An Oztrail Camper 6 tent for the Ratbag's "new" trailer

Exciting RB, hope it takes you on many adventures.

^ Thanks, ST. I hope so too.

It's so long since I did any of this that I might just do one trip and decide I can't stand it!

If that does happen, I can probably recover the money spent by selling the whole kit and kaboodle and buying a 6x4 box trailer for the general purpose use.

OTOH, I am really, really looking forward to doing this, so it should work out OK.

Jimi will have the get the struts pumped up, and weld a few tabs onto the inside of the lid frame for strong attachment points. Should make a start on this next week.

I don't know what bolts I need for the sump guard, either. It didn't come with any fittings at all.

Ratbag said:

^
It's so long since I did any of this that I might just do one trip and decide I can't stand it!

Click to expand...

And then... there is the distinct possibility that you will become so addicted to life on the road that it becomes your purpose........!:rotfl:

Best regards,

^ Thanks S2.

I am hoping that you are right, because I have always loved driving on the open road, and going to places.

Gidday Folks

Partially unwrapped the new tent today. I am still contemplating how best it can be attached to the trailer lid.

The design of the base board is about as primitive as one can imagine. Basically looks like it is the first prototype ... Perfectly functional, just extremely primitive!

The base board has a lengthwise join in it that is reinforced by a piece of the same material as the base board, which is 15 mm 9 ply concrete form board. The stuff with the black coating on each side. It is completely weather/water proof.

Problem is that this reinforcing extends under the base board. It is not the only protrusion that interferes with the existing lid on my trailer. The access hatch to the bed of the trailer is framed with 40 x 20 steel tube that extends 20 mm under the base board.

It seems that the simplest/best solution might be to get Jimi to make up a 40 x 20 mm perimeter frame that is set back from the edge of the base board by about 50-100 mm. This will allow rigid attachment of the baseboard to the trailer lid; provide clearance for the protrusions; and allow the travelling cover to properly wrap around the bottom of the base board.

I have already sanded the sharp edges off the corners of the base board, and re-aligned the travel cover so that it is symmetrical (both due to rough assembly and poor quality control, IMNSHO).

A friend is coming around early next week to help me do the initial setup. After this initial process, I will be able to set it up by myself.

When we do this, I will discover whether I need to alter the trailer springs and axle to adjust the height.

Some photos of the trailer tent

Gidday Folks

A couple with its Christmas wrapping still on:





And a couple with the packaging removed:





Still have to upload some other shots from the camera to computer, and from the PC to my web site.

Maybe I should start a new thread about fitting this thing to the trailer?
It is currently just sitting on top, but I hardly think that anyone is about to rush off down the street with it - it weighs about 98 Kgs ...

The tent is "designed" for a 6 x 4 trailer without a lid, and I am fitting it to a 7 x 4 trailer with an existing lid ...

Looking good :biggrin:

Thanks, mate.

Mounting the tent to the existing lid is a bit problematic. Nothing that can't be fixed, but it shouldn't have to be. Once again, poor design of the tent assembly.

I could redesign the base board in about 10 minutes so that these problems wouldn't exist.

Use "H" section aluminium channel for joining the two halves of the base board together (i.e. an "I" beam ... instead of reinforcing a butt join with a length of the base board material). Screw to both top and bottom on both sides using particle board screws into the 9 ply marine ply base board, offset so that they don't hit each other.

Then use an "h" section aluminium extrusion for the framing of the trailer bed access hatch. Use an aluminium right angle extrusion to frame the hatch part for wear resistance and accuracy of fit.

Use half-hard or hard aluminium extrusions to get the required strength.

Done. No more protrusions under the bottom of the base board, and no need for the 40 x 20 steel box section that forms the frame for the access hatch, so money saved there.

Back to mounting it onto the trailer lid.

I have some off-cuts of the concrete form board that Oztrail use for the base board. Putting these around the edge gives me the precise clearance I need.

30-40 x 20 mm aluminium box section as a perimeter frame on top of the trailer lid will serve the same purpose, Silicone this to the trailer lid during fixing. Bolt this to the trailer lid frame, or some brackets welded onto that frame for the purpose.

Bolt the tent base board to this, sealing the gap with silicone.

This has the added advantage of lifting the tent base board slightly clear of the existing lid, allowing the tent's travelling cover to lap over the edges of the base board in the intended manner.

