Many of our clients ask themselves the question: "What are motorhomes and caravan trailers made of?"

The main materials used in the manufacture of mobile homes.

The outer shell is made from:

Aluminum ( Alu ) : light metal, which in most cases is used for the outer shell of caravans. Usually glossy varnish, very susceptible to small scratches and dents, aluminum corrosion is possible. The appearance can be made with a relief or in a smooth form.

GFK : Reinforced fiberglass. The extra strong material effectively protects the outer shell of the RV from the effects of weather such as hail and hurricane. Durable underbody coating can handle the toughest road conditions. With such an outer shell, you can be sure of the reliable protection of your mobile home!

Main features and advantages of GFK material:
- resistant to corrosion
- resistant to impacts
- not exposed to UV and bad weather; GFK does not lose color or shape
- lightness
These special material features guarantee your motorhome a long service life and value retention.

EPS : extruded polystyrene, trade name expanded polystyrene. It is an ultra-lightweight, porous plastic material whose small oval particles are 98% water. This microporous structure with the particles welded together gives the EPS excellent thermal insulation and durability. It is very often used in the structure of the body of caravans, lightweight and inexpensive.

XPS : foamed polystyrene foam. A durable and low pressure insulating material that, thanks to its closed structure, practically does not absorb water.
The high-quality material proves outstanding thermal insulation characteristics and is thus the ideal material for high-quality bodywork technology.

Wood : Used as a load-bearing material in almost all bodies, softwood slats. Planks are used for securing windows and doors, as well as roof, wall and floor edging. Plywood is used as interior wall cladding as well as interior and exterior floor panels.

PU : Polyurethane is a man-made material that is a durable and very effective insulating material for walls, quite expensive to manufacture. Strong, non-rotting polyurethane planks provide the necessary strength when gluing and screwing.

Sandwich panels forming the body-box are a multi-layer structure made of various materials glued together by means of high-strength two-component elastic adhesives used in structures with strong dynamic loads and temperature changes.

Basic properties:

Good thermal insulation

High mechanical strength

Ease of construction

Hygiene

Long service life

Usually three-layer sandwiches are used in the production of the caravan body: the outer shell, the insulating layer and the inner wall.

For instance:

Hobby Sandwich - Aluminum-EPS-Wood

Sandwich Rapido, ITINEO - GFK-XPS-wood

Plastic design elements : plastic elements made of PS (Polystyrol) or ABS (Acrylnitril-Butadien-Styrol), which are shaped in a vacuum deep drawing process. In the caravans there are overhead elements of the bow and rear, as well as the bearing parts of the lamps.

The expanded polystyrene used primarily affects:

Resistant to aging and decay
- moisture resistance
- non-polluting production
- low dead weight

Weather-resistant materials will protect your motorhome in all climates from cold, heat and moisture!

The connection diagram of the sandwich panels is shown in the figure

The table below shows the materials of sandwich panels used by the manufacturers of motorhomes and caravans in their production

Walls, back wall and ceiling are usually made of sandwich panels with a thickness of 3 cm, floor - 4 cm

Below are videos of the production of trailers and motorhomes.

Production of caravans at the Hobby factory, Fockbek - Germany

RV production at Rapido factory, Mayenne - France

Production of caravans at the FENDT factory, Mertingen - Germany

RV production at Adria factory, Novo mesto - Slovenia

RV production at LMC factory, Sassenberg - Germany

RV production at EURA MOBIL factory, Sprendlingen - Germany

Is it difficult to build a mobile home based on a conventional car trailer? What materials can this trailer-house-cottage be built from? What are its minimum dimensions? What internal layout will allow the most efficient use of the internal space? Let's try to find answers to this list of questions.

Objectives

A small country cottage is probably the most widespread hobby in the post-Soviet space over the past half century. The area of \u200b\u200bcities is growing every year, and areas are naturally moving away from the center of settlements. Distances are sometimes measured in tens of kilometers; the most comfortable way to overcome them is to drive your own car.

At the same time, not all summer residents are ready to turn a small plot into a place of permanent residence. The maximum that an average urban family can decide on is to spend the night on their site once a week. To build a capital house for this overnight stay is a dubious undertaking; sleeping in a car is very uncomfortable ...

For summer residents who have basic skills in working with a power tool, homemade caravan trailers are often the way out.

We have to study one of such structures, having got acquainted with the materials used and design solutions.

Acknowledgments: The photos used in this article were kindly uploaded by one of the regulars on the League of Caravaners.
The author's work boiled down to just explaining some of the technical subtleties.

