Bumper and Stabilizer Jacks for the DIY Travel Trailer
Вставка
- Опубліковано 19 вер 2018
- Building an aluminum bumper for the Travel Trailer project. This is the second project that I've welded aluminum on and I'm still trying to get the hang of it...haha... but in the end I'm happy with how it came out!
I also go over some other things like stabilizer jacks, underside insulation, 12v fan, and more.
Please let me know if you have any questions :)
Joe
For more info on the welder I use:
Forney Industries bit.ly/2LjRRqH
All the aluminum I used in this build came from scraps out of the IMS remnant room... I tend to purchase a couple pieces of scrap metal everytime I go in... lol... you never know when they'll come in handy!
www.industrialmetalsupply.com/
If you guys like the videos I make and would like to help support the channel at no additional cost to you. Please consider doing some of you Amazon shopping through this link. I may receive a commission on some of the items you buy. Thanks for considering, it’s greatly appreciated ☺ amzn.to/2hWHbgu
Music sourced from the UA-cam audio library and from EpidemicSound.com... credits as follows....
A Sound Foundation 2 by Gavin Luke
via Epidemic Sound (license/subscription via partnership with Studio71)
Subscribe to homesteadonomics: bit.ly/2trs1Iz
Follow homesteadonomics: Facebook: / homesteadonomics Instagram: / homesteadonomics
Business Inquiries: kangaroojoe@msn.com
----------- DIY, Gardening, Outdoors, Home Economics, Preparedness, Permaculture, etc,.
If you have any questions or business inquires feel free to email below or if you prefer, you can send old fashioned mail to this address:)
Homesteadonomics
HC 70 Box 4770
Sahuarita AZ 85629
-----------
Tags: homesteadonomics, diy, build, travel trailer, teardrop trailer, trailer, how to, stabilizer jacks, aluminum welding, spool gun, welding
No surprise for folks that have enjoyed your channel for a time. You have again excelled all expectations. What a great looking rig you've built. I hope you and your family will enjoy it for years to come.
thank you Jody! I sure can't wait to get to the enjoyment stage on this one...lol.... it's getting me excited to think that it may be road worthy in a month or two:)
Though your daughter hasn't formulated the concept yet, one day she will share with you her appreciation for and pride in a Dad whose skills and energy focus on projects for family and home. It's great that she'll be able to "recall" your projects through your videos. The fact that your channel reaches so many others means that other kids' dads, moms, gramps, etc can carry that example forward. Your generosity is much appreciated.
Thank you Glen! That is kind of you to say and I surely hope she remembers and gets to enjoy all of these little projects over the course of her years of growing up! And any inspiration that I can or do provide to others is just very humbling to think about.. thank you!
Joe
I really liked the intro; and that dark blue sky in the background is gorgeous. Nice to see the inside of the shop at work. The bumper looks really good, as does the continuation of the side stripe.
Blackberry Hideout thanks Jess! I liked it too! Not sure why I even debated the stripe continuation....lol...love it now
Joe, you have done an extraordinary job on your travel trailer! I can't say that enough. I admire and envy your skills. I admit, I will never build one, but it was great following you to build this from the ground up. The way you discussed what you were doing was just incredible. Thanks for sharing!
wow... thank you John! those are some kind words sir! It's been quite the project and I just can't wait to actually be using it... but with that said I just got some cushions in the mail today that I will be designing the front dinette seating off of... so it's coming!!
That's what I love about welding, even when you don't get a "perfect"weld you can always grind and in your case the final result looks amazing!! Btw, loved the drill jack!! hehehe
Odd Life Crafting haha...yes, my best asset in welding is a grinder! 😂
Mig welds ( structurally) should never be ground down but as an add on bumper it is ok to do this
I enjoy and look forward to the trailer project updates. Actually, I look forward to all of your videos. Your craftsmanship and thoughtfulness as you approach a project is inspirational. Can't wait until you depart on the trailer's maiden voyage. Thank you for the great content! 👊
Thank you David! Kind words from a great man!
