No surprise for folks that have enjoyed your channel for a time. You have again excelled all expectations. What a great looking rig you've built. I hope you and your family will enjoy it for years to come.
thank you Jody! I sure can't wait to get to the enjoyment stage on this one...lol.... it's getting me excited to think that it may be road worthy in a month or two:)
Though your daughter hasn't formulated the concept yet, one day she will share with you her appreciation for and pride in a Dad whose skills and energy focus on projects for family and home. It's great that she'll be able to "recall" your projects through your videos. The fact that your channel reaches so many others means that other kids' dads, moms, gramps, etc can carry that example forward. Your generosity is much appreciated.
Thank you Glen! That is kind of you to say and I surely hope she remembers and gets to enjoy all of these little projects over the course of her years of growing up! And any inspiration that I can or do provide to others is just very humbling to think about.. thank you! Joe
I really liked the intro; and that dark blue sky in the background is gorgeous. Nice to see the inside of the shop at work. The bumper looks really good, as does the continuation of the side stripe.
Joe, you have done an extraordinary job on your travel trailer! I can't say that enough. I admire and envy your skills. I admit, I will never build one, but it was great following you to build this from the ground up. The way you discussed what you were doing was just incredible. Thanks for sharing!
wow... thank you John! those are some kind words sir! It's been quite the project and I just can't wait to actually be using it... but with that said I just got some cushions in the mail today that I will be designing the front dinette seating off of... so it's coming!!
That's what I love about welding, even when you don't get a "perfect"weld you can always grind and in your case the final result looks amazing!! Btw, loved the drill jack!! hehehe
I enjoyed your videos and have learned some very valuable things. I am going to build a trailer similar to yours on my tent trailer frame. I like your choice of leveling jacks and it would be very helpful if you could tell me where I can buy them. I am going to gather materials through the winter and start the project in the spring. I enjoyed watching a craftsman who is more OCD than me. I would say keep up the good work but I don't think you could do it any other way
Thanks for watching Benjamin! yep, those thumbers are always waiting...lol... i guess it just makes some folks happy to thumbs down... I'm especially baffled when I get the ones in the first minute or two of the upload... because they haven't even seen hardly any of it to make a judgment. But oh well, many more awesome people out there than bad ones :D Joe
Thank you so much. All your videos about this RV build really helps me a lot. Now I know the connection, the material, the layers I can use for my project. I'm studying architecture, and I have to design mobile food kiosk. Thank you so much..
The metal wrap trim looks great! This is a pretty impressive little project you did for yourself. I bet the little one's going to want to probably sleep in it for like a playhouse...
I enjoy and look forward to the trailer project updates. Actually, I look forward to all of your videos. Your craftsmanship and thoughtfulness as you approach a project is inspirational. Can't wait until you depart on the trailer's maiden voyage. Thank you for the great content! 👊
Thank you David! Kind words from a great man! I can't put into words how badly we are wanting to take this out... and enjoy it! I'm still thoroughly enjoying the process of making it as I know you can relate...but it will be sooo nice to be out in the mountains enjoying all of creation with the family :D
The building process has to be a sweet experience. The fun part is that you have taken so many of us along with your RUclips content. I can only imagine how fun it will be for your family the first night you guys snuggle in on a trailer road trip. As someone who appreciates your content I am already envisioning camera angles and footage pulling out on the road and backing into your first campsite 👊
for the spool ... Settings looks ok but try welding closer to the fusion pool and the inner corner joints can take more heat to make a nice hot pass. also, a 30 degree bevel on the weld joints does wonders with mig and smaw. Great project man keep it up love your videos !
Yeah I lowered them with a drill on my 27' trailer, but for the teardrop I am building now will have the flip down friction jacks-so fast and easy. Come take a look if you have time. Your trailer looks well made
Great work on the build, thanks for sharing. I like the cut out design on the back, guess the bumper idea is a personal thing. The only time I could have done with a rear bumper on mine was when reversing but bar would have had to be the first point of contact to be of any use. I would start using more sealant on the exterior. Try spraying everything with a hose to test. If your driving in the rain at Hwy speeds water can go upwards and is literally pumped into any joints that have gaps. Heavy rain/wind not much better Nice job on the box.A lot of time and a good result, more patience than me when I built mine. I found the 2 rear jacks and front jockey wheel plenty stable enough but was also trying to keep weight down. Easy to move around by hand. Ball weight ended up being 80kg. Mine has alloy sheet floor over chassis. Hope you use the alloy welding skills inside to help keep the weight down. Mine is still on a diet as much nicer to use and tow (I take it everywhere) although did end up adding electric brakes to help on loose, steep and wet conditions. Wish I'd been more minimalist with the initial design from day one. Would have saved much time and money on stuff it didn't need to do the job. Light (packed ready to go) GVM is best IMO. Keep up the good work.