I re-negotiated the trailer insurance with the RACV this morning. At nearly double the insured value, the insurance will cost me about $20 p.a. more than for just the trailer alone. The insurance also covers recovery of the trailer to the nearest approved repairer, and vandalism or theft of contents (as long as they are locked in the trailer), as well as all the usual stuff.

^ Well, here I am a week later, and all I can do is look at the flaming thing!

Same goes for fitting the sump guard.

I hurt my back ... So am mostly lying down all day wearing a soft back brace I have had for well over 20 years. Grrrr ...

The clock is ticking. I need to erect the tent in order to find out if I need to modify the axle and spring hangers in order to achieve the correct height.

The trailer lip to ground distance is tightly constrained with trailer tents. The correct nominal distance for the tent I have bought is 850 mm. The distance from the base board bottom to the ground is 870 mm on the D/S, and 880 mm on the P/S of the trailer. The tent opens out on the P/S of the trailer.

If the trailer is too low, the sides of the tent flop on the ground when erected. It too high, the sides don't reach all the way to the ground, which is worse than the trailer being too low!

As I have mentioned before, the height can be adjusted by changing the axle from below the springs (current position) to the top of the springs. This will lower the trailer lip to ground distance from its current height by around 80 mm. This would make the height too low (and also cause the wheels to rub on the underneath of the mudguards ... a minor problem :iconwink: :lol.

However, this can be adjusted by cutting off the existing front spring pivots and rear slippers, then welding on new ones that raise the trailer by the correct amount.

In order to establish the necessity or otherwise for this, I need to be able to do the initial erection of the tent, before it is fixed permanently to the trailer lid, but I can't do this because I've hurt my back .

Ratbag said:

So am mostly lying down all day wearing a soft back brace .

Click to expand...

Well that's all you need do to fit the sump guard :lol:

(Sorry to hear of your discomfort!)

^ ^ Well, well.

I knew there was another reason why I ordered the optional "sun room with floor" ... :ebiggrin: :biggrin: .

Why I originally ordered it was that I know from many experiences that these things are made to fit. The slightest design change, and they don't fit anymore. Murphy's Law dictates that this design change will occur the day after you have ordered whatever it is ...

Anyway, the trailer tent comes with a roof extension that can be erected or not, depending on all those things such as how long you plan to stay, the clemency or otherwise of the weather, etc, etc. You all know the way it works.

The sun room consists of three wall sections that attach to the roof extension (annex); a heavy duty vinyl floor section that attaches to the walls sections and the trailer tent section proper by Velcro; and a separate piece that covers the back of the trailer where the annex overlaps it (the fill panel).

This photo shows the general arrangement of the tent, with the annex erected - you can see where the trailer sits. Normally without the sun room, the rear of the trailer is exposed:



The fill panel is designed to cover that open part where the end of the trailer would be, below the sleeping platform (base board).

Here is a photo of the back of the trailer tent. I had to move this so that it lined up with the back of the trailer. The black Velcro strip can just be seen running width-wise at the bottom of the tent:



Strangely enough, the separate piece that seals the sun room so that the wind doesn't whistle up one's kilt is the "correct" height to fit a trailer that is the "correct" height. This just suddenly occurred to me - DOH!

The parts of the sun room, including the fill panel, have been sitting on the living room floor in their carry bag since it all arrived, about 10 days ago.

I have just taken this fill panel outside.
Carefully centred the tent base board of the tent on the trailer.
Carefully adjusted the trailer so that it is dead level (880 mm at each corner).
Removed the rear part of the travelling cover - and there is the Velcro attachment strip.
No need to erect the trailer tent proper!
So far, so good ...

Put the filler panel onto the trailer tent attachment strip.
Checked the height of the three loops that attach this panel to the ground ...

PERFECT ...
The end of each loop is exactly at ground level.

Since the fill panel is the same height as all the other ground attaching bits of both the tent and the sun room, the tent has to fit at the trailer's current height.

:biggrin: :banana:

That is, the base board is currently packed up 20 mms above the top of the existing trailer lid. This means that the trailer lid can be modified easily for the trailer bed hatch framing (that gives access into the trailer bed without tilting the lid when the tent is erected), with no further butchery of the lid required, other than welding some tabs to the frame on the inside to bolt the trailer tent base board onto.

That's a huge worry lifted off me! It's been really bothering me ever since I ordered the tent ... Way back in March this year! Not even the tent designers in Brisbane could give me explicit information about any of this.

Gidday Kevin

Kevin said:

Well that's all you need do to fit the sump guard :lol:

Click to expand...

The lying down is the easy part ... It's the getting down and getting back up again that's all but impossible ATM ... .