I can't put into words how badly we are wanting to take this out... and enjoy it! I'm still thoroughly enjoying the process of making it as I know you can relate...but it will be sooo nice to be out in the mountains enjoying all of creation with the family :D
The building process has to be a sweet experience. The fun part is that you have taken so many of us along with your UA-cam content. I can only imagine how fun it will be for your family the first night you guys snuggle in on a trailer road trip. As someone who appreciates your content I am already envisioning camera angles and footage pulling out on the road and backing into your first campsite 👊
How do people give this a thumbs down?!?!?!
Great content and a great personality for a home grown channel.
Thanks for watching Benjamin! yep, those thumbers are always waiting...lol... i guess it just makes some folks happy to thumbs down... I'm especially baffled when I get the ones in the first minute or two of the upload... because they haven't even seen hardly any of it to make a judgment.
But oh well, many more awesome people out there than bad ones :D
Joe
Another top notch video! Can't wait for the next chapter of this build!
Robert Wedderburn thank you robert!!
Thank you so much. All your videos about this RV build really helps me a lot. Now I know the connection, the material, the layers I can use for my project. I'm studying architecture, and I have to design mobile food kiosk. Thank you so much..
Great video, The bumper looks really nice. Well done.
thanks Joseph!
I am just amazed to see your work, I much respect it. thanks for sharing.
Trailer looks really good
thanks Ron!
Great work on your trailer, and every little bit helps and one step closer to getting finished and HITTING the road.
thanks Greg! yes, this is becoming a project of knocking down all the segments one at a time... Im soooo looking forward to hitting the road lol!!
That opening was classic Joe.
Helmut Prost 😉👍
Rockstar. Man of many talents, thanks for sharing and inspiring.
The stabilizer are really slick! Thanks for sharing this. It looks great.
yes they are! I was really excited to get wifes approval on buying these... they weren't quite in the budget of what I told her months ago...lol
That camper is turning out to be a great looking build. I’m looking forward to seeing the next video.
thanks HU!
Thank you for your excellent experience! I can build trailers like you! Thanks again!
*Woow this man can Build a Bulldozer, great job*
I enjoyed your videos and have learned some very valuable things. I am going to build a trailer similar to yours on my tent trailer frame. I like your choice of leveling jacks and it would be very helpful if you could tell me where I can buy them. I am going to gather materials through the winter and start the project in the spring. I enjoyed watching a craftsman who is more OCD than me. I would say keep up the good work but I don't think you could do it any other way
Awesome job on that rear bumper and stabilizes. Your a man of many talents, can’t wait to hear about your first trip in the camper.
Raymond Hodge thanks Raymond! Definitely a huge learning project but I’m happy with that progress so far! And yes, very excited for that first trip!!
Super cool. I enjoy the voice over work you normally do. Your videos are always great to watch. Keep being awesome.
Nice work!! Now we need some stairs on that thing.
man, big projects like trailer is perfect for me, I love it. keep going with this wonderful work
jose wandasson thanks Jose!
That is an excellent job on the trailer.
Airborne Ranger thanks!
It looks wonderful....excited to see the insides when done!
thanks MD! me too, just got some cushions in today so I can start thinking about how to design the front dinette area :)
Looking good Joe. You make welding aluminum look easy.
thanks Lee! but I think my learning curve for aluminum is longer than most as I still have way more bad welds than good ones ;)
Buddy, I watched six amazing videos and I am anxious about for future ones!
Great job and I like how you think outside the box. Your aluminum welding skills are constantly improving and thank you for sharing another informative video, God Bless.
Daniel Fisch thank you Daniel! God bless you too!
Bumper looked great
Nice work with the bumper! All your projects have such a clean aesthetic.
Imagining Shadows thank you IS!
