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uwe · 03-11-2006, 07:33 AM

Here 2 pictures of the bed in it's 2 positions, lounge and sleep.
I love the feel of the latex foam. I can't wait to sleep onit and see how it feels during our Baja Excursion next week.

flyfshr · 03-11-2006, 07:35 AM

OK, we've seen the bed. Where's this fancy stereo unit?

Brad
FF

uwe · 03-11-2006, 07:37 AM

The ( hopefully) last of the stainless pieces that I had to fabricate. One is the window frame for the galley, the other were the 2 panels for the refrigerator.
Well, there might be more stainless in my future. I am thinking of doing a shower surround. Need better tools for this, though.

uwe · 03-11-2006, 07:40 AM

Didi and I will be deciding on the front layout next week during our trip. I am leaning towards a combo goucho/dinette solution, that also makes a bed. In the meantime, here's the Martini lounge.

uwe · 03-11-2006, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyfshr

OK, we've seen the bed. Where's this fancy stereo unit?

Brad
FF

Brad,

No pictures yet of the audio stuff. If I have time, I will take some today and post them. Right now it's just a wild mess of wires and stuff all over the place. It needs some fine tuning and installing. I will have to modify the lower cabinet door with an opening for the subwoofer's output port. A 4in hole with a speaker cloth over it should be fine.

uwe · 03-11-2006, 07:50 AM

I found these neat little wall fixtures online. They use the large light bulbs with the medium screw base, similar to a household bulb, but in 12V/20W. They are also available in lower wattage models. The 20W are almost too bright. 10W might be better, or a dimmer, perhaps.
I think they look nice, and somewhat period correct, even though that's not my main concern. The lamp can be seen in a post below, prior to installation, next to the refrigerator.

jcferguson · 03-11-2006, 08:46 AM

It all looks great Uwe!

I like the switch panel over the door - I'm putting mine there too.

A-Merry-Can · 03-20-2006, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uwe

Here 2 pictures of the bed in it's 2 positions, lounge and sleep.
I love the feel of the latex foam. I can't wait to sleep onit and see how it feels during our Baja Excursion next week.

hey uwe,

i'm trying to do something similar to what you ahve for your bed in my trade wind as well. the original was a 3 piece cushion setup, but 2 pieces seems to be more practical. how wide did you make your cushions (bottom, back and total). can you still get to the bath with it down? the cabinet doors in my tradewind are split in the middle, so you can still open them with the bed down. quite cool!

jp

uwe · 03-20-2006, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A-Merry-Can

hey uwe,

i'm trying to do something similar to what you ahve for your bed in my trade wind as well. the original was a 3 piece cushion setup, but 2 pieces seems to be more practical. how wide did you make your cushions (bottom, back and total). can you still get to the bath with it down? the cabinet doors in my tradewind are split in the middle, so you can still open them with the bed down. quite cool!

jp

Jordan,
Keep in mind that I built from scratch, so the bed size and closet doors etc. was calculated before the cabinetry was built.
There is plenty room to go to the rear past the bed when it is pulled out, but the hanging closet doors only open about just under a half swing. Enough to get a robe or sweater out.

The bed is 52in x 76in, with a cut at 38in, I think. I already forgot the measurements..too much fun in Baja yesterday.
The bed is very comfortable to sleep on, and actually quite cozy to lounge around on when it is pushed in. A grat place to curl up with a book and read, or watch movies etc.
The 2-piece setup works out very well for me, as it makes a great headrest in the up position, and is not noticeable when pulled out.

uwe · 03-21-2006, 09:22 AM

My wife and I spent a week in Mexico in the Overlander, on it's second maiden voyage. The first one was in August last year, to Pismo Beach, to test the running gear and electrics etc. I am happy to report that aside from a few nagging plumbing leaks, we are both very very pleased with the liveability of the Overlander. Here's a few thoughts:

Towing - Have not had the trailer weighed, but it seems to tow with less effort than my 71 TradeWind did. Less strain on the hills, and tows very smoothly. A relaxing, easy to tow trailer, even on marginal roads such as the ones in Los Angeles and Mexico.....