On the plus side, I have worked out how to make spacers the right thickness for the sump guard. I have almost endless supplies of 1/2" (hole) hot dipped galvanised washers. I will work out how many of these are needed front and rear. Then cut some 1/2" copper pipe to the right length. Swage one end of this with my swaging tool. Insert through washers. Swage the other end to hold the washers together as one piece. Then buy some 8 mm HT bolts the right length.

Basically means that I can adjust the sitting position of the sump guard in increments of about 2 mm.

It also means that when it needs to be removed for servicing etc, I won't end up with a dozen or more 1/2" washers running for their lives ... :iconwink: :lol:.

(Sorry to hear of your discomfort!)

Click to expand...

Thanks, mate ... , appreciated. At least it looks as if it will only be a week or so till it's right. My worst ever episode lasted over 6 months, and I ended up having a spinal cord injection of Depomedrol. Thankfully, that was over 20 years ago.

Gidday again Folks

I have spent quite some time pondering and moaning about the problems associated with mounting the trailer tent onto my trailer.

The basics are these:

1) The tent is designed to fit on the top sills of an open 6x4 foot box trailer with 300 mm sides, which are 850 mm from ground to top over the wheel centre. My trailer is a 7x4 foot trailer with 300 mm sides, and is 880 mm from the ground to the bottom of the base board in its fitted position.

2) My trailer has a hinged lid that's framed with 20x20 mm structural box section steel tube.

3) The tent has two parts that extend below the sleeping platform (the base board).

a) the 20 mm thick steel tubing supporting frame for the hatch under the mattress that gives one access to the trailer bed when the tent is fitted (assuming that the base board is not fitted with hinges and struts - i.e. is bolted directly onto the lip of the trailer sides and front); and that the trailer does not have a hinged lid.

b) The base board is made from waterproof ply. The stuff that's used for making concrete form work, with a black waterproof coating on both sides. This is about 20 mm thick, and is 15 ply - counting the melamine-like coating each side. This sheet does not come in wider widths than 1200 mm. The base board is 1505 mm wide, so has a join along one side. This join is reinforced with a wide strip of the same material screwed to the underside of the base board. This also protrudes below the base board.

These two things make it impossible to fit the base board flush to the top of the trailer lid. The frame can be seen in the photo, and at the back one can just see the reinforcing strip:



4) The above mean that the lid has to be modified for the access hatch, and it needs a frame that supports the base board 20 mm above the trailer lid.

All of this leads to the question as to where to mount the tent on the trailer. Obviously, the lid cannot be modified until the precise location of the access hatch is worked out ...

The tent is designed such that the front end of the base board overlaps the front of a 6x4 trailer box slightly; and the rear of the baseboard is aligned exactly with the rear gate of the trailer box. Of course, this is not possible with my trailer.

My fiddling about today gave me the answer.
The tent has to be aligned with the back of the trailer. Neither the annex nor the sun room will fit properly if it is mounted in any other way.

The additional framing required to allow clearance for the access hatch frame and the reinforcing strip will allow the travelling cover to have its sealing overhangs arranged so that they properly seat around the bottom of the base board. There will need to be several extra tie-down cleats along the rear edge of the lid on my trailer to secure the travelling cover at this point.

The Owner's Manual suggests that the travelling cover should be secured further when travelling long distances to prevent ballooning or damage. I had already decided to do this, for this reason.

When the additional framing for spacing is fitted to the trailer lid, it will be siliconed and bolted down. I will put a seal around the access hatch framing, even though this should be sealed by the perimeter frame.

The baseboard will be bolted onto the trailer lid through this perimeter frame. The manufacturer suggests three bolts across the front, and two on each side. I plan to use three across the front, middle and rear, plus some smaller (non-structural) bolts that tie the access hatch frame firmly to the trailer lid.

Now that I have worked this out, I will take it down to Jimi to have the mods done, and he can have the gas struts pumped up so that they balance the trailer lid with the tent fitted. ATM, I cannot lift the lid (with tent) with the current struts ...

Enough for now. I am worn out!

After nearly an hour on the phone this morning, I managed to get the new camper-trailer insurance policy fixed up properly. It was only issued a week ago!

It pays to read the entirety of the Product Disclosure Statement ("PDS") very carefully, and check how one's item is described on the actual policy document, and how that relates to the defined terms in the PDS ...

