An expensive necessity, but you can save significant costs if you make it yourself. Before starting production, you need to find a drawing that is already suitable for a specific car, and also select the material for the future covering. Choosing the right fabric and a clear sequence of actions is the key to successful completion of the job.
Do-it-yourself choice of awning material for a car trailer
Typically the cover is made from a fabric called PVC. It is quite dense, durable and reliable, in addition, it is moisture resistant. Despite its strength and relative rigidity, it is comfortable to work with.
What else is needed to make a trailer awning with your own hands:
- eyelets;
- expander (a rubber band that is pulled through the eyelets);
- dense thick threads for stitching parts (reinforced).
How to create a drawing to sew an awning for a trailer
According to the drawing, three parts are needed for stitching. Before starting to make a drawing, it is necessary to take all measurements. What distances need to be measured:
- side length;
- width;
- height from the center of the side width to the nai highest point arcs;
- height from the side to the arc at the lowest point (usually from the corner);
- arc diagonal.
All the necessary data is visible in this drawing:
With a PVC fabric width of 2.5 meters (it is the most common), 8 m of PVC fabric will be sufficient for a standard passenger car. As already mentioned, the cover will consist of three parts: one large and two small.
- To the length and width obtained as a result of subsequent calculations, it is necessary to add at least 10-15 cm of allowance on each side. This is necessary for attaching eyelets, seam allowances and finishing, tightly covering the sides and hermetically sealing the contents in this part of the car.
- So, the long side of the main part is calculated by the formula: height of the arc from the side * 2 + diagonal of the arc * 2 + 15 cm for allowances.
- The width of this piece of PVC fabric should be equal to the length of the side plus 10-15 cm. Having cut this part on the fabric, it can be cut out.
- The remaining two parts will be the same. Such a part can be made according to the following scheme: the width of the part corresponds to the number indicating the length of this side. Plus 10-15 cm for seam allowances. Along the edges of the parts, it is necessary to indicate the height of the arc from the edge from the corner. In the center of the width, you should mark the height of the arc from the side at the highest point, where the diagonals meet, and then connect the resulting points. The piece should look like a house. To make sure the dimensions are true, you can measure the resulting diagonals on the fabric. They must match the size of the diagonals on the frame itself. This part can also be cut out after cutting.
How to sew a trailer awning for a car
Step-by-step instructions on how to sew an awning for a car trailer:
- To the side great details you need to sew the smaller part on both sides.
- One side can be sewn completely, and the other only along the length of the diagonals. This will allow you to open side part and have access to things lying on the edge.
- For stitching, you can use thick reinforced threads and a thick needle, or you can use a sewing machine. Ordinary machines cannot cope with this task, but manual Soviet-style machines can.
- After sewing the parts together, all open sections must be hidden by folding the edge of the PVC fabric cut twice and stitching it.
How to attach an awning to a trailer frame
The stitched PVC cover must be placed on the frame. It will take its shape and will be easier to attach. The most convenient method is to attach eyelets to the fabric, but this requires certain skills and dexterity. In this case, it will need to be attached to the frame using a rubber band, and the PVC cover will become much more convenient in use.
Interesting facts about a do-it-yourself trailer awning
PVC, which is used for sewing, has the abbreviation polyvinyl chloride. The fabric comes in different densities, and 650 units are enough to sew an awning for a trailer.
Having made one piece of smaller dimensions and cut it out, you just need to attach this piece to the fabric, trace and cut out again, without carrying out calculations for the second piece, since they are identical.
The frame for the trailer under the awning can be of different heights. The higher the frame, the more polyvinyl chloride will be required for sewing.
As can be seen from the information described in this article, sewing your own cover onto the frame attached to a car trailer is a completely feasible undertaking, even if you have to carry out the work yourself, without the participation of an assistant.
If a person’s car does not accommodate large cargo inside the cabin or does not want to dirty it with dirty things, then you should think about using a trailer that will easily relieve your task.
The cost of such a unit is at least half a thousand dollars. Not everyone will have the desire to buy an addition to their car, even if it will be used constantly, so you might want to think about the idea of how you can make a trailer yourself.
Trailers are divided into two types - ordinary and specialized, in which cargo of certain volumes and sizes can be transported.
In the first case, everything is clear - everyone uses it without exception, while the second is usually used in industry or business.
This article will only consider a conventional trailer for universal use.
Conventional trailers can be either on one axle or on two. Accordingly, they have two or more than two wheels. It is important to know that a biaxial trailer allows you to transport larger loads and also removes a significant part of the load from the rear of the car. In addition, the car’s power is not lost, as if a weak trailer was used.
