M116A3 off-road camper build

lfhoward · **Posted:** Sun Oct 04, 2015 8:23 pm

PALiftedKK wrote:

lauren, im going to rausch on the 17th. I wonder if we could meet up that Sunday if your close by there. you could pick my mind.

Hi Ryan, I won't be at Raush Creek that day, but aren't you located somewhere in the Philly metro area? I am near the Morrisville, PA / Trenton NJ area, northeast of Philly. It would be cool to meet up at some point to check out the trailer and chat solar. My neighbor and I are tentatively skinning it with aluminum on the 17th, weather and life permitting.

PALiftedKK · **Posted:** Sun Oct 04, 2015 9:03 pm

I didn't type it but was thinking at your place. anyways, Thad be a long day. 3 or so hours from rausch to your place on Sunday. im camping overnight there. maybe this Saturday. ill need to look into that though. there's a jeep meet up at quadratech I think Saturday.

PALiftedKK · **Posted:** Mon Oct 12, 2015 9:48 am

Looks like I need to rewire how the banks connect together. The linkage isn't sufficient for the larger capacity of batteries... Sitting at 14.7 volts in the morning with out being on the charger over night.

Edit: around 6 pm, bank 1 is sitting full at 13.6. bank 2 is unknown still but on the charger for tonight. I think the issue is bank 2.

bank 2 has no circuitry. bank 1 is the most complex with the inverter, controllers, regulators, and solar feed.

lfhoward · **Posted:** Fri Oct 16, 2015 8:57 pm

It's been a while since I've had time to work on my trailer project. Since the last time I posted here I applied another layer of urethane on the trailer and two more on the doors. It should be waterproof enough now to install the aluminum skin. (The urethane is the 2nd line of defense because the aluminum sheeting will be the primary waterproofing layer.) Now I just need a whole day free with good weather to get it skinned. Tomorrow was going to be that day, but now I need to work. My next free Saturday is Halloween!

lfhoward · **Posted:** Fri Oct 16, 2015 8:58 pm

PALiftedKK wrote:

Looks like I need to rewire how the banks connect together. The linkage isn't sufficient for the larger capacity of batteries... Sitting at 14.7 volts in the morning with out being on the charger over night.

Edit: around 6 pm, bank 1 is sitting full at 13.6. bank 2 is unknown still but on the charger for tonight. I think the issue is bank 2.

bank 2 has no circuitry. bank 1 is the most complex with the inverter, controllers, regulators, and solar feed.

Ryan, any good news on your battery bank?

PALiftedKK · **Posted:** Fri Oct 16, 2015 10:46 pm

lfhoward wrote:

PALiftedKK wrote:

Looks like I need to rewire how the banks connect together. The linkage isn't sufficient for the larger capacity of batteries... Sitting at 14.7 volts in the morning with out being on the charger over night.

Edit: around 6 pm, bank 1 is sitting full at 13.6. bank 2 is unknown still but on the charger for tonight. I think the issue is bank 2.

bank 2 has no circuitry. bank 1 is the most complex with the inverter, controllers, regulators, and solar feed.

Ryan, any good news on your battery bank?

parasitic draw... :furious:

my 7" monitor has an internal short in it. nothing wrong with the bank as I know of.

I probably should rewire all of the wires in the cabin. I have to many failsafe connects.

also, progress on the trailer?

lfhoward · **Posted:** Fri Oct 16, 2015 10:55 pm

Glad your batteries themselves are OK! Tracking down a parasitic draw can be a pain, though. Sounds like you figured it out.

The only recent trailer progress to report is another coat of spar urethane. Not sexy, but necessary.

PALiftedKK · **Posted:** Fri Oct 16, 2015 11:13 pm

lfhoward wrote:

Glad your batteries themselves are OK! Tracking down a parasitic draw can be a pain, though. Sounds like you figured it out.

