecar trailers in the 38' to 48' range, but nothing like a RV trailer, much less with a slide out. :)
 
We've been fulltiming in a small class C since 1993. After many miles and years in our old RV we decided to get a new one and because of specific needs and desires we had one custom made. A main reason for custom made was to make it handicapped accessible but that's not a concern of yours so I'll just list some of the other upgrades.

All aluminum framing.
Plywood sheathing instead of OSB. Marine grade if there is any chance of it getting wet.
Wood cabinet framing instead of press board.
More insulation.
Larger water and holding tanks.
Enclosed and heated water tanks.
Double pane windows.
Wiring for solar.

  We used a high grade fiberglass sheathing for the exterior skin but were stumped on what to use for the first layer that the fiberglass is glued onto. We ended up using the standard luan plywood which is a bad choice. There are now several different types of waterproof composite boards being manufactured that suit the purpose much better.

We had to run around a bit to get the RV licensed. This was in Pennsylvania so it might be a little different where you live. We had to get it inspected to make sure that it was made safely and fit the standards for a RV - about five pages on the checklist. Then to get the it titled we had to go to a title transfer and notary that was used to dealing with custom vehicles. Our insurance company needed photographs of the interior and exterior.




 
A friend of mine built his own RV of sorts.  He wanted something like a toyhauler but different, so he bought an existing flat bed trailer ready to be registered and accoring he was able to register that as a trailer, he just built on top of that.

Those other designs are pretty cool, and I dont doubt Gary could have done something like that his budget was a bit more limited and the end result was nice, but not that nice!

Jeff
 
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