Question about Trailer Widths

[Krebsne1970]

I am researching the Nomad life in preparation for retirement in 5 years or so.

I have come to the conclusion that building out a trailer is a good way for me to go.  Buy a new trailer, know it has good axles and brakes, build it out the way I want.  I know what's in it, where it is, don't put in (and thus pay for) anything I'm not going to use, etc.  I even have 2 older RV's that are paid for that I can take things like AC and fridges from.  So should be a pretty affordable option for me.  And I have 5 years to build it.  (I am reasonably to moderately handy and I like to build things, so I'm more than eager to do the build myself, especially with time to do it.)

So, my question...

Why on god's green earth do they even MAKE 6' wide trailers?  LOL

I'm 6' tall.  I have some back issues, so I'd like at least a queen and a king size bed would be ideal.  Sleeping north/south eats up half a trailer that way... but at 6' wide I can't sleep east/west.  I'd need a wider trailer.

And they make them wider.  From what I can tell nothing else changes.  They don't use different axles.  The trailer just goes halfway over the fender on a 7' wide one, and all the way over the fender on an 8' one.  So the overall width of the trailer doesn't change (fender to fender).  Only the size of the box does.  Why would you ever make it smaller?

Especially when those exposed fenders on a trailer stick out and tend to bang into and get caught on things all the time.  Half the guys I know who have trailers have banged up fenders.

So what am I missing?  What is the advantage of making a 6' wide trailer on a platform that can hold an 8' wide one?  I realize it will be a little bit lighter and a little bit cheaper, but is there something else?  Aerodynamics?  Hauling capacity?  Load balancing?

It just seems to me that bigger is always going to be better, even if you are just hauling stuff.  Room for more stuff is better!

So I'm pretty much sold on buying the widest trailer I can afford unless someone tells me there is a really significant reason not to. A  reason they are less popular than 6' wide ones.

 

[B and C]

I sleep on the diagonal on my full size bed but can sleep on it straight if I lay on my side (I am also 6 foot).

The wider and taller a trailer is, the more aerodynamic drag there is. Bigger also means most people would put more in it making it heavier requiring a larger tow vehicle. I suggest before you do a knee jerk buy is to tow some different sized trailers around if you are able to. Be sure to get on the highway too. Remember just because a tow vehicle can tow something, it may not be able to stop it all that well, think mountain downgrade. The more experienced you are at towing a trailer, the less likely you will crunch the fenders that stick out. Being aware of how wide the tires/fenders are is more important than how wide the trailer attached to it is unless rock outcroppings or tree branches are in your path.

Others will chime in.

 

[highdesertranger]

they make 6' wide trailers because there is a demand for them. very few people build out trailers to live in. 6' wide trailers are significantly cheaper. 6' wide trailers have a lot less drag and therefore much easier to tow for smaller vehicles. 6' wide trailers are much better off road. bigger is not always better.

I went straight to a manufacturer to order my trailer exactly how I wanted it. they will build a trailer any way you want at the manufacturer. a resaler will not.

highdesertranger

 

[Krebsne1970]

Yeah, I saw your trailer.  It's massive.  Way more than I'm thinking of.

I'm not worried about towing, per se.  I know there is a bit to learn, and that's OK.  You're towing a big thing if you get a travel trailer of the size you want... and I think I can get the amenities I want and care about in a SMALLER trailer, since I can leave out the stuff I don't care about.  I hate dinettes.  Never been comfortable in one.  I'd just as soon eat outside.  I'd rather have bunk beds for guests where the dinette would be.  Same with showers.  I prefer showering outside in a shower tent.  So I can give up that space as well.

And regarding stopping... I would NEVER buy a trailer without brakes again.  (I have had a couple of cargo trailers over the years, didn't know they could have brakes at the time.)  It just makes sense to me to have them brake on their own.  And yes I know I need a brake controller in my tow vehicle.  No big deal for safety.

And I know all to well that more space means the temptation to carry more weight.  I will make sure my entire rig (trailer and whatever I'm carrying in the truck) is below the weight rating for the vehicle.  I'm not talking about going huge.  I just think anything I can do in a 6' x 12' trailer I can do better in an 8' x 12' trailer... so why wouldn't I?

 

[tx2sturgis]

Six-wide trailers are handy for tighter spaces, AND if you are pulling one with a normal size pickup or SUV, or even some mid-size pickups and SUVs, you dont need a wide set of towing mirrors, you can see right around a six-wide trailer on both sides with the factory mirrors, making it much easier to pull down the highway and back up also. 

If you plan on pulling one thru the briars and the brambles, smaller is better, and narrower is better. If you have an 8 foot wide trailer, to be safe when towing on the road, you need towing mirrors, and they will be about 9 feet tip to tip, and that restricts you when trying to get into tight spaces and narrow trails in the boonies.

