Great build and videos, thanks for making them! I found you by accident, and it was perfect timing as I just started ordering things for my build with my 5x12 v nose cargo trailer I have. I'll be starting next week with taking the plywood and putting insulation in. So glad I found your build, as I got a quote for the solar system early yesterday, and it was over 6k for a 3.5 kw system, which I knew I didn't need. I have the same things as you do, the 500 watt ac and the 700 watt microwave, etc. Thanks again for making this conversion - it looks great, and I can't wait to finish mine, lol! Happy travels
Thanks Theresa. Good luck with your build. Solar is pricey especially if you go with Lithium batteries. I built my battery pack and save alot doing that myself along with system installation, but there are simpler ways to do it with Bluetti and Jackery type systems that are just plug and play... but they get expensive too.
Thanks for posting. I want to build a small CT toy hauler myself and I am trying to determine what size to get. I am stuck on a few sizes: 6x12 single axle, 6x12 tandem axle or 7x14 tandem axle. I also will sometime be hauling one dirt bike or maybe a couple of Trek E mountain bikes. I currently camp in tents but want to move up to a "camping trailer". I want to learn from what others have already figured out and this video helps.
Glad it helps. Keep in mind if you go with a single axle that you will end up with a GVWR of 3,000 lbs. You will likely exceed capacity with build out and payload. It is only a few hundred dollars more to have them put a 5,000 lb axle in and then you will have plenty of margin no matter what you can put in it. It will also com wiith trailer brakes with the heavy duty axle. Money well spent. So many people are overloaded and don't realize it. Get in an accident with overloaded trailer and your insurance company will abandon you.
I think I am going to have to be very creative in keeping the weight down. I see a lot of these with a lot more cabinets and wood construction than I want to use. I will probably use aluminum like a lot of the van buildout folks do and try to not put much in it. More minimalism. I do like the idea of the 5200 upgrade axle. Good advice. @@donsdoityourself2547
Thanks for the updates and glad to see you out and about again. I would like to see how install those tank level sensors... I don't have any. You want to visit Nebraska next spring and supervise my build? Take care and safe travels.
Thanks. Good to be back out and camping. The tank level sensors are a float type. I bought them at the length needed for the tank depth. Only 4 wires to contend with. Not that bad to install. I had a harder time with the fresh water tank because it was a half inch too long. I had to build a standoff flange to accommodate. I bought the gages from AliExpress. I'd be glad to answer any questions on your build. I'd recommend starting a thread on Tntttt.com under Cargo Trailers Conversions. You will get lots of help and ideas there. Happy Thanksgiving.
Thanks for making this build series! I know it's not easy when to film and work on project. It gave me a lot of ideas I didn't think about before taking taking on a project like this. One question I have now that you have lived in it and got to use it. For my design I'm considering a ramp style single rear door. Do you see any issue with not having double rear doors, using a camper style roof mounted a/c unit, and putting the electronics next to the toilet wall? This would allow for a little more flexibility with what could be hauled and the rear layout in general. I was also thinking of keeping the double rear doors and still moving the a/c and electronics so I could install windows and fold down counters/storage. Let me know what you think or anyone else in the comments feel free to chime in. Thanks!
Another potential option I was thinking is a 7' wide box on a 6' axle (7' axle overall with wheels). You would still have the same axle but would have a wider box on it with wheel bump ups on the inside. This would keep your overall width the same while increasing the width for more room inside.
Hi. Glad you got some good ideas. There is no wrong way for the layout.. Whatever is going to work best for your needs. A ramp door and rooftop AC is just fine. I have built 3 trailers and the first two had ramp doors. I did the barn doors on the 6*12 primarily so I could have the equipment stack with AC and electrical on the rear and still get my dirt bike in. Good luck with your build.
I like ONF too. I have camped at Juniper Springs a few times. Very nice. I think I like Alexander Springs better. You should check that out if you have not been there. It is more on the South end of the forest.
@@AdventureContinuesAgainno, there are not any hookups. There are water spickets throughout, but not at each site. If you are close to a spickets, I've seen folks put a "tee" on it and run a hose. There is a dump station to use upon exit.
