Self-made motorhome. DIY camper

Poroshincamper is the first camper, that's how I would like to start my first blog in this community.
Until that moment, I only read and there was nothing special to brag about ...

Moscow region, Teshilovo village.

It all started with the idea to build a small house and go with it to Lake Baikal or Kazakhstan. (I really hope that soon we will implement our idea).
It took us exactly a year to build! we thought that by May we would do everything and go ahead to conquer 35 campsites in Russia.

In reality, it was necessary: ​​to finalize the premises for comfortable living, the construction of a camper.
Before the start of construction, they consulted with everyone who had already built or had an idea what they were eating with)) There was no experience of their own ... Only hands and tools!

They took their trailer Rusich 253 zinc as a basis (production is located in Pushkino MO) and construction began!

How to understand the scale of the disaster.

The frame size is 1.2 * 2.44 plywood, how to fit something on such an area? So we increase the living space to 1.5 * 2.7, we moved the walls apart by 15 cm, in front by 26 cm and 6 cm in the rear overhang.

All because of the center of gravity with a load on the trailer. (They did not transfer the suspension (Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses))
During the winter, using the technology of manufacturing sandwich panels, they assembled all the parts.

The entire frame and plywood were subsequently treated with rubella.

With the help of clamps and spacers built a press table

We haven't reached vacuum technology yet.

Thus, all the walls were glued together (with the exception of the inclined-frontal)

No sample here.

Severely limits space and lacks a neighboring garage without a floor)))

Box assembly.

After fitting, we lay the walls on the surgical table.

4 mm plywood covered with fiberglass with epoxy resin was responsible for the outer skin.

We worked on the quality and thickness of the coating on all parts.

With the help of Fiberglass, we closed two issues: 1. no plywood joints; 2. Solved the problem with moisture resistance (although there are rumors that epoxy still sucks moisture a little)

The view from this location is simply amazing.

After complete assembly, everything was painted with Novax 13202 polyurethane primer / paint, from the local plant NPO Lakokraspokrytie (LKP).

They did not dare to leave bare resin. afraid of UV.

The locker was built for a gas cylinder, a 220v entrance and various shmurdyak from 20 * 20 profiles and automatic transmission.

Behind like a manufactured goods van))))

Assembled interior furniture, sewed mattresses.

Bed transformer with lockers around the perimeter.

We connected the gas stove in the assembled kitchen, carried out pressurized water supply, turned off 220v and 12v.

Ceremonial setting.

Already with some modifications to protect the child + a cool place for storing toys and a warm wall decoration when you sleep!

First night outside the garage, oh. Seliger.

Kemper showed his best side, especially after a heavy downpour, on about. Seliger, when neighboring tents were washed away and carried away far beyond the parking lot, survived the hurricane wind on the Rybinsk reservoir, amazing roads with 50 shades of gray asphalt, along the river. Volga.

I managed to catch a couple of sunny days at the end of July.

And at the same time, we always slept well, even at a temperature of 13 degrees at night (without autonomy, but with warm blankets and socks)

Thanks to this experience, in one year we: We met a large number of such enthusiasts, gained experience and some tools, went to so far away about. Seliger and the Rybinsk reservoir, spent the night in the parking lot near Shatura and this is just the beginning!

I especially like this photo from a recent photo session.

Here I did not begin to talk about all the stages of construction, for those who are interested, you know what to do)

There is even a dry closet there.

To make a house on wheels with your own hands, you need not only to study the instructions, but also stock up on the necessary material.

PHOTO: we build with our own hands.rf

Many do not know how the house on wheels is called correctly. In America, the name camper or trailer is common. In Russia, such cars are often called vans or also trailers.

PHOTO: we build with our own hands.rf

PHOTO: we build with our own hands.rf

Mobile housing can be divided into several types: van or trailer, increased comfort level, hybrid or trailer trailers. When choosing a mobile home, you should explore many options to choose the one that suits you best.

The van is a complete motorhome. He hooks up to the car. If the vehicle is combined, access to the driver's seat is available directly from the room. This option is more suitable for families traveling by car as everyone can be in front of each other.

Comfort in this case is only conditional, since the best option is to purchase spacious trailers that replace them. Outwardly, such a design may resemble an ordinary truck, but it is multifunctional, and, if necessary, can be increased due to the presence of retractable elements. To drive such a car, the driver must have a category "C" license.

There's less room in a Class B trailer, but it's a great option for two. You can assemble a trailer-constructor with your own hands. Such work will be much more difficult than converting an ordinary bus into a motorhome, but the result will be 100% justified.

Related article:

: advantages and disadvantages, varieties, by what parameters you should choose a motorhome, average prices, basic recommendations for operating a motorhome, the nuances of making your own hands - read in the publication.

Motorhome Van Price and Parts

Not everyone will be able to buy a ready-made and fully furnished mobile home van, since the cost can reach the level of the price in the city. Making such a van with your own hands, you can save a lot. But the final cost depends on many factors: what kind of trailer will be bought to make a mini-home on wheels, what furniture and plumbing will be chosen.

PHOTO: cs4.pikabu.ru

The average price for a do-it-yourself mobile home made from a minibus is about a million rubles. You can save money by buying used parts and furniture, or you can make mobile housing more comfortable and expensive.