Great job Joe 👍!
thanks Lebron!!!
Joe
The bumper looks awesome, looks like a production trailer, super cool. Love the vids!
thanks Dominick! that's just cause I show the best angles for the camera.. and crop out the bad sides of my projects haha
The metal wrap trim looks great!
This is a pretty impressive little project you did for yourself.
I bet the little one's going to want to probably sleep in it for like a playhouse...
haha.. thanks! she definitely wants to go camping in it sooon!
Great job... Bumper looks really nice and cool
Good job, Joe! Your trailer looks awesome now, like a starship! Waiting for interior decoration now.
Сергей Деркач thank you! Haha...starship sounds cool! It’s gotta be the stabilizers 😀👍
MIG welding is so awesome. I took welding class in middle school and MIG wasn't widely available in the consumer market yet. In fact my 'teacher' told us there was no way to weld aluminum. A couple of years later I first heard of MIG when I met a guy who told me he was studying for his MIG/TIG certification. And nowadays you can go down to Harbor Freight and buy a welder that runs on house current for under two hundred bucks.
Boreasrex11 yes, it has come a long way and has been made pretty darn easy to learn with a lot of these newer machines!😀
congratulations from Chile. Nice work!!!
I think the bumper looks great, another nice job, thanks for the video.
thank you Harley!
I have two suggestions. Just for aesthetics, I would put a piece of diamond plate on that back angle and for protection. The second is since you are using a drill to lower and raise your stabilizers, take the handle off of your tongue jack and put a matching socket on the top so you can lower and raise the jack. If your battery dies then use your speed handle. Good luck.
The trailer is looking so good!
Congrats on getting even closer to done :)
Gregory Thomas thanks Greg!
Cool trailer, great shop, fantastic craftsmanship........like following your projects and talent✌🏻✌🏻
Great 👍🏻 , clean, professional project
Bader Alhazmi thanks bader!
Just keeps getting better 👍
Big Sky at Night thank you 😊 👍 🙏
Great looking little trailer!! You guys have fun with it...seriously, take some time off and go enjoy with your family.
MrFyxr trust me I do want to use it ASAP....but I got to get it to that useable stage first😉
She's lookin GOOD my friend!!! I like your stabilizer speed jack! 😂. When I had my camper I used the same thing, A Drill. LOL!!! We learn to make life a little bit easier when ya go camping at the beach and it's 100°, ya just don't feel like sweating!😉😂😂. Great video as always. Take care, Jay. 👍👍
haha... yes, the drill sure is the way to go! the handle works fine and I'll keep it in the trailer but I'd opt to use the drill as long as the battery has power!! haha
Yeah I lowered them with a drill on my 27' trailer, but for the teardrop I am building now will have the flip down friction jacks-so fast and easy. Come take a look if you have time. Your trailer looks well made
Heck yea, dude! Looks killer.
Thanks BLG!
Good job! it is coming along great.
M105a2 DIY Camper thanks! It’s getting closer to the using stage..which is what I’m longing for..lol
Lol we’re both in the same place! But keep going the easy part is done now comes the hard one all of the finishes.
Sou Brasileiro e acompanho seu canal aqui do sul do Brasil, parabéns pelo talento!!
Wow! Those stabilizer jacks are sweet, and you can lower them with a drill too, awesome.👍👊 I think your video idea is pretty good too, breaking them into smaller bite sized chunks. Better for us to absorb the content.😆
Thanks Jim! Yes, those bigger ones were just soooo much video content to edit down into a smaller more watchable video... like hours and hours to go from an initial cut of 30 min to 15 min of somewhat structured content.... as you very well know yourself! :)
Allot of ppl who own trailers use a cordless drill to lower their jacks its way easier.
@@georgezgreek that's interesting. That's something I didn't know before. I should too, since I'm currently residing in one full time.😆
lol hey we're never too old to learn new things, I am jealous you're living that life .
