Building a bathroom in a 13' Burro?

[Kevin A]

My wife would really like an indoor, stationary bathroom (toilet and shower) when we go camping. Our 13' Burro, of course, doesn't have such a thing, so we have a Port-a-Potti and a temporary shower made to hang in the middle of the trailer. Here's my thought: Could I enclose the front area where the front benchseat/single bed is and make this a bathroom? I would use the existing front seat near the entry door for the enclosure for the Port-a-Potti and make it so it can be slid out to empty. Then, I would put up a fiberglass (?) wall and door across the width of the trailer to the front of the left front seat. The hand-held shower head could be hung on the new short wall connecting the door/wall to the front of the trailer. Since I like being about to see all the way through the trailer when driving, we could make the door stay open will driving and using a removable covering on the window (cling window darkening, shower curtain, etc.). Of course, this would all mean that we would lose the little front dinette that we built in the front last summer. We would have to go back to taking the bed down everyday and eating in the rear dining area. Since the trailer is small, we take the bed down everyday anyway, so no problem there.

OK, with this idea.... Any suggestions on how to build the wall/door? Attach the wall and keep it from leaking? Run a drain? (My thought here is to slightly raise a false floor between the two front seats and run a drain hose out back to the clean water tank under the bed. We don't use this for water, anyway - preferring to use a pump on large water bottles.)

Could this work? We would like to keep the Burro but need some bathroom space!

[Gary Lynch]

With a Burro, you could fiberglass the entire inside of your bathroom and have it water tight. Just sand the heck out of the gel coat on the inside before you apply the glass.

[DonInChatt]

Kevin: This sort of project is very often tackled by boat owners. Try the library for a book on fiberglassing, especially in the boat section. You may also find the hardware needed in the marine supply stores rather than the RV store.

[jim munson]

Get new wife.

[CindyL]

Wife speaking here. I paid for the trailer.

Cindy

[jack smith]

Jim -



/fox paw

[Donna D.]

I love having a full bath in my Scamp. I suppose with enough time, money and effort anything is possible. I think you want to tow the Burro with your VW PU? Is this change going to put the tow over the tug's towing weight?

humm, I think I'd be on the hunt for an egg with the features I really wanted. I know you love your Burro, but it may be cheaper in the long run to buy something else and sell what you currently have

If you go forth with this mod, please document the steps and post lots of pictures

Best of luck

PSST, Cindy you rock

[CindyL]

I agree, Donna. I want the 17' Burro on ebay right now. Too bad we spent all my grandmother's inheritance money.

The other trouble is what you say. Since we plan to use the trailer in VW shows with the old pickup we own when we get it fixed up, I am afraid that that pickup will not be able to pull something heavier.

I sure want a bathroom, but I hate to lose the space. I do not really like the outside bathroom tents. Too obvious. Know anyone who makes a more structured add-on bathroom, maybe a hi-lo bathroom?

CindyL

[Gina D.]

I have see older trills with a neat arrangement. They had a toilet room where the kitchen side bench is, and a wash room where the curbside bench is. 2 rooms, with a seat in between that lfted up on a hinge so you could open either door, which was facing inward. Seems a good compromise. You have private space and a seat.

With a Burro, this would be tuff, as the benches are molded in, but I don't see why you couldn't do it with some extra structural support.

The "rooms" would be smaller, as it was on a 15 feet trill, and I beleive they are slightly wider. I think Bonnie and Towards trill was one of these, but the rooms were removed and they were in the process of modifying that area last time I saw thiers.

I considered doing this with my 13 footer, but the electrical was all gang boxed on the kitchen side and I never got around to figuring out where to move it to.

KristiS had one with a complete washroom on one side, and an angled seat on the other. Unfortunately, she took the pictures down. Kristi, can you repost?

[CindyL]

Well, we took the advice of earlier posters: I got a new wife. Oops! I meant to say that we got a new trailer!

We just purchased a 1986 UHaul-Coleman trailer on eBay for $3750. It has a 13'body and 4' tongue, so does that make it a 17 footer? At least the body is long enough to have a dedicated bathroom: porta-potti that hides under a wall in the bathroom and a shower/sink. The bed is wider too - 54". It also has hydraulic surge brakes. How do those work?

Anyway, we will be picking it up in Arkansas at the end of March and bringing it home to Oak Park, IL. That means we will be selling our Li'l Jennie - the 13' Burro (1978). Sorry to see her go, but we can't keep two!

This is being sent by husband Kevin A.

[CindyL]

Uh, oh! He just paid for this one! What will I have to do to make up?

CindyL

[Per Walthinsen]

Congratulations, Cindy!

That makes it a 17 footer all right. I will be very interested in your reactions/mods/etc with this one. Should be a tough beast. The 54" wide bed is a plus, all right.

[Jim Hovind]

I know Winnegago inForrest city Ia has an outlet store. You might try searching for a molded bath unit that might be adaptablr to your new trailer.

Surge brakes work off from a sliding hydrulic device on the hitch, Laws require a break away brake be added to older units though.

Jim H

[jack smith]

Kevin and Cindy...

I was going to suggest one of these units... sorta like the Genisis...

(sorry Steve, lol, couldn't help myself! )

http://www.bathroomonwheels.com.au/

[Frederick L. Simson]

We just purchased a 1986 UHaul-Coleman trailer on eBay for $3750. It has a 13'body and 4' tongue, so does that make it a 17 footer? At least the body is long enough to have a dedicated bathroom: [b]porta-potti that hides under a wall in the bathroom and a shower/sink. The bed is wider too - 54".

This is being sent by husband Kevin A.

Awesome! I studied those eBay photos with interest. The porta-potty cubbie is actually below the streetside bunk, it is just accessed from the bathroom. Very clever way to increase space in a limited shower.

[CindyL]

Oooh!

But remember, I get my bathroom, but Kevin gets a bigger bed.


Cindy

[Brian B-P]

...It also has hydraulic surge brakes. How do those work?...

The part built into the coupler is a hydraulic master cylinder, just like the one in your car. Instead of pushing on it with a foot pedal, the tow vehicle pushes it by resisting the forward motion of the trailer. Brake fluid transmits the force to components at each wheel which are just like the ones in a car (in this case, one with drum brakes).

If the tug brakes harder, the coupler is pushed with more force, and the trailer brakes more. It is a proportional braking system which requires no electrical power or connection.

The breakway feature is a cable hooked to the hitch so that if the trailer comes off (ball or coupler fails) the cable pulls the brakes on. From Jim's comment, I assume that this feature was not originally included in the U-Hauls.