Instructions on how to make a trailer
The first step, as always, is to think about designing the trailer. For this it is important to draw up detailed drawing, as well as a plan for assembling parts.
You shouldn’t think that you can do it by eye, as the slightest miscalculation will lead to the trailer being impossible to use.
Required minimum materials
- Square tube and channel
- Steel sheets for cladding
- Metal sheet for the bottom
- Chassis
- Several wheels
- Suspension and braking system
- Waterproof fabric
- Towbar
- Electrical equipment
- Corner Mounts and Brackets
- Grinder, screwdriver and other tools
- Welding
Trailer construction
Once you have all the components at your fingertips, you can begin building your first trailer. The first step is to make the frame - the base of the trailer, which should be the most durable product of the entire structure.
You can ask a welder you know or specialists to weld this structure for you if you don’t know how to do it yourself. Check the weld seams carefully, as they must be strong and not break.
The next step is to weld the ribs to the frame, which should be across the trailer. Brackets are installed along the edges that will hold the shock absorbers.
You can look at the types and sizes of DIY trailers to have a better idea of what is written here.
Prepare two channels that will be the connecting part so that it does not turn out to be too long, otherwise you may lose the maneuverability of the trailer when moving.
The channel is welded along the bottom of the frame along its entire length. To increase reliability, it is recommended to weld it together with other parts of the frame using metal triangles.
It is better to purchase the clutch mechanism ready-made in the store - this will simplify not only your work, but also the process of registering the trailer. The axial part of the “walker” should not be exactly in the middle of the frame, but slightly shifted towards the end of the trailer.
When step by step production The trailer parts are ready, you can move on to the chassis. Now a passive braking system is installed, which will be very useful on the descent.
The next step is to equip the sides of the trailer and its bottom. Use secure bolts for fastening metal sheets. Complete the fastening with corners.
The tailgate must be equipped with reflectors, a license plate frame and all the necessary lights. Orange reflectors are installed on the sides, and orange and white on the front.
The trailer is now completely finished. If you allocate moderate time for production, it will take about three to four days. Don't forget to go mandatory process registration of your brand new trailer.
Using these instructions and advice you can do without drawings with diagrams of how to make a trailer. Also, for this it is not at all necessary to have any special skills. All that is required is a head and hands, as well as materials and tools. There is no need to rush, but it is important to do everything carefully and consider every detail.
A small trailer can be used if you have a category B license, however, if you do not have a category E license, your trailer must weigh less than 750kg. You should not load the trailer to its full capacity, even to its maximum load capacity, as the structure may not withstand movement and it will simply break.
If you are still thinking about the design of a trailer, then you can look at photos of trailers made by yourself and choose something for yourself.
DIY trailer photos
Homemade dacha trailer made from car trailer: photo of the camper being built with detailed description, also a video showing a mobile home.
We decided to build a small residential house on wheels so that we could travel to nature in our car. Since we didn’t have drawings of the camper, we decided to make a removable module for the factory trailer (so that there would be no problems with re-registration of the vehicle).
This is why it was purchased boat trailer from Kurgan plant(only in their title they don’t specify what kind of trailer it is. It’s just a trailer; other manufacturers indicate that it’s a boat trailer and you can’t put a house on it).
The dimensions of the module corresponded to the dimensions of the trailer - 1400 x 2400 mm. Naturally, the removable module must be durable, and a plywood house definitely won’t work for our roads; we had to weld a steel frame.
The base is welded from a 60 x 30 mm profile, the walls and ceiling are made from a 20 x 20 mm profile. 2 identical arcs were bent on a pipe bender.
The most difficult thing was to think through the doors; it took us 1/3 of the total time spent on the doors. Anyone interested in this topic has seen factory doors, ventilation hatches, gas stoves, sinks, heaters, etc. and so on. There is only one problem: cost. one factory door costs about 700-800 bucks (and you need 2 of them), a sunroof with an exhaust hood costs about 300-400 bucks, I didn’t even look at the sinks and stoves, and so it became clear that we would choose from what we found in hardware stores .
As a result, we made the doors ourselves, because with our course the budget for the doors alone came out to more than 100 thousand (on Alika, Ebay, in Europe, America, Russian online stores - the prices are approximately the same).
