Cargo Trailer Conversion - I hope

[overlandsiberia]

^^^The Harbor Freight trailer has a lot of short comings. We have had several but usually had to repack the bearings immediately as the factory doesn’t put much grease on the bearings and got about 3,000 miles out of tires. We generally switched to larger wheels and fenders with regular vehicle tires but then had to reinforce the tongue while welding all the bolted together joints. Eventually there wasn’t much of the Harbor Freight trailer left as I modified a boat trailer axle to fit and replaced the original axle. The next trailer I built myself but it ended up costing about $800 and weighing about twice what the Harbor Freight trailer did. The Harbor Freight trailer is light, worked and never gave us any problems while traveling. My camper box weighed about 800 lbs. but had too much frontal area which made it hard to tow with my little 4 cylinder Tacoma. It was 7’wide by 6’ tall and 7’ long so way too big for the trailer but it worked below 60 MPH. It is now 11’ long and mounted on the front of my 24’ flatbed trailer. The Harbor Freight trailer got cut down and now hauls 2 55 gallon barrels for my fresh and black water. There is a whole section on Harbor Freight trailers and foamies at tnttt.com but building doesn’t require anything heavy like 2”x 4” construction lumber if using Poor Man’s Fiberglass inside and out. Paul Elkins Burning Man foam structure taped together holds his weight when he gets on top to get a better view! lol!!!

It seems like you were loading Tacoma roughly to 2/3 of towing capacity.
I'd say that getting closer to max capacity one can expect noticeably less power, max load is really the max safe load to get from point A to point B, not the optimal driving load. In any case, 55mph is usually officially recommended safe towing speed for most trailers. In real life I would not tow at more than 60mph, 65mph only in some situations on better quality roads, for safety reasons alone, vehicle strain is another thing.

For constant towing (rather than occasional from point A to point B hauls), such as full-timing with the trailer and moving frequently, in the mountains, going to multiple states, I personally would want to stay under 2/3 of towing capacity especially on long interstate drives, for the sake of tow vehicle. So if I get tandem axle 2K lbs cargo trailer + put max 2K lbs load on it, I'd want a truck capable of towing at least 6K, I think.
Then I'd want a cargo trailer that's not the perfectly rectangular but more aerodynamic such as rounded corners or V-shape nose, this should be helping not only with gas mileage but also with reducing strain on the tow vehicle. I'd make sure to go slow on the uphills and use downhills to gain speed for the next uphill portion.
I initially thought of getting a smaller size van (so that I could get non-commercial insurance) and towing cargo trailer with the van but my understanding vans are just worse at towing, even when they have same towing capacity as trucks.

 

[Malamute]

FWIW, Ive spent fairly extensive time living out of the back of my trucks in the past with camper shells of various types and a couple years off and on in a 79 Winnebago. No insulation means they get very hot very fast and very cold very fast. Ive had some condensation and frost inside on parts of metal framework, some only covered with wood paneling over the metal, but not had any real issues because of it. Id never consider trying to spend any time in a cargo trailer or pickup shell with no insulation.

 

[overlandsiberia]

3M has a new contact spray adhesive Super 94 that is certified for safe use in schools around chemically sensitive children. It has very minimal odors and off gassing. I do not think it is yet available in stores but it can be ordered from Amazon. It has a great advantage of 60 minutes of open time and can be repositioned after contact for up to 15 minutes. As with any spray you should wear a properly fit, cartridge respirator while applying the adhesive.

If you are in a warm sunny area the heat buildup inside a metal cargo trailer will quickly bake off-gassing chemicals out of materials used in a build interior. That is a huge advantage for chemically sensitive individuals. It is not the same kind of environment as a house situation. It is basically a very large oven when it comes to rapidly baking out the VOCs and other things that bother chemically sensitive individuals.

