Cargo Trailer Camper Conversion - Finished
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- Опубликовано: 22 сен 2019
- We love it! This camper started life as a 20 foot all-aluminum Legend Explorer series. All of the cabinets and furnishings were custom built. We added a 6" lift to the trailer to allow us to use a Pro-Pride hitch system. The frame was just too low without it. It sleeps up to 4, but we plan to only use it with 2 people most of the time. We ended up with almost twice as much storage as we had in our old factory-built campers. The final weight was just about 4300 pounds.
Parts and Materials Used:
Trailer - Legend Explorer V-nose 7x21 deluxe with 7' sidewalls, a screen door mounted behind the axle (normally it's in front) and an aluminum step. Purchased from Beck's in Lansing Michigan.
Pump - Shurflo 4008 Revolution Direct Replacement 3 GPM Electric Whisper Quiet Operation Self-Priming.
Antenna - Elecwave 70 Miles Digital HDTV Antenna 360 Degree Omni-directional Reception Outdoor/Indoor Amplified Antenna .
Awning Lights - Dream Lighting 12V Waterproof Awning Lights.
Fridge Vents - Norcold (621156Polar White) Refrigerator Vent.
Access Doors & Latches - Ordered custom sizes from RecPro www.recpro.com/.
Awning - Aleko Awning Retractable RV/Patio Awning - 16 x 8 Feet - White/Black Fade
Tanks - from Tank Mart
Black Water 25 Gallon Side Dump RV Holding Tank with 3” Uniseal.
Fresh Water 23 Gallon RV Water Tank with Standard Fittings Package.
Grey Water 10 Gallon RV Holding Tank with Standard Fittings Package.
Lift Kit - 6 X 2 X 11Ga (.120 wall) A500 Rectangle Steel Tube.
Door Window Upgrade - AP Products 015-201512 Slim Shade
Windows - Vintage Technologies, Union city MI, 12" round portholes, 18"x15" awning windows, 36"x20" horz slider, and 30"x20" egress. 
Хобби
Definitely a wood worker…Beautiful build. We’re just starting. Great video! Peace and Blessings.
Thanks. I hope yours turns out fabulous.
Door at the back ...genius! Great ideas here. Thanks for sharing:)
Thank you.
Very nice home you made for your family good job! 👍Nice videoi! Bathroom very nice with a real door and wall is removable for motorcycle COOL!
Best video very good Job from a carpenter/ contractor with over 30 years in the Bidness😃
Thanks 👍
That’s a solid build for sure.
The pipe rail system is inspiring.
Very well planned and executed .Love it .
Wanting to do something along these lines and lived some of your ideas. It’s amazing what these cargo trailers can be morphed into. Thank you for sharing.
Very creative ideas and beautifully done. Exposed pipes has me rethinking my future build. Congratulations
Nice build, Kim. I love saving space for the motorcycle.
Very impressive.
Nice job. My favorite cargo trailer conversion.
Absolutely brilliant conversion!
Loved this video. It moved right along and quickly gave all essential info. Some seem to drag on forever but not this one. Loved the build.
Beautiful!
Simple and to the point, love the bathroom!!
One of the nicest set ups I’ve seen. Good job.
So nice !!!
Best conversion hands down. I'm inviting you to be my neighbor when I do mine...and bring your tools, please.
Thanks. If you have any questions along the way let me know.
Very Nicely Done!! Love the table on the slider.
AWESOME design !! Practical and functional, great job
Your build is one of the nicest I have ever seen. Well done!
Thanks
Really well done! Congratulations!
If I had any knowledge on wood working, piping and electrical. I would. This was amazing. I'd love to do something similar but just a trailer with a bathroom, I just keep getting this vision of me covered in doodoo.
Ha ha. I bet you could do it. There are so many videos out there to show you how.
Very nice conversion. I am sure more time than you thought but definitely worth it. I wish I had one.
Very clever! Nice job! I want one!
Really fantastic build! So much attention to detail. So many great ideas. If I ever get a cargo to convert I will definitely be referring to your videos for ideas and know-how. Thanks for putting in the time to put this out there.
You are welcome. Glad you enjoyed it.
Excellent design and workmanship, well done. Whether trained or natural, your engineering skills are clearly well developed. I kept waiting for the requisite grating music which accompanies so many videos here..... thank you.
You're welcome. No music, no adds.
I have watched a great deal of these conversions, and in my opinion, yours is by far the best I’ve seen thus far. I was actually giving up hope in doing a conversion like this myself and wondering if I would have to go another route. Thankfully, those thoughts have now disappeared.
We are all different and that’s why we live in different homes with different floor plans. So yes, I would make a few changes to suit my needs, but all in all, this is so much of what I do want. I love the bathroom, the bed area, most of the kitchen, the outside, all of the storage and closet for sure.