RACV had it described as a "camper-trailer" on the policy document, when that term in the definitions section of the PDS is defined as:

"a low profile caravan with a wind-up roof and, most commonly, push-out bed sections at either end of the trailer"

A "tent-trailer" is defined as:

"a box style trailer with a permanently attached, fully enclosed tent section that folds out and is supported by poles."

The definition of "touring caravan" states (in part) that:

"A touring caravan includes a camper-trailer or tent-trailer if shown on your current Certificate of Insurance."

It wasn't ...

My current certificate of insurance described my set-up as:

"1982 Custom Folding Camper, 2 berth, 2.13m." and on the front of the document as "Caravan" (= the trailer part!) and "Annexe" (= the Oztrail Camper 6 and all its components and the optional sun room). All of this is completely inaccurate!

This would bring it under the definition of "camper-trailer" above, at best. IOW, it would not have been insured at all!

All fixed now, including having the old policy number included on the new (replacement) policy. The latter adds formal continuity, as my trailer has been insured with them (RACV) for over 30 years as a box trailer, and I have never had any kind of claim on that policy. I don't want to have to prove this chain of events in court, should anything ever come to that. Much easier if all the relevant policy numbers are recorded on the current policy document ...

The re-issued policy document will include the proper description as "tent-trailer" and will include all the various components by brand and company description in the detail section on the rear of the policy document.

The old policy number also includes a history of the repairs/replacements and modifications made to the trailer over a period of around 18 months.

As I said - it pays to read the policy document and the PDS very carefully, even if it is a right royal PITA!

Trailer tent finally functional and bolted on

:banana: :banana:

This is it, the day of days ... :biggrin:

My friend, JB, came around and my trailer tent saw "first light", as we say in the astronomical community when a telescope is operated for the first time.

He helped me to erect it, as it wasn't bolted down to anything. The only thing holding it on top of my trailer was gravity ...

Took us about an hour to work out how it all went together. Erecting it on a concrete and brick driveway didn't exactly make it easy. Bits of rope going in all directions to pergola posts and the like ... Nature is the Mother of Invention, as the old saying goes.

We then worked out where I could successfully bolt it to the existing lid with (at this stage) 7 x 3/8" cup head bolts. He double-checked all my measurements, and was invaluable with guiding me when drilling that I had the drill at 90° in both directions, and telling me when I had successfully hit the bullseye on the underside. Ruined a couple of drill bits ...

On the bright side, I managed to hit the 20x20 mm structural box that frames the lid dead centre four out of four times ... :ebiggrin: :biggrin:. I reckon that's not bad, considering that we could not lift the lid to see where to drill at this stage, as the tent would have fallen off onto the ground . Had to work out where the centres might be by looking at the rivets through the trailer bed access hatch, then trying to draw an extended reference line from there across the base board to where it could have a bolt put through it.

The remaining three bolt holes across the front internal framing bar (i.e. the first one back from the front of the lid frame) had to be done from inside the trailer, with the tent erected, and JB ensuring that I didn't drill through any canvas bits ...

The lid opening with the tent erected is hugely successful, and I can do it by myself. I cannot do this by myself with the tent packed away. Jimi made provision for struts that could be re-gassed at a higher pressure, and he was right to do so. That can be done when it suits him, now that the tent is secured to the trailer.

One small problem. The water Jerry can on the P/S cannot be removed at all with the tent bolted down. I forgot to remove it while we could still move the base board around on the trailer top. Too preoccupied with getting all the measurements perfect so that all the bits will fit properly, without stressing the tent, or having bits of trailer in awkward spots ...

Packing away took me about 15 minutes. I wouldn't let JB do anything (other than hold the ground floor down as if it were being held down by tent pegs). I have to be able to do this myself, so did it myself, somewhere when I had someone to call an ambulance if necessary ... :rotfl:.

I feel equally confident now that I will be able to erect it by myself now too. Annexe and sun room as well. The main problem before was that there was always the possibility that the unsecured base board might tilt or slide. Without two people to stabilise it, this could have badly damaged the tent, and me ...

Glad that I got the smaller OzTrail Camper 6 instead of the Camper 7, as I am now certain that I would not have been able to manhandle the Camper 7 by myself, which sort of defeats the whole purpose!

I am like a good tree, absolutely rooted.
I took quite a few photos, so will try to upload and post these tomorrow.

Methinks that my poor, weary, knackered body deserves a spa bath tonight ... After dinner, maybe.

Gidday Folks

A bit damaged today - me, that is - not the trailer or tent ...

Well, I didn't get to have a spa last night, because I was too knackered for hours after finishing up, and by then it was too late.