We decided to make the doors with power windows, because... This is the easiest way in our opinion. There is no point in describing the whole process, I will only say that making the doors was very tedious. but at cost they came out to 5 rubles per door, taking into account everything. the savings were worth it)
The outside of the building was sheathed aluminum sheets 0.8 mm, we were looking for specially large sheets so that it could be covered with one sheet without joints. As a result, we found AMC2 sheets measuring 1500 x 3000 mm, which suited us quite well.
Now I would choose a composite material for cladding buildings, 4 mm thick (for those who don’t know, these are 2 sheets of 0.4 mm aluminum, and between them a special composite that ideally withstands all weather conditions).
We stuck aluminum onto a plywood backing, riveted it around the perimeter and sealed all the joints. It was possible to leave the trailer aluminum, but initially we wanted blue on the outside, so we ordered vinyl film for covering the vehicle from a printing house and covered it on top.
Many people ask about the refrigerator. There is no refrigerator, and there cannot be one, because... The module is removable and has its own car battery. The module wiring is completely autonomous and is not connected to the wiring of the car or trailer in any way. Therefore, there is no way to connect a refrigerator here. Although I don’t understand the problem if it can be placed in the trunk of a car.
We also made 2 220V sockets in the living area, a 400W inverter, enough for both chargers and a TV. LED lighting everywhere.
Water is supplied from a canister by a fountain pump, not very powerful, but economical.
We made a niche for the countertop under the kitchen, it seemed very convenient, but in fact the ribs on top and bottom were made of a 15 x 15 profile, a very flexible and not reliable profile. As a result, the niche bent a little and the chipboard table did not fit there, so we had to make it out of plywood.
After assembly, the trailer was tested by Karcher at all joints, cracks, etc. 100% tightness.
Costs for building a caravan trailer.
We started building the camper in May 2015, and finished it in June 2016. My friend and I work in shifts, i.e. per week 2-3-4 days could be devoted to the trailer. We were very stuck with the kitchen decoration and doors. If you expect to collect it in 3 months, add triple the deadline.
In terms of finances: everything was bought new, nothing used was used. The trailer itself cost 44 thousand, and about 110 thousand was spent on materials. Everything was fixed, right down to the gloves, so the price is close to the real one. You can do it cheaper, but you should know in advance.
By weight: the trailer + module weighs about 600 kg, the module itself is about 460-480 kg. The heaviness was added by a large number of chipboards, whoever will do it - look for more lightweight material for partitions.
The 1.4 Octavia passenger car pulls the trailer with a bang. On the highway I accelerated to 130 km/h, the trailer is not felt at all, the streamlined shape practically does not slow down. consumption increases by 1-2 liters. By bad road It’s difficult to drive more than 90, after all, the weight is not small, the car jerks. But 80-90 is quite acceptable for such a trailer. I drove through fields, along dirt roads, and the trailer never hit anywhere.
Video that explains in detail makeshift house on wheels.
You often have to transport various goods to your dacha, or you are a wholesaler. You have a trailer, which means there are no problems with transportation. But that is until it rains or snows. Then your luggage will get pretty wet, and maybe even become unusable. Think about a trailer awning: it will protect you from rain and snow, and from prying eyes too. You have decided to buy an awning for yours, but the prices are a little steep. Your old awning has become unusable, and now there is a question about buying it. You doubt that the price will correspond to the quality, because there are also fakes on the market, for which you can pay a decent amount of money, but the thing will not last long. There is a way out: sew the awning yourself.
Trailer frame measurements
To sew a good awning, you need 4 accurate measurements. So grab a measuring tape, paper and pencil and start measuring. For convenience, you can schematically depict the figure of the future product.
First of all, measure the length and width of the trailer. We write everything down on a piece of paper. Calculate approximately how many hooks you will need. Hooks are made at a distance of 20 or 30 cm. It all depends on the length of the trailer and the number of arches that can be welded to one side.
Let's move on to the metal arcs. You need to measure from the middle of the side to the highest point of the arc (it is called the “ridge”). Write it down. Now measure from the edge of the side bow(s) to the bend. Record your measurements. Your future awning will consist of three parts: the back, the front side and the roof (this is the main part of the awning in the shape of a rectangle). The measurements have been made, now we need fabric.
Selection and purchase of material
Finished products are sold from PVC material- This is polyvinyl chloride. It does not allow water to pass through and retains heat well. You need to look for a fabric density of 630 – 650. This means that 1 square meter of fabric weighs 650 grams. Typically the width of such material is 2.5 meters. The service life of a product made from such fabric will be approximately 7 - 10 years. You can search for such fabric on the Internet - there is a choice on various sites.