Now, I just have to get my husband on board. I will be doing the majority of the build myself while he is working towards retirement. My goal is to have it completed a few years before he is done, and I have enough years to do so. And then we are off leaving Alaska to travel the continental U.S. of A. I would also like to use this to travel our state for a few years before we head out. We would use the time to fix all of the bugs that arise and to change anything before we really head off. My husband has promised me a minimum of nine months to travel the U.S., and I intend to make sure he enjoys it as much as I know I will.
I cannot thank you enough for reigniting that spark that this is possible and we will be able to have what we need and want. Yeah, the word ‘thanks’ just isn’t enough. You and your video is simply awesome.
Wishing you an amazing day with lots of laughter and smiles to come your way.
Wow. I am so happy I made an impact. It is a truly fun thing to build and I wish you all the luck in the world.
Kim Donaghy, REALTOR, Ayre Rhinehart Realtors
You did and thank you. Can’t wait.
Wow what A wonderful comment you should enjoy that very much I can hear the joy and relief in your comment your energy has somewhat in a way help me during a personal issue we all have the minds and the time to make what we want a reality I hope you are excited I am for you
shsj sjsjsjsi,
Thank you for your kind words and I’m happy energy reached you in a positive way. And you’re right, we all have the minds to make our lives a positive reality, not always easy, but reachable with a lot of hard work and determination.
May you have an amazing day, stay smiling 🎈
@@kimdonaghyrealtor8238 how much you selling this for?
Really Nice! Gave me some good ideals. Enjoyed watching, and Great Music Too!
I really want a tiny home and have designed one but can not afford it! Have looked at remodeling various step vans and trucks too. Played with SCA but am now too disabled/weak from almost five years of fighting cancer. So now I can't set up a campsite. But doing this would enable me to attend again. Would just have to get white tarps and paint them to look like a small castle and use ropes to pull over top and tie down all around. Wow, I so WANT one of these. Of course, like everyone else, I would make changes based on my specific needs. Really like the sliding chairs and table. Great for going down the road. I have to laugh every time I see THOWs designed to be moved and they use open shelf storage - yeah, I like packing and moving SO-O-O much that I want to do it EVERY time I move this thing 20 yards! Thank you so much for sharing your great build!
Wow, this is very nice. Great work. I love that you made room for your bike.
Thx 4 sharing.
OMG, I love this!
Well done Functional And it looks Great👍👍👍
Thanks
I agree with you @Ma'iingankwe! This is really the best, I really liked the layout.
Brilliant best build ever!!!
Great Job on the larger than typical RV bathroom. Tony
Excellent work
Good build
Nicely done
Great Work!
Great vid. Gave me some ideas for my project.
Dude! You have mad skills!!! great job on this conversion!
Thank you.
Yes I am inspired thank you for sharing
Wonderful build! The bathroom walls were lovely! So clever to have the seats and fold up table on sliding rails, wish I had your wood working skills.
4:26 - I feel you wasted space with the deep drawers for cutlery, and the knives are better off with a magnetic wall rack. Wall makes reaching for a knife easier. Minor issue.
Really awesome to have the back go down as a ramp! This is what makes it different.
What a great job you did on this trailer, well done! Took a year of your life, but such a nice space to inhabit on a trip. And the toys come too!
Thanks for the nice comments. We discussed using a magnetic wall rack for the knives, but worried about them falling while traveling. As it turned out, we have so much more storage space in this trailer than any of the larger trailers we have owned that we could afford this space for the knives.
@@kimdonaghyrealtor8238 Its a personal choice of course. Magnetic racks are very strong. No knife in my house or RV has ever fallen even during long travels. IKEA has them for $10, but Harbor Freight has them for $2 - $5 on sale and sometimes free with purchase. They are useful in that you can reach for the knife easily. Also great for sticking odds and ends on them. Don't put spice jars as these make a mess when their lids come off.
Very well done
Great job. I really like your layout and you have given me some good ideas. Thanks I will definitely be checking out your build video.
Thank you.
Great campler!
What a great build play list thanks for sharing. Have to go back like and write. I was so caught up with the build. 😆
Glad you enjoyed it
Wow...Very Nice!
Good job
Very nice !!! You do good work sir👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Very very cool love it wish i had the talent to do that good job
Awesome video well done very well layout awesome 🛠🇨🇦🛠🇨🇦
Love it!
yep...Nice unit!!
Hi Kim, very well done design, construction, and video! I'm working on a similar idea for a toy hauler for a large street bike.
Thanks Scot. I hope yours turns out well. I am now building a 10' foamy camper with fiberglass so we can tow it with a hybrid car.
Read the notes at the end, Thank you for the video
Very nice
I like how you can fit a whole Klr in there. I want to build an 8.5×24 with a space like this for a drz400
Love all the conversations just one suggestion. I read kind of slow and most of what your thoughts were saying I didn't catch but great job!
