Run Home to Mama: The Bug Pages

This is a good place to be. It took a LOT of work to get here. Learning never stops. Never.

I have a long history of managing projects as I go.

This project, however, was obviously too big to handle that way.

So, plan we must, and plan I did.

It all starts with pen, paper and a tape measure. I try to get some reasonable semblance of the thing in question. In this case, I want to document the dimensions and design of a 7' x 14' dual axle trailer.

The things I am most concerned about are:

• interior dimensions
• exterior dimensions
• determining wall thickness
• stud spacing (I call the vertical metal ribs studs)
• floor joist spacing and design; how are they formed?
• learning where frame members are
• axles and wheels locations
• doors and hinges

Right away I learn that constructing a cargo trailer is not a precise art. Thrown together is the phrase that comes to mind.

Dimensions vary all over the place. This means that no assumptions can be made about the location of anything. Everything will have to be measured. Every time.

First order of business after getting dimensions down on paper is to determine how many 4x8 sheets of foam insulation board I'm going to need.

Then it's a matter of selecting what sorts of things will be installed into the insulated trailer.

A LOT of time is spent on Amazon, eTrailer.com, campingworld.com and the like providing much education.

Primary concerns are:

• Tanks: black, gray and fresh. Size and location.
• Toilet: type, size, placement considerations.
• Shower: same stuff.
• Galley: sink, fridge, stove.
• Water heater.
• Air conditioning? Can I do it?
• Power: Shore power, Solar? Batteries, inverter?
• Standard connections: sewage, water, power. What are the standards?

It quickly becomes apparent that this is no small feat. I'm basically building a house on wheels, which I guess is pretty much the definition of a recreational vehicle.

A Planning Gallery.

Planning did not take place as an isolated event prior to construction. It happened in spurts as the need arose. I did try to cover as many aspects of the build as I could before starting to work, but there are so many things you can't know until you are there looking at it.

But isn't that the way it is with everything? Yeah.