Brakes - Excellent brakes, no fade. The Dexter disc setup works very well for me, and the axles give a great ride. Nothing fell down, broke, or dislocated during the trip. The drawers did open, but only partially, and there's nothing yet to keep them secured while driving.

Lights - We really like our light layout. There is much flexibility to light a certain area and save on battery power. We have 18 recessed lights, on 8 switch circuits, and 3 surface mounted lights on 3 switches. It makes for a nice ambiance at night, but also allows using the light where you need it only.

Tanks, drains etc. - plentyful, I will say. Our 50+ gal fresh and 55+gal grey might last us 2 weeks if we're conservative. We were not during this trip, since we knew it's only 3-4 days off the grid. Drains etc. all worked great, I just need to chase some minor drips under the sink strainers, where the plastic drain meets the metal strainer threads. I suspect casting marks in the plastic causing the seeping.
I will make a stainless or aluminum deflector/protector for teh dump valve assembly. It cought a lot of road dirt, it seems. There was a layer of sand on the assembly, even after I got home. Black tank capacity is also plenti to match teh other two.

Water lines - Pex and flair it is great stuff. No leaks anywhere on the pex stuff, but some seeping where the flair-it stuff meets the metal. Needs more teflon tape than what I am used to.
Need to still install drain petcocks front and rear to drain the water lines.
I need to install a check valve to the cold water inlet, preventing hot to back flow into the system. Had hot water through the cold faucet for a while, and no - no lines are crossed. Pex rocks!

Bath - nice to have a hot shower on a Baja beach. the bath works great!

Bed - our new latex/foam sandwich mattress is excellent. A very comfortable bed for two in 52in wide by 76in long. During the day, a nice place to hang out and read, or listen to music etc.

Galley - worked out great. We cooked every day, 2-3 meals. the refrigerator is excellent, no problems whatsoever. Needs a heat shield or exhaust hood over the stove. Not for odors, but the bottom of the overhead gets too hot.

Front - we decided we want a combo goucho/dinette setup. Right now there's just 2 chairs.

Music - everybody loved the Bose Acoustimass 3 with the car stereo amp and i-pod. Sounds really good, and is very compact.

Flooring - stands up well so far. We must have swept 3/4 ton of beach sand out of it, but there's not even a mark on the finish.

Hitch - not too pleased with setup yet. Need more time to form an opinion.
( Reese dual cam HP, with 1000lb round bars)

Electrical - so far so good. The 2 batteries do not seem to fatique easily. I need to sort out a few 12V problems, one dead short, and one lost contact somewhere. good thing I went overkill on running circuits. I have spares and backups almost everywhere, in large wire gauge ( 10 and 12)

ankornuta · 03-21-2006, 04:46 PM

Wow, congrats! I bet it's great to see your designs working out in real life! All that hard work is paying off

pinkflamingoes · 03-21-2006, 10:33 PM

Great observations. We're taking the big water tank advice very very seriously...what is the advantage to a big grey tank? Fresh I can see, but...educate me.

uwe · 03-21-2006, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pinkflamingoes

Great observations. We're taking the big water tank advice very very seriously...what is the advantage to a big grey tank? Fresh I can see, but...educate me.

Hello Ingrid,

Fresh water must go somewhere once it has been made to grey water.
So, if you have huge fresh capacity, it's a good idea to have increased grey and black to fully appreciate the advantage. Most places do not allow you to drain grey water to the ground, so it must be contained in a tank of sorts.

uwe · 03-25-2006, 09:20 AM

I tried 3 styles of door gaskets that are supposed to be original to the 1963 trailers, and only one of them worked.
Here's what I tried:
http://www.vintagetrailersupply.com/...Code=VTS%2D286
and this:
http://www.inlandrv.com/parts/45313.jpg
and this, which actually worked well:
http://www.inlandrv.com/parts/005s-gasket.jpg

Installing the other 2 made the door impossible to close.
Inland's 45313 worked somewhat for the vent door in the door.