You can change the playback speed by taping top right of video. Three dots will appear and the option to change playback speed. Good luck.
The absolute best by far. My husband who is a man of many trades said your build is excellent and hopes you would make available too sell your plans.
Absolutely. The plans were more of a guideline than detailed plans, but they helped me decide what would fit. Send me an email and I can send you a PDF or CAD file. kdonaghy@arhouse.com
Be nice to hear about it
Nice build... suggestion... The plan view of your dinette and head seem to be about the same sq ft... swap their positions placing the heavier water tank load over the axle and allowing additional cargo space for your 4x... easier to move that dinette than fixed walls...???
True. That would work but we really wanted the open floorplan. We had a camper before with the bath in the center and it made everything feel so small and divided. I think it will be rare for us to remove those walls but I wanted the option just in case.
Wow real nice
Un pouce vers le haut depuis la France 👍
Merci.
Really like the music 🎼🎸
I've always wondered how, barring purchasing an RV, I could have a space that slept 3 when two of those ppl are over 6'. This appears to be a solution!
Thanks for some great & clever ideas for our upcoming build. We need more cargo space so we're putting the kitchen & wet-bath forward & an elevator bed will be mounted in the rear. Did you install heat or A/C? I'm having a hard time deciding between a split-air or rooftop system. The trailer we're ordering will be a 7X16 with extra height.
We didn't install permanent heat or AC. If needed, we just bring along a small portable heater. In the past 20-years of camping I think we only used AC a couple times. We tend to avoid camping during the hot times of the year and we almost always go somewhere that has electricity, so the electric heater is perfect.
Sweet ❤
Well, I don’t see any thing wrong with that!👍🏼☮️
Looks great. I would've definitely put the bathroom at the front so I dont have to remove walls to load toys and so a 4 wheeler would fit and there wouldn't be wasted space in the v nose but other than that it looks nice.
Kim, great job on the trailer conversion. I am in the beginning stages of converting a 7.5x16 into a toy hauler conversion and you’re build is one of the best I have seen. I live in Freeland, so it would be great to be able reach out to you for advice.
Very cool. You can come to see mine if you want to. I can show you what I would change next time.
Very nice. Love the sliding table and chairs. I actually really like the exposed plumbing in the bathroom. It works with the metal walls. What size is the trailer. I may have missed that.
It's a 7'x20' trailer. The v-nose adds another 1.5' to the inside length.
nice
My favorite build by far.
Awesome build. I’m thinking of ordering barn doors and having my kitchen face out the back like the tear drop campers. You seem to have thought of everything, will this be a weight problem when towing? I was trying to think of a way to even the weight without stressing the trailer frame. Thanks for any suggestions.
I wouldn't worry much about stressing the frame if you order one like mine that is welded aluminum. They are pretty tough. You just need to make sure you keep enough weight over the tongue so it rides better on the highway. That was one reason that I put the water tank and batteries in the front, along with lots of storage under the bed. Good luck on your build.
Awesome bathroom all in a showerstall
Thanks. After a few years with it I wouldn't change anything in there.
Really innovative. I would prefer sound though to printed word. On my cell I strain my eyes a bit to read text. And I feel lazy. Lol
I have cataracts, so I know where you are coming from. Agree, nice build.
The text is also not on screen very long, so I slowed playback to 0.75!
Hi, very nicely done. I like many features of your build. I saw that your cost totaled $23K, but could you provide a break-down of that for us?
Make / model of the trailer?
I've been looking for an all-aluminum 7x16, v-nose, ramp nose, rear ramp door.
Thank you.
I didn't break down the costs. Sorry. The base trailer with the custom door location and the Deluxe package costs around $12,000. It is a 7x20 by Legend Manufacturing. I picked the Explorer Series because I liked the V-nose and the way the roof slopes down at the front. I doubt it saves anything in gas mileage but it looks cool. I really like that the wood flooring is warrantied for 25 years.
Love the wet bath! I'm confused in what materials you used for the shower floor. Did I miss that? Great build and ignore the trolls and nitpickers!!
I think I forgot to video the bathroom floor. I made a plywood platform with 2x4 curbs and sealed it all with several coats of waterproof shower pan membrane. Then I applied sheet vinyl flooring and caulked everything in with urethane caulk. Its probably not the best solution but it works and has not leaked yet. If I did it over again I would like to fab it out of welded aluminum or stainless steel.
Beautiful job. Music made me pull my hair out!!! LOLOLOL once I muted it video was awesome.
Smart😊👍
hi, thanks so much for sharing.
Was the cost of the trailer included in the $23,000?
Yes. That includes everything.
Is there a video with the bathroom plumbing for the tanks?
