Total rebuild of a Compact Jr

[john madill]

I sold my Compact Jr a couple of years ago to a very good friend, a civil engineer with a lot of talent for design and building.

What he has done to the Jr might upset some purists but it is really remarkable and i want to share the pictures with you.

First he mounted the shell on an aluminum trailer with brakes, leaving room at the front for storage containers.

He replaced all the windows and bought an new door from a 3rd party provider.

He added insulation and finished the walls off with wood.

it really is amazing!

He found the original 48 year old frame in poor shape and wanted brakes for traveling in the mountains, hence the aluminum trailer.

[David B.]

Very nice.

[Dax]

Do you know what he used for insulation?

I need to take down the carpeted walls and add insulation to my Havasu, but space is tight!

Also, did he buy an off the shelf trailer? I'd be interested in that also, my trailer could definitely use an upgrade! And I love the idea of breaks since I pull with a Forester, often over mountains.

[yoopercamper]

Hi Dax,
We are the current owners of the trailer and very grateful that John sold it to us! My hubby is very clever and does beautiful work!

He used one inch thick blueboard for insulation, and it is on EVERY surface, including the floor and the pop up ceiling. He also used "Good Stuff" at all the joints. We want to be able to use this beauty in the cold weather, too! And yes, we did lose some height (not a problem for me at 4'11" :-).

We did buy an off the shelf trailer, but in retrospect, would recommend the same trailer but with the axle moved to align with the original wheel wells. Also, we would have managed to use the original wheel well space as an interior space by restructuring the wheel wells.

The trailer we purchased is a Triton ATV 128. I think you are also on the Facebook group. I posted an album of some of the rebuild in that group.

BTW, the trailer is still not completely done, but we have managed two trips this fall, and absolutely LOVE Lucille, the Short, Short Trailer!
Nancy

[Jon in AZ]

I’m curious about the weight. Have you had it on a scale? Also wondering about rain collecting on the trailer deck and getting between the shell and the trailer. Is it a solid deck or does it drain?

Agree about the alignment of the wheels. It would look better. Not sure about balance, depends on how heavy those storage boxes are compared to what’s stored in the rear of the camper.

Nice work, and I love the name!

[yoopercamper]

Jon,
We haven't weighed it yet, but since we gutted it completely, all new components and materials were used with weight in mind. The cooler is the heaviest item in there as of now. We did not put the sink and stove back in, but did clean up and paint the kitchen surround. We plan to do most of our cooking outdoors or just use the Coleman stove inside if needed.

In terms of rain collection under the trailer box, the box is placed upon a "Humane Parlor Mat" from Farm and Fleet, which has holes in it. The trailer also has drainage ridges.

The boxes on the front of the trailer are really lightweight, and hold outdoor items like lawn chairs, jacks, chocks- stuff that gets dirty.

Mike's grandfather was one of the people who built the trailer used in "The Long, Long Trailer", and his grandmother made the curtains for the movie. The name felt quite appropriate! :-)
Nancy

[john madill]

I hope Mike and Linda do not take up rock collecting like Lucy did in the movie!

They have done a beautiful job with the trailer that i sold to them.

I purchased it from an older lady in northern Michigan named Eva who would trailer it to Texas for the winter.

When she bought a pick-up truck she upgraded to bigger trailer.

So i had named the Compact Jr "Little Eva's Locomotion".

For you youngsters who are not baby boomers here is Little Eva in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKpVQm41f8Y

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by yoopercamper

Mike's grandfather was one of the people who built the trailer used in "The Long, Long Trailer", and his grandmother made the curtains for the movie. The name felt quite appropriate! :-)
Nancy

Cool connection! Shoot, you could nickname the trailer Dezi and the coach Lucy... the unconventional marriage that works.

[Joe Cunningham]

Hi Nancy. We are brand new members to this forum who live in Alberta, Canada. We have just started rebuilding a Compact Jr. that needs a lot of work. One of the things we are doing is taking out the right side (passenger side) shelving, cupboard and cooler refridgerator. We are planning to replace it with plastic tub storage shelves and a high-efficiency cooler below the shelves - just as you have done! I am wondering how the vertical planks in front of your shelves are attached? ... and how they move?

[yoopercamper]

Hi Joe,

Here is my husband's very detailed description. Let me know if you have any additional questions. Nancy
"The slats are ¾” A-C plywood ripped to 2” width.

Secured to the backside of the slats are two 1 ½” x 1 ½” inside corner braces which come in a blister pack with wood screws. The brackets are positioned to bear on the upper & lower shelves only. The outer hole on the bearing leg of the brace is to be tapped for ¼-20 threads.

I positioned the slats on the shelves, marked the outer (threaded) holes on the shelves and drilled 5/16” dia. holes in the shelves.

I screwed a thumb screw, with washer, into the threaded holes of the corner braces snug to the top of the thread. This kept the thumb screws from becoming free agents.

Finally, with this assembly installed as shown in the photo I installed wing nuts, with washers, on each thumb screw protruding through the shelves, hand tight.

These slats are only meant to be in place while moving. They will be removed and stored once we are set up for camping."

[Joe Cunningham]

Originally Posted by yoopercamper

Hi Joe,

Here is my husband's very detailed description. Let me know if you have any additional questions. Nancy
"The slats are ¾” A-C plywood ripped to 2” width.

Secured to the backside of the slats are two 1 ½” x 1 ½” inside corner braces which come in a blister pack with wood screws. The brackets are positioned to bear on the upper & lower shelves only. The outer hole on the bearing leg of the brace is to be tapped for ¼-20 threads.

I positioned the slats on the shelves, marked the outer (threaded) holes on the shelves and drilled 5/16” dia. holes in the shelves.

I screwed a thumb screw, with washer, into the threaded holes of the corner braces snug to the top of the thread. This kept the thumb screws from becoming free agents.

Finally, with this assembly installed as shown in the photo I installed wing nuts, with washers, on each thumb screw protruding through the shelves, hand tight.

These slats are only meant to be in place while moving. They will be removed and stored once we are set up for camping."

Thank you Nancy, and please thank your husband for me for such a well detailed description. With the aid of the photo I am able to clearly understand exactly what he did. It is an ingenious solution to lighten the overall weight as well!

Joe in Pincher creek, AB, Canada.

[RLShawMT]

It's always great to see a Hunter on these pages.

[Joe Cunningham]

Originally Posted by RLShawMT

It's always great to see a Hunter on these pages.

Thank you Rebecca! I will post some photos when I get a little further along. Joe