If you already have a car, and you only need to make a van for it, then you can reduce the cost of the entire project from 1,000,000 rubles to 200-300 thousand. Additionally, it is worth considering the amount of paperwork to legalize the motorhome. On average, the cost of the entire package of documents can reach up to 50,000 rubles.

The arrangement of the toilet room will require about 45,000 if you purchase a good cassette toilet. You can save money by installing a biocube, but it is important to consider that the latter option is inconvenient to maintain.

An economical conversion of a car into a motorhome will cost 275,000 rubles, since it is necessary to install furniture, as well as lay electrical wiring and install water tanks. Not a budget option starts from 670 rubles.

Campervan: how to make a frame and floor

Before making a homemade motorhome from a trailer, you need to clarify the dimensions of the car, since the trailer cannot exceed the width of the vehicle.

PHOTO: cs4.pikabu.ru

The easiest and most cost-effective way to build a camper yourself is to use the frame of a cargo trailer, on which you need to lay out a wooden base. Then you can make walls from wooden beams and plywood sheets sheathed with aluminum overlays. Such a building is a kind of cottage.

To make the mobile home look more presentable and stylish, it is worth building a house on wheels with your own hands from the bus.

Warming and lining of the van

The main task is to trim and insulate the body of the van. For these purposes, plywood and metal sheets are used. In the corners, aluminum plates are necessarily installed for strength and stability of the structure.

PHOTO: cs4.pikabu.ru

Interior decoration and furniture selection

To make you want to be inside the trailer, you need to take care of a beautiful finish. A motorhome-wagon or an ordinary trailer can be furnished in a modern or minimalist way.

PHOTO: cs4.pikabu.ru

Ordinary folding furniture or do it yourself.

Do-it-yourself mobile home from a gazelle

A mobile home, which in America is called a campsite, can be used both for travel and for permanent residence. Although in Russian realities the latter is practically not possible, since there are no specially equipped campsites in the country for refueling with water and draining waste. In addition, this design can be used as a cafe on wheels by organizing your own business, for example, a trailer for making delicious coffee.

You can even make a full-fledged mobile home from a GAZelle if you follow the instructions:

Illustration	Action Description
	We remove all the seats from the car and measure the width of the GAZelle. Standard size - 182 cm
	We measure the length of the cabin and outline the layout of the furniture. We decide where the bed, table will stand
	We remove the entire interior trim of the cabin, check the condition of the metal structures and, if necessary, treat with an anti-rust agent
	We remove the floors in the GAZelle, remove all unnecessary details and process the iron with special compounds, and then cover it with heat-insulating material and sheathe the motorhome

Since the GAZelle car has a low ceiling, you can make a motorhome for temporary residence or cut off the existing ceiling and raise it by welding a metal sheet.

Making a van and finishing a finished house

You can make a motorhome from a metal container and a trailer. To stay somewhere with such accommodation, you need to find out in advance where the campsite is located, where there are no signs prohibiting stopping. Caravans on wheels can look modern with the right finishes.

Illustration	Action Description
	We assemble a regular trailer for a car or buy a ready-made one. We put a metal container on it. In order for such a structure to become residential, it needs to be insulated and furnished, but first we take measurements
	We sheathe the walls inside with wooden panels
	On the floor, we first roll out a protective and insulating layer of automotive carpet, and then another layer of linoleum or another, brighter and lighter carpet
	Using a construction laser, we cut small metal parts to secure a retractable ladder with which you can climb into the van
	We make a ramp. We connect metal profiles using special parts and weld
	We lay out the skirting boards inside the trailer in order to fix the carpet
	We attach wooden beams in order to make a small hanging children's bed. We furnish the mini-room with the necessary things: a table and chairs, a small refrigerator, a box for things and a hanger

Interior decoration is carried out in accordance with personal needs. If there are children in the family, then it is necessary to equip a sleeping place for them.

Do-it-yourself interior decoration

In order for the motorhome to look decent and be cozy, it is worth considering its design in advance. According to the standards, 6-8 people should fit in one house. The motorhome should have a small kitchen, sleeping places, as well as, or, a toilet.

PHOTO: cdn.trinixy.ru

A mobile home can be equipped with a compact shower and dry closet - this is the most convenient and common option. For wall decoration, wooden or plastic panels are used.

Water supply

When creating a house on wheels, it is necessary to equip a water supply system. As a rule, it is very primitive. Two tanks are installed - one for clean water, the other for collecting recycled, dirty water.

PHOTO: cdn.trinixy.ru

Kitchen

In Russia, a fairly common option is a dacha-motorhome. In this case, it is not necessary to equip a full-fledged kitchen with a stove, tables and a dining area. But, if the trailer is created for long trips, then the kitchen will still be needed.

The first thing to do is to choose between a gas and induction stove. Induction is only suitable if the trailer has electricity.

PHOTO: cdn.trinixy.ru

PHOTO: avtokamper.ru

Heating

In the cold season, as well as when traveling to northern cities and countries, transport must be heated. In most cases, a gas-fired heating system is installed, but this method has a significant disadvantage - hot air is blown out with a loud whistle, all the oxygen in the room burns out, and when the heating is turned off, the trailer cools down very quickly.

