Now, assemble the support gussets and end plates to the channel iron with C-clamps and bar clamps and check the alignment of the spindles with a straightedge or flat surface. Then tack weld the parts together and remove the clamps. To prevent distortion of the end plates due to the heat of arc welding, tack weld two lengths of scrap 3/4-in. pipe from the top of the end plates to the channel, as in Fig. 8B, before making any continuous welds. Remove the pipes after completing the welding.

First rip the 10-ft. long panels of 1/2-in. plywood to obtain the two 40-in. wide by 10-ft. long floor boards. Then lay out and saw the 14 x 33-in. cut-outs to provide clearance for the trailer wheels. Be sure to make these cutouts on opposite ends of the floor boards so you will have one right and one left hand floor board.

Place the 2 x 6-in. tongue plank on the garage floor and mark a centerline along its entire length. Then cut and assemble the other 2 x 2- and 2 x 4-in. framing members (indicated with dotted lines in Fig. 9A) on each side of the tongue. Toenail or use corrugated fasteners to temporarily hold these framing members in alignment. The 2 x 2-in. pieces (actually 1 5/8 x 1 5/8 in.) that go along the 10-ft. ends and around the wheel cutouts are best installed later.

Note that a straight and tapered strip of 1 1/4 x 3-in. wood is placed between the tongue and steel strap for spacers to form a beam and strengthen the tongue.

With the assembly turned right side up, block it up off the floor. Check the floor surface of the assembly with a level to in place.

To get all of the 3/8-in. plywood pieces needed to make the wheel housings (Fig. 3), the bunk beds (Fig. 12A) and the lower rear body panels (Fig. 11B), use five 4 x 8-ft. panels of 3/8-in. plywood. Lay out all of the pieces on the five panels before sawing out any parts. Rip saw the 1 x 1 5/8-in. framing pieces for the wheel housing from 2 x 4-in. stock. Then assemble the wheel housings to the cut-outs on the floor assembly with #6 x 1-in. fh screws as in Fig. 3. Be sure the front and rear end panels of the wheel housings are flush with the sides and square with the floor. Do not cover the wheel housings at this time. Slide the 3/8 x 8 x 12-in. plywood spacer between the axle and wheel housing as in Fig. 3 and drill through both spacer and housing to insert the 3/8-in. bolt (Fig. 8A).

Next, lay out and saw the side panels (Fig. 10) to shape. Rip the side rail and stud for the side panel from 2 x 4-in. stock and fasten to the panels as in Fig. 10 so that you will have a right- and left-hand side for the trailer body.

To hold the sides flush with the bottom of the floor during assembly, temporarily nail two scrap pieces of 1 x 2-in. stock to the underside of the floor assembly so they project out about an inch as in Fig. 3. Have someone assist you in lifting and holding the side panels into position while you drive a few nails to keep them in place. Then fasten the side panels to the floor assembly and wheel housings with #8 x fh screws spaced 10 in. apart.

Before installing the rear body panels, nail the 1 x 1 5/8-in. framing to them as in Fig. 11B. Install the panels with the bottom edges resting on top of the floor assembly. Use #8 x 1 1/2-in. fh screws to fasten them to the side panels and nail them to the floor with 2-in. nails through the framing.

Bunk Beds

The Bunk Beds are a large box-like structure that slides out of the front of the trailer body as in Fig. 6, when setting up the trailer for camping use. Make the bunk bed assembly from 3/8-in. plywood and framing ripped from 2 x 4-in. stock as detailed in Fig. 12A. The two metal louvers installed in the sides of the bunk bed structure will provide ventilation for the lower bunk bed. When installing the louvers, place pieces of wire window screening over the louvers so screening will be "sandwiched" between louver and the opening in the bunk bed sides.

Mark and cut out the bottom edge of the bunk bed front to clear the tongue. The angle irons bolted to the ends of the bunk bed front panel (Fig. 12B) protect the front corner of the trailer body and hold the body sides in place when the trailer is folded down for traveling.

Next, make the top rear panel as detailed in Fig. 11A. Rip the 4 x 8-ft. sheet of Masonite hardboard to the 39 1/4-in. width first, and save the strip left over for use on the roof later. Cut out the door opening as you did the wheel cutouts so as to preserve the piece for making the door. When assembling the framing to the hardboard, note that only one vertical door frame member is flush with the hardboard. This is the side the door will be hinged on. Use glue and 3/4-in. brads to fasten the hardboard to the framing.

Now fasten the 2-in. butt hinges to the inside of the bottom framing and have someone hold the top rear panel in place on the rear trailer body panels while you mark them for the hinge cutouts as in Fig. 11B. Then screw the hinges in place and clamp a temporary brace to the top and bottom rear panels to hold the top panel upright.