I would recommend you decrease your stick out when you weld aluminum. It looked like you were close to an inch away (camera angle makes it hard to tell). Ideally you would be no more than 3/4” away. The closer you are the more amperage (heat) you will get. You would also benefit from changing your gun angle to closer to 10-15 degrees of 90. Lastly you ran stringers on the main part of the bumper but you oscillated when welding the angle to the tube. I would strongly recommend you run stringers for most things. I know most welders will disagree but all the testing we have done at my company has proved that when you oscillate you leave voids in the root weld and your weld is subsequently weaker. There are times when oscillating is necessary when MIG welding but those are few. Hope my input is of help to your future builds. You are quite an amazing craftsman. I am very impressed with your work. By the way I build custom truck bodies and trailers for a living
Great job and I like how you think outside the box. Your aluminum welding skills are constantly improving and thank you for sharing another informative video, God Bless.
watching your channel from across the atlantic ocean , you've got some solid ideas , some i've thought about never had someone put them in NEAT and TIDY way as you do .. keep up the good work and work on those editing skills haha 5 weeks is way too long to see your videos
Haha...yes it is a long time....lot of work that goes into each video....which is why I think I’ll focus on smaller segments And great to hear from across the ocean too!!! 😀
These days they make a really small mig/tig combo that would probably be cool to have for little projects like this. I haven't purchased one since I already have the giant 1 ton model but this is a perfect example of why I should. This has turned out very nice.
I have two suggestions. Just for aesthetics, I would put a piece of diamond plate on that back angle and for protection. The second is since you are using a drill to lower and raise your stabilizers, take the handle off of your tongue jack and put a matching socket on the top so you can lower and raise the jack. If your battery dies then use your speed handle. Good luck.
I was actually checking out another product that BAL carries that is for that side to side motion... but I already spent way more than my wife was expecting on these so I may have to fabricate a homemade brace for that ahah
I put those Bal C Jacks on all of my trailers. I love them. Might be a good idea to coat those exposed floor joists with something before you cover them.
Yes, they are really sweet.. I had some aluminum manual ones before and the weren't tall enough... these are way better! and the joists actually have 3 coats of "the mix" on them (the mix= thinned out spar urethane in progressively thicker coats)... it's from tnttt.com as the poormans version of protecting wood. I'm hoping it should work well.... fingers crossed :)
96ChevyDually6.5L thanks! Yes the screws will eventually get sealed over with some tape or sealant...just didn’t want to do it with her other stuff that I used for the edges as it was kind of ‘blobby’ haha
Hi - Great job on the trailer & vids! I just found them today and have watched all of them. A few suggestions - again, great job on the bumper... Now... you might want to start over and rebuild it. The reason is; you are going to need a spot to store your septic hose! As most rv's do, if you re-build your bumper with square stock tubing, you can store that thing in there! Another suggestion is that you might want to consider installing a rear-view/backup camera towards the top (under the center running light), as well as a 3rd (LED) brake light under the rear window for better visibility for those behind you. As for the space your boxing in around the wheel wells, those can be used to save space for mounting you shore power electric plug & water inlet! So screw in those panels for future access! Batteries - heard where your plan is for batteries in tounge box. Use AGM or Lithium batteries. Regular lead acid batteries vent hydrogen while charging! AGM deep cycles work great; if you can afford extra cost, the lithiums will save a lot of weight & have long life cycles! Hope this helps - John, Tucson
JP Tucson, AZ thanks for checking out the vids john! Great tips too! For the batteries I’m am planning on AGM right now, unless I can get a really good discount on some lithium’s....haha As for the sewer hose, we are planning a cassette or composting toilet so no need for a black tank.
MIG welding is so awesome. I took welding class in middle school and MIG wasn't widely available in the consumer market yet. In fact my 'teacher' told us there was no way to weld aluminum. A couple of years later I first heard of MIG when I met a guy who told me he was studying for his MIG/TIG certification. And nowadays you can go down to Harbor Freight and buy a welder that runs on house current for under two hundred bucks.
Wow! Those stabilizer jacks are sweet, and you can lower them with a drill too, awesome.👍👊 I think your video idea is pretty good too, breaking them into smaller bite sized chunks. Better for us to absorb the content.😆
Thanks Jim! Yes, those bigger ones were just soooo much video content to edit down into a smaller more watchable video... like hours and hours to go from an initial cut of 30 min to 15 min of somewhat structured content.... as you very well know yourself! :)
Hey Joe...! Really enjoying your Super C😎L Travel Trailer series. Your attention to detail and all the steps included in each process is exemplary and thorough, yet succinct. Well DONE. BrAvO! und HuzzaH! Subscribed. 😎 Coming from a missionary and fellow Handyman/ DIYer.. in Enchanting Chiangmai 🇹🇭 THAILAND 💜🌏 God's Blessings to you and your family!
Is coming together really nicely. I'm enjoying the build videos immensely. Just a thought on the welding, now I'm no welder and I have not welded aluminium with a "mig" before but have welded various thicknesses of steel from car panels to 6mm angle, but have you tried moving the lance in a pattern rather than just straight? On some test pieces maybe try the following? Zig-zag patten, overlapping circles, little "C" shapes, or stop-start circles - where you duty cycle the weld quickly with your trigger. These patterns have worked for me in the past for welding different thicknesses to each other or for thin materials. It may help, or may be worse! Lol
She's lookin GOOD my friend!!! I like your stabilizer speed jack! 😂. When I had my camper I used the same thing, A Drill. LOL!!! We learn to make life a little bit easier when ya go camping at the beach and it's 100°, ya just don't feel like sweating!😉😂😂. Great video as always. Take care, Jay. 👍👍
haha... yes, the drill sure is the way to go! the handle works fine and I'll keep it in the trailer but I'd opt to use the drill as long as the battery has power!! haha
These Vlogs are highlights in my day. The stabilizer jacks are so cool. Because you can use both manual and machine assisted system. I just wanted to ask if it would be more weather resistant if you bolt or weld sheet metal on the under carriage and then coated with like a rhino bed coating.
