If you want to do this properly, give me a call and we'll discuss. You're right on with the tongue mount and genny box, but I'd recommend having a second look at what you have going on for electrical currently inside.
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If you want to do this properly, give me a call and we'll discuss. You're right on with the tongue mount and genny box, but I'd recommend having a second look at what you have going on for electrical currently inside.
Dusting off the trailer and getting some 'features' added for the trip across country and season ahead.
- Replace old dead house battery with a honking Odyssey Group 31. 100 AH. Redo some sketchy wiring for fan and lights on the inside.
- Build generator box in tongue of trailer. The target use case I asked him to build for is to show up, park, start generator in tongue of trailer and have full power. No dicking around with unwinding cord reels, walking generator far away etc. And packing up should be just as easy - shut off generator, lock box and off I go. My buddy is building this to have two layers of sound deadening including a layer of dynamat on the inside, hot air vent, fans, and exhaust that will be routed to top of trailer. Generator box is to be wired full time to trailer, and power is routed through to the AC-DC distribution box that bubba turned me onto earlier. We will have retractable cord reels in the generator box that I can just drag to power stuff on outside.
- Install lights on outside. We had a light bar laying around from lighting project on the truck, so I asked him to mount it on the outside. In case I need to wrench pitside at night, there should be enough light.
- Brakes check, rust proofing etc.
- Setup for 3rd bike down the middle.
Will post pics when it's done but here's a few WIP pics.
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My buddy Ozzy just got a toy hauler. Anybody know where we can get those bunker beds from? Thanks
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How is the generator going to be concealed so it won't be stolen?
Been doing a ton of work on the trailer this season and wanted to post up an update to this build thread.
Finished the "generator box" - the hardest thing was engineering the right airflow to ensure the generator doesn't overheat while running inside with lid closed.
- Originally started with tiny CPU fans powered by generator itself via the DC port. Decided air flow wasn't nearly enough.
- I eventually landed on two 65 cfm 4 inch fans - one sucking air in from outside, and one exhausting hot air into an air vent. This hot air is just warm air from the air cooled motor, not exhaust air. Both fans powered by the generator itself.
- The generator's exhaust itself is sealed and routed via copper pipe to vent above the trailer roof with a lawn mower silencer on the end.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Qp...Ynzxm_Kw=w2400
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I have tested this by running generator for around 2-2.5 hours in about 95 degrees ambient temp and taking temp readings of the generator and inside of box. Seems to hold up. However, this whole thing may become moot since I picked up a Honda EU7000is. More on that later.
After the first two track days down here, I quickly realized my portable AC setup isn't going to be nearly sufficient. So I decided to bite the bullet and get a roof AC installed. I got a Dometic Brisk Air II 15000 BTU installed with a ductless air distribution box. I also plan to run my portable AC simultaneously for a total of 29000 BTU of cooling. Take that Texas. I am hoping that the two ACs can buffer each other while one compressor is cycling keeping the inside at least 30 degrees cooler than outside - that's my goal anyway. Clearly, this quickly escalated from a power source perspective, so I bit the bullet again and bought a Honda EU7000is.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QJ...BRLxqLYc=w2400
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My shore power wiring is only good for 15-20 amps, so I'd have to run the second AC directly to the generator. The EU7000 should have plenty of juice to power both ACs, microwave, fan, light, Keurig etc. It runs whisper quiet. Eerily quiet. With eco throttle on, its like standing next to a car, can hardly hear it. With eco off and on full load, it's as loud as my EU2000i with eco throttle on. Fuel injected, electric start. A marvel of engineering this thing, and everything that's great about Honda's prowess in the small motor space.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/H-...onO0tT5c=w2400
I also installed my Odyssey house battery back in the trailer, with quick disconnects. This powers my lights and fan, and hooked up to a 2500W inverter, it also powers a battery tender that tenders the bikes and electric pit bike that are always in the trailer. It recharges when shore power is available.
You insulated, no reason that roof AC won't have enough cooling capacity unless you like leaving the ramp down all day, even then it'll still be making a cold spot.
I think I have some insulation, however Duncan may know more since he had a couple of my panels apart while doing my shore power wiring. I am looking into some metal warehouse insulation as well - the kind that goes inside the trailer.
