Day 3: Trailer Frame and Floor

After the trailer frame was *mostly* finished, we took three, 2x4" 8 foot long boards from Home Depot and used the band saw to rip them in half. Then we built a frame that covered the metal parts of the trailer. We laid it out and made sure everything was square (which we came to find out that our trailer wasn't the squarest thing ever. I have a feeling this could be a common theme). The plywood underneath is just for a flat surface to line everything up on. We secured the long rail and the two side rails and then removed the plywood to accurately copy the cross member locations. Then attached everything flush so the floor can rest on  it evenly.

We used 16 brackets and fastened with exterior screws as support.

Then inserted a 2 inch exterior screw in all of the areas where the wood beams joined.

We then had to brainstorm on how to drill the holes for the bolts through the frame so we clamped the frame and Dan took one of the smaller bolts and hammered it up through the bottom of the hole to leave a mark where to drill. Surprisingly, in all the guides, no one decided to go into detail on how to drill these holes!

We then flipped it over and drilled through the frame and counter sunk the holes using a countersink  so the tops of the bolts would be flush with the frame so the floor sits nicely on top. 

Tada! Frame! Also, it was 45 degrees this morning hence the hat, wool sweater, and vest. Brr.

Then we took some Lumber-Seal and did 4 billion coats to the whole bottom and insides of the cross members. (Actually around 6.) We did not seal where the floor was going to be glued on or the sides where the walls are going to be glued on. We chose this sealant instead of the normal emulsion asphalt because it was the least toxic version of sealant (also that CPES is toxic as heck!) Here's hoping for good results! Dealing with MCS (multiple chemical sensitivity is hard when working on projects as I need to use things that aren't going to trigger reactions).

Next we had to install the bolts. We used between two and three washers beneath the cross members and the frame to keep everything level since the cross members sat inside the frame rails. That way the floor wouldn't dip with our butts inside of the trailer. We used a ratchet to tighten the bolts as much as we could but we couldn't get the ratchet into the countersunk hole. So we took a screwdriver and wedged it in there and a wrench to tighten it the rest of the way. Exhausting. 

After the wood frame was completely installed on the trailer, I had to crawl under the trailer to trace the gaps between the cross members to apply the waterproof sealant. 

Three layers of sealant on (don't want the sealant where we are going to glue) and we are good to flip it over and screw it into the wooden frame. 

10 hours of work done today and we made some mistakes and learned some things! Now, on to the fun part of the project!

Had some friends come over the next day and we flipped the trailer and I added tons more sealant to let it harden. No water rot here!

Time spent today: 6 hours
Total project hours: 18 hours