Oh man, thank you Myles! Thats awesome to hear! as for the bottom... so far the plan is the use corrugated plastic sheeting to protect from road spray. I did think of sheet metal as well but the way I have the bottom designed makes for a lot of cutting to get everything to fit... if the bottom was flush all the way through then it would certainly be sheet metal all the way :D
Awesome work! I'm enjoying your new style. Some nice background music at the beginning would have been a nice addition. Your calves reminded me of a superhero legs!💪🤩👍
Thanks Autumn! I think my style is just slightly changing all the time. Same basic concept of showing a project but some I talk more and some I let the tools and music do the talking :)
You did a great job. Are you sure you wouldn't want to tackle a 20 footer? It has all the ordinal stove, sinks, shower & so on. Oh come on pretty please! lol... I'll do about anything for some help. I'll do a lot of the work. I just don't know how to build it. Best to you & your family, Chris from Missouri
haha... this one is doing me in as it is...lol... but if you're looking to rebuild yours there is a guy... can't remember his name off the top of my head. But he does videos on just about every process of restoring old trailers
Great job, your very talented. In the beginning of video your cone was to far away, as you came in your welds got better. Also you may consider capping the open ends of bumper and mounting brackets to keep bees, spiders, etc out. I'm a inside machinist/welder/fabricator, and learned a few tips from your videos. Keep up the great work.
thanks Gary! yes, it's a slow process for me... 4 bad or terrible welds and 1 okay one... then another 4 bads and 1 okay...lol... definitely not as easy as steel :) as for the bumper... yes I should probably seal them up... but just depends on my time in the next few weeks :)
You can take the trailer and get the whole bottom floor sprayed with Tar to water proof it from water damage. A lot of people do the spraying to their vehicles in high salted areas, for protection from Corrosion, plus it’s a good water sealant.
Hello, I've been watching your channel, and I really like the "implementation of your ideas in life." I also really like your workshop and working tool. We, in Russia, in Siberia, do not have such, unfortunately. But I really liked the device for welding aluminum, can you learn more about it, a link to the store, or something like that..... Thanks.
Wow.your trailer looks professional grade from the outside. I admire your eye for detail. It looks so clean and slick. The bumper looks like a aftermarket item. Really impressed. I wondering do you have a fulltime job besides your videos n building? If so then where do you find the time?....😳 it seems to me that you're very knowledgeable about a lot of DIY's. Thank you for sharing.👍
Gilbert Robles thanks! Yes I do have a full time job...I work as a firefighter for my day job😀👍 And yes, finding time between the day job, family time and these projects is very tough sometimes
You're a very talented craftsman, keep em coming ! Oh and what about the bottom of ur trailer? Are you gonna leave it like that? Why not some galvanized thin metal sheeting to protect the bottom from weather and road conditions, wont add much weight, and you probably could use a rivet gun to attach metal sheets.
Thanks MGO! as for the bottom of the trailer, you might have missed it, but I mentioned that I was going to cover it in some corrugated plastic sheet to protect from road spray... I talk about it when the camera is under the trailer :)
I just checked my box trailer and neighbor's travel trailer. Both have exposed pressure treated plywood underneath. A little research shows un-"protected" wood will dry much faster than shielded wood, reducing rot...without "protection" actually yields a longer lifespan. Best, @HoneyOnWales
DrewT so I’ve been reading that as well on tnttt.com.... but it’s definitely confusing because I also read other that didn’t protect and had it rot too....just not totally sure. We are blessed with a pretty dry environment so condensation and humidity don’t really factor in most of the time....but I’m mostly concerned about road spray hitting up in the seems and gaps and working it’s way into the cab... it will be and experiment I guess 😀🤞
Здравствуйте, я давненько смотрю ваш канал, и мне очень нравится "воплощение ваших идей в жизнь". Ещё мне очень нравится ваша мастерская и рабочий инструмент. У нас, в России, в Сибири, такого, к большому сожалению, нету. Но мне очень понравился аппарат для сварки алюминия, можно ли у вас узнать про него по больше, ссылку на магазин, или что то подобное..... Спасибо.
Great job! You have a future in the trailer business ☺. You might enjoy videos from the "Essential Craftsman", current one has to do with extension / upgrade of the shop, not saying you actually need that, yours is very nice, but it's an interesting story line non the less. Looking forward to future videos.
haha... thanks Alan! but I don't think I want to do another one anytime soon.... but I will say if I do another I would design lower frame a bit different. this one was a change of plans from the original plans of 2 years ago to the conversion and extension of the lower portion.... but overall I'm happy with how it's turning out :) And I'll have to check out that channel too!
If you use an electric heat gun to heat the aluminum up just prior to welding it will well far better. You may have noticed nicer welds and penetration at the end of your longer welds. Nice job!
In the video you mentioned corrugated plastic to line the bottom. Are you referring to Coroplast or similar? I became familiar with that when I was considering adding flexible solar panels to the roof of my teardrop. It is very lightweight, durable, and I believe it's available in different thicknesses and colors.
