LadyBug

The layout and forming the curves

This is an adaptation of Mike’s Winter Warrior with inspiration from Rayvillian’s (Gary & Trudy) weekend warrior . It is based on A TSC 4X8 No floor trailer frame, 76″ wide and 120 ” inches long with a headroom of 74″ from the floor when the hatch is fully extended

After constructing the bending Jig, I set out to cut several 1/8 inch thick strips for lamination of the curve for the front section. They turned out very well and very strong (albeit some sanding to level some rough cuts). BTW – Just joined the “whole lotta Clamps ” club – I’m not finished with all the framing yet (have decided if I’m going to add a second door) but you can see the scale so far. Where I’m Standing in the first picture is about 5 ft (if my calculations are correct) with the hatch closed. The tallest finished headroom will be 6’2″ with the hatch fully extended

Picked up the trailer today. A TSC NF 4X8. Did all the necessary modifications – Took off lights, fenders, added tongue jack – now to add the floor. Here are some picts of the subframe – I painted it before installation on the trailer. This add additional support for the floor and trailer and providing attachment points for the flooring

Floor: ¾ inch plywood – very sturdy and no need for framing beyond the actual trailer itself. I used a sub frame constructed out of 2×3 s to support the camper floor over the trailer The underside of the floor is painted to seal the plywood. I applied sheet Aluminum to the underside of the floor to protect it from road debris and water spray. Bolted the entire structure to the trailer.

Those lessons about bending plywood paid off today as I got the first curved piece installed. Cindy and I heeded all the advice and put our collective strength together and viola – curving piece of ply. We have some temporary stringers across until I can install the permanent ones. The walls have the additional framing to prevent any warping and are insulated with the Blue Styrofoam ¾ insulation. Also the windows are framed out to be installed later – these will be flush mount to the exterior

Now for some trim and flooring – stay tuned. Just straightening out some sides (the board is just temporary until the sides are adjusted even with each other. What a difference a coat of polyurethane makes (actually four coats)

Applying resin – the vertical strips are fiberglassesd seams. The front radius has a strip of fiberglass to seal the edges

Sanding – as you can see, I’m trying to get a good flush fit on the edges with a gentle rounding of the edges. Installed the windows after the first application of resin. This time I went with the flush mount (after using a home style on the previous three). All of the Glass work is done so there should not be any seams

More sanding – Did get a guide coat on to show the spots that need some attention – with the first coat on you can see the compound bow in the front. I’ll give it some drying time and then back to sanding

Today is the day of the much awaited hatch build (At least I got some of it built today) Here is a shot of the hatch side panels. They are light weight – but very strong.

When completed, the hatch will be supported by bolts from the side (both closed and extended). I have not installed the other two sets that are closer to the middle. When in transport the whole structure will be securely in place with the four bolts . It hard to see but the hole in the hatch when it is at rest is where the hatch will be secured with a T – Nut

Rubber gasket material – It is vinyl garage door weather striping. It does the job nicely and remains flexible. I found at Lowes during a search for suitable materials. Its flexible properties allow it to remained sealed up against the surfaces no natter where they are in the pivot cycle. Installed some rubber on the hatch rest pads to finish them off – only thing left is to install the latch as a double securing point(for that piece of mind while travelling down the interstates)

The aluminum strips on the outside mate up with the weather-stripping on the AC hatch is to prevent it from sticking to the paint. The air conditioner unit is secured by two angle brackets attached with a mounting screw on the unit and wing nut and washer to the camper on both sides.

Testing the back door

The Roll Out

Applying the Spots

The ladybug made its appearance at LCGIV! She got her ultimate waterproofing test when we towed her 175 miles in pouring rain all the way to the park. Not even a drop made it inside. All the seals held and absolutely no water penetration. We slept on a NEW foam mattress and stayed quite warm and snug.

Adding A new Canopy!

The Ladybug now has an awning ! It measures 6ft X 6ft Plenty of room for relaxing in chairs and providing shade for the table. It’s made of sunbrella outdoor red and white stripe. Thanks to Doug H. who’s inspiration helped me to solve a droopy center with the fiberglass rods. Actually they are fiberglass reflecting rods and some plumbing pipe that I used to get the same effect. The support poles are 1 ½ electrical conduit. The whole unit slides in a channel and pretty much supports itself. I wanted the cabana look with the horizontal and vertical stripes.