In use, the top rear panel is supported in the vertical or set-up position with two hinged braces made as detailed in Fig. 13A. When assembling the braces to the trailer, fasten the 16-ga. steel brackets to the ends of the top rear panel first. Then fasten the lower leg of the hinged braces to the inside of the trailer side panels.

To support the front of the trailer roof, make the hinged roof support as in Fig. 13B and attach to the studs at the inside front ends of the side panels with 6-in. strap hinges. In the down position, this support should rest on the top of the bunk bed structure.

The Roof Assembly (Fig. 14A) is your next item to build. Starting with the stringers, rip two 12-ft. lengths of 1 x 6-in. redwood at a 6° angle as in Fig. 14A for the A and B stringers. Clamp the B stringers together and notch them both at the same time for the C rafters. Then remove the Clamps and fasten the B stringers to the A stringers with glue and 2-in. nails, clinching them on the inside.

Now lay out and saw one of the C rafters to shape. To aid in drawing the curved line for the top of the rafter, bend and hold a strip of plywood against nails driven into the rafter stock at the 13/16, 2 1/4 and 2 3/4- in. measured points. Then, using this rafter as a pattern, lay out and saw the other C and D rafters. Notch the ends of the D rafters for the B stringers and assemble the C and D rafters to the stringers as in sec. B-B, Fig. 14A, with glue and one 2-in. nail at each joint. Cut the front, rear and center rafters to size and nail them in place between the rafters. Then check the framework by measuring diagonally across the curves to see if it is square.

Use #6 x 3/4-in. rh screws spaced 6 in. apart along the outer edges, and 3/4-in. nails spaced 4 in. apart along the butting edges of the hardboard. To make the seam weather tight, spread a thin layer of caulking compound about 3-in. wide along the seam and cover with a 2 3/4-in. wide strip of hardboard fastened in place with 4-40 x 1/2 rh machine screws as in sec. A-A, Fig. 14A.

To support the roof in the set-up position, install the cleats and hardboard guides on the rear panel as in sec. E-E, Fig. 14A and the front hinged roof support as in sec. D-D. The hardboard guide and 1/2-in. plywood backing on the rear panel cannot be over 18 in. long because it must fit into the top rear door opening when the rear panel is folded down for traveling. Top rear door must be left open when trailer is collapsed for traveling.

The Upper and Lower Panel Assemblies connecting the roof with the front edge of the bunk beds are designed so that the upper panel will cover the lower panel when in the collapsed position (Fig. 15A). Fasten the two
panels together with four equally spaced hinges along their long sides (Fig. 15B). Then fasten the lower panel to the rail on the front of the bunk bed structure.

To hold the panel assemblies to the roof when it is to be set up for camping, fasten two sliding bolt locks to the top edge of the upper panel flush with the ends as in Fig. 15C. Drill holes into the roof stringers on the inside to take the sliding bolts, and reinforce the holes with 16-gage steel plates. When the trailer is collapsed for traveling, disengage the sliding bolts and install 6-in. gate hooks as in Fig. 2, to hold the panels to the trailer sides. Apply 6-in. lengths of sponge rubber weatherstripping at all points where the panel assemblies contact one another in the folded position (including the hinged rear panel supports) to prevent rattles while traveling.

Have your local awning shop make up the canvas sides for you according to the pattern given in Fig. 17. Be sure to tell the awning shop operator that the pattern dimensions are slightly oversize for shrinkage allowance. Before putting the sides up for the first time, moisten them with your garden hose and let them dry while fastened in place on the trailer. The sides should then shrink to the right size.

Note that the grommets for the Dot fasteners are installed so that the top of the canvas sides can be fastened from inside the trailer and the sides and bottom fastened from the outside of the trailer. Attach the Dot fasteners to the inside of the roof stringers as in sec. C-C, Fig. 14A, and to the bottom of the side rails as in Fig. 10.

To stiffen the trailer sides when the bunk beds are pulled out in the set-up position, attach screen door hooks to the top corners of the bunk bed and locate the screw-eye so that the sides can be hooked to the bed as in Fig. 16. The auxiliary spring lifts, shown in Fig. 2, are optional. But they will assist raising the roof and may be purchased readymade for $20 from Morrison Machine Shop, Lincolnway West, Morrison, Illinois. To aid in pulling out the bunk bed slide out, make up the bracket for the roller skate wheels as in Fig. 12A and bolt it to the front of the bunk beds so that the skate wheels will roll on the trailer tongue.

Since the weight on the trailer tongue is low, you will not require a trailer hitch having a built-in jack. Merely make a tongue support as in Fig. 2 from scrap 2 x 6-in. stock. For the rear make a tapered rear support as in Fig. 2 which can be pushed under the trailer floor assembly to hold the trailer level when it is parked for camping. Because the height of these supports will vary depending upon the wheels and tires you use, determine the heights of the supports by measuring the ground-to-trailer distance.