You can also purchase tarpaulin fabric with a density of 480 g/sq.m or 540 g/sq.m with waterproof impregnation. Such an awning will last a little less than PVC. The disadvantage of a tarpaulin awning is its ability to slightly transmit moisture during a rainstorm.
Be sure to buy eyelets (these are metal rings into which a rope is then threaded) and a rubber band (this is what expanders are made from). In order not to buy too much fabric, you need to make an awning pattern on paper based on the measurements taken. Calculate how much linear meters you need. Most often, 8 meters of fabric are required.
Manufacturing stages
You should not draw the pattern directly on the fabric. It’s better to do this on paper and double-check whether everything was calculated correctly. And you will keep the pattern for the future, or give it to your friends to use.
Uncover
Mark the body length to one side. Perpendicularly mark the length of the arc. We prepared the main part of the tent. Draw the walls of the house: front and back. Take the width (you have it written down) and draw a line. We find the middle of this line and transfer the height of the center of the metal arc. Smoothly draw a line, repeating the bend of the arc of your frame.
Don't forget to allow seam allowances(4 cm along the bottom of the product - this seal is intended for eyelets, and 1.5 - 2 cm for all other seams)! We transfer our drawing to the fabric and cut it with scissors.
Sewing
You can sew an awning at home sewing machine. Stock up on very strong threads ( polyester is better or reinforced) number 40. The needle you will need is 120-130. Take the main piece of fabric and sew the back and front of the house to it. Fold the edges of the parts one into the other and sew with two seams (this is stronger). Fold the bottom edge of the awning 4 cm and sew on a machine in a circle (this is how jeans are hemmed). As a reminder, this wide padded edge is for grommets.
Let's try the “house” on the trailer. We take a marker or chalk and put marks where the eyelets (rings) for tying the hooks will be sewn. Now you can go to the shoe workshop. There is special device, which rivets the eyelets in the right places. Thread the rubber band (expander) into the eyelets with a snake and try on the awning again. All is ready!
Fastening the awning structure
The awning is secured with an 8mm rope or steel cable in a plastic shell (diameter 3 mm). Metal tips should be attached on both sides to make it easier to thread into the rings. We pull the rope through the rings and pull it well. Ready!
Conclusion
We can save some family budget, if before you run out to buy an awning for your trailer, think about the fact that you can easily make it yourself. As a result, you will have an exclusive item.
For a long time now, owners of curtain-sided semi-trailers have been replacing the valves on the gates on the rear walls. The advantages are obvious: on the one hand, the time to access the cargo is reduced, on the other, the risk of unauthorized entry inside is greatly reduced. In addition, this design is more dust and moisture resistant.
Materials of preference
The first question that arises when you want to replace an awning with a gate is: what material will the doors be made of: aluminum, all-welded galvanized metal or laminated plywood? By by and large, all options are acceptable and each of them has proven itself over the years of operation. The nuances are that, say, metal structure certainly much stronger, but much heavier.
And the weight of the gate, especially on Russian roads, is of paramount importance: sometimes the hinges cannot withstand the constant vibration, which quickly become loose and sometimes even fall off literally while moving. Aluminum gates are much lighter, but lose in price. I mean very expensive. The golden mean can be considered plywood gates, upholstered on the outside (or better on the outside and inside) with galvanization. They are lightweight and relatively cheap. The question of strength is quite controversial, because a finished frame made of durable materials is upholstered with plywood. metal profiles.
Installing gates on a semi-trailer, as well as their production itself, is usually entrusted to specialized companies offering a wide range of products and services. They go to the site to take the dimensions of the opening. back wall, agree with the customer on the gate material and fittings, color, order execution time, after which the price is negotiated, including installation.
Frame or glued?
Many truck owners are so passionate about their craft, as well as saving money, that they prefer to make and install gates on their semi-trailers themselves.
If the structure is frame, then first the frame is welded, which will subsequently be sheathed with either laminated plywood or sheets of galvanized iron. For the frame, as a rule, metal (necessarily closed!) 50x50 made of iron with a thickness of 2.5 mm are used. They are cut into pieces according to the size of the opening, the corners are cut with a grinder strictly at an angle of 45?. The workpieces are joined on a flat surface. The parallelism of the side beams is checked with a tape measure, and their placement in the plane is checked with a level. The seams of the corners are scalded. If the doors are long in height, a transverse beam is welded between the two side beams, to which “diagonal” channels are placed from the corners so that the gate does not deform or sag after some time of operation. The places where you plan to attach the hinges are reinforced metal corners. The frame is ready.
