The Ultimate Monty (AKA the Cloud in my Silver Lining)

[Caliann]

It's been raining close to biblical proportions out here, so no further work has been done. However, some research has been done, so an update on that.

1. The rat seems to have abandoned ship. Not that I blame her. I don't know if the cats got her, or if she made a bee-line for the woods one night, but we haven't found her in the trailer. A bit of a pity, really. I was looking forward to Merlyn having to go a few rounds with her.

2. We found some fairly inexpensive *cypress* plywood for $80 a sheet. So, all the rot resistance of cypress, no problems with the engineering aspects.

3. I don't know about the two-person shower. I'm thinking that the queen-sized bed is going to be the marriage councelling. *grinz* With limited space such as I have, giving up the extra foot to make the shower semi-two-person (Not a gaurantee. Merlyn, as you can tell from the pictures, is a big guy.), I might have to give up the rear bedroom and do something that isn't so easy to calculate weight distribution.

Since I am wanting about a 2-3 foot bathtub in there (maybe with jacuzzi jets? How much power would it pull?), perhaps it will be big enough for a Merlyn and a Caliann on its own. If not, well, that is why the Good Lord created bedrooms for the legally marital cleaving. *chuckles*

Okay, I am off to class. More ideas to be thrown around on here later.

Peace,
Caliann

[fastrob]

For designing carrying capacity there are engineer types online. I think like a chemist.

Using an Airstream for a hot tub room and lounge is a cool idea.

One way to think of it is the length of the moment arm (length of frame from axle to the weight) times mass equals torque. The frame size and condition indicates capacity (also on gross weight tag which should be near front).
If your trailer is not rolling, bouncing down the road with full tanks near the rear bumper and there are stabilizing jacks to steady your rig, why not do what you want? Water is 8 lbs per gallon. If you are in a fixed unit there is no need for tanks, just a water supply and a sewer connection. A calculation of tub weight plus the weight of water and people is a+b+c=.
Cyprus plywood sounds great. Is it heavy?
R

[Caliann]

Originally Posted by fastrob

. If you are in a fixed unit there is no need for tanks, just a water supply and a sewer connection. A calculation of tub weight plus the weight of water and people is a+b+c=.
Cyprus plywood sounds great. Is it heavy?
R

It's not rolling down the road *now*, but we do want it capable of rolling down the road fairly easily. While it *will* be parked most of the time, it will also have moments of mobility. If I decide to spend Spring Break in the White Mountians, I don't want to have to worry about slinging the A.S. off of a steep drop-off because it is badly ill-balanced.

The cypress plywood is a bit heavier than pine, and no-where near as heavy as hardwood. We are seriously considering getting the plywood with a cabinet-grade veneer, then just finishing it and polyurethaning it....thereby having the original idea of not putting more wood on top of wood.

In that, I would be saving the extra weight of carpet or wood floors on top of the sub-floor.

I am trying to keep it fairly well balanced out. With some of the new materials i am using, I should come out *lighter* than the original at the end of it all. Maybe only by a half a pound, but lighter nonetheless.

Peace,
Caliann

[JimGolden]

I might have missed this...but what are you towing it with?

If you've got a 300+hp turbo diesel pickup, you could add 5000lbs to its weight and still be OK. So,if you're going to net about the same as original, go for it!

Sounds like you're basically wanting a "park" model, but will be on the road somewhat. So probably want to go with approximately OEM size fresh, gray, and black tanks. If it didn't have one of them, no reason you cannot add them now.

If you need to beef the frame up some, you're doing the full monty plus so now is the time.

I'd advise you do what you need to (i.e. remove belly pan) to inspect the entire frame. If it's in pretty good shape, then maybe just add some doublers and call it good. If it's really rotted out, then its time to evaluate making a whole new one. I thought I recalled reading in an earlier post, however, that your frame is in pretty good shape. If so, I'd beef it up a little and then proceed in the manner you've described.

As for me, a new frame is in my future. I'm fairly successfully making the transition in my welding class (that I'm taking for the basic purpose of rebuilding the aluminum tube) from 6013 "novice" rod (of which I could make beautiful beads) to 6010 rod (deeper penetrating, not forgiving very much). However, I attempted 7018 rod for the first time tonight and was abysmally inadequate with it But, I'm working on it. My Monster-Stream "MonStream" creation will take life in a few months, once I've acquired the power to fuse steel. I'm almost there

Remember what Conan's father taught him about the riddle of steel

[Caliann]

Originally Posted by JimGolden

I might have missed this...but what are you towing it with?

If you've got a 300+hp turbo diesel pickup, you could add 5000lbs to its weight and still be OK. So,if you're going to net about the same as original, go for it!

*grinz* Right now, nothing. Think my 750 Virago would tug it? Truthfully, we're going to look at tow vehicles AFTER we've re-built it. I don't think the old farm truck (a late 70's Toyota) is going to do it.

We will be going for deisal, as I am a big fan of bio-diesal.

Originally Posted by JimGolden

Sounds like you're basically wanting a "park" model, but will be on the road somewhat. So probably want to go with approximately OEM size fresh, gray, and black tanks. If it didn't have one of them, no reason you cannot add them now.

*chuckles* That is part of the plan. Also some creative plumbing so the toilet feeds from the gray-water tank. If I am going to have everything off *anyway*, might as well make the changes I want to make, right?

Originally Posted by JimGolden

If you need to beef the frame up some, you're doing the full monty plus so now is the time.