Great stuff as always! That trailer is looking great! Cheers!
Canadian Sasquatch thanks Steve! I’m Happy with it so far!
Excellent RV
Nicely done !
thanks Mikolaj!
I always hated welding with a spool gun. You did a good job everything looks very nice
Sweet , looks amazing bud , any under side work is a pain in the but for sure , now you know it's done right though
Thanks! yes, that underside work is tough on the next and the back when you're in the rocks...lol
for the spool ... Settings looks ok but try welding closer to the fusion pool and the inner corner joints can take more heat to make a nice hot pass. also, a 30 degree bevel on the weld joints does wonders with mig and smaw. Great project man keep it up love your videos !
Hey Joe...!
Really enjoying your Super C😎L Travel Trailer series. Your attention to detail and all the steps included in each process is exemplary and thorough, yet succinct. Well DONE. BrAvO! und HuzzaH! Subscribed. 😎
Coming from a missionary and fellow Handyman/ DIYer.. in Enchanting Chiangmai 🇹🇭 THAILAND 💜🌏
God's Blessings to you and your family!
awsome work man u r master builder
yasir don thanks Yasir!
It looks great...nice job. Greetings from Belgium.
Keep going man, looks great.
thanks Neil!
watching your channel from across the atlantic ocean , you've got some solid ideas , some i've thought about never had someone put them in NEAT and TIDY way as you do .. keep up the good work and work on those editing skills haha 5 weeks is way too long to see your videos
Haha...yes it is a long time....lot of work that goes into each video....which is why I think I’ll focus on smaller segments
And great to hear from across the ocean too!!! 😀
Great work on the build, thanks for sharing.
I like the cut out design on the back, guess the bumper idea is a personal thing. The only time I could have done with a rear bumper on mine was when reversing but bar would have had to be the first point of contact to be of any use.
I would start using more sealant on the exterior. Try spraying everything with a hose to test. If your driving in the rain at Hwy speeds water can go upwards and is literally pumped into any joints that have gaps. Heavy rain/wind not much better
Nice job on the box.A lot of time and a good result, more patience than me when I built mine.
I found the 2 rear jacks and front jockey wheel plenty stable enough but was also trying to keep weight down. Easy to move around by hand. Ball weight ended up being 80kg. Mine has alloy sheet floor over chassis.
Hope you use the alloy welding skills inside to help keep the weight down. Mine is still on a diet as much nicer to use and tow (I take it everywhere) although did end up adding electric brakes to help on loose, steep and wet conditions.
Wish I'd been more minimalist with the initial design from day one. Would have saved much time and money on stuff it didn't need to do the job. Light (packed ready to go) GVM is best IMO.
Keep up the good work.
very nice project
thanks Colin!
Is looking great you almost ready for hunting season man I got to say I love your projects
Dennis Chroninger thanks Dennis! Yep, just around the corner!
I'm a welder/fabricator and you are doing good for a beginner. You should slow down and whip and it will be a better bead. Also aluminum is not like steel, it will crack if you grind down. To avoid this you should really beval your material. Also if you leave the bead as is and don't grind it down, you'll notice you will see a crater at the end of it. Try zapping it again to fill the crater and grind flush to weld. This is to avoid a crater crack. This only happens with aluminum mig welding. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. God bless brotha
JR PEREZ thank you JR! I’m still deep into the learning of this new medium...and it definitely shows...haha
Ad thank you for the tips too! Looking to keep improving on the next one:)
Nice video Joe! Thanks for sharing.👍😎JP
I Enjoy Creating Videos thanks JP!
You're very welcome Joe! 😎
You can take the trailer and get the whole bottom floor sprayed with Tar to water proof it from water damage. A lot of people do the spraying to their vehicles in high salted areas, for protection from Corrosion, plus it’s a good water sealant.
Really love it...
Richard Jones thanks Richard 😀👍
Cute trailer 👍
Good job 👍 👌 work
Thanks for sharing looks awesome
Rick Ballard thanks for checking it out Rick!