Thanks. I did not activate for POTA, but I was making alot of POTA contacts. I like being out in the woods with my radio, the noise floor is 2 S-units lower and sensitivity much better than at home base. 73s KE4EVL .
No, absolutely not. Can only go 10 hours or so with AC running solely off the battery bank. The weekend was just with lighting, laptop, etc. appliances like fan, fridge, and water pump, both no AC.
Hey Don, That's another awesome trailer you have put together. Now, did you say you run the A/C on a 1500w inverter from the LiFEpo battery bank? That is impresive and you can do that with 400w on the roof. Huh.. I gotta get busy with a solar system. I just have been so busy the last couple of years but am finally getting a handle on things and hope to be acting like I retired soon. It's been 3-4 years now and I swear I have never worked so much in my life. I'm guessin you are the same way. This year I am really making an effort to plan ahead for more camping and riding time. If I don't put it on the calandar it won't happen. It's not really my style but otherwise I just keep working. Also, I'm not gettin any younger... better looking, yes, but younger no. I'll try to catch up with you on the other site soon. Take care of yourself Smith.
Thanks McDave. I trust you had a great Thanksgiving. 420W of solar with 510aH useable LiFePo4. The 1500W pure sine Inverter will run the AC at least 10 hours if battery bank fully charged and no solar input. I did that a few times overnight in truck stops already for about 7 hours with battery remaining. In any case, yes, take it easy. I retired as soon as possible. Each day is a gift. Loving the freedom right now. Take care. Always good to hear from you. I plan to be out to Sturgis area next summer with the 7x18 and Kingpin. Maybe can catch you at Custer State Park.
@@donsdoityourself2547 Not sure where I'll be this year yet, but I'll be there. I would love to bring the wife but she doesn't like the big rally crowds. She went to Red Lodge Iron Horse rally and liked it, so maybe.
So I watched your videos and think they are great! Short and to the point. Thanks for not explaining what stuff you have in your cabinets and drawers. You are very thorough and have your build well thought out. Because of that, I do want to know your reason for installing your insulation with foil side against the walls of your trailer. Most build videos I've seen install with the foil inside. I'd like your opinion. Thanks
David, I camp mostly in hot places since I live in Florida, so I was trying to achieve some radiant barrier effect with the furring strip stand off and resulting air gap. Given the very little dead air space, in reality, it is probably not doing anything for me. Also, given that the either the foil or plastic backing would suffice for a mositure barrier, I am okay if the aluminum skin sweats a bit on the inside when cold outside and heating inside. I friction fitted and taped up well inside to prevent any airflow from cabin, but I do not caulk along the skin and floor seam to allow some air exchange between insulation and skin. I am doing this to prevent mositure build up and potenial mold in the walls which can be a problem in Florida. It seems to work for me. I will say though, at the end of the day, there probably is no disernable difference however you place it due to very tight walls.. a radiant barrier is likely ineffective in either direction. Just my thoughts.. maybe over thinking it.
Nice job. I want to build one too. You have a lot of the same ideas that I have (e.g, window ac unit instead of mini-split). Are you happy with the size that you built and the single axle? What kind of gas milage are you getting vs not towing? I am torn between doing a 6x12 single vs 7x12 or 7x14 tandem.
I am happy with this size. I built it so I could go more places offroad. I also have a 7*18 Vnose I built. I use that when my wife is with me and I am not going off established roads. I'd say get a size that will do what you need it to. Smaller is a compromise between manuverability and comfort. My 6*12 is great for me alone... but too tight for anything more IMO. Gas mileage drops about 30% with the 6*12. With gas mileage, I have found the mileage is a function of the frontal surface area more than the weight, although that is a factor. Wind resistance makes the difference. Varies very noticeablility with a strong headwind vs a tailwind. Good luck with your build!
Hi Adam, when I have it fully loaded with water, dirtbike, and etc. it is about 3,600lbs. I weighed it on the CAT scales on the way out for a road trip. I never weighed it unloaded, but I am thinking it would be in the 3,100 to 3,200 lb. range.