I have two videos on the drainage plumbing. ruclips.net/video/nEOHuUSDVQ4/видео.html
and ruclips.net/video/Ps5MAFJk1NE/видео.html
Thanks
Hi Kim,
I am building out a 22’ all aluminum unit. I retired last year & need a project. Did you insulate your trailer. I live in Ontario Canada, don’t really plan on winter camping but want the trailer to be 4 season.
Yes. I added 1" rigid foam in the walls and floor and 2" in the ceiling. It makes a big difference keeping it cool in the summer. We don't winter camp much either but some nights have been below freezing and it stays very comfortable. The floors especially.
@@kimdonaghyrealtor8238 Thanks for the reply. I am going the spray foam route. I built out a trailer for business back in 2015 which had 3” sprayed under the floor, strapped the walls and ceilings and they sprayed 1 1/2” in the walls and ceiling. I live in Ontario and I heated that trailer in our - 15 F winters with an e-heat wall heater (the hydro was about $20 a month.) So I will do the same with this trailer as it will be heated and cooled with a split unit heat pump which provides Air conditioning and heating.
23k that’s little to much I say.4300 lbs. final weight. That’s pretty impressive to be that light..I see a lot of video builds. This was ok.
Very interesting. Not too practical if the motorcycle comes along frequently. At the cost of this build one could buy a complete toy hauler and a used one for less. If you enjoy designing and building yourself as part of your hobby then cool. Thank you for posting the final weight. So many builds never even find out what the final weight is.
I like the sliding / fold up table.
Good luck finding a retail toy hauler that isn't complete garbage for 23000.... They are disposable at best after 5 years..... Awesome build!
Legend Beck , that’s what people said about my ‘01 travel trailer that I averaged 80 nights a year in and sold in 2013 for a total difference of $7000. It is all how you treat them and maintain them.
Very nice! What backup camera did you use? Have you been satisfied with it?
www.amazon.com/Wireless-Lastbus-Improved-Waterproof-Wire-free/dp/B07DW368JG/ref=sr_1_4?gclid=Cj0KCQiA-4nuBRCnARIsAHwyuPpiCRsBh8c_ICsjYeMJ8SB9n2Whk36cQst52mT8xsgbSKBj3ErMOzIaAnlkEALw_wcB&hvadid=345545963661&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1019457&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=b&hvrand=11677306548399411338&hvtargid=kwd-743780708289&hydadcr=19108_10827307&keywords=lastbus+wireless+backup+camera&qid=1573048372&sr=8-4
The camera works very well. I had trouble getting it to connect to my android phone, but it works great with the ipad and that is what we use most. I made a bracket to hang the ipad in the truck. The picture is very clear.
Your baggage door in the v-nose, has it ever leaked ? I'm thinking of putting mine in the v-nose but I am concerned with the exposure to the downpour rains while driving.
I considered that too. I tested it with a hose after I installed it and it did leak a little. I added a secondary gasket and that solved the leak. I wasn't too concerned about it though since that is an unfinished area of the trailer and it's well ventilated. Any moisture that gets in there should evaporate quickly. After driving in the rain for entire day I didn't notice any water in there.
@@kimdonaghyrealtor8238 perfect. That is what I needed to know. Your build is great! Thank you for sharing!
this is so well done, curious, how did you lift it?
Here is a link to the video I did for the lift kit. I searched the net for weeks and couldn't find anything so I just improvised. ruclips.net/video/n3kSjL7DrZw/видео.html
I like that all utilities are inside. Why can't rv mfg do tnat?
I think they just don't care. They just want it to look good in the showroom and don't seem to put much thought into using the RVs.
do you have a link for your BLUETOOTH WIRELESS BACK UP CAMERA
The one I have is no longer made, but this looks very similar. I would bet it's the same manufacturer. Digital Wireless Backup Camera for Truck RV Camper Vans Trailer, WiFi Rear View Cam 28 IR Lights Night Vision Waterproof Work for iOS Android Tablet, Transmission Distance Upto 100FT, 12-24V www.amazon.com/dp/B07DNBJBQQ/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_B79AZE8THR4P1DYAX87Y
GREAT build! Do you have a estimated cost?
My budget was $20,000, but I ended up around $23,000.
You are very talented. How much did it cost?
Thank you. Including the trailer, it was still under $25,000.
What do you pull your trailer with?
We have a 2015 Colorado. It pulls very easily with it.
Does that final weight include being fully loaded water and everything?
It includes all of our gear but no water. We never haul it full of water.
@@kimdonaghyrealtor8238 Thanks, build looks great - I'll definitely be stealing some concepts from here!
Very nice build.
How long did it take?
It took me about 9 months because I started in the fall and cold weather prevented me from doing much over the winter. I think it would take about 3 months in good weather. I work full time so there is not much spare time.
what type of heater ?
We have a small electric heater for when we have shore power and a 1 lb propane tank heater for when we are off-grid.