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Old 11-29-2015, 11:51 PM   #1
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Curious about the step up on some trailers

Below the table area why is it there or is that the water storage area?
At one point some one put up the trailer weights for different trailers, where do I find this location so I can send it to my sister in law.
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Old 11-30-2015, 12:14 AM   #2
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You search Trailer Weights in the Real World on this site.
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Old 11-30-2015, 12:16 AM   #3
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Try this link.
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...rld-43010.html
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Old 11-30-2015, 12:22 AM   #4
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The Real World for u is the hole in the cheese

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You search Trailer Weights in the Real World on this site.
I have no idea where the real world starts and ends?
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Old 11-30-2015, 07:10 AM   #5
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Curious about the step up on some trailers

The "step up" is a design feature of some small trailers that minimizes overall height for a lower towing profile by providing full stand-up headroom only where it is actually needed: the center work area.

On my Scamp, the raised portions under the dinette and along the sides and front correspond to the top of the main frame rails. So, in a sense, that's the real floor height. The center walk-around space is lowered below the main frame members and supported by non-structural flat steel. Scamp does mount the grey water tank under the dinette floor (fresh water is in the dinette seats), but the design predates grey water systems.

Some of the smallest vintage stickies are built similarly. I recall one (can't remember if it was a sticky or an egg) that had a crank-down floor section: raised for towing, lowered for camping.
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Old 11-30-2015, 06:37 PM   #6
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Jon I remember seeing the heater in the

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The "step up" is a design feature of some small trailers that minimizes overall height for a lower towing profile by providing full stand-up headroom only where it is actually needed: the center work area.

On my Scamp, the raised portions under the dinette and along the sides and front correspond to the top of the main frame rails. So, in a sense, that's the real floor height. The center walk-around space is lowered below the main frame members and supported by non-structural flat steel. Scamp does mount the grey water tank under the dinette floor (fresh water is in the dinette seats), but the design predates grey water systems.

Some of the smallest vintage stickies are built similarly. I recall one (can't remember if it was a sticky or an egg) that had a crank-down floor section: raised for towing, lowered for camping.
: walkway going from front to back, man if one got drunk and tried to negotiate that in the dark next morning might wake with sore head.
We have cancelled putting trailer in U G so that means what ever we get goes in beside the house and fence at our place with tarp on top.
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Old 11-30-2015, 06:49 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by stude View Post
: walkway going from front to back, man if one got drunk and tried to negotiate that in the dark next morning might wake with sore head.
Not sure what you mean... any place you can put your feet and stand up has headroom to spare. Except perhaps the doorway. Going in is usually not a problem; you naturally lean forward as you step inside. But going out... while intoxicated... you could certainly crack your egg on the top of the door frame and end up in a heap on the ground outside. I guess I'll add that to my long list of reasons not to drink.
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Old 11-30-2015, 11:42 PM   #8
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Friend had a Canned Ham model

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Originally Posted by Jon in AZ View Post
Not sure what you mean... any place you can put your feet and stand up has headroom to spare. Except perhaps the doorway. Going in is usually not a problem; you naturally lean forward as you step inside. But going out... while intoxicated... you could certainly crack your egg on the top of the door frame and end up in a heap on the ground outside. I guess I'll add that to my long list of reasons not to drink.
:and the furnace sat right in the walkway right smack in the middle, I think the make of his trailer about 14' started with a S?
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Old 11-30-2015, 11:45 PM   #9
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I know all about wacking ones head in the doorway

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Originally Posted by Jon in AZ View Post
Not sure what you mean... any place you can put your feet and stand up has headroom to spare. Except perhaps the doorway. Going in is usually not a problem; you naturally lean forward as you step inside. But going out... while intoxicated... you could certainly crack your egg on the top of the door frame and end up in a heap on the ground outside. I guess I'll add that to my long list of reasons not to drink.
: in 09 when I did my journey I knocked myself silly going in and out of the 1986 Dodge B van, that I started to finally learn to crouch but as you can see I'm still silly from that excursion.
Now my wife on the other hand really wacks her head on a regular basis, not just in the MH>
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Old 12-01-2015, 12:08 AM   #10
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Thanks for the info Byron

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: I passed it onto the parties that were interested and I copied for future reference.
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Old 12-01-2015, 12:57 AM   #11
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Smile The step up

It was always my impression that that step helps align the body and axle.
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Old 12-01-2015, 03:39 AM   #12
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Guess I've got to agree with Jon cuz I don't understand what the original question is or where this post is or going. Might be a translation app thing.... but from a step to a drunk comment????? Might have to open a couple beers and reread it .
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Old 12-01-2015, 04:24 AM   #13
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Come on Dave we need a little fun now and again

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Guess I've got to agree with Jon cuz I don't understand what the original question is or where this post is or going. Might be a translation app thing.... but from a step to a drunk comment????? Might have to open a couple beers and reread it .
: I emember the first time I wacked my head good was when working on the tow boats, to get to the engine room where the John was we lifted a lid with steps built into it, Well I did this and proceeded to go down next thing I know the skipper was pouring cold water on me, he said you just knocked your self silly for not ducking.
I was about 17 years old.
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Old 12-01-2015, 08:36 AM   #14
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Curious about the step up on some trailers

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Originally Posted by stude View Post
:and the furnace sat right in the walkway right smack in the middle, I think the make of his trailer about 14' started with a S?
My trailer is about 13' and starts with an "S," and the furnace is recessed in a cabinet. There is nothing to trip over anywhere in the trailer unless you put it there yourself. All of the raised sections of the floor are under the table, benches, or cabinets...

and I'm with those who are wondering what the point is here?

