"TrailTop" modular trailer topper building components
- Thread starter jscherb
- Start date
jscherb
Expedition Leader
I got the front panel installed this morning, here are a few photos. I haven't had time to do the side or top panels yet.
If you look very closely, you might be able to see a vertical joint line in the panel - by joining two smaller pieces together I'll only need three sheets of 4x8 plywood to skin the entire shell.
I attached the panel with screws because I'll be disassembling the shell a few more times; it's a prototype so I try lots of things with it. Also it won't fit out of the workshop door if it's in one piece. For final assembly, the panels would be bonded in place in addition to the screws.
That's probably all I'll get done this week. Tonight I have to head to Los Angeles for a meeting and I won't get back until Friday.
If you look very closely, you might be able to see a vertical joint line in the panel - by joining two smaller pieces together I'll only need three sheets of 4x8 plywood to skin the entire shell.
I attached the panel with screws because I'll be disassembling the shell a few more times; it's a prototype so I try lots of things with it. Also it won't fit out of the workshop door if it's in one piece. For final assembly, the panels would be bonded in place in addition to the screws.
That's probably all I'll get done this week. Tonight I have to head to Los Angeles for a meeting and I won't get back until Friday.
jscherb
Expedition Leader
jscherb
Expedition Leader
bBack in February I picked up a hatch at an RV surplus place, it's been in many of the photos I've posted since then. The hatch is in this photo from yesterday:
Another thing I got at the surplus place was this RV sink top. It's very light weight and also a good size to be built into a pullout, here it is propped up in place like it's a pullout from the hatch opening:
If it was to be built into a pullout, you might build a box under it, maybe put some drawers or cabinet doors in it. And drawer slides, maybe something like this:
Back in February I picked up a hatch at an RV surplus place, it's been in many of the photos I've posted since then. The hatch is in this photo from yesterday:
Another thing I got at the surplus place was this RV sink top. It's very light weight and also a good size to be built into a pullout, here it is propped up in place like it's a pullout from the hatch opening:
If it was to be built into a pullout, you might build a box under it, maybe put some drawers or cabinet doors in it. And drawer slides, maybe something like this:
Back in February I picked up a hatch at an RV surplus place, it's been in many of the photos I've posted since then. The hatch is in this photo from yesterday:
Another thing I got at the surplus place was this RV sink top. It's very light weight and also a good size to be built into a pullout, here it is propped up in place like it's a pullout from the hatch opening:
If it was to be built into a pullout, you might build a box under it, maybe put some drawers or cabinet doors in it. And drawer slides, maybe something like this:
Or the sink top could be built into a traditional teardrop galley inside the rear hatch, photos/concept drawings of that to come...
Another thing I got at the surplus place was this RV sink top. It's very light weight and also a good size to be built into a pullout, here it is propped up in place like it's a pullout from the hatch opening:
If it was to be built into a pullout, you might build a box under it, maybe put some drawers or cabinet doors in it. And drawer slides, maybe something like this:
Back in February I picked up a hatch at an RV surplus place, it's been in many of the photos I've posted since then. The hatch is in this photo from yesterday:
Another thing I got at the surplus place was this RV sink top. It's very light weight and also a good size to be built into a pullout, here it is propped up in place like it's a pullout from the hatch opening:
If it was to be built into a pullout, you might build a box under it, maybe put some drawers or cabinet doors in it. And drawer slides, maybe something like this:
Back in February I picked up a hatch at an RV surplus place, it's been in many of the photos I've posted since then. The hatch is in this photo from yesterday:
Another thing I got at the surplus place was this RV sink top. It's very light weight and also a good size to be built into a pullout, here it is propped up in place like it's a pullout from the hatch opening:
If it was to be built into a pullout, you might build a box under it, maybe put some drawers or cabinet doors in it. And drawer slides, maybe something like this:
Or the sink top could be built into a traditional teardrop galley inside the rear hatch, photos/concept drawings of that to come...
jscherb
Expedition Leader
If you're asking how I'll cut the fiberglass side panels to match the curves of the TrailTop framework, I plan to trace the shape from the inside. The mounting flanges for the plywood are 2" wide, so the traced line will be 2" from where I'll need to actually cut. I'll probably cut to about 2 1/4 from the line, and final fit the panels exactly by sanding the edges.
Another way would be to lay out the curves on the plywood with a large compass, or templates could be made as you suggest, but I think tracing from the inside will be quick and accurate.
jscherb
Expedition Leader
Since I found the sink top in an RV surplus place in Elkhart, Indiana (Elkhart is to campers what Detroit is to cars), I suspect it's a custom piece made for a specific camper model for some camper manufacturer. The one I've got has a small chip out of one corner, which is probably why it was surplussed. I couldn't resist picking it up for $20 just to play with as a TrailTop design experiment, I don't plan to actually build it into anything. If anyone wants it when I'm done playing with it I'm sure I'd be willing to part with it. I'll check in the morning to see if there are any markings on it and if so, I'll report them here.
Also tomorrow I'll post some design drawings showing how it could be installed as a traditional teardrop galley under the rear hatch.
bonomonster
Adventurer
Any more info on whether the trail top parts may go into production somewhere?
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jscherb
Expedition Leader
Another way to use the sink top I got from the surplus place would be to build it in to a more traditional teardrop galley. Here's a photo of it setting in place:
A drop-down tailgate as shown above would make access to the sink top a little awkward, so maybe a side-swing tailgate would be a better idea:
It could be built into something like this:
Or instead of a tailgate, the teardrop hatch could be built to eliminate the Jeep-tub tailgate like the concept at right below:
This sink top fits pretty well inside a Jeep tub width TrailTop, but I was thinking it would be very easy to make a mold for a fiberglass sink top custom-fit to the TrailTop on a Jeep tub. I don't plan to make a mold for that right now, but it's something that could be part of a standard set of TrailTop kit parts if a company decided to market the TrailTop system.
A drop-down tailgate as shown above would make access to the sink top a little awkward, so maybe a side-swing tailgate would be a better idea:
It could be built into something like this:
Or instead of a tailgate, the teardrop hatch could be built to eliminate the Jeep-tub tailgate like the concept at right below:
This sink top fits pretty well inside a Jeep tub width TrailTop, but I was thinking it would be very easy to make a mold for a fiberglass sink top custom-fit to the TrailTop on a Jeep tub. I don't plan to make a mold for that right now, but it's something that could be part of a standard set of TrailTop kit parts if a company decided to market the TrailTop system.
jscherb
Expedition Leader
I haven't decided what to do yet. I don't know if there would be enough demand for the TrailTop parts to make it worthwhile for me to work with a company to help them get the parts to production.