Wife and I went to an RV show today and looked at travel trailers. Most trailers seemed to large to pull with a six cylinder 150 and too expensive for our budget. So I got to thinking would it be possible to convert a 4x10 or 5x10 hard side utility trailer like from Home Depot or Menards in to a small travel trailer maybe with a porta potty, table to eat at and a bunk to sleep in. Anybody ever done this? Where would a person get RV windows, doors, vents etc. It would be nice to have something a little larger than a tear drop trailer but nothing past 10-12 feet long.

 

Why not buy a pop-up trailer? If you are on a tight budget, I'm sure you can find a used one for less than it would cost to design and custom make a small travel trailer.

 

Actually... I was thinking of doing the same thing with my mini lawn trailer... I was going frame it out, and probably use 1/2" plywood for the walls, along with some sheet metal for the siding and a flat roof using the same materials. I was going to get 3 windows for it, and I was going to make the floor out of 3/4" plywood and frame it out on the bottom with 6 pneumatic wheels. I would do the full electrical and water system, along with a real toilet, sink, and shower. The beds would be a twin sized bunk fitting at max 4 people. But 2 comfortably. I would have a small round table and a mini gas stove, and some cabinets for storage.

It would fit... but it'd be tight. But it could be built for about $800 to $1,000, easily.

Plus, I can still retain the use of the flatbed trailer because all I have to do is roll it off the flat bed with the help of an another person.

But seriously... if you want something like this... go with a FeatherLite...

 

Yeah they are horribly overpriced. I think making one would be a good idea.

 

I don't think it is even close to possible to build one for that cheap. Even if you build all the cabinets out of MDF. Don't get me wrong building one would be possible but very time consuming and I think materials alone would be at least a few thousand plus the cost of the trailer. Why not just buy a tent trailer that would already have everything you need?

 

I've thought of doing something similar, though not to the extent you want to do. I just really want a fold out bunk type bed in a cargo trailer for when I need to camp where I'm motorcycing.

 

I think building cabinets for your camper out of MDF would be silly, MDF is heavy and bulky. Some nice pre-finished veneer core plywood would be nice, I suggest birch, since I work with birch a lot.

a pop up trailer might be your best bet. or an ultra-lite fibreglass sided trailer around 20-24 feet.

 

If your V6 has an automatic transmission, I think you can tow up to around 5000# safely and legally. The 5 speeds are limited to 3500#.

 

I hate to tell you guys but if you are building it out of mdf or plywood its going to be too much weight for a that size of trailer. Those trailer axles are small & probably wouldn't be able to handle that much weight.

 

I would love to build something like that and see it somehow fly off the trailer down an abandoned highway at high speed...

Whoops... lost 'nother one...

 

http://www.chadsprojects.com/igaller...e+5th+wheel%5C

You could try and match this guy's skills...

 

Do some searches for teardrop trailers. Small, more aerodynamic, light, and fairly easy to build. Some of those guys get really creative with the use of space, but they are more designed for both budget and the DIY approach, along with low enough weight to be towed by almost anything.

 

DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!! Now only if I had those skills

 

Now that... that... is... like a stick built home on wheels...

I'd own that in like 1 second.

 

Get a pop up. We have one and my 5-speed V6 has no problem towing it