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5x8 cargo camper build

Kaptain

Well-known member
Joined
May 29, 2020
Member Number
1650
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145
I'm in the process of converting a 5x8 cargo trailer into a weekend camper.

Found a smoking deal on a used one on craigslist and hauled her home.

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Stripped the interior

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Resealed the roof and added a maxxair fan

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Cut and reinforced the framing for the doors

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Doors installed

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Added a hitch and reinforced it with another crossmember
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Cut and rebuilt the tongue. That's the up to date progress - waiting on timbren axles to arrive and then I'll be able to focus on the interior \ electrical.

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Looks good! Helped my buddy convert one of these to a camper, your work is much cleaner than his. We did a pull out kitchen out the back, Queen size bed with storage under it. He sorta half assed it and never really finished anything.
 
Very nice! I cant find a decent used one to save my life. I would like to do a conversion as well.
 
Looks like a killer start on the project. Me and my girlfriend converted a 6x12 that I had from my dirt bike racing days. I plan on building another one with a 7x14 some day. I learned a lot in the process and there’s a bunch of stuff I would change.
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a quick summary off the top of my head.

I wish I would have gutted the door off my trailer and put in an RV style door with a screen door. I added an RV style latch but the door doesnt seal unless you latch the door bar from the outside. the drip edge up top keeps the water out unless the wind is really blowing.

I should have also pre wired for shore power so I could use a small generator or camp ground power to atleast keep the batteries topped off and maybe an air conditioning unit. even after insulating the trailer with foam and painting the roof with white silicone it still gets really hot during the day I use a big 12v dometic dual zone fridge and unless im in peak sunlight without tree cover it will kill the batteries in a day or two. I live in WV and there are very few camp grounds without tree cover.

another issue is my fridge placment, its packed into a little space and the trailer door closes right against the fan. I need to add a fresh air vent to the door to keep the temps in check while the door is shut.

on the next one I will move the bed all the way back to the rear doors in the trailer and put the kitchen stuff inside the trailer. I would have some sort of screen so I can leave the rear doors open when we sleep. this would help access the storage area under the bed. right now we have stuff packed into totes and I have to craw under the bed to get them which is a pain in the ass because every time you need something its most certinly clear in the back against the wall.

I definatly could have done a better job at planning the layout to be more organized.

overall I am very happy with the decision to convert the trailer. before this we had a roof top tent fixed to a rack on a flatbed dually. we never realized how much of a pain in the ass it was to have the tent fixed to the truck. if we wanted to go do something we had to totally pack up camp every day so we could use the truck. now we just unhook the trailer, lock the doors and roll out.

I have been looking at small campers but I find that the construction of them is shit unless you spend big money and I would end up paying for a bunch of stuff I dont need. thats the big reason I want to do another conversion.
 
Thanks guys. Nice build wvracer

Removed one of the cross members and built a new one to mount the timbren axles.

These are the 2000lb HD (Part # ASR2KHDS02) ones. Very beefy and was happy (and surprised) to see a grease fitting on them. Hope they ride well and hold up.

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Threw some old tires and wheels on it and it finally rolls again. Looking forward to finally getting the floor back in and starting on insulation and figuring out how I'm routing the wiring.

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The grease gallery is where the axle stub will break. YMMV but when given the choice I'll take the stub without the grease nipple.

Thanks for the heads up. I had not considered that being a weak spot. I'm hoping this wont be a concern since this trailer will likely never exceed 1500 lbs
 
Where did you get the roofing kit?

Not a kit, pieced together. Sourced the items from Home Depot and Amazon

Not shitting on this project at all
....OP like 4' tall?

How is the sleeping situation happening?

:laughing: I wont be standing up to change clothes in there, that's for sure.

I'm building it to fit a full size futon matress (54 x 75") so it will be fine for sleeping purposes
 
Painted the underside of the floor while it was removed

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Relocated and painted the fenders. Scored a free pair of tires from a friend and mounted them on my stock tacoma wheels that I never sold

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I wanted some additional storage up front and found this truck tool box, which fit perfectly.

Also, I stumbled across these universal ladder racks (https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Cargo-Organizers/Rackem/RA-28.html) while I was looking for a awning mount \ roof rack. Very happy with the quality of these (not done - will be painted black).

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Painted the underside of the floor while it was removed

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Relocated and painted the fenders. Scored a free pair of tires from a friend and mounted them on my stock tacoma wheels that I never sold

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I wanted some additional storage up front and found this truck tool box, which fit perfectly.

Also, I stumbled across these universal ladder racks (https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Cargo-Organizers/Rackem/RA-28.html) while I was looking for a awning mount \ roof rack. Very happy with the quality of these (not done - will be painted black).

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Watch tight turns with that truck box until you check your clearance. I kinked in my trapezoidal HF box with my bumper so I'm pretty sure you will find those corners with yours at some point!

Nice work! I am slowly doing something similar with a 6x10 I use for my reenacting gear.
 
Insulation in, I used 1 inch xps. I'm glad that part is done and over with. If you look closely you'll see that I added 3/4 conduit to both sides of the floor for cable runs.

Electrical stuff will be next, I'll be picking up a battery this week. I'll be going with a AGM style, 100 AH or so, which should be plenty of juice for what I'll be running.

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Galley area roughed in. I bought a pocket hole jig just for this, not sure how I got by this long without one, awesome tool. I built the bottom of the galley to accommodate a potential future Dometic Fridge (CFX 35) on a slide out drawer.

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A look at the inside.

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Pretty cool man!
Thanks!

Most of the electrical is done, the wiring is roughed in for now until I get the wall \ ceiling paneling installed.

100AH AGM battery \ NOCO smart charger \ 600 Watt inverter \ AiLi battery monitor

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Added this nifty outlet receptacle box (which is connected to the charger) - just plug in an extension cord and it's charging.

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I still have a ton to do but I couldn't resist doing some backyard camping over the weekend :grinpimp:

It got quite cold the first night but stayed nice and cozy in there. I had my doubts about a 5" thick futon mattress but it was very comfortable.

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I like your build. I have one of those outlet receptacle boxes too, I haven't installed it yet thou. What are your plans for bringing the wires for the solar panels inside?
 
What's your method for securing the foam board to the walls and ceiling? I'm about to do my boxvan.
 
I like your build. I have one of those outlet receptacle boxes too, I haven't installed it yet thou. What are your plans for bringing the wires for the solar panels inside?

Thanks! No plans for that. I'm going to keep it 'portable' on those long cables so that I can put the panel anywhere, it all fits in that ammo can. I have a hard wired circuit for the solar on a powerpole style connector - you can see it coiled up in the pic beside the battery.

What's your method for securing the foam board to the walls and ceiling? I'm about to do my boxvan.

I started on the hardest wall (front part) and used construction adhesive. It was a messy pain the ass... everything else got the friction fitmet 😁.

A bonus to that method is that I had to remove some boards more than once and would have hated life if they were glued on
 
Do you have it set up to charge the battery off the truck while it is pulling it down the road?
 
Do you have it set up to charge the battery off the truck while it is pulling it down the road?

Yep. Since I'm running a 7 pin harness I already pre-ran a 10 awg wire to the trailer fuse block (I haven't completed the trailer wiring yet)
 
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