MM:

Glad you could join the party!

I watched a video last night where a fellow mounted the diesel heater on the floor underneath the cabinet he built in the V-Nose.  He cut out a small square of the wooden floor and used a metal plate and some sort of a baffle.  When I saw that little baffle it looked a lot like the little fitting you install in the bottom of a rain gutter to connect the downspout.  This fellow intentionally made his conversion spartan so that they can move things around and use the small trailer as needed. They did not install permanent beds and used some very nice cots for sleeping.  The two things I think he did not address for those traveling with a wife is having a toilet - and a place to hang clothing.  Both of those are easily corrected.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8wR7AOlrF8


One thing the fellow didn't mention in his video - is that he painted the bottom of the wood floor.  I believe this is important and will help keep the trailer floor from absorbing moisture.  The first time I used my trailer to camp was at the Iron Horse campground and it was parked in grass.  When I got home I saw that the wood floor had expanded and pushed the sealant at the joint upward and made a bulge in my fancy Monsterliner floor coating.  Since then I have painted the bottom of the floor with enamel paint and also placed sheets of foam insulation and caulked the seams.

Hey, there’s MM!  He found the right trail now!

For weight distribution, I’ve always just roughly followed the U-Haul recommendation of 60% of weight in front of the trailer axle.  That’s worked well without any problems.  My 1/2 ton Ford F150 with a 3.7L V6 does fine for towing.  A 6x12 fully loaded is no problem.  At 60-65mph while towing, gas mileage drops down from about 20mph to 15mph.  As we all know, fuel mileage claims provided by the powers that be are grossly overstated.  If I totally behave and drive a slow 60mph without a trailer, the best I have gotten is about 20.5mpg.  Size and weight is something I’m definitely considering though (especially if I try to store it in the backyard out of HOA sight).

Here’s a random question…. Is the left side of a trailer the same as a car or motorcycle?    No wonder boats have Port and Starboard (for people like me!).

For the AC unit, a traditional window unit makes sense to me.  It doesn’t take up any floor space or require any special condensate or heat removal.  Cut an opening in the side, frame it with support, and be able to remove the AC unit while driving (install a piece of plexiglass or something to enclose it when the AC unit isn’t installed).  What am I missing?  That’s what a guy I know did on his totally homemade mini trailer camper.

ThumperPaul wrote on 01/24/25 at 05:40:17:


I really don't want to put an additional opening in the side of my trailer.  I really don't need AC where I take the trailer to ride - so the needs in the mountains up here are far different than what you need in Texas.

There have been a few times I have been hot at night in my little trailer - but it did not have a ceiling vent and a little airflow would have helped significantly.  When I was still working I often would leave a Council Meeting and head to the mountains after the meeting was over - sometimes it was 9PM or later when I got to start the 7 hour drive.  One time I left and the daytime temperatures had been in the 90's with bright sun all day.  I got to Alcoa and it was about 2AM and I really wanted to stop and sleep, as it was another hour to the campground area and the route took me over the Tail of the Dragon.  I just wasn't anxious to drive the Dragon with a car and trailer late at night - especially since I had been up for 20 hours.  I pulled over at the Walmart parking lot and climbed into the back of my trailer to get some sleep.  The deck of the trailer was only 11 inches above the blacktop parking lot - and that same asphalt had been soaking up the sun all day long.  The radiant heat coming off the parking lot made the inside of the trailer like an oven!!!!!  It was impossible to get any sleep - so I got back in the car and drove another hour until I reached Deals Gap.  Once in the mountains the temperature was down in the 60's and I had no trouble sleeping.

Being able to make an opening that looks good both inside and outside when the AC is not installed is not something that is easy to accomplish.  I have watched a lot of videos on YouTube prior to building my trailer - and I haven't seen one that I liked and would be happy with.

For heat when I don't have a 120v connection I think this could be the way to go.  It is very portable and could even be used to heat the house during a power outage (provided you have a 12V battery to power the unit).  I could cut a hole in the V nose floor for the heat hose - the hole would include a cap so I could cover the hole when not in use.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA8M2c2UIgQ

Thanks the complements.

I think the RV vs. trailer vs camper van vs whatever else really depends on how you use your rig.  I don't believe there is a right way or a wrong way.  You just need to figure out what works for your use case.

Our van has everything we need in a minimal foot print.  It works for us because we spend most of our time outside of the van and it's comfortable enough that we can survive being stuck inside for a day or two before we want to kill each other.  Luckily, that has only happened to us once since we built our first van in 2019 and she didn't kill me.  

One of the u tube video's folks had the regular window AC units on the floor with the fridge sitting on top of it with it's back vented out the wall , it was in a little cabinet.

That tall AC tower that stands in the middle of the floor and runs a 3" hose over to the window works great ... and ... the same vent hole can be used for the Diesel Heater for heat coming in for cold weather - The exaust pipe is only about 1.25" metal exaust pipe , if you didn't want to leave the entire heater outside under floor.   The cooling and heating is easy. !  

They havent called me to come pick it up yet .

At least I can see the floor supports for this fold up bed.  When I made my comment about the Murphy beds, I guess I didn’t look close enough because it appeared they were just hanging on the wall.

OhioMoto - My wife and I resemble those remarks.  I’m guessing my survival rate stuck in a 5’x10’ box with her is about 10 hours max.  More like 4 hours without AC.

MM - The dual purpose capability of the setup for AC/Heat makes it more practical.  I can see that now.

This is kinda what I have in mind.  Newer, looks clean, unmolested clean slate, ramp door and side door, priced decently.  

https://www.facebook.com/share/12FpFpJkX8c/?mibextid=wwXIfr

That looks just like a dehumidifier that I bought when I renovated a house.  That thing could give off some heat.  Good for a cool damp basement.  I was using it in February so it worked out ok giving off some heat.  I was using it to get rid of some musty smell and part of a mold remediation process.