If the step-up or drop-floor design bothers you, there are numerous options that have a flat floor, Lil Bigfoot being among the best.

For myself, I wouldn't reject drop-floor designs until I had experienced one. In everyday use, you don't even notice the variation in floor level. The resulting low step-in height of the 13'ers is nice if you have children, small pets, or mobility impairment (whether age or alcohol induced).
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Old 12-01-2015, 12:38 PM   #15
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Yep I went off track, sorry about that as u folks

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Originally Posted by Jon in AZ View Post
My trailer is about 13' and starts with an "S," and the furnace is recessed in a cabinet. There is nothing to trip over anywhere in the trailer unless you put it there yourself. All of the raised sections of the floor are under the table, benches, or cabinets...

and I'm with those who are wondering what the point is here?

If the step-up or drop-floor design bothers you, there are numerous options that have a flat floor, Lil Bigfoot being among the best.

For myself, I wouldn't reject drop-floor designs until I had experienced one. In everyday use, you don't even notice the variation in floor level. The resulting low step-in height of the 13'ers is nice if you have children, small pets, or mobility impairment (whether age or alcohol induced).
: don't know much about canned Ham trailers. I think it was a Scotty with the furnace in the middle of the floor but getting back to the raised floor I want to thank everyone who gave the reason for it as I did not know about it before and I know very little about FG Trailers other than the BigFoot Models as I owned a 1986 17' Bigfoot for a few years, I also know about the company because they are built in Armstrong, BC about 300 miles north of me.
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Old 12-01-2015, 10:18 PM   #16
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Below the table area why is it there or is that the water storage area?
Others have chimed in : ) here is another example of water-storage under the "Step up"... in Parkliners. There is 6'4" before the step, and 5'10" on the step. 30 gallons of grey water under foot back there.



YMMV,
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Old 12-02-2015, 09:00 AM   #17
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Thom, being a recent design, leaving room for the grey tank may be one reason Parkliner kept the raised dinette floor feature. But if that were the only reason, why didn't they raise the whole floor, as sticky manufacturers do? Or, for that matter, as Bigfoot, Oliver, and Casita (17' models) do? It's simpler and stronger to build a frame without variations in floor height. And the only answer I can think of is to maintain headroom while lowering the towing profile. And that is the same reason Boler did it that way in the 60's, when "grey water systems" consisted of buckets outside the trailer.

I'm probably splitting hairs here... but I don't think the step-up exists because of the water tanks (which the OP's question suggested). It exists to minimize the height of the trailer. However, given a step-up or drop-floor design, the raised floor at the back follows as the only feasible place to mount an external grey tank.
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Old 12-04-2015, 01:36 AM   #18
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Now that is a nice clean unit,

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Originally Posted by accrete View Post
Others have chimed in : ) here is another example of water-storage under the "Step up"... in Parkliners. There is 6'4" before the step, and 5'10" on the step. 30 gallons of grey water under foot back there.



YMMV,
Thom
Where do they hide the Water tank? and if there is a black water tank where is it? I prefer using a Porta-Pottie as much easier to unload it just about any Service station wash room, or Pit toilet, places like that are free but camp grounds want to much for 5 gallons of Crap!
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Old 12-04-2015, 09:31 AM   #19
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Where do they hide the Water tank? and if there is a black water tank where is it?..
: )
The fresh water tank is located under (in #35 PL custom plan) the curb side rear bench. Stock plan the same (15 gal) tank is under the street side rear bench. We chose the curb side as we could also have the fresh water fill in camp/camp side as we often utilize a gravity filter to pre-filter water from river into tank and wanted to have ready access to it all on that side of camp.

No black tank #35 PL's case...or any PL owner's actually. The single 30 gal grey would turn into a multi-purpose grey/black for those who ordered the rig with the SeaLand macerating toilet in forward shower/head area...we chose to go the porta pottie route also. There is a cabinet in the forward shower/head room that the PP slides into out of the way.

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Old 12-04-2015, 09:46 AM   #20
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The PL has a reverse trolly top which makes the center top about 4" lower in relation to the shell as compaired to the Scamp and Casita raised trolly tops. PL is a fairly tall trailer with good head room as it is. If the floor was raised 3" it may make the trailer top heavy. Also the orig. PL design did not include a rooftop A/C which adds to total heigth. Another reason for the raised rear floor is to increase the angle of departure for the rear end. I know 17 Bigfoots (At least the one I viewed.) have clearance issues with the dropped axle and flat floors.
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