The problems of pegging out the ground floor and guy ropes in some situations:



Fully erected and sort of adjusted:



With the lid opened up:



A look at the problem of lining up of the bolt holes with the underlying trailer lid frame:



The nearest ones aren't the really hard ones, the ones on the far side is where getting the reference lines in the right place got a bit tricky!

The two cup heads in the centre and right near side went in first. They 'fixed' the base board in position so that the others could be drilled with some certainty, just so long as the reference lines were in the right place. Fortune smiled on us ...

Will post some detail photos later.

I think that this is an Australian designed trailer tent that's made in China.

So far, I am very impressed with the overall thought that's gone into the design and the attention to detail. That attention to detail extends to all aspects of the construction AFAICS. The Owner's Manual is actually comprehensive and comprehensible ...

Erection and packing up is all but intuitive anyway. I easily managed the packing away last night by myself. The tent just folded up like an accordion. It needs a bit of attention paid to how the canvas folds so that it is neat and square, rather than just shoving it in any old way. That's not hard to do at all.

My only criticism is the way that the framing for the trailer bed hatch extends below the base board, and ditto for the reinforcing of the join in the base board. Both could have been avoided, and if that had occurred, it would have made the tent far simpler to fit.

The only part that wasn't supplied is the privacy screen between the bed and the ground floor room, which would be more likely to cause my demise from becoming tangled in it in the middle of the night than it would be to serve any other useful purpose.

It will probably be a good idea to pick up some spreaders for the annexe part when I get to Brisbane.

One can use tent poles to hold the D/S sleeping compartment external awning out as a shade (see second photo in post above). I will purchase some short adjustable poles and have Jimi weld some receivers on the side of the trailer so that these won't need guy ropes in most circumstances when it would be left up.

There are windows in every available surface, and the very fine insect screen mesh makes it very difficult to see into the tent in daylight.

The zips appear to be good quality, and big enough for the job. Time will tell here. Double zippers on the main door, so that the fly screen can be zipped shut while the canvas door is open, or both can be opened and shut together.

Ratbag said:

The only part that wasn't supplied is the privacy screen between the bed and the ground floor room, which would be more likely to cause my demise from becoming tangled in it in the middle of the night than it would be to serve any other useful purpose.

It will probably be a good idea to pick up some spreaders for the annexe part when I get to Brisbane.

Click to expand...

I spoke to Steve Holland at OzTrail in Brisbane yesterday, and he said he would send me the missing privacy panel. I said that there was no need, as I will be in Brissy in about 4 weeks and will drop by and pick it up.

He will also sell me some minor bits and pieces like spreader poles for the awning. As he said, they don't normally do this, as it undermines their retailers, but for a few minor bits and pieces, he was happy to make an exception, considering my input to their product and its design so far.

Nice of him ... .

Gidday Folks

Today I bought two 10mm ROMAK 1 Tonne rated galvanised D-shackles at Bunnings. They just fit through the end link of my safety chains.

I also drilled an 8 mm hole through the link/s that are welded to the A-bar, and fitted an 8mm HT steel bolt through the link and A-bar on each side. Probably weakens it rather than the opposite, but there it is.

While at Bunnings, I bought a set of 8x 3.5m rated tie-down straps - 4x ratchet, 4x cam buckle for $2.50!! The lass scanned it twice, then said "Grab it and run!". They are also neatly packed in a well made plastic carry box. Probably room in there for the couple I already own as well.

I had to replace some old drill bits that I finally buggered completely fitting my tent. 32 years of careful use ...

I also picked up a 130A "proper" arc welder (It says "140A" on the O/S of the box, but "130A" on the welder itself. I really don't care. It's a choke type, heavy transformer welder. I don't really like the baby MIG/TIG ones for anything heavier than about 16 ga. sheet metal and the like - I'll put my flame-proof suit back on now ... ). I know what can be done with a welder like this. Owned one for about 10 years back in the old days. At $98 plus another $18.50 for a proper helmet and $6 for 25 2.5mm mild steel welding rods, I reckon it was an OK deal, even if it has got "Ozito" on the box ... It seems to be solid and well built, and it has a cooling fan, something that was lacking on my old welder of the same type.

There have been quite a number of times over the last couple of years when I have wished that I had one of these 'domestic' arc welders. Useful to have lying around the place ... :iconwink: :lol:.

All in all, a successful day. The way I figure things, I all but got the welder for nothing, as the tie-down straps were going to cost me around $60 just for 4x 2.5m ones at either Ray's or SCA.