@@donsdoityourself2547 ok thank you. My Wife and I just bought one that a guy converted last year and never used due to health reasons. Ours is a 12' single axle V nose Forest River with household fixtures and an on demand hot water heater with slide out a.c. tv and all other sorts of cool stuff. We bought it for $10,500 and just had it inspected by the fire Marshal and all is good. I still can't believe we got this deal. Thank you for your video. These are made so much better than a traditional store bought camper and this is our first. We're super freaking happy with it and I'll be camping in it tonight for the first time. Woo Hoo!!! 🙌
@@Spinnaker617 wow.. that sounds good. Hope you have a great trip. This is my 3rd build and they usually cost about 2 times what the basic empty cargo trailer costs. I added quite a few options with heavier axle and etc. and spent some extra money on the solar power and amenities, but at the end of the day, you end up with heavy duty build. Best wishes!
Hi. I bought the Anvil Trailer through trailershowroom.com. They were the middleman to Anvil. I am sure there are other dealers and etc. you could go through. I do take it offroad, but not really bad stuff. Mostly just forest roads. I'd need to get an articulating (3 axis) hitch to go more places. It just has a standard hitch.
Сразу видно, что делал понимающий человек. Всё что нужно в путешествии в наличии. Отличный прицеп! Образцовый!
Хорошая работа!
Спасибо за комментарии. Очень ценю.
Such a nice trailer! Glad to see that you're having fun on the bike 🙂
Thanks Brendon! Good to be out riding! On the KTM-450EXC with no bags. Lots of fun. Take care.
Great build and videos, thanks for making them! I found you by accident, and it was perfect timing as I just started ordering things for my build with my 5x12 v nose cargo trailer I have. I'll be starting next week with taking the plywood and putting insulation in. So glad I found your build, as I got a quote for the solar system early yesterday, and it was over 6k for a 3.5 kw system, which I knew I didn't need. I have the same things as you do, the 500 watt ac and the 700 watt microwave, etc. Thanks again for making this conversion - it looks great, and I can't wait to finish mine, lol! Happy travels
Thanks Theresa. Good luck with your build. Solar is pricey especially if you go with Lithium batteries. I built my battery pack and save alot doing that myself along with system installation, but there are simpler ways to do it with Bluetti and Jackery type systems that are just plug and play... but they get expensive too.
Love your trailer! You did a fantastic job on everything!
Thanks Terry!
Awesome trailer design
Thanks!
Well done! Love the desk on the back door. All great use of space!
Many thanks for the feedback.
Thanks for posting. I want to build a small CT toy hauler myself and I am trying to determine what size to get. I am stuck on a few sizes: 6x12 single axle, 6x12 tandem axle or 7x14 tandem axle. I also will sometime be hauling one dirt bike or maybe a couple of Trek E mountain bikes. I currently camp in tents but want to move up to a "camping trailer". I want to learn from what others have already figured out and this video helps.
Glad it helps. Keep in mind if you go with a single axle that you will end up with a GVWR of 3,000 lbs. You will likely exceed capacity with build out and payload. It is only a few hundred dollars more to have them put a 5,000 lb axle in and then you will have plenty of margin no matter what you can put in it. It will also com wiith trailer brakes with the heavy duty axle. Money well spent. So many people are overloaded and don't realize it. Get in an accident with overloaded trailer and your insurance company will abandon you.
I think I am going to have to be very creative in keeping the weight down. I see a lot of these with a lot more cabinets and wood construction than I want to use. I will probably use aluminum like a lot of the van buildout folks do and try to not put much in it. More minimalism. I do like the idea of the 5200 upgrade axle. Good advice. @@donsdoityourself2547
Thanks for the updates and glad to see you out and about again. I would like to see how install those tank level sensors... I don't have any. You want to visit Nebraska next spring and supervise my build? Take care and safe travels.
