OP
Finally got started with the steel. It's a weird project.
Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT The 12-Gauge Garage
- Thread starter Jack Olsen
- Start date
Workspaces sized between 265 and 485 squarefeet.
Brompty
Active member
Do we get to guess what it is? A second layer in the garage so you can park two cars on top of each other?
slik560
Well-known member
Sounds more like a large animal cage.
Outlawmws
Well-known member
Trailer
Craptain
Well-known member
Some lifting device which is attached to house/garage. Except for location I would be thinking boat lift. But definitely something similar in function.
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BlueBomber
Well-known member
I think the VIN reference is a red herring. Maybe he's building a storage contraption, either a shelf/balcony or a platform that itself is hoisted up or off the driveway.
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Last edited:
wssix99
Well-known member
Gotta get the donor vehicle's VIN off the axle before registering the new contraption...
noelalford
Active member
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2013
- Messages
- 31
A two story 911!
OP
You're all (mostly) right. After I finished the porch, I made a quick four-day trip to Edmonton, Canada, to pick up a camper.
Why a camper? I want my kids (and me) to see some of the Western national parks, and this little thing weighs so little it can be pulled by an ordinary car.
The tricky part about getting one in Canada was that on the third day of driving I had to import a 39-year-old vehicle to the US. I did a lot of research/prep before I left -- and I was surprised that it ended up taking less than 10 minutes and costing nothing.
The camper itself is made of fiberglass, pretty basic, and sleeps four.
The kids like it -- and they got souvenirs from a night I spent in a Canadian Walmart's parking lot.
Now that the thing is home, I need a way to stow it when it's not in use. I've got a tiny plot of land and a single driveway on it that can't be blocked if I want access to the garage. There really is no room for a camper, anywhere.
Except maybe 'up.'
So in thinking about how to put it up above the driveway, I discovered boat lifts, which are a little like four-post lifts, but simpler. I did a lot of thinking about how to make one on a trip to see my parents in Chicago, and ran my plan by my father, who's a mechanical engineer. He seems to believe that I had a handle on it and wasn't going to have the thing fall on my head. We'll see if he's correct. I've been ordering material and parts and putting the basic structure together over the past few days. I hope to be able to test it within a week.
I'll keep you posted.
If you don't see a post here in the next week or so, it probably means it's fallen on top of me and one of you should call 911.
Why a camper? I want my kids (and me) to see some of the Western national parks, and this little thing weighs so little it can be pulled by an ordinary car.
The tricky part about getting one in Canada was that on the third day of driving I had to import a 39-year-old vehicle to the US. I did a lot of research/prep before I left -- and I was surprised that it ended up taking less than 10 minutes and costing nothing.
The camper itself is made of fiberglass, pretty basic, and sleeps four.
The kids like it -- and they got souvenirs from a night I spent in a Canadian Walmart's parking lot.
Now that the thing is home, I need a way to stow it when it's not in use. I've got a tiny plot of land and a single driveway on it that can't be blocked if I want access to the garage. There really is no room for a camper, anywhere.
Except maybe 'up.'
So in thinking about how to put it up above the driveway, I discovered boat lifts, which are a little like four-post lifts, but simpler. I did a lot of thinking about how to make one on a trip to see my parents in Chicago, and ran my plan by my father, who's a mechanical engineer. He seems to believe that I had a handle on it and wasn't going to have the thing fall on my head. We'll see if he's correct. I've been ordering material and parts and putting the basic structure together over the past few days. I hope to be able to test it within a week.
I'll keep you posted.
If you don't see a post here in the next week or so, it probably means it's fallen on top of me and one of you should call 911.
Brompty
Active member
You are going to put the caravan on a lift? And still have access to garage underneath it? Good luck with this one.
Grizz1963
Well-known member
This is one of the updates that has made me smile the most in a while Jack.
That little caravan as we call them is absolutely lovely.
The colour would go well with Bob Heine’s front door too
Over here there is a brand from Germany called Eriba and possibly the most collectible one is the Puck, check it out. Looks a lot like yours.
Of course in my typical style, I already added a floating curved pipe perimeter to your structure, and covered it in the same material you used for your sun shade on the house....... lightweight and functional.
Made it into a space ship or flying saucer to create a distraction, though I know the proportions of it will not allow you.
You are going to be making the most awesome memories with your family.
That little caravan as we call them is absolutely lovely.
The colour would go well with Bob Heine’s front door too
Over here there is a brand from Germany called Eriba and possibly the most collectible one is the Puck, check it out. Looks a lot like yours.
Of course in my typical style, I already added a floating curved pipe perimeter to your structure, and covered it in the same material you used for your sun shade on the house....... lightweight and functional.
Made it into a space ship or flying saucer to create a distraction, though I know the proportions of it will not allow you.
You are going to be making the most awesome memories with your family.
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Jack, that trailer is a great size. It's a great upgrade from tent or pop-up camping because you can stop at an overlook or roadside picnic park and have lunch and also have zero setup time in the rain. Our much heavier and cruder trailer was about the same size and our family of four used it until I was 12 and my brother was 14. Our trips lasted about 75 days so the extra two feet came in handy. Not being air tight (not even close) meant living with a lot of dust at times (like 2,000 miles of unpaved Alcan highway).
Attachments
oldironfarmer
Well-known member
This is going to be good!
You could just hang it by the ball.
You could just hang it by the ball.
slik560
Well-known member
And people driving down his street will wonder why there is a camper up above the roof line.
Kriesel
Well-known member
Doubles as a tree house of sorts...
rlitman
Well-known member
Oooh, genius!