You are on top of it Jerry! yes, i believe the stuff in my garage is called coroplast, from home depot. I don't think it will be the most robust stuff in the world but should be pretty easy to put on without adding too much weight. I think put in small segments so that if one gets damaged I can make up a new piece pretty easily... but I also may try and use some of my aluminum scraps to add as well. And on the solar panel note... you are spot on too.. I'm going to be adding some flexible panels on in the next 2-3 weeks or so :D
The solar question is what's been keeping me up at night lately. I've pretty much decided on 200w of flex panels attached to Coroplast with a 30amp MPPT charge controller. Beyond that... I don't know yet. I feel like I'm back in college. There is an incredible amount of material to learn about RV construction. From welding and basic trailer weight dynamics, to materials selection, electronics, vehicle wiring, 120v and 12v systems, solar, plumbing, etc. It's a much bigger project than I initially envisioned.
Jon Miller hey Jon, It not often that Im able to get to these older video comments but you happened to catch me just perfectly. Here is the link to the specific ones I got. www.amazon.com/BAL-23225-Set-Jacks-Handle/dp/B002P2YTIA/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=c+stabilizer+jacks&qid=1579066698&sr=8-3. Hope that helps👍😀
Not to talk trash but thank goodness for sanders huh?!? That spool gun while functional, still isn't tig.Really enjoy the build. Are you going to use a standard ball and hitch or a crazy swivel?Keep 'em coming!
No surprise for folks that have enjoyed your channel for a time. You have again excelled all expectations. What a great looking rig you've built. I hope you and your family will enjoy it for years to come.
thank you Jody! I sure can't wait to get to the enjoyment stage on this one...lol.... it's getting me excited to think that it may be road worthy in a month or two:)
Though your daughter hasn't formulated the concept yet, one day she will share with you her appreciation for and pride in a Dad whose skills and energy focus on projects for family and home. It's great that she'll be able to "recall" your projects through your videos. The fact that your channel reaches so many others means that other kids' dads, moms, gramps, etc can carry that example forward. Your generosity is much appreciated.
Thank you Glen! That is kind of you to say and I surely hope she remembers and gets to enjoy all of these little projects over the course of her years of growing up! And any inspiration that I can or do provide to others is just very humbling to think about.. thank you!
Joe
I really liked the intro; and that dark blue sky in the background is gorgeous. Nice to see the inside of the shop at work. The bumper looks really good, as does the continuation of the side stripe.
Blackberry Hideout thanks Jess! I liked it too! Not sure why I even debated the stripe continuation....lol...love it now
Another top notch video! Can't wait for the next chapter of this build!
Robert Wedderburn thank you robert!!
Joe, you have done an extraordinary job on your travel trailer! I can't say that enough. I admire and envy your skills. I admit, I will never build one, but it was great following you to build this from the ground up. The way you discussed what you were doing was just incredible. Thanks for sharing!
wow... thank you John! those are some kind words sir! It's been quite the project and I just can't wait to actually be using it... but with that said I just got some cushions in the mail today that I will be designing the front dinette seating off of... so it's coming!!
Awesome job on that rear bumper and stabilizes. Your a man of many talents, can’t wait to hear about your first trip in the camper.
Raymond Hodge thanks Raymond! Definitely a huge learning project but I’m happy with that progress so far! And yes, very excited for that first trip!!
That camper is turning out to be a great looking build. I’m looking forward to seeing the next video.
thanks HU!
Great work on your trailer, and every little bit helps and one step closer to getting finished and HITTING the road.
thanks Greg! yes, this is becoming a project of knocking down all the segments one at a time... Im soooo looking forward to hitting the road lol!!
That opening was classic Joe.
Helmut Prost 😉👍
That's what I love about welding, even when you don't get a "perfect"weld you can always grind and in your case the final result looks amazing!! Btw, loved the drill jack!! hehehe
Odd Life Crafting haha...yes, my best asset in welding is a grinder! 😂
Mig welds ( structurally) should never be ground down but as an add on bumper it is ok to do this
Great looking little trailer!! You guys have fun with it...seriously, take some time off and go enjoy with your family.
MrFyxr trust me I do want to use it ASAP....but I got to get it to that useable stage first😉
I enjoyed your videos and have learned some very valuable things. I am going to build a trailer similar to yours on my tent trailer frame. I like your choice of leveling jacks and it would be very helpful if you could tell me where I can buy them. I am going to gather materials through the winter and start the project in the spring. I enjoyed watching a craftsman who is more OCD than me. I would say keep up the good work but I don't think you could do it any other way
Looking good Joe. You make welding aluminum look easy.
thanks Lee! but I think my learning curve for aluminum is longer than most as I still have way more bad welds than good ones ;)
Nice work with the bumper! All your projects have such a clean aesthetic.
Imagining Shadows thank you IS!
How do people give this a thumbs down?!?!?!
Great content and a great personality for a home grown channel.
Thanks for watching Benjamin! yep, those thumbers are always waiting...lol... i guess it just makes some folks happy to thumbs down... I'm especially baffled when I get the ones in the first minute or two of the upload... because they haven't even seen hardly any of it to make a judgment.
But oh well, many more awesome people out there than bad ones :D
Joe
Good content . . . . not bad content.
It looks wonderful....excited to see the insides when done!
thanks MD! me too, just got some cushions in today so I can start thinking about how to design the front dinette area :)
Nice work!! Now we need some stairs on that thing.
Thank you so much. All your videos about this RV build really helps me a lot. Now I know the connection, the material, the layers I can use for my project. I'm studying architecture, and I have to design mobile food kiosk. Thank you so much..
