Camper Jr for encampment stuff

[Jim in Ramona]

Good Morning all,

i have been involved with 1800s encampments (cowboy and mountain man) for the last 10 or more years and finally getting tired of uploading/downloading in my truck for evey event.

My solution was to find an afordable box trailer to permanently put this stuff in but couldn't find one reasonable enough.

I found a gutted Camper Jr shell that i'm now working on for permanent use. But i have lots of questions....

The first regards the top; it is complete but warped downward. My plan is to place four or more aluminum channel bars across the inside to push the top back into original shape, thus keeping it light weight but flat. Any thoughts??

Next is the hitch; the top movable part is missing. Can just this piece be replaced or am i faced with cutting this whole hitch off and replacing it with a new one??

Finally for this note, tires and rims; the tires are 165R13 82S and will need to be replaced BUT the rims seem to fit on the hub bolts just on the inner edge of the rim holes thus slightly tweeking the bolts outward (my first impression is that these are not original rims)... SO any thoughts here and also i need an additional rim for a spare...

Well, enough for now hoping that someone can be of help.

best regards,
jim from Ramona

[Bob Miller]

Hi Jim and welcome to the group.


It's kinda hard to support the roof from the inside as the sides are curved and you need to anchor your roof supports to something vertical. As most of them sag anyway it may not be anything to worry about. Posting a couple of pics will help.


Best bet for your tire/wheel problem might be to check in at Pep Boys and order a pair of new tires on rims. They have them on nice white spoke rims with 4 on 4 bolt pattern. That's what I have on my Compact-II.


I also suggest taking two steps with the existing hubs: 1) Pull them off and get all new studs and nuts, they are standard auto supply store items and 2) Get the existing bearings inspected and repacked and new seals installed. Then you will be ready to roll.


About the hitch.... It's 40+ years old and worn out. The best bet is to get a new 2" coupler at Harbor Freight and get it installed at a welding shop.


Tires, wheels & bearings, as well as a safe hitch, are the primary ingredients for safe towing. Compromise any one of those and you will have problems.....


BTW: The inside counters and wall sections are structural components. Remove to much and you will have a very jello-like shell that will crack near the bottom edges. It's a camping trailer, not a freight hauler.


Good Luck

[Jim in Ramona]

Hi Bob,

i thank you for the response and information...

i took down the top, removed the old paneling and replaced it with 1/4 ext
plywood. Then added four internal ridges crossways using 2"x3/4" aluminum
box pieces picked up from the local scrap yard for $3.00. I replaced all
hardware with stainless and new rubber gromets. The top is now back to
original shape with no sagging and has been remounted. looks great inside and
will not puddle water outside. I also replaced the nylon washers to the top
hinge pieces. So that is done.....

i thank you for the tire information; next stop Pep Boys....

i'll keep you posted as i make progress but am aware of the internal need
for structure support so am keeping as much as possible and will just
rebuild around existing left side cabinets and across the from major frame
support.
My mountain man gear is mostly canvas and hides, with some metal stakes and
one metal stove, bulky but not very heavy...

Do you any idea what one of these would weight when fully loaded and ready for the road??

i'll keep all posted as i make progress.

regards, jim in ramona

[Bob Miller]

Sounds like a great repair job on the roof. Can you post at least one pic of your roof support beams?


Hunter weight seems to be up for grabs as of late. For the Compact-II, Factory said "1/2 ton" in the literature, mine came in at about 1350 lbs one time when loaded and others, as shown in the "Real World Weights" chart in the General Chat forum, seem to get a lot heavier. I suggest weighing it both empty and loaded so you can get an idea of how much stuff you can carry.

[Jim in Ramona]

regarding pictures of the re-enforced roof... i just don;t know how to make my camera connect to a computer so can't send pictures (even with instructions i can't seem to make these two gadgets work together) sorry.

regarding axle, bearings and tires. had an estimate for a total new set but way to expensive. i'll rebut races and bearings for th original axle. Tires and Rims: not pep boys but did find a small trailer shop that had one 4 on 4 rim with tire: SUPER TRAIL tire 4.80x12 and rated for 785 lbs. I'm not sure whether this rim can take a bigger tire or not but for now, will use these on the ground with a spare.

Bought large rear lights at Camper World for high visability on the road.

Bought a new trailwer hitch at harbor freight but will need a shop to rmove and replace.

Now to structural inside rebuilding.... i see i will need to keep all weight distributions centered on large wooden floor piece and as close to underframe as possible. Not much left from original except lt side sink/stove cabinet but this piece needs to be preserved for overall sway integrety.

next biggest quest - frames for the back door opening..... anyhelp from anyone will be very very much appreciated.

And i have the two Camper Jr side plate for anyone interested.

regards,

jim from ramona

[Bob Miller]

I think that the tires and wheels you have are way to small for your trailers load. That's the same size as I put on my son's 6' box tent trailer and Super Trail tires aren't exactly on the "A" list for tire quality. Better look around for some 13" rims and appropriate size tires. The good news, if you put those tires and wheels on Craigslist, there are a lot of tent trailer owners with 8" & 10" rims that will buy them from you.


And what's the problem with your door?

[Jim in Ramona]

Bob,

i thank you for the heads up on the tires; i thought that it was to small so only bought one for wheel well check.... and i'll return for refund.

I did finally find a tire dealer that was willing to spend some time searching for me and we found on etrailer.com a 13 rim that hopefully will fit better (item #AM20222). we'll put on a used tire to check tire well space and then i can proceed for three sets... adding new grease seals and bearings/races should put me on the ground.

Regarding the door - a prior owners solution to every problem was sheet rock screws so jams and door are pretty messed up - not beyond salvage with a lot of careful work but will try for a set of new jams first (will search Walts RV Salvage next).

I did find a local fiberglass guy so will use him to seal all holes, etc once on the road and before lights and doing inside work.

Has anyone replaced the top skirting????? if so, what materials was used???

thanks again for your help.

jim

[Bob Miller]

The 13", white spoke, 4 or 4, wheel and tire sets sold by Pep Boys fit perfect and they come mounted. You can check for fit without having to go to a tire shop etc.


I was able to salvage my original top boot by removing it, cleaning, cleaning and cleaning with an upholstery cleaner/rejuvenator and having new screens and windows sewn by Riverside Awning in Riverside, CA ($200). If I had a new one made from awning material, the tab would have been about $400 at the same vendor.



P1010444.jpg Photo by advocateone | Photobucket


P1010443.jpg Photo by advocateone | Photobucket


P1010441.jpg Photo by advocateone | Photobucket

[Jim in Ramona]

Bob,

they really did a nice job on the top screen piece... The top on my trailer is full length and it has four stack-stands that lock in place. i'll have to decider what to do as time goes by. I was thinking about a deerskin gusset but seeing your screen reminds me of heat collecting in the summer, etc. I do have several small pieces which look like oldy-time table cloth material but once again adding screen takes the job to a professional....

received the rim from etrailer and unfortunately it poses the same problem i have with the ones that came on the trailer; the holes are to the outside of the lug bolt holes thus the lug bolts will be splayed out when finished tightening...... NOT GOOD

I did go to Pep Boys in Escondido and they spent about 45 minutes searching their computer with no luck.... they may be living in a parallel universe?? So i still have the problem and am very willing to travel to your Pep Boys if they can solve my problem. Can you please provide me with the location? and if at all possible from your receipt any identifying information....

and thank you for all the help....

regards, jim