I can not and would not use glue sprays, don't want to be around this stuff, whatever they certify, they lie, lie and lie. I have lost everything because of these chemicals disabling me and won't touch them.
I might use that stuff outside when dressed in a space suit and asbestos respirator but I would not live in a glue box, I am getting rid of my otherwise awesome RV because it has glue in it.
I will pay extra bucks to get aluminum trailer without wood with glue stuff in it too, can't be around plywood or osb either.
I don't want to tear things off walls either when I sell all this stuff a year later.
I do not have time to off gass stuff also.
I will just tape the insulation. Just trying to decide if use thinsulate of something else, like wool plus other stuff, or bubble wrap type with aluminum.

 

[overlandsiberia]

FWIW, Ive spent fairly extensive time living out of the back of my trucks in the past with camper shells of various types and a couple years off and on in a 79 Winnebago. No insulation means they get very hot very fast and very cold very fast. Ive had some condensation and frost inside on parts of metal framework, some only covered with wood paneling over the metal, but not had any real issues because of it. Id never consider trying to spend any time in a cargo trailer or pickup shell with no insulation.

I had lived out of my tent in summers for a few years....no insulation LOL.
Where it's warm I spend most time under the big canopy I setup outside, unless I got tree shade.
But yeah I want to insulate, probably with thinsulate, should be the easiest to tape on walls/ceiling, but I will hang blackout type fabric curtains around the peirmeter over the insulation for a nicer look and more insulating effect.
I'm going no - build.
No build means no build, not a single permanently attached thing.

 

[overlandsiberia]

I'm thinking what to do for the floor insulation and floor cover that would be temporary for no-build and no offgassing chemical stuff. Probably foam boards lightly secured and cover them up with floating "dance floors". One time I had folding dance floor for travel made of real coated wood and there was zero smell from it. But I see that now they also sell rolls of flexible dance floors (the same company that sells diesel heaters, Vevor, actually)

 

[maki2]

I understand your need to be chemical and adhesive free. But you really do not understand the construction methods used to create cargo trailers if you are expecting them to be totally free of adhesives. You have jumped into some very unfounded assumptions about cargo trailer manufacturing methods. They do use adhesives in the construction. You know those nice smooth skin panels on the outside? How do you think they stay stuck on the interior framing? Some of them are adhered with VHB tape but VHB tape is an adhesive tape. Meaning it is made with adhesives applied onto the carrier surface of the tape. Caulking materials get used as well. A lot of times the floor that is put onto the frame is OSB rather than plywood. Both plywood and OSB are made using adhesives. Because Cargo trailers are not intended to be occupied they are not going to be using the more expensive types of plywood used in housing that have minimal off-gassing as that would increase the cost of manufacturing.

 

[RonDean]

Yes, manufacturers will lie when it helps their bottom line. But, I also agree entirely with maki2. I will acknowledge that I do not have any known chemical sensitivities. Genetics, built up immunities, or just not assuming that is the problem, I don't know why. But I have known enough people that say they are sensitive and I have certain smells / odors I just don't like to understand we are all different. That said, to totally avoid chemicals in today's world is probably going to take far more effort or sacrifice than most people are capable of. In this case, go ahead and use your preferred materials and connect them with mechanical means, but you would regret skipping on insulation in a metal box you plan on spending any amount of time in.

 

[VanFan]

How are you with magnets? Probably not good for insulation, but maybe useful otherwise?

Personally, I find some tapes to be more bothersome than other adhesives that have cured, but I am perhaps unusually sensitive to both.

 

[overlandsiberia]

I understand your need to be chemical and adhesive free. But you really do not understand the construction methods used to create cargo trailers if you are expecting them to be totally free of adhesives. You have jumped into some very unfounded assumptions about cargo trailer manufacturing methods. They do use adhesives in the construction. You know those nice smooth skin panels on the outside? How do you think they stay stuck on the interior framing? Some of them are adhered with VHB tape but VHB tape is an adhesive tape. Meaning it is made with adhesives applied onto the carrier surface of the tape. Caulking materials get used as well. A lot of times the floor that is put onto the frame is OSB rather than plywood. Both plywood and OSB are made using adhesives. Because Cargo trailers are not intended to be occupied they are not going to be using the more expensive types of plywood used in housing that have minimal off-gassing as that would increase the cost of manufacturing.