Great video, The bumper looks really nice. Well done.
thanks Joseph!
Super cool. I enjoy the voice over work you normally do. Your videos are always great to watch. Keep being awesome.
The metal wrap trim looks great!
This is a pretty impressive little project you did for yourself.
I bet the little one's going to want to probably sleep in it for like a playhouse...
haha.. thanks! she definitely wants to go camping in it sooon!
The stabilizer are really slick! Thanks for sharing this. It looks great.
yes they are! I was really excited to get wifes approval on buying these... they weren't quite in the budget of what I told her months ago...lol
I enjoy and look forward to the trailer project updates. Actually, I look forward to all of your videos. Your craftsmanship and thoughtfulness as you approach a project is inspirational. Can't wait until you depart on the trailer's maiden voyage. Thank you for the great content! 👊
Thank you David! Kind words from a great man!
I can't put into words how badly we are wanting to take this out... and enjoy it! I'm still thoroughly enjoying the process of making it as I know you can relate...but it will be sooo nice to be out in the mountains enjoying all of creation with the family :D
The building process has to be a sweet experience. The fun part is that you have taken so many of us along with your RUclips content. I can only imagine how fun it will be for your family the first night you guys snuggle in on a trailer road trip. As someone who appreciates your content I am already envisioning camera angles and footage pulling out on the road and backing into your first campsite 👊
Good job, Joe! Your trailer looks awesome now, like a starship! Waiting for interior decoration now.
Сергей Деркач thank you! Haha...starship sounds cool! It’s gotta be the stabilizers 😀👍
That is an excellent job on the trailer.
Airborne Ranger thanks!
Trailer looks really good
thanks Ron!
I think the bumper looks great, another nice job, thanks for the video.
thank you Harley!
The trailer is looking so good!
Congrats on getting even closer to done :)
Gregory Thomas thanks Greg!
I am just amazed to see your work, I much respect it. thanks for sharing.
for the spool ... Settings looks ok but try welding closer to the fusion pool and the inner corner joints can take more heat to make a nice hot pass. also, a 30 degree bevel on the weld joints does wonders with mig and smaw. Great project man keep it up love your videos !
man, big projects like trailer is perfect for me, I love it. keep going with this wonderful work
jose wandasson thanks Jose!
Yeah I lowered them with a drill on my 27' trailer, but for the teardrop I am building now will have the flip down friction jacks-so fast and easy. Come take a look if you have time. Your trailer looks well made
The bumper looks awesome, looks like a production trailer, super cool. Love the vids!
thanks Dominick! that's just cause I show the best angles for the camera.. and crop out the bad sides of my projects haha
Buddy, I watched six amazing videos and I am anxious about for future ones!
Great work on the build, thanks for sharing.
I like the cut out design on the back, guess the bumper idea is a personal thing. The only time I could have done with a rear bumper on mine was when reversing but bar would have had to be the first point of contact to be of any use.
I would start using more sealant on the exterior. Try spraying everything with a hose to test. If your driving in the rain at Hwy speeds water can go upwards and is literally pumped into any joints that have gaps. Heavy rain/wind not much better
Nice job on the box.A lot of time and a good result, more patience than me when I built mine.
I found the 2 rear jacks and front jockey wheel plenty stable enough but was also trying to keep weight down. Easy to move around by hand. Ball weight ended up being 80kg. Mine has alloy sheet floor over chassis.
Hope you use the alloy welding skills inside to help keep the weight down. Mine is still on a diet as much nicer to use and tow (I take it everywhere) although did end up adding electric brakes to help on loose, steep and wet conditions.
Wish I'd been more minimalist with the initial design from day one. Would have saved much time and money on stuff it didn't need to do the job. Light (packed ready to go) GVM is best IMO.
Keep up the good work.
I would recommend you decrease your stick out when you weld aluminum. It looked like you were close to an inch away (camera angle makes it hard to tell). Ideally you would be no more than 3/4” away. The closer you are the more amperage (heat) you will get. You would also benefit from changing your gun angle to closer to 10-15 degrees of 90. Lastly you ran stringers on the main part of the bumper but you oscillated when welding the angle to the tube. I would strongly recommend you run stringers for most things. I know most welders will disagree but all the testing we have done at my company has proved that when you oscillate you leave voids in the root weld and your weld is subsequently weaker. There are times when oscillating is necessary when MIG welding but those are few. Hope my input is of help to your future builds. You are quite an amazing craftsman. I am very impressed with your work. By the way I build custom truck bodies and trailers for a living
Great job and I like how you think outside the box. Your aluminum welding skills are constantly improving and thank you for sharing another informative video, God Bless.
Daniel Fisch thank you Daniel! God bless you too!
Sweet , looks amazing bud , any under side work is a pain in the but for sure , now you know it's done right though
Thanks! yes, that underside work is tough on the next and the back when you're in the rocks...lol
Rockstar. Man of many talents, thanks for sharing and inspiring.
watching your channel from across the atlantic ocean , you've got some solid ideas , some i've thought about never had someone put them in NEAT and TIDY way as you do .. keep up the good work and work on those editing skills haha 5 weeks is way too long to see your videos
Haha...yes it is a long time....lot of work that goes into each video....which is why I think I’ll focus on smaller segments
And great to hear from across the ocean too!!! 😀
Great job... Bumper looks really nice and cool
These days they make a really small mig/tig combo that would probably be cool to have for little projects like this. I haven't purchased one since I already have the giant 1 ton model but this is a perfect example of why I should. This has turned out very nice.
