Quick & nasty camper conversion

My son and grandson are heading to FNQ tomorrow and had not really thought through their travel accommodation plans properly, so I offered to do a quick and nasty travel trailer build/conversion using an old trailer that I built 50 years ago and a rooftop tent that normally is used on my Prado.


Full setup on the Prado, only the rooftop tent has been "re-assigned"


Quick mount on the old trailer


Just a simple 40mm steel support frame.

If/when they come back, if it works ok for them, I may make a more permanent set of side walls for it. The base running gear is all that is left of the original trailer, as I had to do a rebuild of the woodwork about 15 years ago.

Rob P.

It is still pretty wet up there until about July. Hope you have a safe and fruitful trip.

They are taking their time I hope and are likely to not be back for a several months. I do want my trailer and rooftop tent back, so they had better not consider it a permanent loan.

Rob P.

Better get a spare set of springs in Cairns if there going up the Cape. Me personally I wouldn't take that trailer up through the Cape. Bitumen roads through FNQ it might handle as for off road it'll cause them issues that'll cost plenty and tax their finances hard. I hope they have the adventure of a lifetime it's a great place to spend a few months.

Just a quick question. Aren't roof top tents meant to be about 2 metres off the ground so the sides meet the ground properly. Do you have extendable legs on the frame to make this work?

Cheers

Doug

PabloP said:

They are taking their time I hope and are likely to not be back for a several months. I do want my trailer and rooftop tent back, so they had better not consider it a permanent loan.

Rob P.

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Good luck with that if they are anything like my son

RM Outback said:

Better get a spare set of springs in Cairns if there going up the Cape. Me personally I wouldn't take that trailer up through the Cape. Bitumen roads through FNQ it might handle as for off road it'll cause them issues that'll cost plenty and tax their finances hard. I hope they have the adventure of a lifetime it's a great place to spend a few months.

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:Y:

Good advice...

I feel the corrugations going up the cape will kill that trailer also, I would stay on the bitumen..

Hey Pab, please tell me that is not a piece of 70 x 35 pine with a single bolt through it.

Good pick up Redfin. PabloP if it is as Redfin asked no offence to you but speed vibration over long distances with payload such as a trip to FNQ and back won't suit that build type.

Ive been to the Cape and have seen a $50,000 off road campers suspension fail, with a lot of welds letting go.... so Im afraid youre inviting disaster trying your luck with that suburban runaround.... just saying.

All of that set up on the Prado is what I have just priced up, Congrats, Nice Rig :Y: :Y:

I wish them well.... :lol: ] ] ] ] ] ] This will only end in Tears..... :brokenh:

LW....

50 years ago I was still swinging off a boob.. that trailer is almost as old as I am, I hope for thier sake it makes the distance. Good luck to them I hope they have an enjoyable and safe trip.

Pablo criss cross the tarp all over with gaffer tape to give it half a chance ................ the fatigue from flapping will probably see it in shreds very quickly at highway speeds.
Hope they have a great trip and even a failure is an adventure :Y: One positive at least is if they get stuck up some where, they have plenty of fuel available for the fire to cook with. But no trailer to return to pop but

madtuna said:

that trailer is almost as old as I am, .

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Nothing is that Old, LOL,, :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Hope they have a great trip Pablo... and that you post update photo's on the thread as they go (and keep us up to date on their adventures)
:Y: arty: :Y:

Sorry for the delay in responding, but away for a funeral today.

Thanks for all the feedback and comments fellows, and a few too many to respond to individually, but I will respond to a couple.

They aren't going to get to the Cape (I hope), and likely to not go past Cairns. They are driving a Holden Calais, so will be trying to look after that (more than my old trailer), and will be sticking to sealed roads, he wouldn't take the Calais onto dirt.

They have a couple of rolls of gaffer tape in silver and black colours so can do what they want with it and they have been instructed to not speed enough to tear the tarp apart. If they do it is they problem to fix after all it is their gear that is inside the trailer.

The main tow hitch is a very steel 4" box section that goes all the way through to the back, the small 1" box section bolted to the hardwood bearer (all timber is solid hardwood), is basically meant to help keep the timber frame square, and has no real role in the towing function. Remember that this trailer design and its running gear is > 50 years old so has stood the test of time.

The side walls have not been used, just the top tent section and as the ladder is a sliding fitting it adjusts to any height from this level up to that when on the Prado.

They have taken a couple of detectors, but I doubt that they will use them, except maybe for a bit of beach searching. Will likely spend more time fishing than detecting.

As long as they get back in one piece I will be happy, but I don't expect many/any photos.

Rob P.

That paints the picture :Y: they'll have a ball trouble or none.

The drawbar is not 4 it is 2 SHS .

I hope for their sakes they leave it at home . Not doing them any favours there .

HeadsUp said:

The drawbar is not 4 it is 2 SHS .

I hope for their sakes they leave it at home . Not doing them any favours there .

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No it is 4" box section steel. Mate I built the darn thing 50+ years ago, so I do know what it is made from. Actually the original unit had a 3" box section steel bar that slid inside the 4" bar that allowed it to be extended to carry a Fireball yacht, but that 3" section was removed after the yacht was disposed of and when the trailer was rebuilt about 15 to 20 years ago, leaving the original 4" drawbar.

They have arrived safely in Mackay yesterday so didn't waste time, and trailer has performed well.

Rob P.