The best option is to purchase a heat gun and turn it on as needed. The gun works almost silently and gives out soft, but warm air.

Motorhome: inside and outside photos

You can equip a trailer on wheels by examining various photos.

PHOTO: autoreview.ru/images

PHOTO: autoreview.ru/images

PHOTO: autoreview.ru/images

When drafting a project, you should study the legal nuances and properly arrange a makeshift mobile home so that you can safely go on a trip on it.

Do-it-yourself mobile home from a trailer: mistakes during construction

You can make a motorhome from a pazik, GAZelle or any other large car. The main mistake that many people make is thinking through the design during the repair, and not before it.

A motorhome is a complex mechanism in which all systems must be in working order. It is necessary to take into account how many people will travel in such a house, and provide for sleeping places in advance.

Another mistake that car owners make when converting old vehicles into a motor home is ignoring the existing problems. An old and shaky structure needs to be strengthened, rust removed, and a leaking ceiling repaired in advance.

Homemade mobile home: how to legalize the construction

A mobile home on wheels must not only be built, but also properly documented. To register a do-it-yourself motorhome, you need to contact the Automotive and Motor Research Institute. Then, having received all the documents, the owner of the car must take them to the traffic police.

You will have to visit these organizations several times, drawing up all the required permits and certificates.

Finally

The "American Dream" is not alien to some Russian people who want to break away from their homes and go traveling in a camper van. This can be done by investing some amount of money and spending some time. For those who do not have the funds to buy a ready-made camper, there is a budget option - making such a van with your own hands to your taste.

Would you like to travel in a van? If you already have a suitable car, will you build a mobile home with your own hands or ask for help?

A mobile home is a dream of many travel lovers, as there is no binding to one place of rest, no need to book hotels and purchase tickets. This is both housing and a vehicle that allows you to travel anywhere with maximum comfort. The price of such a product on the market is high, so many are interested in how do-it-yourself mobile homes are built.

Varieties of mobile homes

Such a vehicle is much cheaper to make with your own hands from an old car or completely from scratch. In addition to the vehicle itself, it is necessary to prepare a different tool. Moreover, for the manufacture of a mobile home, you will need work experience, a lot of effort and free time.

Before investing in such facilities, it is necessary to find out from the regulatory authorities the legality of the movement of such a vehicle in order to avoid any violations. Otherwise, you won't be able to travel with it.

A large mobile home can be made from a van, but its price will be too high. Cheaper options can be made from:

• bus;
• gazelles;
• old but still durable trailer.

To build a motorhome, it is necessary, in addition to the means of transportation, to make a plan for the future construction. Planning will make your motorhome as comfortable as possible. It can simply be drawn on paper or designed on a computer.

Communications in the motorhome

If there is no electricity, gas and water in a mobile home, then this can hardly be called a comfortable journey. For the presence of electricity in it, batteries and chargers are used. How the wiring will go in such a house must be planned and displayed in the drawing. You also need to consider where the external connector for recharging the battery will be located. They come in different capacities. It must be selected in accordance with the expected travel distance and the load on the electrical network.

Gas cylinders are often used for cooking and heating the van. If you use electricity for this, then the financial costs will be much higher. When a mobile home is equipped with a kitchen, it is necessary to install an extractor hood with a ventilation system. This is especially important when using gas.

It is not recommended to independently install the gas system and the electrical network if there is no relevant experience. Such work should be done by professionals. If installed incorrectly, it could result in injury or death to the traveler.

Such a kitchen cannot be as comfortable as possible without an allotted space for storing water. Usually use a special container with a pump to supply water to the faucet. As a sewer, a container is also used indoors under the sink or outside. Sometimes such a motorhome is equipped with a shower cabin. It will be difficult to make a bathroom in it, and for this they use a dry closet.

Furniture must be installed small and compact, since there will be little space in such a house. To save space, you can use folding beds, sliding tables and the like. Such structures must be well fixed to the walls to ensure safety during movement. Furniture for a motorhome can be bought ready-made in the store, but if there is a great desire to save money and learn something new, then you can easily make it yourself, taking into account the size of the room.

Sometimes car seats are used as a sofa and chairs. It is quite possible to equip a motor home from a trailer with your own hands. Before that, you need to prepare the room. Depending on what basis is taken - a minibus or a home-made trailer - the stages of work will differ.

Using the Gazelle and the old bus

It is necessary to start reworking a minibus with a complete cleaning of the body from the seats, upholstery and dirt. After that, it is necessary to cut out all the holes for windows, ventilation and so on.

The further sequence of actions will be as follows:

• Leveling and cleaning of all damaged surfaces. To do this, use a metal brush, hammer or special equipment for leveling dents. If there is a need, then it is necessary to weld the places of corrosion where holes have formed. Then they are cleaned and primed to prevent further rust formation.
• The interior is carefully insulated, including the floor and ceiling.
• After the thermal insulation coating, it is necessary to sheathe everything with waterproof plywood.

After such work, you need to carry out gas, electricity, water supply, install a bathroom and furniture. For reliable fixation of furniture, it is necessary to install thick plywood on the walls in advance. Furniture needs to be attached to it. As an option, you can install reinforcing strips on the floor, and fix the headset to them.