I'd advise you do what you need to (i.e. remove belly pan) to inspect the entire frame. If it's in pretty good shape, then maybe just add some doublers and call it good. If it's really rotted out, then its time to evaluate making a whole new one. I thought I recalled reading in an earlier post, however, that your frame is in pretty good shape. If so, I'd beef it up a little and then proceed in the manner you've described.

We haven't fully ripped out the floor yet, but what frame is visible appears to be in decent condition. The thin braces for the floor are flimsy and will need help...but they were flimsy to begin with.

If the frame is rusted out, I am going to part the whole thing out. Everyone needs to draw the line somewhere, and for me, having to replace the frame is it.

However, we will be beefing it up some...that's a given. Althou I am pleasantly suprised with how straight it still is, considering the rear bath. We will be dropping the belly-pan also. That is a given to clean out some of the old pink stuff.

Originally Posted by JimGolden

As for me, a new frame is in my future. I'm fairly successfully making the transition in my welding class (that I'm taking for the basic purpose of rebuilding the aluminum tube) from 6013 "novice" rod (of which I could make beautiful beads) to 6010 rod (deeper penetrating, not forgiving very much). However, I attempted 7018 rod for the first time tonight and was abysmally inadequate with it But, I'm working on it. My Monster-Stream "MonStream" creation will take life in a few months, once I've acquired the power to fuse steel. I'm almost there

Remember what Conan's father taught him about the riddle of steel

*chuckles* Metal is Merlyn's realm. Any welding, bending or folding of the stuff is his job and his job exclusively. My baliwick is the wood. I think he has it easy; once he beefs up the frame and runs the new propane lines, he is pretty much done. The plumbing and the wood are my domain...and there is a lot more of it. He *may* decide to do the plumbing though.

Although I think that since aluminium IS metal, HE gets to do the polishing on the shell.

Now that the rain has stopped (and before the floor is torn up) I need to get out there and to extensive measuring so i can design the interior and have a propane line and plumbing scematic done.

Peace,
Caliann

[Caliann]

The frame is good! Oh, man, are we in trouble now! *chuckles*

We finally got a spate of good weather, although the driveway is still underwater, and Merlyn got the floor up and has gotten about half of the inner skins removed.

The frame is in excellent shape. It appears that the floor was replaced before and the pink stuff removed. There was foam insulation blown under the floor which, I am assuming, did not gather water as much as pink insulation would, and therefore the frame is not rusted.

Which means, of course, that we get to rebuild. That is frightening.

Peace,
Caliann

[Fyrzowt]

Good luck, and stay with it! It's been interesting reading following your progress.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by Caliann

**** Perhaps I could submerge it in a industrial tank of peroxide?

Peace,
Caliann
*who wonders how much 20,000 gallons of peroxide will run her?*

Umm, you know that hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is highly unstable, and explosive, and has been used as missile fuel?
And yes, I also know entirely too much about chemicals for my own good...

[Caliann]

Originally Posted by overlander63

Umm, you know that hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is highly unstable, and explosive, and has been used as missile fuel?
And yes, I also know entirely too much about chemicals for my own good...

*grinz* Yep. Hhhhmmmm....an addition of catylase will either bleach it to within an inch of its life......or pressure blow it to bits.

Or.....just add something flammable....as H2O2 is one heck of an oxidizer.

Peace,
Caliann

[Caliann]

Originally Posted by Fyrzowt

Good luck, and stay with it! It's been interesting reading following your progress.

We're moving, albeit slowly. It is rainy season in Texas right now.

Once it hardens up to true winter, we'll be able to get more done. Sloshing to the trailer is a bit more than we want to do most days, unfortunately, but we cannot really complain about the rain as we *need* it so badly.

Peace,
Caliann

[Frank's Trailer Works]

Are ya'll still working on it down there in God's country? I have been reading a lot of threads to glean a linear plan to progress. I am trying to learn as much about what others have done to restore/ remodel/ rehab their trailers. I want to have a good game plan before I start ours (that and the fact that I promised my wife that I would totally finish the addition to our house that has been going on for a year and a half now before I do anything,ANYTHING, to Anna). I was curious about the floors... did you use that cypress plywood? I am a cabinet/ furniture maker and my supplier hasn't heard of it. Is the core cypress or just the veneer face? If you plan to use it as finished floor you need to use the bionic floor finish that is used in the space station and shuttle. The veneer layer in plywood is generally less than 1/32 of an inch and it will be easy to rip through it with any sharp object. If someone drops a screw (the little ones are the worst) and you step on it, it will be immortalizes in the floor as a perfect impression, and the best part is you will see the core inside. Another issue with using the plywood as a finished floor is the seam between sheets... you would need to create a tongue on some edges and a groove on the corresponding edge to mate them up. Where you place your seam will be dictated by the frame location so that might not be the most aesthetically pleasing. A sheet is 4 x 8, and you will loose a bit when you tongue and groove. If you do all that... you may also want to have a cabinet shop cut out the sheets for you. They will have a panel saw that will cut things very accurate.... plywood is never square and the joints will need to be perfect because you will be looking at them all the time. If the line varies your eye will be drawn right to it. One last thing about cypress... it does not rot for a long time and termites (texas state insect and sometime bird) do not like to eat it, however, carpenter ants have a special fondness for it. The love to tunnel on in and set up an empire. I'll shut up now. The best of luck with all of it... eat some brisket for me please. I sure miss the barbecue.
PS I don't know if it is just my computer, but all your thumbnails show up as blue boxes with question marks inside.