Polar Express
Member
I already posted up some detailed info on how I put my furnace in our trailer. What I didn’t include was the exact location, why, and what else I did to the empty box that we recently picked up to support this obsession we have.
My wife and I (no kids yet) have had a sled deck for a few years now. I built it, and it works well for us; it is very convenient for day-trips to local riding areas. But, we also saw the benefits of an enclosed trailer when we would go riding with friends, and most recently when I chauffeured my wife and two of her friends (using one friend’s 4-place) up to Revelstoke at the end of Jan. (Three riders, one injured driver, and a Partridge in a Pear-tree.) By the end of the trip, I was really liking the benefits of an enclosed trailer for a distance trip. Sure, you drive a bit slower, and get lower fuel economy, but… the security and a place to hang and dry your gear was really cool. Besides, if you go on a long trip, and have a mechanical issue, it would be nice to have a warm, well-lit, dry place to do your repairs to salvage a trip.
With the poor economy, and the bad snow year, we found this new trailer for about the cost of a 5 year old used one. That was a no-brainer. The fit and finish left a lot to be desired, but we did score on the factory upgrades, as it was a dealer demo model. The floor was Wolmanized, but not coated, the interior walls have plywood underneath the white panels. The ceiling is simply white panels fastened to the roof struts. I elected to use urethane deck paint for the floor. The light gray really lightened up the inside. But, in hindsight, I do kinda envy the folks that have put line-x down. For a tie down system, I chose “E-track”, and got it online. I have two strips that I recessed into the floor, that run the length of the trailer. This way, I have lots of flexibility with how many sleds we carry. Very happy with this idea, but it is critical to recess them into the floor.
In some of the pics you will see the lighting I chose. I got four, 4’ fluorescent lights, two along each wall, at the ceiling, and six LED lights. The LEDs are 12v, and run off the trailer batteries. They don’t give off as much light as I had hoped, but, when it’s dark, they seem brighter, and they are plenty to load or unload. Also, I wired in some duplexes. Every 120v circuit (I wired in 3) are 15 amp, and each is downstream of its’ own GFCI outlet. The fluorescent lights are on the same circuit as the battery conditioner, and there are four outlets, two on each side, one front, one back, plus one in the ‘v’, for the battery conditioner. So far, I’m happy with that part. It was suggested to me to make sure I could access the thermostat without having to climb into the trailer, and that made sense, so it’s just inside the curb-side man door. All the LEDs are on one circuit, with two switches (in parallel), by each man door. Either switch turns them on.
I started with a portable propane bottle in the nose, with the idea that as soon as I could find an ASME frame-mount tank, I would install that. I did find one, and mounted it behind axles, nestled up between the floor supports, and I plumed in a remote fill location, with a sturdy guard welded in place for safety.
Here are some pics of what I did, and some words to describe why. I’m sure we will learn some more stuff as we use it, and I may or may not make adjustments.
Here is a pic of the front of the trailer. I’m standing against the back ramp, and looking forward. You can see the furnace against the curb side wall, up against the ceiling. Also, you can see the caddy gizmo on the driver’s side, up front. I have a solid assortment of mechanical chemicals in that. The tray folds down for a light-duty tray. There is a toolbox and some cabinets mounted on the wall of the ‘v’.
Here is a pic of the back of the trailer. I’m standing in the tip of the ‘v’, and looking backward. Along the curb side, you can see the furnace, and ducting that dries the cloves, helmets, and boots. Blocked by the furnace is a wire shelf that holds the helmets so they dry as well. Along the driver’s side, I have heavy duty hooks mounted to the wall studs to hold heavier items. So far, they have dried just fine overnight. In the back, the spare tire is mounted off the floor, and out of the way. This picture also shows the things I did to the floor, as listed above.
This is a pic of the door caddy on the wall, in the closed position.
And the same with the tray down.
To be continued….
PE
My wife and I (no kids yet) have had a sled deck for a few years now. I built it, and it works well for us; it is very convenient for day-trips to local riding areas. But, we also saw the benefits of an enclosed trailer when we would go riding with friends, and most recently when I chauffeured my wife and two of her friends (using one friend’s 4-place) up to Revelstoke at the end of Jan. (Three riders, one injured driver, and a Partridge in a Pear-tree.) By the end of the trip, I was really liking the benefits of an enclosed trailer for a distance trip. Sure, you drive a bit slower, and get lower fuel economy, but… the security and a place to hang and dry your gear was really cool. Besides, if you go on a long trip, and have a mechanical issue, it would be nice to have a warm, well-lit, dry place to do your repairs to salvage a trip.
With the poor economy, and the bad snow year, we found this new trailer for about the cost of a 5 year old used one. That was a no-brainer. The fit and finish left a lot to be desired, but we did score on the factory upgrades, as it was a dealer demo model. The floor was Wolmanized, but not coated, the interior walls have plywood underneath the white panels. The ceiling is simply white panels fastened to the roof struts. I elected to use urethane deck paint for the floor. The light gray really lightened up the inside. But, in hindsight, I do kinda envy the folks that have put line-x down. For a tie down system, I chose “E-track”, and got it online. I have two strips that I recessed into the floor, that run the length of the trailer. This way, I have lots of flexibility with how many sleds we carry. Very happy with this idea, but it is critical to recess them into the floor.
In some of the pics you will see the lighting I chose. I got four, 4’ fluorescent lights, two along each wall, at the ceiling, and six LED lights. The LEDs are 12v, and run off the trailer batteries. They don’t give off as much light as I had hoped, but, when it’s dark, they seem brighter, and they are plenty to load or unload. Also, I wired in some duplexes. Every 120v circuit (I wired in 3) are 15 amp, and each is downstream of its’ own GFCI outlet. The fluorescent lights are on the same circuit as the battery conditioner, and there are four outlets, two on each side, one front, one back, plus one in the ‘v’, for the battery conditioner. So far, I’m happy with that part. It was suggested to me to make sure I could access the thermostat without having to climb into the trailer, and that made sense, so it’s just inside the curb-side man door. All the LEDs are on one circuit, with two switches (in parallel), by each man door. Either switch turns them on.
I started with a portable propane bottle in the nose, with the idea that as soon as I could find an ASME frame-mount tank, I would install that. I did find one, and mounted it behind axles, nestled up between the floor supports, and I plumed in a remote fill location, with a sturdy guard welded in place for safety.
Here are some pics of what I did, and some words to describe why. I’m sure we will learn some more stuff as we use it, and I may or may not make adjustments.
Here is a pic of the front of the trailer. I’m standing against the back ramp, and looking forward. You can see the furnace against the curb side wall, up against the ceiling. Also, you can see the caddy gizmo on the driver’s side, up front. I have a solid assortment of mechanical chemicals in that. The tray folds down for a light-duty tray. There is a toolbox and some cabinets mounted on the wall of the ‘v’.
Here is a pic of the back of the trailer. I’m standing in the tip of the ‘v’, and looking backward. Along the curb side, you can see the furnace, and ducting that dries the cloves, helmets, and boots. Blocked by the furnace is a wire shelf that holds the helmets so they dry as well. Along the driver’s side, I have heavy duty hooks mounted to the wall studs to hold heavier items. So far, they have dried just fine overnight. In the back, the spare tire is mounted off the floor, and out of the way. This picture also shows the things I did to the floor, as listed above.
This is a pic of the door caddy on the wall, in the closed position.
And the same with the tray down.
To be continued….
PE