These days they make a really small mig/tig combo that would probably be cool to have for little projects like this. I haven't purchased one since I already have the giant 1 ton model but this is a perfect example of why I should. This has turned out very nice.
Te felicito buen trabajo.
Inspiring stuff mate. From all the way down here in Pinjarra Western Australia.
Olds Cool thanks!! Awesome to here from Australia 🇦🇺!!!
Looking good
Fred Rouse thanks!
Just like Down Town!!!
Looking Great...
thanks Jimmy!
Your welding wire stick out should be around 1/2" w that spoolgun. Hope that helps you, great job!
Bull Dozer yep some of those stickouts were way out...lol
I would recommend you decrease your stick out when you weld aluminum. It looked like you were close to an inch away (camera angle makes it hard to tell). Ideally you would be no more than 3/4” away. The closer you are the more amperage (heat) you will get. You would also benefit from changing your gun angle to closer to 10-15 degrees of 90. Lastly you ran stringers on the main part of the bumper but you oscillated when welding the angle to the tube. I would strongly recommend you run stringers for most things. I know most welders will disagree but all the testing we have done at my company has proved that when you oscillate you leave voids in the root weld and your weld is subsequently weaker. There are times when oscillating is necessary when MIG welding but those are few. Hope my input is of help to your future builds. You are quite an amazing craftsman. I am very impressed with your work. By the way I build custom truck bodies and trailers for a living
Hi - Great job on the trailer & vids! I just found them today and have watched all of them.
A few suggestions - again, great job on the bumper... Now... you might want to start over and rebuild it. The reason is; you are going to need a spot to store your septic hose! As most rv's do, if you re-build your bumper with square stock tubing, you can store that thing in there! Another suggestion is that you might want to consider installing a rear-view/backup camera towards the top (under the center running light), as well as a 3rd (LED) brake light under the rear window for better visibility for those behind you.
As for the space your boxing in around the wheel wells, those can be used to save space for mounting you shore power electric plug & water inlet! So screw in those panels for future access!
Batteries - heard where your plan is for batteries in tounge box. Use AGM or Lithium batteries. Regular lead acid batteries vent hydrogen while charging! AGM deep cycles work great; if you can afford extra cost, the lithiums will save a lot of weight & have long life cycles!
Hope this helps - John, Tucson
JP Tucson, AZ thanks for checking out the vids john! Great tips too!
For the batteries I’m am planning on AGM right now, unless I can get a really good discount on some lithium’s....haha
As for the sewer hose, we are planning a cassette or composting toilet so no need for a black tank.
JP Tucson, AZ ....oh yeah, the back up camera is a good idea and definitely in the considerations too
Fantastic job ! But I would have used that pink or green encapsulated foam for water resistance, especially on the bottom.
moonolyth thanks!
cool jack mechanism
thanks Ken! they are really cool!
those stabilizer jacks makes the trailer 1 step closer to becoming the millennium falcon
haha... they do look cool don't they!!
I put those Bal C Jacks on all of my trailers. I love them. Might be a good idea to coat those exposed floor joists with something before you cover them.
Yes, they are really sweet.. I had some aluminum manual ones before and the weren't tall enough... these are way better!
and the joists actually have 3 coats of "the mix" on them (the mix= thinned out spar urethane in progressively thicker coats)... it's from tnttt.com as the poormans version of protecting wood. I'm hoping it should work well.... fingers crossed :)
Didn't realize you had coated them already. Nice work. Yeah the C Jacks come in 5 different heights so lots of choice. Looking forward to more 👍
Cool trailer
thanks!
looks nice
PhxtoNash thanks!!!