It's all a tradeoff. Bigger and more room, or smaller and nimble. Choose one or the other. If you need to sleep east west, then by all means, look at a wider unit.

My six-wide is easy to pull, easy to see around, easy to back up, and sleeping is not part of the equation....I have (or had) my sleeping quarters in the tow vehicle. One you move your bedroom to the towing vehicle, that opens up lots of room in the trailer.

 

[Krebsne1970]

Great input!  Thanks!  Seeing around it makes sense... I don't see towing mirrors being a big issue, but good to know.

Sleeping in your tow vehicle... I considered that.  Another part of my design theory is to make the tow vehicle potentially independent.  Be able to put the trailer in storage somewhere and go off in the tow vehicle alone in places that the trailer would have trouble getting to.

I am thinking of a pick up with a camper shell for the tow vehicle.  What are you using?

I am not super keen on long term (ie permanent) sleeping in a camper shell... for the height and back issues I mentioned before.  How do you do it?  How do you control the temperature in your sleeping area?  Heating and cooling?  How do you deal with going to the bathroom in the middle of the night?

Those are my sleeping quarters issues.  Which is why I am looking at a permanent queen or king size bed in a trailer with a porta potty or composting toilet in the trailer.  If you have a way to get pretty close to that in your tow vehicle I'm all ears!  Tell me how you are doing it.  =)

 

[highdesertranger]

some things to think about,

"I'd just as soon eat outside."

you will change your mind when the weather is bad. rain, snow, wind, bugs.

"I prefer showering outside in a shower tent."

In the winter?

remember this is coming from someone who did everything outside until last year. I am not trying to convince you that you need a bigger or smaller trailer.

however one of the biggest things that I wanted in my trailer was an indoor shower. I still don't have one installed but it's on the way. have you ever tried to take a shower in 40° weather with a 25mph wind blowing. a shower tent just doesn't cut it and public showers are getting downright expensive.

highdesertranger

 

[user 423]

I'm 6' tall.  I have some back issues, so I'd like at least a queen and a king size bed would be ideal.

I have back issues too but don't think having a wider bed would help much.

A 39" twin is wide enough to toss and turn on and if built as a murphy lengthwise, you would have a fair amount of floor space leftover in 6x12.

If you look at the specs of 6' vs. 7' you'll see that the 7' weighs a lot more. Some models I've checked are 1000lbs. more. The frame tubes are deeper,heavier.

I have an older 1/2-ton van and need to limit how much I tow. Like Tx2 said, sleeping in the van opens up room for a full-size shower,toilet,hauling tools, generator,etc. plus gives you stand up room to hang out during the day during bad weather.

PS: There are threads covering heating/cooling/insulation,etc.

 

[Krebsne1970]

some things to think about,

"I'd just as soon eat outside."

you will change your mind when the weather is bad.  rain,  snow,  wind,  bugs.

"I prefer showering outside in a shower tent."

In the winter?....

I camp a lot now and I eat outside.  When it rains a guy can eat inside sitting on your bed if you have to.  I know you need alternatives for weather.

RE: Shower... in the winter I would plan to move south where it's warmer.  We're nomads afterall!  And if not... then the old sponge bath or truck stop or gym membership solutions would be on the table.

I'm not against an indoor shower... I just know that it would always be low on my preference list and it won't get used a lot.  So why waste the space? Or if I do set up an indoor shower capability, it can be something that comes and goes like I've seen in some van builds.  Rather than a dedicated area of the trailer that is lost to any other function the other 95% of the time its not being used for showering.

I am not complaining.  Thanks for the input and keep it coming.  Keep me thinking.  =)

(Oh, and my five year plan includes 1 year of research (current phase), 2 years to build and 2 years to road test.  So if I find I really want a shower or some kind of dinette I can add that before I go full time.)

 

[tx2sturgis]

I am thinking of a pick up with a camper shell for the tow vehicle.  What are you using?

I am not super keen on long term (ie permanent) sleeping in a camper shell... for the height and back issues I mentioned before.  How do you do it?  How do you control the temperature in your sleeping area?  Heating and cooling?  How do you deal with going to the bathroom in the middle of the night?

The camper shell I installed is a commercial aluminum frame unit, and much taller than your typical pickup topper shell. I cant stand up in it, but I can sit up in the bed, no problem. You can get these with any configuration of size, windows, and door style you want. 

Heating was easy: I installed insulation, and I used a Wave 3 catalytic... and nite-time cooling was a simple 2 speed vent fan in the roof. I generally did not (and do not) camp where it is above about 85 degrees or so at night. 

Late night trips to the bushes (or nearby facilities) generally takes care of my overnight relief duties....I'm a dude....if you are a female then just keep a porta pottie (or bucket) in the sleeping quarters.

 

[tx2sturgis]

So what am I missing?  What is the advantage of making a 6' wide trailer on a platform that can hold an 8' wide one?  I realize it will be a little bit lighter and a little bit cheaper, but is there something else?  Aerodynamics?  Hauling capacity?  Load balancing?