Also keep in mind I'm in Texas. Temps are close to 110 here, with "heat index" ('feels like') even higher. :D
Tell me more about your AC. How big is your trailer? How easy was install? In addition to the unit, what additional did you have to buy and did you have to reinforce your roof?
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15000 BTU unit with a ductless ADB. I already had a 14x14 roof vent fan so didn't have to cut a fresh hole. Roof did not need any re-inforcing. Trailer is a 7x14.
I could have probably figured out the install, but since I'm in a time crunch (taking a trip to Big Bend next week and using the trailer as our camper/RV) I paid retail price to purchase it from my local RV shop and for them to do the install and wiring ($1k). Online, best price I saw was about $550 for the AC and the ADB just FYI.
Hey Eddie - not sure if Ozzy is still looking, but here's an off-the-shelf option: LINK. Check out the rest of the site too...some really neat trailer candy. That said: can be done cheaper like xxaarraa did.
I recently also coated my roof with "elastometric" coating. $25 and about an hour to do two coats. Figured it was worth whatever little help. It's on my list to look into metal warehouse insulation - precut panels you just stick on the inside of your trailer's roof. I can't seem to find a consumer-quantity supplier but need to do a bit more digging.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7k...0Ehwreoo=w2400
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Oc...c8tgQVx8=w2400
Looking good, bud. That said, I think you've crossed the trailer build vs small toyhauler threshold, particularly if you factor in that new generator purchase.
That's a badass trailer.
Thanks Duncan. Yeah the Honda generators are pricey but I chalk them down as an investment. They'll last a whole generation and bring a smile to my face every time I use them.
I did consider the toy hauler route briefly. But the math doesn't work for me. Well setup toy haulers are big money and I love the versatility of a simple cargo trailer. Just this weekend I used it to haul a bunch of crap moving someone. Next weekend it'll be an RV/camper and the weekend after, a motorcycle hauler for trackdays. Including everything I've done to it plus the cost of the trailer itself I'm still under $10k (not counting the generator) which is very reasonable for the value.
Update on the roof ac. I've now run it for 6-7 hours and it consistently gets me 25-26 degrees below outside temperature. I did perform a small hack on the thermostat and adjusted the set screw to allow the compressor to cool more than it does out of the box. It cools FAST - Gets the 25 degree drop in under 90 minutes even starting the AC well after trailer is super hot and outside temperature is over 100. At Max fan speed, it is a bit loud inside but super quiet on the outside, you can hardly hear it standing next to the trailer.
Next project is adding roof insulation with a radiant barrier. I'm ultimately shooting for 30-35 degrees below outside temperature and think that's doable. Will post an update next weekend.
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35 degrees below outside? It's not a fridge bruh LOL. I guess in Texas you need it though.
Update on my AC situation. I went ahead and insulated the roof with Reflectix, and created a 3/4 inch radiant barrier. Was out camping in Palo Duro canyon last weekend and tested the AC extensively - ran it for like 48 hours straight. In the middle of the day on Day 1, the inside temp was consistently 69-70 and outside temp was high 90s. On Day 2 after the AC had already been running all night, the inside temp was 62-63, which tells me the Reflectix insulation inside is doing its job (keeping the cool air in and hot air out). Also, at night, the inside temp was 58-59 on low setting!
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How did you attach the strips to the ceiling? Did you poke through the top?
Probably screwed into the cross braces. That's what I did. On my trailer they are 1 1/2" with the aluminum skin rolled across the top. I filled the cavities with foam sheets and then put sheets of melamine on the inside to finished. I then put 1x2 strips on each cross bar to keep the melamine from sagging. It also let me relocate the aluminum crown molding / cable tray down 3/4". This lets the LED strips I layed in the trays to light up the trailer.
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Ah, makes sense. Thanks!
Nothing that sophisticated. I simply used #8 x 1.25 Tek screws (self-tapping) to screw them on to the ceiling. The wooden strips are 3/4 inch so the screw extends half inch into the ceiling and I confirmed they do not poke through the exterior roof.
The Reflectix foil is very lightweight and does not need a lot of structural support. The wooden strips are purely to create the radiant barrier to trap hot air.