Cargo Trailer Conversion: My Best Decision!

[izifaddag]

This was not my first choice. After a ton of research (including enclosed cargo trailers) I came to the conclusion that a shuttle bus was for me.
Unfortunately life thru me a curve ball and I had to act quickly. Practicality forced me to buy a 12 x 6 V nose locally and just get on with it. I did all the carpentry, electrics myself. It is quite the little home and after living in a semi for 11 years this was a very big step up for me.
The problem is customizing so that everything has its place. This is an ongoing process for me. Project after project endlessly. Recently I mounted my spare wheel on the rear ramp. Insulated the ramp and then turned it into a black carpeted patio with aluminum trim. It went from yeck to beautiful.
I also replaced the flooring with a floating floor right over the top of the crappy stick down lino. Whatever you do don't buy stick down linoleum, you will regret it.
I have just come back onto the road again after 4 months of solid upgrades and repairs. Non stop and thousands of dollars. Both the camper and the truck. A new inverter, a Livpow maxair wannabe, wiring, steering, brakes, oil leaks blah blah blah.
So much more to do. It is neverending.

 

[GypsyJan]

"It is neverending."

So is a house & yard! At least as a nomad you can change your location.

 

[AeroNautiCal]

Cargo Trailer conversions make so much sense from many perspectives!

The most simple, fast and economic is the 'No-Build' build in which collapsible camping cots, folding camp chairs and table and plastic drawer towers and plastic crates with lids create the living, sleeping and storage facilities.

This can be achieved at virtually any budget by using secondhand and charity shops or garage sales to source furniture and virtually everything else too.

Camping furniture can be used outside making it even more practical.

With an empty cargo trailer the builder is limited by imagination only, so starting off with the above method a newcomer could very easily change the layout as they get more experience at living in it.

Remember though that virtually everything weighs something and it all adds up and can easily be overlooked as the towing weight increases!

I would hide at least one tracking device somewhere as it would be horrific to lose one's home!

An all aluminium chassis and body is much lighter and a lightweight build out in an aluminium trailer could offer the best compromise.

 

[StarkRavingNomad]

Hello, I'm new to this idea and didn't have a clue that those trailers could be use for camping. Anyone would like to share a few pictures with me. Thanks

Check out the CheapRVLiving youtube channel.  There's a vid there (2?) on reasons to convert a cargo trailer.  It's what talked me into it.

 

[StarkRavingNomad]

Cargo Trailer conversions make so much sense from many perspectives!

The most simple, fast and economic is the 'No-Build' build in which collapsible camping cots, folding camp chairs and table and plastic drawer towers and plastic crates with lids create the living, sleeping and storage facilities.

This can be achieved at virtually any budget by using secondhand and charity shops or garage sales to source furniture and virtually everything else too.

Camping furniture can be used outside making it even more practical.

With an empty cargo trailer the builder is limited by imagination only, so starting off with the above method a newcomer could very easily change the layout as they get more experience at living in it.

Remember though that virtually everything weighs something and it all adds up and can easily be overlooked as the towing weight increases!

I would hide at least one tracking device somewhere as it would be horrific to lose one's home!

An all aluminium chassis and body is much lighter and a lightweight build out in an aluminium trailer could offer the best compromise.

An aluminum chassis is lighter and won't rust, but they're quite a bit more expensive.  I winter in the dry, road salt-free southwest, so I'm pretty sure my conversion will outlive me anyway.  My 6x14 is single axle and weighs less than 3k lbs.  I pull it with a Nissan Pathfinder, which is 6 cylinder but has a high tow rating at 5k lbs.  As it is, it works hard.  My mileage goes from near 25 mpg to between 11 and 14 mpg when towing - depending mainly on my speed and winds.  I put a kitchen with a 2 burner in the v-nose, bracketed a tv to the wall on a swivel.  The rest is a no-build build.  I have a cot with memory foam for a sofa (storage underneath), 3 plastic (inexpensive and lightweight) chests with drawers, and a recliner (that I prefer to sleep in).  It looks more like a tiny apartment inside than a travel trailer.  I have no cabinets on the walls, which gives the inside a more spacious feel.  Between the chests, under the cot and the back of the Pathfinder I have ample storage space.  I sometimes call the Pathfinder my closet.  I took the seat out behind the passenger's seat for more storage space.  I keep a 48 quart fridge inside the back hatch and back it up to near the trailer door when I'm camped.  It keeps it cooler at night than if it were in the trailer, and is the perfect height for easy access.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I'm starting on my SECOND cargo trailer conversion.

I learned a lot on the first one...gonna do a few things different on this build. 

And I have more time to work on it, the first one I was up against a deadline for some of it...this time...I will set my own pace. Hopefully it will turn out more 'livable'.

We will see.