I ruined many feet of door gasket materials, and a whole tube of 3m adhesive before finding that the 70's window gasket material is the way to go. It is flexible enough to close the door against, even when installing it on both the door and the door frame.

**azflycaster** · 03-25-2006, 09:31 AM

Is that 45295 (Inland) for the 70's windows? If so, good price. Is that what your TW had for the window seals?

uwe · 03-25-2006, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by azflycaster

Is that 45295 (Inland) for the 70's windows? If so, good price. Is that what your TW had for the window seals?

Yep. Windows and door, as well as compartment doors. That was smart back then, same gasket for all moving parts of the body.

jcferguson · 03-25-2006, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uwe

I tried 3 styles of door gaskets that are supposed to be original to the 1963 trailers, and only one of them worked.
Here's what I tried:
http://www.vintagetrailersupply.com/...Code=VTS%2D286
and this:
http://www.inlandrv.com/parts/45313.jpg
and this, which actually worked well:
http://www.inlandrv.com/parts/005s-gasket.jpg

Installing the other 2 made the door impossible to close.
Inland's 45313 worked somewhat for the vent door in the door.

I ruined many feet of door gasket materials, and a whole tube of 3m adhesive before finding that the 70's window gasket material is the way to go. It is flexible enough to close the door against, even when installing it on both the door and the door frame.

Yeah! I have been waiting for you to solve this one! Good work, good information. We need a wiki for all this specific information, don't you think? I have been thinking about that for a while. Maybe when I get done I can set one up.

uwe · 03-25-2006, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcferguson

Yeah! I have been waiting for you to solve this one! Good work, good information. We need a wiki for all this specific information, don't you think? I have been thinking about that for a while. Maybe when I get done I can set one up.

OK, what's a wiki? Should I know this?

It is difficult to say what goes where and how well it fits. The early trailers had many variations, not only between styles, but also CA vs OH. Why else would both vendors sell a gasket for a specific application that isn't even close to what would work on it.
I can send you a snip of the gasket stuff, so you can see what works for yours, but even that is deceiving and wicked, because unless you do the whole run, you won't know if the door closes or not. Some evil dynamics there.

uwe · 03-25-2006, 02:01 PM

I just remembered one of my brilliant ideas that did not work well at all...
I bought all these neat 12V lamps with 10w halogen bulbs to put inside the cabinetry. My plan was to install micro switches to the face frames to automate the cabinet lighting. I did 3 cabinets, one overhead and 2 of the galley cabinets on the curb side. Well, it does not work as slick and elegant as I imagined. Trailer flex and sloppy cabinetry would change the microswitches adjustment just enough to either keep the light on all the time, or continually whack the tiny switch dude out of adjustment. So now I am thinking of either abandoning the idea in favor of manual switches, or doing something extra crude with 12V to the hinges etc.etc. to make the lights come on when the doors are opened.
Of course there's always motion sensors and infrared beams....

uwe · 03-25-2006, 02:09 PM

Went and got a mac mini last night to possibly use in the trailer as an entertainment hub. It can play high quality DVD, has wifi, and i-tunes. What else can a guy want, right? Ok, it's also a full featured computer that could theoretically run my entire business.
Well, the power supply is rated at 120W output, which is way high to use in the trailer on batteries. That translates in to 10amps draw, which can deplete a battery right quick. Add to that the draw of the power amp ( 2 amps at low volumes) and the display ( ???amps). So, now I am not sure it is going to make sense to put it in the trailer. I do want the system to function the same everywhere, hooked up or off the grid. This might not be the right solution after all. It sure is a nice package, though. I am going to do more research on the power requirements before making a final decision.
I do knw that my ipod with teh car audio amp and teh bose speakers worked great for several days without any appreciable loss in battery charge. Maybe that's the way to stay for now.