If such a house is not made from an old trailer, but from a gazelle or a bus, then the chassis must be brought into working condition. Then such a structure will actually be mobile.

Trailer as the basis of the design

You can also make a do-it-yourself motorhome from a trailer, but there will be much more work here. First you need to clean the chassis from corrosion and other defects. Then all the holes, just like in a minibus, need to be welded, cleaned and primed. This is followed by painting.

When the base is ready, it is necessary to start building the floor, walls and roof. You need to act in the following sequence:

After these works, you can proceed to the installation of gas equipment, electrical wiring, organization of the kitchen and toilet, as well as the installation of furniture. Then you should install the headlights, license plate and fenders. The trailer is ready to travel.

Before starting work, you need to think carefully about the possibility of performing them qualitatively. They require special skills and a lot of money. But in any case, you can make a do-it-yourself trailer-mobile house if there is a great desire to learn this.

Comfortable movement

Although such a structure is not intended for permanent residence, the need for comfort on the road and travel has not been canceled. Today, there are many technologies that can make living in a motorhome easier.

light in the room

A battery or accumulator, a charger, wires for electrical wiring, an electricity control panel can be used to ensure the presence of constant light and electricity.

Heating in the house

For these purposes, you can use several types of heaters. It is preferable to use a gas cylinder, as this will also allow cooking.

If the gas supply installation technology is rather complicated, then you need to seek help from a specialist. Designing such a vehicle with your own hands is commendable, but the safety of its inhabitants must be considered first of all.

Plumbing, kitchen and bathroom

Any housing will not be comfortable if it does not have basic amenities such as a bathroom, a well-equipped kitchen and the presence of water. At the planning stage, you need to think carefully about their location for maximum comfort. Do not forget about the automatic water supply system and tanks for it.

Furniture installation

When installing furniture, certain difficulties may arise, since it should be located as compactly as possible around the entire perimeter. Basically, folding furniture is used, which can be expanded if necessary. This allows you to significantly save space. You can buy it only to order, and it will not be cheap.

It is better to make windows at least 2-3. Due to their large number, there will be no need to turn on the light during the day.

Legality of construction

If we talk about the legality of movement, then such a vehicle will not have any special status of a vehicle. A mobile home in the legal field does not differ from an ordinary trailer. All you need is the presence of headlights and dimensions on the back, as well as a license plate.

An additional permit is required if such a trailer exceeds the dimensions:

• 4 meters high;
• 2.55 m wide;
• 10 meters long.

If the dimensions are larger, then such a vehicle can move according to special rules: the presence of flashing lights and police escort. On such facilities, you can make good money by organizing a business. There are a lot of options for such an entrepreneurial activity.

Alternatively, you can make such houses to order for the purpose of summer holidays and temporary residence in the country. This does not require large initial investments, since it is possible to manufacture small economical motorhomes without insulation.

Such houses can be rented out. Entrepreneurial activity of such a plan is new. The market value has not yet formed, and, accordingly, you can set your own price. The number of such facilities should be increased during the expansion of the customer base.

You can also make your own fleet and use it as a hotel. An important factor here is their division into economy, medium and vip classes.

For example, you do not need to drive straight through peat swamps, but it is quite enough for a trailer or self-propelled camper to withstand a multi-day trip along broken roads with half-wheel holes, bumpy graders and mountain primers with boulders sticking out of the roadway without problems for their health. Alas, it is not easy to find such a technique in finished form ...

But there is an old principle: "if you want something done well, do it yourself." This is exactly what Ruslan, a car traveler and blogger, known on the net under the nickname "Off-Road", decided. In principle, he had no shortage of experience: at one time he was the chairman of the Argonaut car travel club, he was organizing mass trips and already had a good idea of ​​​​what, in fact, he needed. But it is not enough to understand that mobile housing should be able to move not only on asphalt and not crumble. The pain of choice doesn't end there...

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The agony of choice

Actually, all off-road motorhomes can be divided into three groups. Firstly, these are self-propelled campers on all-wheel drive chassis. This opens up a huge window of opportunity. You can take a “loaf” (which is now called UAZ SGR) or Sable 4x4 and work closely with their internal arrangement. Alas, the internal volume of these vans is rather limited, and the problem of being able to stand in full growth rises, sorry for the tautology, in full growth.

You can take an all-wheel drive chassis - say, UAZ Profi or Sobol 4x4 Farmer and build a house on this chassis. Also, in general, it will turn out to be a “pumpkin’s godfather’s house” - the size of the cargo area of ​​these cars is about 3 meters long and two wide, but you can use the space above the cab.

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Our popular mid-size pickups (Mitsubishi L200, Isuzu D-Max, Toyota Hilux) are not very suitable for such purposes: their cargo area is only 1.5 meters long and greatly limits the capabilities of camper builders.

You can, of course, find a full-size American pickup truck, but it's expensive ... Or you can aim at "large forms" and take, say, the medium-duty Sadko as a basis. By the way, its cargo platform is only slightly larger (compared to the UAZ Profi), but its off-road capabilities are at its best.

