First Wheel House Construction (Advice Please?)

[Big Buck Buster]

When we went to get the aluminum sheets from Midway, they actually ended up being 49" wide, and not 48". Guess we got an even better deal than we thought. They told me over the phone that they were 48". Oh well.

[Big Buck Buster]

That looks great. That will definitely keep the heat in. Keep the pics coming as you go. We all like to see a house in the process.

[Big Buck Buster]

This is a house I built for a neighbor of mine this spring. The shell was made from materials purchased at Midway in St.Cloud. Has all LED lights and trailer brakes. Midway has some good deals right now. You might want to check them out.

[Fuzzbient]

You do nice work! The diamond plate corners are a nice touch.

[Big Buck Buster]

Midway sheered, and bent the corners for us. They do great work up there. They had to use the hydraulic press break to bend the diamond plate.

[Tyler23]

big buck buster- how big is that house? what was the approx. cost of this doing it yourself?

[crappiekid]

When we went to get the aluminum sheets from Midway, they actually ended up being 49" wide, and not 48". Guess we got an even better deal than we thought. They told me over the phone that they were 48". Oh well.

Be careful might overlap 1" / Sheet???? That the way my Ice Castle alum siding is. (Slotted )

[river rat316]

Big buck buster, how are you doing the wheel system? Anyway to get plans for that, or have you do up a system?

[Rick G]

This is a house I built for a neighbor of mine this spring. The shell was made from materials purchased at Midway in St.Cloud. Has all LED lights and trailer brakes. Midway has some good deals right now. You might want to check them out.

They sure do. I got all my supplies except for the insulation and the wood for both my fish houses there. They had the lowest prices on torsion suspension in the area. I got all the steel for my frame there and even my welding wire too that place has it all.

[Big Buck Buster]

Tyler23, We are not done with it yet. What we have done is the shell, and the spray foam insulation. The owner figures about $3,000 so far, but he hasn't sat down and actually added it all up. This figure was off the top of his head. This is 8'X 14'-w/4' v-front. 18 feet total length.

[Big Buck Buster]

Crappiekid, We overlapped each sheet 1", and it worked out great. Each overlap is screwed through both sheets, and sealed.

[Big Buck Buster]

River Rat 316, My wheel systems have the winch mounted on the leaf spring, and is removable. The system is a 6,000# system, with 12" brakes. I previously sold one of my frames on C-list like this one, but a little longer(16' w/4' v-front). I do not have any plans to give out, or sell. I might be able to build you a frame, if you are interested. I am now in the process of making a new design for the crank down system. I will post pics when I get the first one done. It will be a while.

[ZEEK1223]

Big buck, how does the house tow with the wheels so far forward?

[Big Buck Buster]

When you crank it up, the wheels really aren't that far forward. The inside is still empty, but we had it down the highway at 70 mph with no swaying. When the inside is done, we will have plenty of tongue weight. Plus there is double doors in the rear for hauling a wheeler.

[ZEEK1223]

I only ask, because if I dont put all the weight to the front in my wheel house towing is a nightmare

[Big Buck Buster]

With the two 30# tanks on front(full), and nothing inside, it actually balanced out even. You can pick up the tongue by hand. I was surprised how well it pulled down the road with so little tongue weight. All of the heavy components for inside are going to be in front, including the bathroom, battery storage, stove, heater, TV, microwave. The only thing that is going in the rear is the bunks. Acording to DOT, we should have 10% of total weight for tongue weight to prevent swaying, and the length of the tongue makes a difference also.

[Fuzzbient]

Got the floor installed now. It's 3/4 pressure treated glued and screwed. I used self tapping coated screws and will add 1/4 inch bolts through the wall plates and the trailer frame once they are installed.

[516]

I,d use at least 5/16 inch in the corners and stainless bolts. We had to replace 5 1/4 inch bolts that had rusted off in our wheelhouse last fall.

[tonkapat]

Bolts through the frame? Did u use chanel or angle on the frame? Your going to use lots of gas in the tow vehicle with the flat front. I wish I would have put a v front on mine, pays for itself in mileage.

[Fuzzbient]

Bolts through the frame? Did u use chanel or angle on the frame?

It's a tubular frame. No angle iron.

[Big Buck Buster]

You mentioned that you are leaning towards steel siding. Would it be pole shed steel? Looks like you might run into a clearance issue where the cranks are. I have installed that steel on another house I built, and forgot to compensate for the ribs in the steel. Just a thought.

[Mike L]

You might want to consider using surface mounted tail lights rather than the stud mounted variety. It's just a matter of time 'til ya munch one and the stud mounts are a pain to change out.

[Fuzzbient]

You might want to consider using surface mounted tail lights rather than the stud mounted variety. It's just a matter of time 'til ya munch one and the stud mounts are a pain to change out.

Tail lights are already mounted as part of the trailer just below the cranks.

[Fuzzbient]

You mentioned that you are leaning towards steel siding. Would it be pole shed steel? Looks like you might run into a clearance issue where the cranks are. I have installed that steel on another house I built, and forgot to compensate for the ribs in the steel. Just a thought.

I've decided on sheet aluminum. The clearance on the cranks was a problem. I had to drill new mount holes on them and move them out an inch or so to give clearance for siding. This is a design flaw with the trailer frame.

Has anyone purchased sheet aluminum from Discount Steel in Mpls? They have great pricing and do custom cut sheets to order.

Google for Discount Steel Minneapolis and you can find the HSOforum with pricing on sheet aluminum. If you put in the dimensions and quantity, the price changes. The higher the quantity, the price per sheet goes down. Be nice to get an order together for a few projects to get a better discount.

[Big Buck Buster]

Has anyone purchased sheet aluminum from Discount Steel in Mpls? They have great pricing and do custom cut sheets to order.

[Please read forum before posting again. Admin]

They appear to discount based on the quantity. Be nice to get an order together for a few projects to get a better discount.

How much would the minimum purchase have to be to get a considerable discount? I might be interested in it, if the discount is worth it.

I purchased sheet aluminum up a Midway for a reasonable price, but they only had white.