 

[Camper]

I really like my 6x12 cargo trailer much better than the van. I love being able to stand and walk around the most.

Mine is as simple as it can get... a computer desk in the V, a slide-out window a/c and a recliner that makes into a flat bed.

I did insulate it very well with Polyiso insulation, which made a huge difference in the comfort level.

 

[bullfrog]

A simple lightweight build and an ample towing vehicle with the extra security of a dual axle 6' x 10' or 6'x 12' cargo trailer is a really good option. You really save wear and tear on the vehicle and get better fuel mileage. I pulled a small home built single axle enclosed trailer with a 4 cylinder manual transmission Tacoma and would have gotten better mileage and had better performance using a V6 or V8 and an automatic transmission. The single tire trailer seemed to wear out tires much faster than the dual axle in my opinion hauling the same weight.

 

[tx2sturgis]

You have to consider the empty weight on a tandem axle trailer is a LOT more, because the frame will be much heavier, this is so the trailer will be able to carry more than twice the payload.

A typical 6x14 single axle trailer will weigh around 1000 pounds empty.

A typical 6x14 tandem axle trailer will weigh around 2500 pounds empty, due to the extra hardware and beefier frame components for carrying a heavier payload.

That's a 1500 pound difference (empty) that a smaller tow vehicle might struggle with by the time you have added 1000 pounds of your own 'stuff' to either trailer.

When I say 'typical' I mean the normal cargo trailers we all see everyday.

Certainly there are light weight tandem torsion axle 'outback' trailers made for articulating thru off-road terrain but these are in a different category and aren't really 'cargo' trailers per se.

 

[bullfrog]

Again old school thinking is where I am coming from. I have had many life lessons make me tend to want something that will last 15 or 20 years with just regular maintenance. I want something with parts available anywhere that is easy to repair. Torsion axles are not standardized nor stocked by most trailer manufactures and definitely can't be made up at a local trailer or spring shop in a small out of the way rural location. My trailers have and always will have leaf springs and if the trailer is over 12' they will be duals. My tow vehicle of choice has been trucks usually 3/4 ton but not always because many of my trailers have been under 12', single axle and less than 1500 lbs or 2500 lbs loaded which I used smaller 1/2 ton trucks. Because 4x4 trucks have lower towing capacities I have usually errored on the side of having too much truck. When I have used single axle trailers and too small a tow vehicle it has resulted in premature wear, breakdowns and increased costs. Blowing a tire or loosing a bearing on a single axle trailer is very different from doing so with a dual axle. With a torsion axle often it damages the axle as well by bending it as well, not so with leaf springs. Granted I have not had many normal trailers as I have built most of mine as well as the boxes that go on them because of seeing so many poor quality manufactured ones being sold. I'll never forget taking one to a car wash before buying it and showing all the leaks to the salesman to which he replied "We ain't building submarines here son!" Lol!!! needless to say I didn't buy his trailer. My current project is no where near perfect even for me but I think it will work. I have a 1987 3/4 ton 4x4 modified Suburban pulling a 24' trailer that has dual 5200 lb axles with the same tires as my Suburban with basically a 12' box that is living quarters on the front half and 12' flat bed on the rear for my 2200 lb Suzuki Samurai. My total expenses for everything including the Samurai is less than the price of a new Sprinter or Suv and a 12' cargo trailer. I personally think for someone starting out the ideal set up would be a 3/4 ton truck they can fix and a dual axle cargo trailer they can fix with a secondary economical means of transportation in or on the trailer they can fix. You can do this with much less especially if you are single but in my opinion it won't last 10 or 15 years. I haven't had to live in a house or an apartment for the last 16 years and I think keeping things heavy duty simple and knowing how to fix them is the secret especially if money is tight and funds are low.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I agree with all that, I'm just saying that if someone reading this has a smaller tow vehicle, something with a 4 cylinder or smaller 6 cylinder engine (not counting the 6 cylinder ecoboost engines) they probably need to stay out of the tandem axle section at the local 'Trailers-R-Us' superstore.

 

[Camper]

My 6x12 cargo trailer is a single axle, and there's no way I would tow a heavier trailer for my real light load.

 

[bullfrog]

True I agree but full timing gets heavy real quick and unless you are talking square drop or tear drop there aren't many new small tow vehicles that will hold up to towing in the long run. My point is I guess with a small tow vehicle a backpacker lifestyle with bare minimum build as in cot and sleeping bag using the trailer as a steel tent is the best you can expect and with a single axle cargo trailer more cost and maintenance will occur in the long run. Much better to go lighter or go bigger but don't try to fit an apartment in a 12' single axle trailer and pull it with too small a tow vehicle and not expect to have problems with wear and maintenance. Camper I agree if you are pulling it with a V8 Tundra and have a light load you are good , problem is many will try with a 6 cylinder Tacoma and have a several thousand pound load with solar, batteries, fresh water tank, grey water tank, toilet, sink, hot water heater, stove and dual bottles. Not to mention all the extra cast iron cooking pans.