Actually, no, it's your assumptions about me that are unfounded so please hold them to yourself, no need to insult my intelligence and my disability.
Got to "love" those people who disregard and diminish our health conditions all the time, I can ssure you I'm very familiar with that throughout my life time and that's why I live outside your "society" since very long time ago.

I'm educated person with engineering degree from well known school and 50 years old, so I can figure things out and use internet. I found more than one place where I can order all aluminum trailers or all steel. No need for OSB or ply offgassing poisons, not in my trailer!
A tiny bit of some caulking or glue on the few strategic spots is not the same that horrendous formaldehyde or even new wood VOC fumes from OSB!
They build cargo trailers in ALL steel and ALL aluminum, without any of that manufactured wood junk, they just use different construction techniques!
So please don't spread misinformation.

You are the one who suggested 3M spray glue while I clearly stated that I do NOT need permanent attachment to wall and all insulation needs to be easily removed before resales. I politely responded that I can't use that for medial reasons and will be buying all-metal trailer. You couldn't make peace with that and continued to push misinformation on me.
Don't think I will continue to use this forum, noticed another person with MCS was run off from another subforum eaerlier. To the healthy people: you don't know what damage it all does, so no need to look down on us... and I'm NOT collecting disability money off the folks like you, I made lots being an engineer in the past to live off fyi....sometimes damage showes up as cancer, glad I got asthma which tells me to avoid all this stuff, and if you sit in those chemical boxes may be it's only to get cancer, it takes many years to show up.

 

[overlandsiberia]

Yes, manufacturers will lie when it helps their bottom line. But, I also agree entirely with maki2. I will acknowledge that I do not have any known chemical sensitivities. Genetics, built up immunities, or just not assuming that is the problem, I don't know why. But I have known enough people that say they are sensitive and I have certain smells / odors I just don't like to understand we are all different. That said, to totally avoid chemicals in today's world is probably going to take far more effort or sacrifice than most people are capable of. In this case, go ahead and use your preferred materials and connect them with mechanical means, but you would regret skipping on insulation in a metal box you plan on spending any amount of time in.

So perhaps not to discuss other people's disabilities and if one is telling they can't use a product not to shove it on them?
Do you people like to discuss others' race, gender, orientation?
I sense bigotry and judgement on this forum, combined with gross misinformation, won't be back.

And gasp: there're all metal cargo trailers, more than one company makes them,no wood products junk. It's junky poorly built trailers require structural osb/ply, they are disgusting, I wouldn't even put a cat, dog or horse in those, I care about animals. I'd rather travel in a wagon or horse trailer myself but luckily there're fully enclosed all metal ones. People in this country are so way out there slaving to chemical industry, good riddance.

 

[RonDean]

So perhaps not to discuss other people's disabilities and if one is telling they can't use a product not to shove it on them?
Do you people like to discuss others' race, gender, orientation?
I sense bigotry and judgement on this forum, combined with gross misinformation, won't be back.

And gasp: there're all metal cargo trailers, more than one company makes them,no wood products junk. It's junky poorly built trailers require structural osb/ply, they are disgusting, I wouldn't even put a cat, dog or horse in those, I care about animals. I'd rather travel in a wagon or horse trailer myself but luckily there're fully enclosed all metal ones. People in this country are so way out there slaving to chemical industry, good riddance.

I reread my referenced post and could not find anything out of line. I actually agreed on a point or two. But if this is what you find objectionable, I guess nothing short of "I've got it too" will do. And while I'm commenting, I find I am becoming sensitive to finding this line of conversation is popping up in just about every thread I open. Is there a cure for that?

 

[Geneeus]

I reread my referenced post and could not find anything out of line. I actually agreed on a point or two. But if this is what you find objectionable, I guess nothing short of "I've got it too" will do. And while I'm commenting, I find I am becoming sensitive to finding this line of conversation is popping up in just about every thread I open. Is there a cure for that?

Yes. It's called a moderator