But all motorhomes have the same drawback. Just imagine: a person on a camper-motorhome goes on vacation with his family. We arrived, found a nice place on the shore of a taiga lake or with a beautiful view of a mountain valley, began to settle down, stretched awnings, laid out furniture ... And then it turns out that they didn’t buy meat, the salt ran out, they forgot beer, in the end ... camper owner what are the options? Either he hands chairs to the family and leaves them sitting in an open field (tents and awnings, of course, will have to be unhooked), and he hurries to the store in the nearest settlement, or they break camp and go to the store all together. The same conflict arises when you want to see the sights in the immediate vicinity.

But if you have a trailer, then you just unhook the tractor, lock the door and drive light.

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My home is my castle

So Ruslan decided that he needed a trailer. But trailers that can move behind a tractor on the road are of two types. First, it is a tent trailer. As a rule, they are very compact, even a tiny Suzuki Jimny can tow them. By the way, such trailers called "Picnic" are also produced in our country, and they are relatively inexpensive, 250-300 thousand rubles. But ... Still, they are designed for operation in the summer: a kitchen module with a stove and a sink is usually made retractable, and a tent, the basis of which becomes a trailer, still needs to be set up: pulling extensions, hammering in pegs ... Yes, and without supervision, such a camp is not leave, and the deployment of the trailer-tent is time. If a person has spent a dozen or even more hours behind the wheel, he wants only one thing - sleep, sleep and sleep again!

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So, Ruslan decided, only a rigid trailer meets his needs, in everyday life - a “caravan”. Moreover, even in ready-made trailers of this kind, with which he had to deal, to bring the house from the transport position to the “bedroom” position, you need to do a number of operations - lower the table, put the back-pillow on it, get the mattress, spread out, make the bed ... This time. This is how the main concept was formed, and Ruslan got to work.

Sleep immediately!

Ruslan bought the frame ready-made, but he remade the suspension in the most radical way. I installed a new, reinforced axle with hubs from Mitsubishi Pajero and hydraulic brakes from it. He equipped the brake system with a manual drive, with which you can block the wheels of the trailer. The axle is suspended on springs from the Gazelle, which can be found anywhere, in any region. On the rear wall of the trailer there are two spare wheels, plus one more on the car. All wheels are the same and interchangeable, even the rims are the same. A working cylinder from the Volga is implanted into the drawbar, which drives the overrun brake. As a result, the trailer really overcame very serious obstacles before my eyes, and in order to overcome them, Ruslan had to use both winches installed on his Pajero III.

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The frame is made of an aluminum hollow profile, inside of which a sprayed polyurethane insulation is pumped. The same insulation was used for thermal insulation of the main residential volume. It fills all the cracks and even penetrates into microcracks in the plywood from which the walls are made. As a result, the trailer keeps the temperature like a real thermos. In the heat it is cool in it, and in the cold it retains heat for a long time. I confirm: while we were talking with Ruslan, the temperature overboard exceeded +26, but coolness reigned inside. Given all this, Ruslan did not bother with the installation of air conditioning, deciding to rely on natural ventilation.

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Then it was time to deal with the main thing - that is, the internal arrangement. Based on the concept of "sleep - immediately!" Ruslan came up with a rather non-standard scheme for transforming a bed: the bed is hidden behind the front inner wall. It turned out very convenient: one latch, two latch - and the bed is lowered, where the spring mattress lies. Please note: not “foam”, not foam rubber, but a full-fledged spring mattress bought in a furniture store. And there is already a sheet and a blanket. It is enough just to take a pillow from the shelf - and that's it, you can go to bed. In the morning I got up, threw a pillow on a shelf (by the way, this is not just a shelf, but quite a decent space in which you can organize another bed) and put the bed away with the blanket, closing the latches.

Sometimes it's easier to carry canisters

A folding table is fixed on the same wall. It has two positions. The first is a coffee table, and its size allows you to have breakfast together. Well, if you need a dining table, then the table is pushed forward, a support is placed under it, and a tabletop is obtained. Inhabitants sit on two voluminous lockers, and inside them there are isolated volumes, which are accessed from outside the trailer. “Dirty” equipment is placed there: tools, a welding machine and the like. Another such container, of a larger size, is in the front. In principle, four bags with inflatable boats fit in it, but Ruslan has a gas cylinder, a fuel tank for a diesel heater and a generator in it.

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In the middle part of the trailer, on the left wall in the direction of travel, an absorption-type refrigerator is installed, which can be used to power 220 V, 12 V and gas. Ruslan bought it used, and in fact he is not very happy with it. Like all absorption refrigerators, of course, it consumes electricity very economically, but there is a nuance. Freon is not charged into the system, but a mixture of water and ammonia, which gradually begins to crystallize in the coil. There is less and less ammonia in the system, and the apparatus ceases to perform its main function. The only salvation is to pull out the refrigerator, turn it upside down so that the water drains off the crystals, and this procedure must be repeated ten times. In the new trailer, which Ruslan is building together with the Leroy Merlin company, he used a modern 45 W compression auto-refrigerator. This level of power consumption is not a problem: Ruslan installed two solar panels and a battery with a capacity of 200 Ah on the roof of the trailer. The 3 kW inverter (it is located under the surface into which the stove is embedded) allows you not to be particularly nervous about the available power.

