New trailer build and questions about electrical and sand blasting

[bshillam]

So after looking over CL for weeks on end losing out on several trailers one came up today right around the corner from the home - I was there within hours of the posting. It's a solid little 4x7 with side walls. All wood needs to be replaced - which is fine as I was planning on epoxy encapsilating and paint it anyways. Mainly I am on the hunt for accessories to outfit the trailer now. I'll be pulling all the ply, scraping, sanding and repainting the trailer from the ground up. Suggestions on must haves are great! :l1: I was thinking in order of the build,

Pull ply
Sand blast or sand trailer
Repaint
Have the axles flipped, maybe add some shocks
New panels, sealed, painted - interior will be coated in some heavy industrial paint as well as the underside. (It's actually a two part black epoxy paint.)
Construct a lid, add struts
Probably construct a tunge box while I am at it make use of the room there. I was thinking I might install a 12v/110 system (??)
Rack for the bikes, kayak, canoe, etc.
New wheels
Thoughts on other things that would be nice to have on a trailer?

Tips on wiring??
I was thinking about wiring in power from the seven pin from the van to a relay. That way I can expand my pull behind add a battery, inverter, usb ports, lights, maybe a radio, etc. Anyhow, I am in uncharted territory and wanted to bounce some ideas off. I was looking at Amazon and found a seven pin that I would lead to my relay and than wire in the lights from there. Thoughts?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G5C3ZZ4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007480MI6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_10?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AVY0SA2VSFK9N

On another note, I took all the ply off, scraped the rails but I was thinking a sand blasting might be in order. When building your trailer did you sand blast or used a sanding wheel, paper, and scraper?

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[tgreening]

Weld in more vertical support. Looks like you have it only at the corners. It'll be stronger and you'll have more attachment points for hanging "stuff".

 

[GeoTracker90]

It looks like you're off to a good start.

For using the tow vehicle to charge and maintain the batteries in the trailer might I suggest a quality solar charge controller. This will allow the batteries to be charged in a three step process and also keeps them from being discharged through the power line coming from the tow vehicle when its not running.



Sunforce 10 Amp Charge Controller

Sunforce also makes a 30 amp version of this charge controller. Good luck with your build and keep us updated.

Mike

 

[bshillam]

What about sandblasting vs wire wheel? Any thoughts? I'd like to keep the cost down as this is not going to be my last trailer.

 

[bshillam]

UPDATE

So far, ripped out the old ply. Replaced with top quality exterior grade, sealed with epoxy paint top coated with oil enamel. Think we'll be changing the color to Dark Gray instead of the brown. Will be building a top to make it dry interior, bikes on the top and fire wood, camping fun inside.

 

[RagnarD]

I would just rattle can it. Save the expensive paint job until you know you are done building/changing things.

 

[matthewp]

Nice little trailer you have there! The only thing I can add is that a common concensus (although there is debate) is that the small (14ga usually) auxiliary power is not enough to power a house battery in a trailer.