 

[StarkRavingNomad]

A simple lightweight build and an ample towing vehicle with the extra security of a dual axle 6' x 10' or 6'x 12' cargo trailer is a really good option. You really save wear and tear on the vehicle and get better fuel mileage. I pulled a small home built single axle enclosed trailer with a 4 cylinder manual transmission Tacoma and would have gotten better mileage and had better performance using a V6 or V8 and an automatic transmission. The single tire trailer seemed to wear out tires much faster than the dual axle in my opinion hauling the same weight.

True to my experience on all counts!  I pull my 6x14 single axle with a Pathfinder.  It's rated at 5k lbs towing and I'm pulling about half that.  25 mpg rating and I average a little over 1/2 that when towing.  And yes, on my third set of tires in 20 months!  With all that I still don't think I'd want a bigger engine and 2 axle.  I typically move about every 2 weeks and like to explore.  The Pathfinder is really good for that.  Not great on clearance, but 25 mpg and 4WD.

 

[Aesop]

What kind and type and length and size of cargo trailer did OP end up going with?

 

[TnTravel]

It was a CRVL video that convinced me to go the cargo trailer route. After 18 months full-time in it I couldn't be happier! I think the biggest reason people shy away from them is they're intimidated by the do-it-yourself part. Don't be! I'm not super-handy. I hired someone to do the skilled labor of wiring, mounting for 2 LP tanks on the tongue and installing windows, and I insulated, painted and furnished it myself!.

There are lots of reasons to go this route. I think the 3 biggest are:
1.) Durability. Cargo Trailers are built to haul heavy stuff and are more sturdily built than most travel trailers that are built for families to take out a few times each summer.
2.) Make it yours! You can do your own thing rather than get some cookie-cutter design made by some guy in Indiana who may have never camper in his life. I wanted 3 things. A TV, a recliner and a big window. I especially love it on windy or rainy days when I can sit with my feet up, watch TV and look out my 6'x3' window. The inside looks more like a small studio apartment than a camper.
3.) COST. (Yours may vary) Even smaller new travel trailers can start at two to three times what I paid, and that's usually without solar, heat, fridge or insulation. I got everything I needed for road life for just under $8K and it's better-built, better insulated, and better suited to me than its much more expensive counterparts. One place I lucked out was having a handy neighbor, a retired welder who did all of the skilled stuff for a whopping $800. I'm guessing otherwise that may have been $2-3k. But even if you pay top dollar for labor, look at what you end up with!

(This isn't meant as a commercial plug, so I won't include the link, but I wrote an ebook about making the decision, doing the conversion and the first year on the road. PM me if you want the link.)

A quick question, is your recliner secured to the floor in anyway. Love the idea of a TV and recliner

 

[Ballenxj]

My choice would be a 16x8.5 with a "V" nose cargo trailer. The 8.5' wide is due to the wheel wells being inside, rather than fenders that stick out the sides. You could have a full kitchen up front, and a fold up bed, while still being able to bring your motorcycle, and kayak along for far less than any toy hauler on the market...plenty of room on the roof for solar, and run a 16' roll up awning on the outside.

https://www.usacargotrailersales.co...ver-frost-enclosed-trailer-pickup-at-factory/

The wheels inside sounds like it gives extra interior room? What a concept and thanks for the thought.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Ballenxj...long time no see....where have you been the last few years?

 

[LargeMarge]

tx2sturgis,
.
Agreed on 7w by (your preferred length).
.
The gooseneck toy-hauler I fabricated on a commercial chassis is 7w x 16l.
With nearly two decades full-time live-aboard in our 7x12 ExpeditionVehicle, that extra four foot seems bizarrely wasteful...
... but we manage to fill it.
.
Across the scale, we are approaching GVWR at 12,000#.
Time for a pair of 10k axles with 19.5 commercial-rated tires/wheels?
.
Our ExpeditionVehicle has a GCWR of close to twenty-four ton, so we think that end is covered.
.

 

[Burbanlife]

NOW you tell me!

I just sold my Pace American 6 x 8 that I had kept like new for 10 years.
Oh well.

Mostly kidding.
I don't have a vehicle that could comfortably tow the extra 1000+ lbs. for long distances.
My vehicle has a 3.3L V6.

One of my goals was to keep costs down while moving around a lot.
The fuel costs to have a bigger engine to pull that weight would cost quite a bit.
Even more so as gasoline costs continue to rise.

The bigger your budget, the better your options so the saying goes.
Different strokes for different folks.

That said.....Let's see some photos of those trailer conversions !

Just saw this older post and I also went with the cargo trailer conversion