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Canisters for clean water are located under the sink. Ruslan deliberately abandoned the built-in tank. He explains it this way: “Well, let's say there is a spring. I took the canisters, arrived, filled, set. And with a stationary tank, you will need to bring canisters, and then pour them into the filler neck. Pump up? So it’s not always possible to drive close to the water.” But in the new trailer that he is building with Leroy Merlin, Ruslan nevertheless hung a reel with a 20-meter hose and a Malysh submersible pump outside. This is all connected to the tanks inside the trailer, and there is a filler neck.

Experience, son of difficult mistakes

Naturally, the kitchen corner is equipped with a two-burner gas stove. But first, she had to perform not only the functions of a cooking device ... Ruslan broke into his first route with a trailer that was not brought to mind. He himself explains it this way:

All summer I dug around, built a trailer, well, "the soul of the poet could not stand it." It was so insulting: 9 months a year you wait for summer, and now the summer has passed, but I did not see it. And then I realized that I need to break down and go. Actually, this is how I came up with the idea of ​​the project “From Land to Land”. The first stage, from November to March, I rode alone, with a dog, 26 regions.

He broke off on a trip without installing the planned autonomous heater, so he had to heat the trailer with a gas stove, but in order not to burn himself, open the ventilation and leave a crack in the window. In the end, he still got burned out, but that's another story ... And before that, on the very first cold night, he ran out of gas in the cylinder.

Woke up cold! Overboard - minus twenty-five. My dog ​​is freezing! I wrapped the dog in two sleeping bags, took out a generator and a hair dryer, set it to 600 degrees, and we were saved until the morning.

The result of this adventure was the Planar diesel heater registered in the trailer, which Ruslan is very pleased with:

On the go, you lower the temperature to 5-7 degrees, 5-10 minutes before the stop you open the application on your phone, launch it, set it to 22 degrees and press "start". While you park, you go in - and in the trailer there are already the same +22!

Some options appeared in the trailer as experience was gained - the very one that is "the son of difficult mistakes." For example, in the Caucasus, in Kabardino-Balkaria, Ruslan almost lost his trailer, and in the truest sense of the word. I set up camp, went to the fold to talk with the shepherds, and upon returning in the dark I could not see my “caravan”, hidden in the folds of the terrain. I found it by sound, because I left the generator to work. After that, Ruslan decided that the trailer should be autonomous in terms of lighting, and installed a five-pin relay with a switch. If you want - the dimensions are burning from the car, if you want - from the trailer battery. The parking lights themselves in the form of LED strips, located along the edges of the trailer, are really visible from afar.

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The last stage of construction was the legalization and official registration. It turned out that obtaining state numbers is quite simple: after all, from the point of view of the authorities, a house on a trailer is just a load. Naturally, it is strictly forbidden to transport people in it.

How much does it cost to build a house

Works on arrangement of the mobile house are not finished yet. So, a flowing gas water heater and a shower should appear in the trailer. The pallet is already there, but the drain to it has not yet been made. And Ruslan also wants to make an L-shaped stool that can be folded back so that it looks like a school desk. It will be possible to put a laptop on it and work, sitting right on the unfolded bed. An awning awning will appear above the entrance. Surely Ruslan will have to deal more seriously with the issue of protection against mosquitoes, horseflies and other midges, especially if he goes on a summer route through the eastern regions. Today, he only has mosquito nets on the windows, which are attached according to a temporary option, using double-sided tape and Velcro tape (colloquially - Velcro). But the doorway has no protection from flying evil spirits ...

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Well, now the most serious question is about the budget for building such a trailer. The residential module itself from available materials will cost about 100,000 rubles, but this is without a chassis. Chassis - another 25,000, windows - 20,000 each, a heater - 20,000, a gas stove - about 5,000, a sink - 600 rubles, an awning - 45,000, a pump - 5,000 rubles, a Barrier water filter - 6,000 rubles, solar panels - 15,000 each, controller - 4,000 ... In total, about 350-400 thousand, provided that everything is done by hand.

Expensive? But the pleasure is worth it. Here is some simple arithmetic. Ruslan traveled from November to March... Now let's calculate: 500 rubles per day is the cheapest hostel. For 4 months - 60,000. To eat in a cafe once a day - 1,000 rubles on average. This is another 120,000, and together - 180,000. But for 180,000 it is already possible to build a motor home, however, with a minimum of amenities. And most importantly, where you stay - there is a house, but with a hostel - like it or not, you need to pull to the city, and even find it, this hostel. Otherwise - either spend the night in the car, or sleep in a tent ...

There will be campers - there will be campsites

I couldn’t help but ask Ruslan: why, in fact, is he doing all this: he built one “caravan”, is building a second one, plans to build large houses on a semi-trailer for a pickup truck and on the chassis of a heavy truck, maintains a blog, arranges master classes ...

According to him, he pursues three main goals with his projects. First, to popularize Russia as a place for recreation and travel. To make a feasible contribution to the development of such a tourist segment as autotourism. And finally, to the extent possible, to popularize "caravanning", because we have a "loopback problem". We are not developing the infrastructure that provides autotourism, because autotourism itself is not developed, and autotourism is not developing, because the infrastructure is not developed. Because, according to Ruslan (and I can only support them), we have practically no campsites.