The only recent trailer progress to report is another coat of spar urethane. Not sexy, but necessary.

the issue must have presented itself right after I upgraded batteries. they hold their float voltage a lot longer, so maybe the voltage popped a cap or two in the display.

cant wait to see more progress on the build!

lfhoward · **Posted:** Sat Oct 17, 2015 8:28 pm

Tonight the urethane on the doors and the trailer itself was dry enough to put the doors and windows back on (temporarily until I skin it). I like having them on and locked, because it's just a little more difficult to get the batteries and electronics if you can't actually see them and can't reach right in.

Tonight is the first frost of the season. It's going down to 32 degrees tonight and 30 tomorrow night. I don't expect the batteries to freeze in that short amount of time, but I have the trailer plugged in and charging overnight. The battery bank was down to 12.4 volts because I had been using the lights for several nights, and I hadn't fully charged it in about a month. The batteries should be topped off by tomorrow morning.

I have a smart onboard charger that won't overcharge the batteries, so I could leave it plugged in all the time if I need to. I'd like to get the trailer skinned and then install the solar panel, so the trailer could maintain itself off the grid.

lfhoward · **Posted:** Wed Oct 28, 2015 10:02 pm

Nothing has happened with the trailer since my last post, but I found out my neighbor has a sheet metal bender (brake)! :pepper:

He is letting me borrow it starting this weekend! There might be some aluminum skinnin' goin' on soon.

If anybody has used one of these contraptions before, do you have any useful hints and tips?

JeepMorrison · **Joined:** Thu Jul 16, 2009 11:34 am **Posts:** 1236

lfhoward wrote:

If anybody has used one of these contraptions before, do you have any useful hints and tips?

Yes. Practice on some scrap and get to feel how the brake works with your material and how far "off" you need to set your line.

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

lfhoward · **Posted:** Thu Oct 29, 2015 12:05 pm

4x4kayak2112 wrote:

lfhoward wrote:

If anybody has used one of these contraptions before, do you have any useful hints and tips?

Yes. Practice on some scrap and get to feel how the brake works with your material and how far "off" you need to set your line.

Thanks, that's good advice. I have one extra sheet of 0.04 aluminum in case I make a major mistake, so I will have some scrap soon enough. That sheet can also be used to make doors, which are smaller shapes. I am looking forward to learning how to do it.

In terms of cutting sheets, I understand that you set a sheet in the machine, score the place where the cut will be, and then bend back and forth in that spot until the metal fatigues and breaks along the line. What do you use to score aluminum sheet metal? Will a utility knife be enough, or do I need something specifically designed for this task?

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Thu Oct 29, 2015 12:40 pm

Obviously, the key is to cut, not fracture the aluminum. I say this because aluminum isn't as forgiving. The box blade knife could be used for scoring, but I don't think it would be adequate at that thickness, plus the blade is not flat sided, therefore you would need to hold it at the correct angle consistently. If I were you, I would look for a special tool that is designed to score aluminum and for the appropriate thickness.

lfhoward · **Posted:** Thu Oct 29, 2015 2:42 pm

Thanks, I'll look for a tool designed for scoring/cutting aluminum on a brake. I'm sure something like that exists.

lfhoward · **Posted:** Fri Oct 30, 2015 1:08 pm

Here is the type of sheet metal bender my neighbor has.
http://www.van-mark.com/Brakes/trimabrake/tab1.htm

It has been sitting outside under leaves for who knows how long, so I will need to clean it up before using it. Really excited not to have to rent one, though! And also I can work at my own pace instead of having to rush to get everything done before a rental would be due back at the HD.

I do have a couple of thoughts, now seeing the equipment.
1. This will only bend a sheet within a foot or so from an edge. That means I cannot use it to bend in the middle of a sheet, or cut one there by using the scoring/bending method.
2. What is the best (or a good) method of cutting 0.04 aluminum if I cannot do it on the brake? Do you recommend tin snips, jig saw (with a metal cutting blade) or something else? I assume the router would only be good for trimming outside edges to fit once a panel has been secured to the trailer.

lfhoward · **Posted:** Fri Oct 30, 2015 1:09 pm

Planning for skinning!