I forgot to answer this part of your question:

Many of the 6-wide cargo trailers are used to haul a motorcycle, a small ATV, or a riding lawnmower. With a rear ramp door and D-rings in the floor, they are perfect for that job, and dont need to be any wider.

 

[swlands]

I am getting very close to buying a rig, but I think I will be doing something off the shelf. First I will get a 4x4 3/4 ton crew cab diesel. I have no brand loyalties, but I want a used truck that will be good for 200,000 miles. This might take a bit of looking, but this will be the first step, will be happening this year.

Next, I want to keep my small business operating, and the truck is key. So yes - I will take that tax write off.

On the back of it I am pretty sure I will put a Four Wheel Camper Project M.  These are premium campers, you won't find them used yet. So I will have to get it brand new. What I like is it gives a bed over the cab, leaves the back of the truck available. I will custom set up some storage etc for a kitchen, water, comestibles, etc. that I can toss in my garage when I need the truck for my business.

Finally I will get a travel trailer that will be my main abode, or, if I can get family or friends to come visit - their place while I use the truck camper for my own needs. I would like it to sleep 4. A couple and maybe two kids.

BUT. I don't want a wide trailer. The ones I like so far (Lance 1685) is 8 feet wide. If I get the Lance 1475 or 1575 they are 7 feet wide.
BUT. The beds are all east west and if I have couples join me, one will be climbing over the other to go pee in the night.
Maybe I need a Forest River trailer with two twin beds.

I feel good about the truck and project M, though. A bit tight for being permanent but a great set up to go on wilderness 4x4 trips of a few days to a week, if I have a nice trailer as a base camp.

Sorry. Don't let me hijack the thread. Just the headline about issues with trailer widths caught me. I want narrower. They are so much easier to maneuver, and park in tighter spaces. And I can't be arsed building it - I want to see if I can get something used. 

I am also considering hiring HOWA and paying you folks to build me something. That might be a way to get exactly what I want and put some money in the HOWA coffers. I acknowledge there is some very serious skills and experience in this community - but that is still in the future. Truck first, then that project M.

 

[Krebsne1970]

Great response. No highjack as far as I'm concerned. Glad to hear your approach. You have several similar concerns to mine.

Keep it coming!

 

[highdesertranger]

"Shower... in the winter I would plan to move south where it's warmer"

I was talking about south in the winter. the last 2 winters in Arizona have been below average temp and above average rainfall.

Four Wheel camper has been in business since the 1970's you can find used ones.

highdesertranger

 

[swlands]

"
Four Wheel camper has been in business since the 1970's you can find used ones.

highdesertranger

Project M is brand new, just out of prototype. If I got a Hawk it wouldn't let me use the truck for my business without removing it, and it is still a bit cramped for long term comfort. There are so many compromises we make. That Project M threads the needle for me.

Actually, another trailer issue for me is ground clearance. I am not planning on taking it off road, but where I have bricks and sticks the road has some camber so getting into the drive, which is shared with a bunch of commercial business, can be a challenge. Fine so long as the wheel base is not too long. I have never tried it with a trailer, but pretty sure it would not work without extra clearance.

 

[bullfrog]

Most of my RVs have had two twin beds and if the foot of the twin beds is at the end of the trailer I have added three rails and a twin platform side to side above to make a third twin bed. It works really well for grandkids or storage!

 

[crofter]

....2 years to build and 2 years to road test....

My build took only a month of full time work, not including research and planning and was completed outside. Road testing goes on forever. Is there anyone on here who is "done" modifying their build? 
-crofter (currently sleeps in the van. Previously slept in the tow vehicle, bunk behond the cab)

 

[crofter]

Project M is currently shut as a non essential business. Bob made one of those DIY.
-crofter

 

[DannyB1954]

I have several types of RV's, One of them being a 22' toy hauler trailer. I thought of building my own like you, but when I added up all the costs for the accessories to make it livable, I was way over the cost of buying something that was well built from a factory, but buying it used. Shower, toilet, holding tanks for water and sewage refrigerator, stove, heater, air conditioner, it all empties a wallet pretty quick. and then you need to spend months putting it all together. I understand that you can take parts off of other things that you have, but you could also sell those other things and use the cash.

Used cargo trailers don't seem to lose value like travel trailers do. Have you shopped for a fiberglass trailer like the scamp? They were made by several companies and seem to hold up well.

 

[crofter]

Project M is currently shut as a non essential business. Bob made one of those DIY.
-crofter

This vid will give you an idea how to DIY a truck camper, and spend your $$$ on stuff like solar instead of a name brand. Could not find a build vid on Bob's which was a similiar style with the large cantelever space over the cab.  -crofter

https://campersmarts.com/truck-camper-guide