Thanks. Good to be back out and camping. The tank level sensors are a float type. I bought them at the length needed for the tank depth. Only 4 wires to contend with. Not that bad to install. I had a harder time with the fresh water tank because it was a half inch too long. I had to build a standoff flange to accommodate. I bought the gages from AliExpress. I'd be glad to answer any questions on your build. I'd recommend starting a thread on Tntttt.com under Cargo Trailers Conversions. You will get lots of help and ideas there. Happy Thanksgiving.
Nice work on your build, we have a 6X12 also.
Thank you. 6x12 is a good size for more remote places.
Love the idea of a window on back door great idea
Thanks!
Thanks for making this build series! I know it's not easy when to film and work on project. It gave me a lot of ideas I didn't think about before taking taking on a project like this. One question I have now that you have lived in it and got to use it. For my design I'm considering a ramp style single rear door. Do you see any issue with not having double rear doors, using a camper style roof mounted a/c unit, and putting the electronics next to the toilet wall? This would allow for a little more flexibility with what could be hauled and the rear layout in general. I was also thinking of keeping the double rear doors and still moving the a/c and electronics so I could install windows and fold down counters/storage. Let me know what you think or anyone else in the comments feel free to chime in. Thanks!
Another potential option I was thinking is a 7' wide box on a 6' axle (7' axle overall with wheels). You would still have the same axle but would have a wider box on it with wheel bump ups on the inside. This would keep your overall width the same while increasing the width for more room inside.
Hi. Glad you got some good ideas. There is no wrong way for the layout.. Whatever is going to work best for your needs. A ramp door and rooftop AC is just fine. I have built 3 trailers and the first two had ramp doors. I did the barn doors on the 6*12 primarily so I could have the equipment stack with AC and electrical on the rear and still get my dirt bike in. Good luck with your build.
Love Ocala forest. You should check out Juniper Springs there.
I like ONF too. I have camped at Juniper Springs a few times. Very nice. I think I like Alexander Springs better. You should check that out if you have not been there. It is more on the South end of the forest.
@donsdoityourself2547 do they have electric hook up at Alexander springs?
@@AdventureContinuesAgainno, there are not any hookups. There are water spickets throughout, but not at each site. If you are close to a spickets, I've seen folks put a "tee" on it and run a hose.
There is a dump station to use upon exit.
Good to see you out there. Go POTA! 73 es good hunting.
Thanks. I did not activate for POTA, but I was making alot of POTA contacts. I like being out in the woods with my radio, the noise floor is 2 S-units lower and sensitivity much better than at home base. 73s KE4EVL .
Awesome camper! In the process myself. Some really cool ideas. What size tires are you running and rim offset?
Thanks. Good luck with your build!
Nice build 👍
So running all weekend of 512AH battery, is with running the AC ?
Cheers
No, absolutely not. Can only go 10 hours or so with AC running solely off the battery bank. The weekend was just with lighting, laptop, etc. appliances like fan, fridge, and water pump, both no AC.
Hey Don,
That's another awesome trailer you have put together. Now, did you say you run the A/C on a 1500w inverter from the LiFEpo battery bank? That is impresive and you can do that with 400w on the roof. Huh.. I gotta get busy with a solar system. I just have been so busy the last couple of years but am finally getting a handle on things and hope to be acting like I retired soon. It's been 3-4 years now and I swear I have never worked so much in my life. I'm guessin you are the same way. This year I am really making an effort to plan ahead for more camping and riding time. If I don't put it on the calandar it won't happen. It's not really my style but otherwise I just keep working. Also, I'm not gettin any younger... better looking, yes, but younger no. I'll try to catch up with you on the other site soon. Take care of yourself Smith.
Thanks McDave. I trust you had a great Thanksgiving. 420W of solar with 510aH useable LiFePo4. The 1500W pure sine Inverter will run the AC at least 10 hours if battery bank fully charged and no solar input. I did that a few times overnight in truck stops already for about 7 hours with battery remaining.
In any case, yes, take it easy. I retired as soon as possible. Each day is a gift. Loving the freedom right now.
Take care. Always good to hear from you. I plan to be out to Sturgis area next summer with the 7x18 and Kingpin. Maybe can catch you at Custer State Park.