How so? - you ask. We drive in the south, and there are signs all along the road: camping “At Uncle Vasya”, “At Uncle Petya”, “At Tatyana” ... But they have nothing to do with campsites. It's just paid parking. A real campsite is a cultivated area divided into blocks, where caravaners, campers, cyclists and campers stand separately. Because everyone's culture is different. Campers, as a rule, do not stay longer than a couple of days in one place. Caravaners, on the other hand, more often operate according to the scheme “arrived, unhooked and hung at one point for a week.” So they need to be separated: it’s not very good when you have a bunch of children, a dog, everyone runs, plays, and campers ride back and forth every now and then.

In addition, camping is a service. This is a connection to electricity, Wi-Fi, the ability to drain gray water and refuel clean. In any case, the campsite should have a laundry room, showers, normal toilets. Then there are all sorts of spas, baths, saunas, etc., stationary barbecues and gazebos for relaxation ... There should be an entertainment program, a cultural program ... On the campsite, it should be possible to hire a guide, rent bicycles ... But we have such campsites , consider, and no, except for camping in Suzdal. Moscow camping is just a transit point. There are showers, but it's just a very cramped parking lot, literally side by side. You can't stretch out an awning, put up a sun lounger...

Some travelers and outdoor enthusiasts prefer do-it-yourself mobile homes to ready-made ones. The choice is explained not only by the lower cost of home-made structures - you can think over the layout and equip the interior of your own free will. Before you build a motorhome with your own hands, you should learn more about the process of manufacturing motorhomes, decide which option is better: a trailer cottage or a camper.

original motorhome

Motorhome and caravan installation

Regardless of the type of motorhome, it should have minimal amenities: sleeping places for each traveler and an area for cooking and eating.

In addition, inside the minibus or trailer there may be:

• wash basin;
• gas stove connected to the cylinder;
• shelves, cabinets and other storage systems.

In motorhomes designed for long journeys, there is usually a bathroom combined with a small shower.

Making a motorhome for yourself, with your own hands, you can provide for the presence of a bathroom and everything else that may be required on a trip.

Making a motorhome with your own hands

A do-it-yourself motor home is made on the basis of a van or trailer. Buses are suitable for this purpose - a spacious interior, a high roof make it a good contender for conversion.

Before converting a trailer or van, find out the conditions for registering motorhomes with the traffic police.

motorhome-bus

The construction of a motor home consists of several stages:

• drafting a project;
• carrying out external and internal works;
• communication device;
• furniture placement.

First of all, you should decide what to take as a basis: a trailer or a van. The first option is more labor-intensive - the van already has walls and a roof, and in the trailer they will need to be built independently.

Do-it-yourself motorhome based on a car

To create mobile housing use a car or, for example, an old bus. The vehicle for conversion into a house is chosen based on financial capabilities and the number of people who will live inside the building.

Depending on the number of residents, they think over the design of the mobile home, as well as its content. To make things easier, make a plan.

Motorhome based on a cargo van

Before you make a motorhome, you need to stock up on the materials and tools necessary for work:

• grinder;
• automotive paint;
• screwdriver;
• welding machine;
• thermal insulation;
• finishing materials (plastic panels, lining or other);
• moisture resistant plywood;
• carpet;
• fasteners (self-tapping screws, nails, dowels);
• mounting foam;
• primer;
• paint brushes;
• sealant;
• with a metal brush.

outdoor work

When the drawing is ready, the design is thought out, they move on to outdoor work. Required:

1. Clean the car body from rust and other damage. If the paint on the surfaces has peeled off, clean it off.
2. Make a few holes in the van for the windows, if they weren't there originally. At the same time, cut holes for ventilation.
3. Determine the location and cut holes for exhaust outlets, drain holes and other communications.
4. Coat cuts, areas where paint has been stripped, with primer to prevent rust. Wait until it dries completely.
5. Paint the outer surfaces of the van.

Caravan based motorhome

Internal work

If you plan to separate the cabin from the living compartment. Then the partition is mounted either using fasteners, or the metal frame is welded to the body with a welding machine.

First, the body is covered with heat-insulating material. Suitable for any insulation intended for residential premises. To fix the material on the walls, ceiling, use hardware made of the same metal as the body - this technique will help protect the car from rust.

If the selected insulation does not tolerate contact with water, additional waterproofing will be required.

Insert windows. Moving on to wall decoration. For sheathing, we choose moisture-resistant plywood. The sheets must be quite thick in order to withstand a serious load - cabinets, shelves, and furniture will subsequently be attached to them.

Work starts from the ceiling. Having fixed the sheets there, sheathe the walls. Further, wooden beams as thick as the height of the heat-insulating material are fixed to the floor, insulation boards are laid between them. They cover the floor with plywood, fasten it to the beam with self-tapping screws.

The salon, in which the kitchen is located, and the shower with the bathroom should be separated using a frame partition.

Plywood can be painted, varnished or carpeted. The latter option also serves as additional thermal insulation. A special glue is used to fix the carpet.

