Input needed on crazy idea - trailer apartment

There is an RV style camper that has a Section to haul a Motorcycle which you can use for your other purposes.

 

If you google Oversized RV campsites you'll find that its actually a growing trend. They have pullthrough sites that are 80 ft or more. Here's one >>>http://www.omrorv.com/ in WI. I love you're idea and being from ELkhart, Indiana, Camper capital USA, its one of my dreams that you are describing here. Mine would be substantially bigger and costlier. Mine would have the machine shop on the floor level of the furniture Van but Ideally an OPENTOP trailer to start with, then putting hydraulic rams at the corners that would raise a HI-LO camper through the roof. HI-LO's are campers that raise the top half over the bottom half for aerodynamics with a small suv, while still having the length of a full size camper. It doesn't sound like you need a substantial amount of room to live in so a large popup would work if you're in nice climates. But the HI-LO would be better in colder climates. Since they're only 5ft tall while transporting, that would leave 6-7ft below for the machine shop.

 

Ned, People have been doing what your talking about for years, only not with a 53' they have used 40' or less.
Do you really want to live in a machine shop?? If I was going to consider this I would use two 28' pup trailers , one machine shop and one living quarters. Machine shop at the jobsite and the home at the RV park. when you ready to relocate have the trucker hook to the RV and then swing in and pickup the machine shop. There are plenty of power only transports running all over this country that you would have no problem contracting one to make this move.
Don't get talk into using a reefer trailer, that would be one big smelly mess. If you studded and insulated a dry box it would still be wider than any RV on the road today. Later

 

Why a semi trailer? Why not an old MCI bus? You can get an old MCI bus for $10,000, they're just like a greyhound bus but yours will be from the early 80s, and have a lot of chrome on the outside (lol). You can rip everything out and make it into an RV easily, and they look really nice, and you dont have to worry about towing it...it drives itself. Also has lots of storage space under the floor. LOTS.

The reason i suggest an MCI bus instead of a school bus is that MCI busses have a taller roof. School buses normally have a 6'0 roof...

 

Having lived in a boat for many years, and moved it around when needed, I guess the problems we have would be pretty much the same for you -

- Where do you get water from? A storage tank will maybe hold enough for a week or two, but you need access to refill it.
- Disposal of waste water and sewage
- power -12 volt batteries need charging, and shore power isn't always available. Running a fridge and some lighting takes up our full charge after about 3-4 days, we have 4 x batteries. And other options such as solar and wind turbines don't provide enough charge for anything more than a light and a cellphone charger.
- Heating - we run a woodstove, not sure i would risk that in a trailer!
- hot water for showers -we run a propane boiler, but again that is in a steel boat, not sure its safe in a trailer.

- Cooking - either you need enough 12 volt power for a microwave, and/or propane for a gas oven. I have both, but then I have access to shore power much of the time, and local suppliers of propane tanks.
And bear in mind ventilation when looking at heating and cooking, carbon monoxide is a real killer.

Maybe visit a boat yard and find a few ideas there?

 

you know, by the time you actually get this thing going you'll be able to buy a solar panel that is THE MOST EFFICIENT available in the WORLD. Its a system made by Kender Solar (KNDR) that uses a solar panel to heat helium gas which turns a turbine, producing electricity at $.07/KWH and its cost will be reasonable too, at about $1/Watt. Since electricity costs about $.09-.13/KWH you can sell it back to the grid. This in addition to the new waste oil generator, and CNG or LPG generator, and you shouldn't have much problem with power. Get an IBC 275 gallon tank that you can forklift onto its designated spot in your trlr. They're cheap (about $50-100) durable with an aluminum cage around it, and at 3'X4'X4'tall are easily stow and they stack efficiently.

 

please give me a link regarding that solar panel sounds very cool

 

This is not a crazy idea; i think it's a great idea and financially smart too. i have had this thought since 2001. i will provide intricate details of my own plan as time permits.

In a nutshell, i'm thinking of getting a 53' "big bertha" drop deck moving type van made by kentucky. This way i can have 2 levels----i would use E-trak loading bars for the framework for the 2nd level and then lay 3/4" plywood on top of these bars. Very sturdy and safe.
I've seen these vans used for under 4K.

Also, you can get sea containers 40 ft, for 2K or less. These can be stacked and/or connected parallel or side by side, or.........? So you can expand as your finances grow.

2) There are power only companies that can move your trailer wherever you need.

 

even if u do make it 2 levels you wouldnt be able to make both levels tall enough to stand up in

and the plywood would have to be secured somehow...if it shifts at all the edge could fall off the deck bar and you will go through the floor...ive almost done it climbing in trailers trying to save freight from falling

deck bars and good plywood are both expensive especially when you need enough for a 53 foot trailer