Build it Yourself?

[craftsman]

This family did.

Fifth Wheelin': Do-it-yourself Fifth Wheel: See how it was done

[Alumatube]

Wow! Very impressive, and VERY nice work!

But honestly, I don't see how they did it for under $10k, unless materials were donated or scavenged. You have to factor the cost of every little thing in there, from aluminum/fiberglass sheeting to appliances to mattresses to wiring to the frame, wheels and tires.

Susan

[whitelight]

Very impressive - great to see ingenuity & domestic craftmanship is still alive!


Susan is spot on - if you just add up the appliances - i.e. the airconditioner, stove, hot water heater, fridge and that big screen TV, there's about $2-3K there, if purchased new.

All that copper wiring, unless scavenged, is expensive . . . .

A multi-hull enthusiast, Charles Chiodi, wrote a book about building a 30' fiberglass catamaran for $9000 - he detailed how all of the materials for this boat were begged, borrowed, or scavenged!

[soldiermedic]

Amazing....simply amazing.


Getting a glimmer in your eye craftsman?

Steve

[craftsman]

Not me. While I admire and respect what they,ve done, it's still a big wood framed plastic box. I'd much rather referbish or restore an older Airstream.

[crazylev]

The only thing I wonder is if you going to through the trouble of building something like this from scratch, why make it look like any old SOB. Obviously money figures into this, but going smaller, but with a unique design is what I'd like to see.

Great project though. I'm still more impressed what I see here on the forums on renovations though.

Jonatthan

[GreatPumpkin]

I suspected the price did NOT include the price of the 5th wheel trailer he started with. If you go to his website, there is a link for an Excel spreadsheet with a breakdown of the costs - no trailer listed (although the total listed there is only $8,059.92 so maybe???) The fridge is not an RV type and I didn't see the stove listed in the materials.

I've never heard of Bontrager's Surplus and Tri-State Surplus but if those prices are accurate, he got some great deals!

Yes it's an SOB - but that's pretty darn cool The tagline is correct "being able to say you built it yourself - priceless!" Somebody find him a cheap, gutted airstream and lets put that talent to work!

[Minnie's Mate]

I can't get the video to load. All I get is an empty box where the movie player should be. I'll have to try on a different computer, but it sounds like he did a great job. I'd like to see it for my self.

[Rhonda]

Great work but why? How can they get that done with two small children? It's over-achievers like them that give me a bad name!

[Alumatube]

Actually it was a clever hoax. They started with a full fifth-wheel trailer, took it apart, and posted the pictures in reverse order.

Oh, the things people do to get on Jay Leno!

Susan

[3Ms75Argosy]

Ahhh... it was a hoax, really? How'd you figure it out?

I did search Tri-state surplus... nothing remotely looking like RV stuff there. The frame looked like it had some dents in the rails... I was wondering if the frame was a salvaged one.
Hmmm...

Bummer if it was a hoax. I've always wondered about making myself a bigger tandem axle trailer looking something like a Basecamp... some of those 'ol 50-60 homebuilts actually looked pretty good.
Marc

[craftsman]

Have you ever built anything? It's not a hoax. Watch the video.

[sfixx]

Originally Posted by Alumatube

...took it apart, and posted the pictures in reverse order.
...

Haha, Good one. I'm ROFL

Originally Posted by crazylev

...why make it look like any old SOB.

An aluminum 5th wheel Airstream clone would be really cool.

Steve

[Alumatube]

I was just trying to be funny... It is obviously not a hoax. They are very ingenious, talented and motivated folks!

Susan

[craftsman]

Susan, I knew you couldn't be serious but some people may have thought it was a hoax. I built a Land Rover a few years back. When I told people that I built it, most everyone would ask me 'well what did it look like before you started" it was hard for them to understand that there wasn't anything before I started. I built it using 100% new Land Rover parts from the chassis up. Actually it was a Land Rover Series 111 88" Station wagon that had been out of production for about 20 years so the only thing that I couldn't buy from Land Rover was the chassis. Another company in the U.K. was making them as replacements.

[3Ms75Argosy]

Craftsman, can you post a pic of the Range Rover? What did you use for the engine? I'd love to rebuild one of the older FJ models... maybe for the girls when they grow up?
Marc

[craftsman]

Marc, it isn't a Range Rover but the last of the true Land Rovers. You can see in the picture that it has what's called a Tropical Roof, a raised roof skin above the main roof with vents on the inside that pop open to let air in form above. also vents that open just above the dash. Original AC The color is called Limestone. A 4 cylinder diesel or petrol were the only choice until land Rover intoduced the replacement, the Defender 90, which offered a V8, The pictured is not of my actual Land Rover but it is exactly in all details what I built. All my photo's of the build are film and I've nevered bothered to scan them. When it had only 200 miles on it, my wife, son and myself drove it to Stowe Vermont ( 10 hours)to a car show called British Car Day and it took a first place. By the way all the body panels except the bulkhead( firewall) are aluminum and everything (almost) is held together using rivets.One other thing, the chassis as well as the bulkhead and the body trim as well as a lot of small parts are galvanised.