@@donsdoityourself2547 Not sure where I'll be this year yet, but I'll be there. I would love to bring the wife but she doesn't like the big rally crowds. She went to Red Lodge Iron Horse rally and liked it, so maybe.
So I watched your videos and think they are great! Short and to the point. Thanks for not explaining what stuff you have in your cabinets and drawers. You are very thorough and have your build well thought out. Because of that, I do want to know your reason for installing your insulation with foil side against the walls of your trailer. Most build videos I've seen install with the foil inside. I'd like your opinion. Thanks
David, I camp mostly in hot places since I live in Florida, so I was trying to achieve some radiant barrier effect with the furring strip stand off and resulting air gap. Given the very little dead air space, in reality, it is probably not doing anything for me. Also, given that the either the foil or plastic backing would suffice for a mositure barrier, I am okay if the aluminum skin sweats a bit on the inside when cold outside and heating inside. I friction fitted and taped up well inside to prevent any airflow from cabin, but I do not caulk along the skin and floor seam to allow some air exchange between insulation and skin. I am doing this to prevent mositure build up and potenial mold in the walls which can be a problem in Florida. It seems to work for me. I will say though, at the end of the day, there probably is no disernable difference however you place it due to very tight walls.. a radiant barrier is likely ineffective in either direction. Just my thoughts.. maybe over thinking it.
@donsdoityourself2547 thank you Don
Nice job. I want to build one too. You have a lot of the same ideas that I have (e.g, window ac unit instead of mini-split).
Are you happy with the size that you built and the single axle? What kind of gas milage are you getting vs not towing? I am torn between doing a 6x12 single vs 7x12 or 7x14 tandem.
I am happy with this size. I built it so I could go more places offroad. I also have a 7*18 Vnose I built. I use that when my wife is with me and I am not going off established roads.
I'd say get a size that will do what you need it to. Smaller is a compromise between manuverability and comfort. My 6*12 is great for me alone... but too tight for anything more IMO.
Gas mileage drops about 30% with the 6*12. With gas mileage, I have found the mileage is a function of the frontal surface area more than the weight, although that is a factor. Wind resistance makes the difference. Varies very noticeablility with a strong headwind vs a tailwind.
Good luck with your build!
What size axe and weight are you running on it ?
It's a 5000 pound axle. When fully loaded with gear and provisions, I am running 3,200 lbs.
What's the weight on this trailer, any idea?
Hi Adam, when I have it fully loaded with water, dirtbike, and etc. it is about 3,600lbs. I weighed it on the CAT scales on the way out for a road trip. I never weighed it unloaded, but I am thinking it would be in the 3,100 to 3,200 lb. range.
What was the total cost including the trailer?
Approximately $12k
@@donsdoityourself2547 ok thank you.
My Wife and I just bought one that a guy converted last year and never used due to health reasons.
Ours is a 12' single axle V nose Forest River with household fixtures and an on demand hot water heater with slide out a.c. tv and all other sorts of cool stuff.
We bought it for $10,500 and just had it inspected by the fire Marshal and all is good.
I still can't believe we got this deal.
Thank you for your video. These are made so much better than a traditional store bought camper and this is our first.
We're super freaking happy with it and I'll be camping in it tonight for the first time.
Woo Hoo!!! 🙌
@@Spinnaker617 wow.. that sounds good. Hope you have a great trip. This is my 3rd build and they usually cost about 2 times what the basic empty cargo trailer costs. I added quite a few options with heavier axle and etc. and spent some extra money on the solar power and amenities, but at the end of the day, you end up with heavy duty build. Best wishes!
@@donsdoityourself2547 Thanks man!
Great job on the build! Which company did you order the trailer from? Kindly post a link. Also, do you go off roading with it?
Hi. I bought the Anvil Trailer through trailershowroom.com. They were the middleman to Anvil. I am sure there are other dealers and etc. you could go through.
I do take it offroad, but not really bad stuff. Mostly just forest roads. I'd need to get an articulating (3 axis) hitch to go more places. It just has a standard hitch.
@@donsdoityourself2547 Thank you! I'm considering getting one.
Carbon monoxide**
I don't understand?