Great stuff as always! That trailer is looking great! Cheers!
Canadian Sasquatch thanks Steve! I’m Happy with it so far!
Great 👍🏻 , clean, professional project
Bader Alhazmi thanks bader!
Great job Joe 👍!
thanks Lebron!!!
Joe
I always hated welding with a spool gun. You did a good job everything looks very nice
I have two suggestions. Just for aesthetics, I would put a piece of diamond plate on that back angle and for protection. The second is since you are using a drill to lower and raise your stabilizers, take the handle off of your tongue jack and put a matching socket on the top so you can lower and raise the jack. If your battery dies then use your speed handle. Good luck.
You are doing pretty good with that welder.
its' still a learning process but it's coming along little by little :)
You're gonna need some left to right support for those stabilizer jacks. I've had 2 TD's and they tend to bend side to side. Looking good!
I was actually checking out another product that BAL carries that is for that side to side motion... but I already spent way more than my wife was expecting on these so I may have to fabricate a homemade brace for that ahah
Doubt on a small trailer like his that it would make that much difference, but good call anyways
*Woow this man can Build a Bulldozer, great job*
Bumper looked great
I put those Bal C Jacks on all of my trailers. I love them. Might be a good idea to coat those exposed floor joists with something before you cover them.
Yes, they are really sweet.. I had some aluminum manual ones before and the weren't tall enough... these are way better!
and the joists actually have 3 coats of "the mix" on them (the mix= thinned out spar urethane in progressively thicker coats)... it's from tnttt.com as the poormans version of protecting wood. I'm hoping it should work well.... fingers crossed :)
Didn't realize you had coated them already. Nice work. Yeah the C Jacks come in 5 different heights so lots of choice. Looking forward to more 👍
Nice job. Might need some dicor sealant around the fan for extra waterproofing
96ChevyDually6.5L thanks! Yes the screws will eventually get sealed over with some tape or sealant...just didn’t want to do it with her other stuff that I used for the edges as it was kind of ‘blobby’ haha
Inspiring stuff mate. From all the way down here in Pinjarra Western Australia.
Olds Cool thanks!! Awesome to here from Australia 🇦🇺!!!
Hi - Great job on the trailer & vids! I just found them today and have watched all of them.
A few suggestions - again, great job on the bumper... Now... you might want to start over and rebuild it. The reason is; you are going to need a spot to store your septic hose! As most rv's do, if you re-build your bumper with square stock tubing, you can store that thing in there! Another suggestion is that you might want to consider installing a rear-view/backup camera towards the top (under the center running light), as well as a 3rd (LED) brake light under the rear window for better visibility for those behind you.
As for the space your boxing in around the wheel wells, those can be used to save space for mounting you shore power electric plug & water inlet! So screw in those panels for future access!
Batteries - heard where your plan is for batteries in tounge box. Use AGM or Lithium batteries. Regular lead acid batteries vent hydrogen while charging! AGM deep cycles work great; if you can afford extra cost, the lithiums will save a lot of weight & have long life cycles!
Hope this helps - John, Tucson
JP Tucson, AZ thanks for checking out the vids john! Great tips too!
For the batteries I’m am planning on AGM right now, unless I can get a really good discount on some lithium’s....haha
As for the sewer hose, we are planning a cassette or composting toilet so no need for a black tank.
JP Tucson, AZ ....oh yeah, the back up camera is a good idea and definitely in the considerations too
Good job! it is coming along great.
M105a2 DIY Camper thanks! It’s getting closer to the using stage..which is what I’m longing for..lol
Lol we’re both in the same place! But keep going the easy part is done now comes the hard one all of the finishes.
Your welding wire stick out should be around 1/2" w that spoolgun. Hope that helps you, great job!
Bull Dozer yep some of those stickouts were way out...lol
I'm a design student and your tutorials helping me a lot great detailed work! I was wondering the measurment of the bumper though. Thanks a lot
MIG welding is so awesome. I took welding class in middle school and MIG wasn't widely available in the consumer market yet. In fact my 'teacher' told us there was no way to weld aluminum. A couple of years later I first heard of MIG when I met a guy who told me he was studying for his MIG/TIG certification. And nowadays you can go down to Harbor Freight and buy a welder that runs on house current for under two hundred bucks.
Boreasrex11 yes, it has come a long way and has been made pretty darn easy to learn with a lot of these newer machines!😀
Wow! Those stabilizer jacks are sweet, and you can lower them with a drill too, awesome.👍👊 I think your video idea is pretty good too, breaking them into smaller bite sized chunks. Better for us to absorb the content.😆
Thanks Jim! Yes, those bigger ones were just soooo much video content to edit down into a smaller more watchable video... like hours and hours to go from an initial cut of 30 min to 15 min of somewhat structured content.... as you very well know yourself! :)
Allot of ppl who own trailers use a cordless drill to lower their jacks its way easier.
@@georgezgreek that's interesting. That's something I didn't know before. I should too, since I'm currently residing in one full time.😆
lol hey we're never too old to learn new things, I am jealous you're living that life .
Hey Joe...!
