What's new
By:
Filters

The Moonshine Motel - Enclosed Gooseneck "Crawler Hauler" Build

Paint on the pass side, finished framing the driver side, and changed out one skin above the door that I fucked up the first time around. Getting there.

PXL_20210516_164926398.MP.jpg
PXL_20210517_231720234.jpg
PXL_20210517_231824190.jpg
 
Last sheet on the curb side, and many, many screws put in on the driver side tonight.

Entrance door gets here Monday, and the goal is to have the driver side finished (minus the window) done before then.

PXL_20210520_230828141.jpg
PXL_20210520_230846618.MP.jpg
 
Progress is looking great! When you are all done with this one I’ll send my 28’ your direction for some reskinning work!
 
Sorry for newb questions, but what size sheets are you hanging, and what are you using to get all the screws to line up like that?
I know if i did it, id haveto paint it afterwards to try and hide the randomization of the screw heads.
 
ParadisePWoffrd said:
Sorry for newb questions, but what size sheets are you hanging, and what are you using to get all the screws to line up like that?
I know if i did it, id haveto paint it afterwards to try and hide the randomization of the screw heads.
Click to expand...

They're 49x96" sheets. Pre-painted trailer siding comes 49" wide so that you can overlap the sheets 1" and still get 4' of coverage per sheet.

For the screw patterns, the vertical spacing is 4", and the horizontal spacing varies a bit depending on the stud location, but is in general ~16" on center. In the first pics of hanging, you can see the chalk line grid we created to get the screws to line up, but it turned out that wasn't necessary to get it to look right. It's far faster to strike a chalk line down the trailer, top to bottom, where your stud is, then just measure out each row's vertical spacing with a tape measure and marker or scribe. In the most recent pic of the driver side, you can see the vertical chalk lines that we used as a reference.

The screw lines on this trailer aren't perfectly straight. If you put your eyeball in front and look down the length, some of the screw lines have a bit of a bob in them, maybe 1/4" or 1/2", but when you're looking at the side of the trailer you can't see it at all. I think our mind/eyes trick us into seeing the screws as a perfect pattern, instead of the imperfect pattern it really is. It's damn close, but it's not perfect. Overall, I'm over the moon with how it's coming out.
 
Entrance door came yesterday afternoon, which was unexpected and awesome. That allowed us to really crush it on the curb side.

Got the entrance door in, then got the lower trim on, then got the awning figured out and installed. Hot DAMN does it look good. I'm stoked as fuck.

In addition to that, we got the final sheets hung on the driver side, and got all the siding screws in.

Trim and windows are all that's left on the exterior boys and girls, and damn does that feel good to say!!

PXL_20210522_165304124.jpg
PXL_20210522_213207209.jpg
PXL_20210522_222843732.jpg
PXL_20210522_222850291.MP.jpg
PXL_20210522_232624060.jpg
 
Looks damn good for your first foray into trailer siding.

My dad owns a good size commercial vehicle upfitting business. All the box vans get trucked up in pieces because it's so much cheaper and he has two guys who buck rivets all day to assemble them. I wouldn't have the patience for doing one.
 
Thanks guys. It's been trying for sure, but rewarding now that I'm near the end of the exterior build out. The double square self tappers have worked out pretty well.

If I were building it out from scratch, hat posts on 16" centers, center web facing out, with buck rivets or totally smooth, would be the way to go. As a rebuild/retrofit, double square self tappers are the only way to fly. I've learned that the structure has to be designed with the skin fastening method in mind, and this one was designed for self tappers. Can't put buck rivets inside of square tubing.
 
Provience said:
gotta feel good getting that skin back together
Click to expand...

It really does. It'll feel even better when I can call the exterior finished. Couple more days of work and I'll be there.

Time to shop for some new tires.

EDIT: Ordered 5x Sailun S637 from wally world. $165 per though, yeesh. Found here:
irate4x4.com

14 ply Trailer tires

Has anyone run the transeagle 235/85/16 tires in 14 ply? The seem to have decent reviews are cheap and available online through several sites they are for sure Chinese but almost all are so...
irate4x4.com irate4x4.com

Tire:
 
Last edited:
Built some interior frames for the windows, both to fill the inside corners to allow the windows to clamp evenly, and to add extra depth to the wall envelope. These sliding, screened windows need about an inch and a half of wall depth, but I gave it 3/4". Had the material on hand.

The ply corners are screwed onto the ply frames with a piece of aluminum trim to hit the proper depth of one inch, and fit right into the metal framework from the inside. The windows get butyl tape, pop in from the outside, then the clamp rings screw the whole stack up together and keep it tight. Pretty legit.

PXL_20210524_220011117.MP.jpg
PXL_20210524_220018095.jpg
PXL_20210524_224630617.jpg
PXL_20210524_235100109.MP.jpg
PXL_20210524_235111207.jpg
PXL_20210524_235121283.jpg
 
Trim finished and dot tape applied. Exterior is 99% finished now.

Some fun facts:
-estimated 14 sheets of siding, bought 20, used 18
-estimated 1000 screws, bought 1250, used 1241
-estimated 7 pieces of lower trim, bought 8, used 6.5

Lesson? Always buy more than you estimate you'll need.

PXL_20210525_235311277.jpg
PXL_20210525_235254308.jpg
 
Last edited:
ridered3 said:
Dang that looks great! Have you pulled the rig into the trailer yet?
Click to expand...

At the beginning after I gutted the interior yes. Once I get the floor in, I'll pull her back inside and take some better pictures.
 
Looks great. I hope mine turns out half as good. Where did you get your trim pieces? Most of mine are shot.
 
Wiring is boring, but necessary. New 7-pin cable/box and breakaway from this forums trailer tips thread. 10ga duplex jacketed cable gets here tomorrow to redo the brake wiring from the box to the axles.

PXL_20210527_002322216.jpg
 
Looks fantastic. Used that exact same box/cable/breakaway system when I built my last little utility trailer. Cheated and double wired it so it will run off a 4 pin or a 7 pin. Pretty neat and easy to wire with at box setup.
 
Love that 4 pin/7-pin idea. Don't think any gooseneck hitches have 4 pin wire connections though.
 
New wheels and tires, then a bit more wiring today. Elected to make a run for the passenger side brakes, then another for the driver side brakes. Should make troubleshooting easier should it ever need to happen. Bought a 100' spool of 10ga anchor duplex jacketed wire, so it made sense to burn the wire now. Future me should be grateful.

PXL_20210528_204409623.jpg
PXL_20210528_174857451.jpg


Edit: finished up the brake wiring. All seems to work, but the brakes are iffy. Will have to see if they get better with some driving, or if they need to be replaced.

PXL_20210529_201712201.jpg
PXL_20210529_201719052.jpg
PXL_20210529_201731578.MP.jpg
 
Last edited:
Wiring all works. That junction box made it easy and clean.

Put in a small extension to the rear light harness to fit the rear tie down points in the spot I wanted. Worked out great.

PXL_20210529_202039756.jpg


PXL_20210529_202057708.jpg


PXL_20210530_183740913.MP.jpg


PXL_20210530_194955236.jpg


PXL_20210530_194958869.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Back Refresh