AND YET AGAIN: Paul and Mike Try to Build a Hard-Sided Do-It-All ADV Trailer

[mhiscox]

The now exposed top of the drivers side tool body becomes a very nice standing platform for entering the tent from the side door (in couples mode).

This is sad, but I forgot to point out to Paul that you could get through the side doors. Maybe that's the way to go, but even if using the back center entrance, we'd probably still stage from the top of one of the pods, and having the rear "patio" area to kneel on might make it even easier to get in.

I am thinking about a purely hypothetical situation where a mom and dad with two kids want to haul a few dirtbikes down to the beach for a weekend with something like a Landcruiser, which has is own sleeping platform already. Mom and dad sleep in the cruiser and the small herd sleeps in the trailer... After the Trail bikes have been unloaded of course...)

That is a great hypothetical question, especially from a dirt bike rider with two kids and a Landcruiser who lives close enough to borrow the trailer. :sombrero:

For this model, though, the two most important criteria are to make a cushy adult bed up there and to optimize positioning of the galley-side cutout. We'll have to experiment with whether moving the Autohome off-center makes use of the galley better or worse. My initial guess is that the cutout will work best if the tent stays centered, but maybe moving it to the driver's side would be better.

(Just think, buddy, you could have bought this trailer any of the two dozen times I tried to foist it off on you, and you could be having all this fun. )

 

[k9lestat]

Very close to the idea i was working on. Only i am planning on using an rtt. And my front cabinet goes from one side to the other.

Sent from my QMV7A using Tapatalk

 

[1leglance]

Dude I just want to buy the model trailer and wooden fellow to play with when I can't hit the dirt for real...
Amazing how clear a design becomes when a scale model is used....just too neat to watch the thought process in action.

Huge thanks even if I never own a trailer, learning from great minds makes Expo worthwhile.

 

[squeezer]

...That is a great hypothetical question, especially from a dirt bike rider with two kids and a Landcruiser who lives close enough to borrow the trailer. :sombrero:

Just trying to help you out with resale value... ;_)

 

[mk216v]

I love Diorama Man! I think he'll be going on our next adventures; kind of like a Flat Stanley.

 

[washington taco]

Subed! Always love the Mike & PJ builds!

 

[jim65wagon]

Here's a list of the project's design requirements as we envision them now.
When done, we hope the trailer will . . .

-- Be reasonably lightweight,

-- Pull well behind anything with a 3500 pound and up towing capacity,

-- Easily handle the great majority of all NFS and BLM roads,

-- Sleep two people comfortably in an enclosed area,

-- Sleep up to four people if necessary,

-- Have enclosed full food storage and prep facilities,

-- Have an interior potti,

-- Have hard sides for the living area,

-- Have good views to the outside,

-- Have an interior with standing height at some location,

-- Be secure when unattended,

-- Have comfortable inside places to sit during bad weather,

-- Have the maximum possible storage for personal belongings,

-- Have a full AC/DC electrical system with inverter,

-- Have substantial on-demand water,

-- Capture grey water when required,

-- And a whole bunch of other stuff we'll think of as we go.

And then there's the two "elephant in the room" requirements, though they're basically the same thing . . . manage one and you've probably managed the other:

-- Securely haul a motorcycle (up to, say, big adventure bike size) or an ATV under 48" width, or other funtime stuff (deflated raft, short kayak, SUP, etc.) including, of course, SURFBOARDS!

-- Haul stuff, especially sheet goods, from the big store to wherever, just like the trailer was originally built to do.

With a list this ambitious I am subscribing to this thread! Knowing how big the service body is compared to the space required for four people to sit comfortably, I'm really curious to see what tech you will be inventing to get this done....Tardis Technology?

 

[mhiscox]

With a list this ambitious I am subscribing to this thread! Knowing how big the service body is compared to the space required for four people to sit comfortably, I'm really curious to see what tech you will be inventing to get this done....Tardis Technology?

Paul's gonna get that adjacent parallel universe thing going; lots of room, then.

Seriously, we are planning on sleeping four if we have to . . . two friendly ones in the Autohome and two even friendlier ones in the service body. (But one or two will be way more normal.) And the seating will be 48" of "sofa" plus a folding chair at the other end. I suppose that could be four people, but more reasonably three. The whole thing is really going to be most practical for one or two, but I'm hoping to be able to sleep four so that if there's another one or two people on a trip, and they don't have any sleeping facilities, they can be accommodated. It also ought to work pretty well for a mom, dad and two kids.

Nothing's locked in yet, though, and your suspicion that the inside of the trailer body is pretty small is exactly right. (I probably wouldn't be messing around with this, save that my XV-JP floor is only 25 square feet, so the 32 of this trailer is actually an improvement.)

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

Wow... I like where this is going.

 

[jim65wagon]

Paul's gonna get that adjacent parallel universe thing going; lots of room, then.

Seriously, we are planning on sleeping four if we have to . . . two friendly ones in the Autohome and two even friendlier ones in the service body. (But one or two will be way more normal.) And the seating will be 48" of "sofa" plus a folding chair at the other end. I suppose that could be four people, but more reasonably three. The whole thing is really going to be most practical for one or two, but I'm hoping to be able to sleep four so that if there's another one or two people on a trip, and they don't have any sleeping facilities, they can be accommodated. It also ought to work pretty well for a mom, dad and two kids.

If you are careful about your travel companions you may be able to fit more people in....

 

[mhiscox]

If you are careful about your travel companions you may be able to fit more people in....

Or if we lower our safety standards . . .

 

[mk216v]

Willow!!

Top heavy, psshhhh!

 

[AZ_Ray]

Sub'd just to see if I can get any ideas for my build. (Build thread in sig)

Looking great, love them stickman.

 

[Bluedog225]

Great work.

I need one of those trailers. Are they discontinued?

 

[mhiscox]

I need one of those trailers. Are they discontinued?

If I'd known you needed one, I should have sold you this one and saved the energy and money needed for this dubious effort. :sombrero:

Seriously, you sure can't find any evidence of one being for sale by any dealer, but given that this is just the Stahl Challenger service body on a trailer, it wouldn't seem tricky to make you one. You may want to make a quick call to Stahl and just ask them: 1-800-277-8245.

You may find that Stahl has a bunch of trailer frames squirreled away just waiting for you to call. But if not, my guess is that a trailer chassis of similar specification could be purchased separately and a Challenger ST body mounted by the body vendor.