Really enjoying your Super C😎L Travel Trailer series. Your attention to detail and all the steps included in each process is exemplary and thorough, yet succinct. Well DONE. BrAvO! und HuzzaH! Subscribed. 😎
Coming from a missionary and fellow Handyman/ DIYer.. in Enchanting Chiangmai 🇹🇭 THAILAND 💜🌏
God's Blessings to you and your family!
Is coming together really nicely. I'm enjoying the build videos immensely.
Just a thought on the welding, now I'm no welder and I have not welded aluminium with a "mig" before but have welded various thicknesses of steel from car panels to 6mm angle, but have you tried moving the lance in a pattern rather than just straight? On some test pieces maybe try the following? Zig-zag patten, overlapping circles, little "C" shapes, or stop-start circles - where you duty cycle the weld quickly with your trigger. These patterns have worked for me in the past for welding different thicknesses to each other or for thin materials. It may help, or may be worse! Lol
She's lookin GOOD my friend!!! I like your stabilizer speed jack! 😂. When I had my camper I used the same thing, A Drill. LOL!!! We learn to make life a little bit easier when ya go camping at the beach and it's 100°, ya just don't feel like sweating!😉😂😂. Great video as always. Take care, Jay. 👍👍
haha... yes, the drill sure is the way to go! the handle works fine and I'll keep it in the trailer but I'd opt to use the drill as long as the battery has power!! haha
awsome work man u r master builder
yasir don thanks Yasir!
Fantastic job ! But I would have used that pink or green encapsulated foam for water resistance, especially on the bottom.
moonolyth thanks!
Thank you for your excellent experience! I can build trailers like you! Thanks again!
Keep going man, looks great.
thanks Neil!
Sou Brasileiro e acompanho seu canal aqui do sul do Brasil, parabéns pelo talento!!
very nice project
thanks Colin!
These Vlogs are highlights in my day. The stabilizer jacks are so cool. Because you can use both manual and machine assisted system. I just wanted to ask if it would be more weather resistant if you bolt or weld sheet metal on the under carriage and then coated with like a rhino bed coating.
Oh man, thank you Myles! Thats awesome to hear!
as for the bottom... so far the plan is the use corrugated plastic sheeting to protect from road spray. I did think of sheet metal as well but the way I have the bottom designed makes for a lot of cutting to get everything to fit... if the bottom was flush all the way through then it would certainly be sheet metal all the way :D
homesteadonomics Thanks for the reply. Awesome Job.
Nicely done !
thanks Mikolaj!
Heck yea, dude! Looks killer.
Thanks BLG!
Just keeps getting better 👍
Big Sky at Night thank you 😊 👍 🙏
Awesome work! I'm enjoying your new style. Some nice background music at the beginning would have been a nice addition. Your calves reminded me of a superhero legs!💪🤩👍
Thanks Autumn! I think my style is just slightly changing all the time. Same basic concept of showing a project but some I talk more and some I let the tools and music do the talking :)
Cool trailer, great shop, fantastic craftsmanship........like following your projects and talent✌🏻✌🏻
You did a great job.
Are you sure you wouldn't want to tackle a 20 footer? It has all the ordinal stove, sinks, shower & so on. Oh come on pretty please! lol... I'll do about anything for some help. I'll do a lot of the work. I just don't know how to build it.
Best to you & your family,
Chris from Missouri
haha... this one is doing me in as it is...lol... but if you're looking to rebuild yours there is a guy... can't remember his name off the top of my head. But he does videos on just about every process of restoring old trailers
It looks great...nice job. Greetings from Belgium.
Great job, your very talented. In the beginning of video your cone was to far away, as you came in your welds got better. Also you may consider capping the open ends of bumper and mounting brackets to keep bees, spiders, etc out. I'm a inside machinist/welder/fabricator, and learned a few tips from your videos. Keep up the great work.
thanks Gary! yes, it's a slow process for me... 4 bad or terrible welds and 1 okay one... then another 4 bads and 1 okay...lol... definitely not as easy as steel :)
as for the bumper... yes I should probably seal them up... but just depends on my time in the next few weeks :)
I like those gloves you are wearing when welding.
they are awesome! comfy and good dexterity.... 'forney signature' welding gloves here is a link to their site bit.ly/2LjRRqH
You can take the trailer and get the whole bottom floor sprayed with Tar to water proof it from water damage. A lot of people do the spraying to their vehicles in high salted areas, for protection from Corrosion, plus it’s a good water sealant.
Hello, I've been watching your channel, and I really like the "implementation of your ideas in life." I also really like your workshop and working tool. We, in Russia, in Siberia, do not have such, unfortunately. But I really liked the device for welding aluminum, can you learn more about it, a link to the store, or something like that..... Thanks.
congratulations from Chile. Nice work!!!
So just need some small levels to attach to the 4 corners to be able to see how far off you are as you do the round of setting the legs?
Andrew H yep, sure will...probably one on the back and one on the side
Wow.your trailer looks professional grade from the outside. I admire your eye for detail. It looks so clean and slick. The bumper looks like a aftermarket item. Really impressed. I wondering do you have a fulltime job besides your videos n building? If so then where do you find the time?....😳 it seems to me that you're very knowledgeable about a lot of DIY's. Thank you for sharing.👍
Gilbert Robles thanks! Yes I do have a full time job...I work as a firefighter for my day job😀👍
And yes, finding time between the day job, family time and these projects is very tough sometimes
@@homesteadonomics wow... Well God Bless you n family.😎 Cheers from Brownsville Texas.👍
You're a very talented craftsman, keep em coming ! Oh and what about the bottom of ur trailer? Are you gonna leave it like that? Why not some galvanized thin metal sheeting to protect the bottom from weather and road conditions, wont add much weight, and you probably could use a rivet gun to attach metal sheets.