The next step is the device of communications in accordance with a pre-drawn scheme: electricity, heating and ventilation. The cable, water and gas pipes are laid either over the inner lining, or mounted simultaneously with the laying of the insulation inside, making holes for the communications outlet.

Furniture

Furniture for motorhomes is selected individually. The required furnishings include:

• table with a bench for the dining area;
• bed or sofa bed;
• hanging shelves and lockers for storing supplies, clothes, bedding;
• washing.

Since furniture is subjected to increased stress during the movement of a motor home, it must be of high quality, strong, have reliable fittings and a minimum of moving parts. You should make sure that during a sharp turn the locker door will not open and the contents will not spill around the cabin.

All furniture must be firmly fixed, it is desirable that it be fixed at two points: on the floor and wall.

Interior solutions in a motorhome

Do-it-yourself motorhome from a trailer

Making a motorhome out of a trailer is harder than converting a car. In this case, you will need to build from scratch the base of the floor, walls, roof.

For the construction of a camper, single-axle trailers are most often chosen that can withstand a load of up to 1 ton. Therefore, it is necessary to select materials for the frame, taking into account the weight of the future structure.

The camper trailer is erected using a frame:

• metal;
• tree;
• sandwich panels.

The most affordable and relatively light material for making a trailer house is wood. It is easier to work with, and special tools are not required to connect the elements.

Vintage do-it-yourself camper trailer

frame

For the manufacture of the frame will require:

• timber 50 * 50 mm;
• moisture resistant plywood 10 mm for walls;
• plywood 12 mm thick for the floor;
• fasteners (self-tapping screws);
• screwdriver;
• drying oil, brush;
• galvanized corners;
• jigsaw;
• metal profile for roofing;
• galvanized steel (for outer skin);
• silicone sealant;
• insulation.

They first draw up a drawing of the future trailer cottage, only after that they purchase building materials for the manufacture of the facade and roof of the motorhome.

The minimum parameters of the motorhome are 230 * 160 cm. The height of the building is from two meters. With such dimensions, 2 sleeping places, a dining area and a sink can be arranged inside the living compartment. If there is a need to equip a full-fledged housing with everything necessary, then the size should be increased by 2-3 times.

The process of making a trailer

Work order

1. Take off the side of the trailer.
2. They clean the chassis, paint it with an anti-corrosion compound.
3. If there is a sufficiently strong base, the logs and the lower trim of the frame are fixed directly on it, but if it is absent, then the frame is welded from a metal pipe 50 * 25 mm.
4. Perform the lower strapping from a bar 50 * 50. The side elements are interconnected using logs. Logs are placed at a distance of every 20 cm. Metal corners are used to connect them to the timber.
5. Cover wooden elements with drying oil in 2 layers.
6. Insulation plates are placed in the space between the lags.
7. Cover the base with 12 mm plywood, fixing it with self-tapping screws.
8. Go to the racks of the frame. The beam is connected to the bottom strapping using corners and self-tapping screws. After that, the top strapping is performed.
9. Cover the entire structure with drying oil.
10. In places where, according to the plan, there should be windows, install crossbars and racks of timber.
11. Sheathing starts from the inside. Plywood is attached to galvanized self-tapping screws every 25 cm along the perimeter of the sheet.
12. Grind the inner surfaces using a grinder. Coated with varnish.
13. Outside, the sheets are treated with drying oil.
14. Insulation is placed in the cavity between the racks of the frame, the frame is sheathed with sheets of 10 mm plywood, which are pre-coated with drying oil on both sides.
15. The door is made from timber and plywood sheets. The door is installed on galvanized hinges.
16. Insert windows. A simple solution is plexiglass sheets.
17. A self-made motorhome is sheathed with sheets of galvanized steel. Self-tapping screws are used as fasteners, they are screwed around the perimeter at a distance of every 10 cm. The corners of the trailer are sheathed with a corner.
18. The joints of the sheets with each other and the corners are treated with sealant to prevent water from entering the structure.
19. It remains to make a roof and a roof. It is necessary to cover it with corrugated board, fasten the sheets to galvanized screws.

Internal layout

The walls, ceiling and floor are already sheathed, so they only need to be painted or varnished. If the size of the building allows, the shower and bathroom are equipped with a separate room. They erect a frame partition, hang a door. All the remaining space is divided into zones: a bedroom, a recreation and eating area, a kitchen. You will need to install sockets for electrical appliances, it is important not to forget about high-quality ventilation for a motorhome.

Furniture

To save space inside the trailer, transformable furniture is installed. For example, they do it on their own or purchase a reclining table, a sofa bed. At the top of the walls, shelves are mounted in which things, kitchen utensils, clothes will be stored.

Useful little things

What else is worth knowing before you start making a motorhome:

1. For the outer skin of the frame of a trailer motorhome, you can use not only galvanized steel, but also a profiled sheet.
2. If it is not possible to organize a ventilation system, you can cut small holes in the door and close them with a mosquito net. If there are windows that open for ventilation, then this is not required.
3. In order for the mobile home to serve for a long time, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the skin, paint the metal if necessary.

The process of creating a mobile home on your own is quite laborious, it requires financial investments, a waste of time and effort. Therefore, proceed to it with full confidence that you will be able to independently develop a project and bring it to life.