Looks like a Boler, still a few around.
http://www.boler-camping.com/portfolio/history-of-the-boler/
http://www.boler-camping.com/portfolio/history-of-the-boler/
Ole Slewfoot
Well-known member
I think the real question is how fast it can get around the springs
Outlawmws
Well-known member
They do have trailer races at some race tracks!
OP
Yes, it's a Boler. I think it had spent its whole life right near where it was made, in Peace River, Alberta.
Today I ran into a problem with my lift design. It's something I'm surprised I didn't see coming -- but then, I'm both smart and dumb in roughly equal parts. I was able to fix the problem with a few very minor mods. This pair of drawings will illustrate it, and -- in spite of my poor drawing skills -- will probably make sense to those of you who understand the voodoo of cable and pulleys. For the rest of us, it's just plain voodoo. So while I think I could explain it, I think it would get jumbled in the process.
But now the design is working and I can move forward again.
Today I ran into a problem with my lift design. It's something I'm surprised I didn't see coming -- but then, I'm both smart and dumb in roughly equal parts. I was able to fix the problem with a few very minor mods. This pair of drawings will illustrate it, and -- in spite of my poor drawing skills -- will probably make sense to those of you who understand the voodoo of cable and pulleys. For the rest of us, it's just plain voodoo. So while I think I could explain it, I think it would get jumbled in the process.
But now the design is working and I can move forward again.
timbitca
Well-known member
Nice Boler, Jack. What year is it? It looks to be in great shape.
Can't wait to see how you have your camper lift setup.
Can't wait to see how you have your camper lift setup.
1949 caddyman
Well-known member
Make it earthquake proof.
OP
Yes, but that turns an 18-amp draw into a 36-amp draw, and once my cheap hoists get out of sync, it'd be a headache to get everything right again.
Outlawmws
Well-known member
Brian R
Well-known member
Hi Jack,
Another option for rigging a direct pull for this: (Pardon the terrible Excel sketch...)
The motor can be offset to one side or the other as well.
This setup is often used on boat lifts in TX but instead of metal floor they have straps that run under boat.
OP
I've seen that setup. But I'm pretty far down the road now with my voodoo cable arrangement, and today it was set up enough for a no-load run -- and it worked great. I've got a few small finishing things, and then I'm going to raise the camper 12" up and look at how everything is holding up.
This is an animation (from a boat lift company) that shows how mine works:
I just had to wrap my head around the function of the yellow cable in it. But now I kind of understand it.
Mine has one additional ****** block factor, so my hoist pulls 4x the distance of the overall lift.
This is an animation (from a boat lift company) that shows how mine works:
I just had to wrap my head around the function of the yellow cable in it. But now I kind of understand it.
Mine has one additional ****** block factor, so my hoist pulls 4x the distance of the overall lift.
shortykorte
Well-known member
Cool trailer and a great way to make great family memories.
Wondering where the in progress pics of lift are?
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Wondering where the in progress pics of lift are?
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wssix99
Well-known member
Hi Jack, I'm facing a similar situation in the next year with a boat trailer but was planning on just using a 4-post lift, converted with chocks and a support for the tongue.
Is your lean toward simplicity related to not needing the four post lift's hydraulics and zig-zag of cables under the trackways? Given the low cost of some 4 post lifts, did you consider starting with a 4 post lift, ditching the hydraulics, and then stitching it back together for a winch mechanism?
OP
Using a four-post lift makes much more sense, safety-wise. I'm not documenting this much because I would hate to see someone else try it and have it fail on them. I don't have the training to determine appropriate materials and methods -- I just have my gut 'sense' of what's going to work, which is (of course) a terrible way to build something with important structural issues.
That said, I think I have a design that will work for my unique situation (stout, wood-frame house on two sides, concrete base pad, etc.). If I get time today, I'll clean my tools and leftover materials out of the way and do my first test lift. That'll be six inches up or so, and then I want to look at what the stress is like all around and what kind of deflection I'm getting in sheave supports and axles and such.
It's entirely possible that I'll throw a red flag on this idea at some point and cut it up for scrap.
The most important thing is that it's got to be safe.
That said, I think I have a design that will work for my unique situation (stout, wood-frame house on two sides, concrete base pad, etc.). If I get time today, I'll clean my tools and leftover materials out of the way and do my first test lift. That'll be six inches up or so, and then I want to look at what the stress is like all around and what kind of deflection I'm getting in sheave supports and axles and such.
It's entirely possible that I'll throw a red flag on this idea at some point and cut it up for scrap.
The most important thing is that it's got to be safe.
OP
Brian R
Well-known member
I've always remembered a story from a book I read (maybe 45 years ago) about soldiers that were left on some island in Pacific (Wake Atol?) during WWII. Apparently they were desperate for supplies but needed to keep everything running and ready for an attack that they knew was coming. One of the soldiers was known for using odd objects to fix critical components. When they asked him how he came about with these clever solutions he stated, "Necessity is the mother of invention."
This earned him the nickname of Mother Necessity.
Your unique solutions remind me of that story.
Looks good so far from here too.
This earned him the nickname of Mother Necessity.
Your unique solutions remind me of that story.
Looks good so far from here too.
sawduststeve
Well-known member
Bravo Sir Bravo 
OP
Thanks.
I haven't found any bending/deflection/binding issues so far. I've got a punch list of little finishing items for tomorrow, and then -- with the safety catches in place -- it will go all the way up.
I haven't found any bending/deflection/binding issues so far. I've got a punch list of little finishing items for tomorrow, and then -- with the safety catches in place -- it will go all the way up.
ranger101ran
Well-known member
What a great idea, hope to see some camping adventures.
kbuhagiar
Well-known member
Jack,
Looks great so far.
How much does the Boler weigh?
Looks great so far.
How much does the Boler weigh?
BlueBomber
Well-known member
Bravo, Jack, bravo!