Awesome work! I'm enjoying your new style. Some nice background music at the beginning would have been a nice addition. Your calves reminded me of a superhero legs!💪🤩👍
Thanks Autumn! I think my style is just slightly changing all the time. Same basic concept of showing a project but some I talk more and some I let the tools and music do the talking :)
I like those gloves you are wearing when welding.
they are awesome! comfy and good dexterity.... 'forney signature' welding gloves here is a link to their site bit.ly/2LjRRqH
You are doing pretty good with that welder.
its' still a learning process but it's coming along little by little :)
I'm a design student and your tutorials helping me a lot great detailed work! I was wondering the measurment of the bumper though. Thanks a lot
Tip to anyone watching this and wanting to weld aluminum with a mig. Turn the heat and wire speed down and go slower than you see here. Aluminum has a coating that has to be burnt off while welding so the gas can clean it. And practice before hand. Otherwise, Awesome camper build.
Thanks for replying, you also have great father in law. I sure miss mine. Keep up great work
Yes, I do... I was blessed with the best wife a guy could ever ask for.. and she has blessed me with my second set of parents. My father in law and mother in law are just natural extensions of our family. We are lucky to never have to cringe when someone says the 'in laws are coming over' ....lol... I have learned a lot from both of them :)
That bumper turned out fantastic! And those stabilizers are friggen sick, I love how simple and easy they are to opperate. I have a non related question for you, do you know if anyone out there does any aquaponics systems? I've been doing experiments for the last 3 1/2 years with aquaponics here in the Arizona desert and love seeing what other folks had come up with to combat the heat. Thanks for sharing and as always Keep Building👍
thanks Todd! as for aquaponics it's definitely on my interest list... as for folks who do it down here. I believe there is a farm who does it in the marana area very close to exit 236. not sure if they still do it but if I remember right you can see their greenhouse where the tanks are from the I10. I've been meaning to go and visit it for years but just haven't :)
@@homesteadonomics Thanks! I'll have to go check that place out, my hobby is 100 % aquaponics related lol. I love Building and learning from my systems and I love the veggies and fruits that i can grow with fish waste and have tilapia for protein if i want.👍👍👍😃
Is coming together really nicely. I'm enjoying the build videos immensely.
Just a thought on the welding, now I'm no welder and I have not welded aluminium with a "mig" before but have welded various thicknesses of steel from car panels to 6mm angle, but have you tried moving the lance in a pattern rather than just straight? On some test pieces maybe try the following? Zig-zag patten, overlapping circles, little "C" shapes, or stop-start circles - where you duty cycle the weld quickly with your trigger. These patterns have worked for me in the past for welding different thicknesses to each other or for thin materials. It may help, or may be worse! Lol
These Vlogs are highlights in my day. The stabilizer jacks are so cool. Because you can use both manual and machine assisted system. I just wanted to ask if it would be more weather resistant if you bolt or weld sheet metal on the under carriage and then coated with like a rhino bed coating.
Oh man, thank you Myles! Thats awesome to hear!
as for the bottom... so far the plan is the use corrugated plastic sheeting to protect from road spray. I did think of sheet metal as well but the way I have the bottom designed makes for a lot of cutting to get everything to fit... if the bottom was flush all the way through then it would certainly be sheet metal all the way :D
homesteadonomics Thanks for the reply. Awesome Job.
You're gonna need some left to right support for those stabilizer jacks. I've had 2 TD's and they tend to bend side to side. Looking good!
I was actually checking out another product that BAL carries that is for that side to side motion... but I already spent way more than my wife was expecting on these so I may have to fabricate a homemade brace for that ahah
Doubt on a small trailer like his that it would make that much difference, but good call anyways
Two thumbs up . . . . Rog
whoolph and a thank you thumbs up back to you👍😀
buen trabajo
Hello, I've been watching your channel, and I really like the "implementation of your ideas in life." I also really like your workshop and working tool. We, in Russia, in Siberia, do not have such, unfortunately. But I really liked the device for welding aluminum, can you learn more about it, a link to the store, or something like that..... Thanks.