Thanks MGO! as for the bottom of the trailer, you might have missed it, but I mentioned that I was going to cover it in some corrugated plastic sheet to protect from road spray... I talk about it when the camera is under the trailer :)
I would be worried the plastic will get destroyed with road debris. Hopefully you will update how it’s working out for you.
Yeah I missed it , Personally would avoid the plastic it wont hold up .
I just checked my box trailer and neighbor's travel trailer. Both have exposed pressure treated plywood underneath. A little research shows un-"protected" wood will dry much faster than shielded wood, reducing rot...without "protection" actually yields a longer lifespan. Best, @HoneyOnWales
DrewT so I’ve been reading that as well on tnttt.com.... but it’s definitely confusing because I also read other that didn’t protect and had it rot too....just not totally sure. We are blessed with a pretty dry environment so condensation and humidity don’t really factor in most of the time....but I’m mostly concerned about road spray hitting up in the seems and gaps and working it’s way into the cab... it will be and experiment I guess 😀🤞
cool jack mechanism
thanks Ken! they are really cool!
Здравствуйте, я давненько смотрю ваш канал, и мне очень нравится "воплощение ваших идей в жизнь". Ещё мне очень нравится ваша мастерская и рабочий инструмент. У нас, в России, в Сибири, такого, к большому сожалению, нету. Но мне очень понравился аппарат для сварки алюминия, можно ли у вас узнать про него по больше, ссылку на магазин, или что то подобное..... Спасибо.
rubberized undercoat is cheap and very efficient to seal up the bottom.
Great job! You have a future in the trailer business ☺. You might enjoy videos from the "Essential Craftsman", current one has to do with extension / upgrade of the shop, not saying you actually need that, yours is very nice, but it's an interesting story line non the less. Looking forward to future videos.
haha... thanks Alan! but I don't think I want to do another one anytime soon.... but I will say if I do another I would design lower frame a bit different. this one was a change of plans from the original plans of 2 years ago to the conversion and extension of the lower portion.... but overall I'm happy with how it's turning out :) And I'll have to check out that channel too!
yeah I bet Kedron trailers in Australia would hire you in a second , they have some awesome trailers, probably the best I have ever seen .
Mad Greek Outdoors I have always heard that the Australia 🇦🇺 trailers were the tops in quality and innovation! So I’ll take it😀👍
Excellent RV
Use jack stands and wedges to hold something up for welding or bolting.
If you use an electric heat gun to heat the aluminum up just prior to welding it will well far better. You may have noticed nicer welds and penetration at the end of your longer welds.
Nice job!
yes, slowly learning... ive been on the 'let the AZ sun' heat it up kick...lol
@@homesteadonomics exactly, I have been welding up a fence and gate. I am looking forward to cooler weather.
In the video you mentioned corrugated plastic to line the bottom. Are you referring to Coroplast or similar? I became familiar with that when I was considering adding flexible solar panels to the roof of my teardrop. It is very lightweight, durable, and I believe it's available in different thicknesses and colors.
You are on top of it Jerry! yes, i believe the stuff in my garage is called coroplast, from home depot. I don't think it will be the most robust stuff in the world but should be pretty easy to put on without adding too much weight. I think put in small segments so that if one gets damaged I can make up a new piece pretty easily... but I also may try and use some of my aluminum scraps to add as well.
And on the solar panel note... you are spot on too.. I'm going to be adding some flexible panels on in the next 2-3 weeks or so :D
The solar question is what's been keeping me up at night lately. I've pretty much decided on 200w of flex panels attached to Coroplast with a 30amp MPPT charge controller. Beyond that... I don't know yet. I feel like I'm back in college. There is an incredible amount of material to learn about RV construction. From welding and basic trailer weight dynamics, to materials selection, electronics, vehicle wiring, 120v and 12v systems, solar, plumbing, etc. It's a much bigger project than I initially envisioned.
Crazy idea, what about mounting your bumper using a metal tubes that can telescope inward, making them adjustable.
I did think about that, or a tilting bumper for clearance, but just went for the simplicity over the function :)
Cute trailer 👍
Te felicito buen trabajo.
Thanks for sharing looks awesome
Rick Ballard thanks for checking it out Rick!
Hey! Wondering if you have a link to those stabilizer jacks, would love to pick some up!
Jon Miller hey Jon, It not often that Im able to get to these older video comments but you happened to catch me just perfectly. Here is the link to the specific ones I got. www.amazon.com/BAL-23225-Set-Jacks-Handle/dp/B002P2YTIA/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=c+stabilizer+jacks&qid=1579066698&sr=8-3. Hope that helps👍😀
Not to talk trash but thank goodness for sanders huh?!? That spool gun while functional, still isn't tig.Really enjoy the build. Are you going to use a standard ball and hitch or a crazy swivel?Keep 'em coming!
John Hunter haha...yep! A new welders best asset ;)
Is looking great you almost ready for hunting season man I got to say I love your projects
Dennis Chroninger thanks Dennis! Yep, just around the corner!