I have RV roof edge moldings and butyl tape for where the walls but up against the roof, front, and rear panels. However, some overlap will be necessary where panels on the same surface connect up with each other. (My 4 foot wide aluminum sheets won't be able to do a whole 5 foot tall wall without some splicing. Also, the trailer is a hair over 6 feet wide.)

What do you think about the areas in my drawing where I'm planning for the sheets to overlap? My logic was to think like a roofer, plan for water to flow downhill, and make sure a top sheet overlaps a bottom sheet (not the other way around). I can use the bender to make 45 or 90 degree bends on the roof panels, to facilitate the overlap.

How much of a sheet should be overlapped with another for a good weather proof seal? (6 inches, 8 inches?) I will be using Sikaflex to seal the sheets to each other where they overlap, and of course I will screw the overlapping seams down to cross beams underneath.

John3:17 · **Posted:** Fri Oct 30, 2015 1:21 pm

lfhoward wrote:

Here is the type of sheet metal bender my neighbor has.
http://www.van-mark.com/Brakes/trimabrake/tab1.htm

It has been sitting outside under leaves for who knows how long, so I will need to clean it up before using it. Really excited not to have to rent one, though! And also I can work at my own pace instead of having to rush to get everything done before a rental would be due back at the HD.

I do have a couple of thoughts, now seeing the equipment.
1. This will only bend a sheet within a foot or so from an edge. That means I cannot use it to bend in the middle of a sheet, or cut one there by using the scoring/bending method.
2. What is the best (or a good) method of cutting 0.04 aluminum if I cannot do it on the brake? Do you recommend tin snips, jig saw (with a metal cutting blade) or something else? I assume the router would only be good for trimming outside edges to fit once a panel has been secured to the trailer.

Lauren we clamped a guide to the aluminum and used a jigsaw with a metal blade when i built my trailer. We did this for irregular pieces and sheets that were to wide for the metal shear. I would do this before the score and bend back and forth method. But it will probably take more time.

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Fri Oct 30, 2015 2:27 pm

lfhoward wrote:

I think it looks pretty good. It's too bad that you couldn't do a full piece on the roof as that and the front will be the two major areas for water intrusion. I don't think there will be that much metal expansion, but extreme hot/cold temps will cause some degree of stress at the seams. Just check your seams and screw holes every few months and you should be fine.

lfhoward · **Posted:** Fri Oct 30, 2015 10:35 pm

John, thanks for the tip. I think I will use a jigsaw then. From what I have read about it on the trailer forum, I will have to use the saw on a slow setting so as not to melt the aluminum. Also, I will need to protect the aluminum surface under the saw with painters tape, so shards of aluminum generated by the saw don't scratch the surface as the saw slides over the cut.

Diesel, you are right of course. I would have loved to find a one-piece aluminum roof, but the bigger the sheet, the bigger the cost (and nobody local had anything like it). These 4x10's will do, I think. The Sikaflex sealer is made for temperature changes and for RV construction, so it can shrink and expand as needed. The butyl tape should do the same. I am curious how long they will last before needing maintenance, and so I will keep a close eye on them over the next several years.

I don't have anywhere to store the trailer undercover unless I throw a tarp over it (which causes mold and discoloration over time because it traps moisture). So the waterproofing of the aluminum skin will need to be very carefully done so it can stand up to the elements on its own. Maybe someday I will have a property where I can build a pole barn or bigger garage!

lfhoward · **Posted:** Sat Oct 31, 2015 12:29 pm

Ryan, I have the solar panel on today, and it easily topped off the batteries at around 14.4 volts (green light now blinking, indicating the batteries are full). I turned on the roof vent fan and it is completely balanced by power input (green light still blinking even though the fan is on). I am very happy with this new panel. It is feeding 40+ volts into the charge controller on this clear day around noon.

M116A3 off-road camper build

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