Choice of materials

In most cases, a single-axle trailer with a maximum load of no more than a ton becomes the basis on which a compact caravan-caravan is built. Taking into account the weight of household items and a couple of people, our choice is a dacha trailer weighing up to 750 kg.

The weight limitation leaves its mark on the choice of material.

• We will make the frame of the building from a pine bar with a cross section of 50 mm.
• The walls are made of 10 mm plywood (moisture resistant or impregnated, which reduces the hygroscopicity of the material and prevents it from rotting); the floor is 12 mm. It is also used for construction inside.
• External cladding - galvanized steel. Sheets are hemmed to the frame bar with self-tapping screws; the overlaps are additionally sealed with silicone sealant. The outer corners are reinforced with an aluminum corner - again sealed with silicone.

• What to choose as insulation, laid between the inner and outer layers of plywood - we leave it to the reader to decide. Here is the comparative thermal conductivity of popular heaters:

Nuance: glass wool will inevitably cake over time.
Better to use tough insulation.

Dimensions

A reasonable minimum of the size of the trailer required for our purposes is 2300x1600 mm. Such dimensions will make it possible to build a rather comfortable sleeping place for two people inside and leave some space for a table under the washbasin and / or a gas stove.

A two-axle trailer cottage will provide much more comfort; however, the price of such a trailer will be twice or three times more. Its dimensions (up to 4.5 meters in length) allow you to build a full-fledged toilet room.

A reasonable minimum building height is generally 2 meters. The height can be adjusted depending on the size of the owners: it is clear that a very tall person does not want to constantly cling to the ceiling with the crown of his head.

Building

So let's get started. How is a dacha built from a trailer with your own hands?

Floor, bottom rail

1. The sides are completely dismantled. Only a flat area remains from the trailer. If the horizontal base is sufficiently rigid, the floor joists and harness can be attached directly to it; It is better to weld a thin flexible sheet with a frame made of a professional pipe with a section of 50x25 mm.
2. Then the lower strapping of a bar, laid along the perimeter, is fixed to the base with bolts; the side bars are connected with logs with a pitch of 20 cm (for 12 mm plywood).

Alternatively, the entire structure can be assembled at the stand and only then pulled to the base of the trailer.

1. The lags are attached to the strapping with a galvanized corner; the bar must be soaked in hot linseed oil twice.

Advice: instead of drying oil heated in a water bath, you can use cold oil.
In this case, after applying each layer, the bar is warmed up with a building hairdryer.

1. Insulation is laid between the lags; then the floor is covered with plywood, which is attracted by self-tapping screws.

Frame

The instructions for assembling the frame are no different from the construction of the lower strapping: the bar is connected by corners with self-tapping screws. Before or after assembly, the tree is impregnated with linseed oil. Do not be afraid that the frame will not be rigid enough: the sheathing will give the structure strength.

Sheathing, insulation

The finished frame begins to be sheathed from the inside. Plywood is attracted by self-tapping screws 32 mm long in increments of about 25 cm. The self-tapping screws are only galvanized: in wet weather, black steel will inevitably decorate the walls with untidy rusty streaks.

Three nuances:

1. The holes for the self-tapping screws are pre-drilled and countersunk so that the hats do not cling to clothes. An alternative is the use of self-tapping screws with half-countersunk heads.

1. Plywood from the inside must be sanded before varnishing and after applying the first layer. Any moisture will raise the pile on the top veneer layer, which will make the surface rough.
   The volume of work will be quite large, so it is better to use a grinder - even the simplest, vibration one. If there is no electricity where you are building, there is always a way out: renting a diesel generator for a summer residence costs from 1000 rubles a day.
2. The outer side and ends of plywood also need a protective impregnation. And in this case, the cheapest and most practical option is two layers of hot drying oil.
   The insulation is fixed in the grooves formed by the frame and the inner cladding, after which it is sheathed on the outside with plywood rolled on both sides.

The door is assembled similarly to walls and hung on galvanized hinges; an ordinary door lock or a pair of latches are used as a lock - inside and outside.

The last stage is the external galvanized finish. It is fixed with self-tapping screws 25 mm long in 10 cm increments along all the frame bars; then the corners are closed with a corner. Do not forget about the sealant: it will protect the corners and joints from water leakage.

In the photo - the cladding, ready for painting.

Window

If you want your miniature home to have light windows, no problem.

1. The opening is provided even at the stage of construction of the frame. It is girded with a bar with a section of the same 50x50 mm.
2. A duralumin corner is used as an outer glazing bead, flush with the outer cladding with self-tapping screws. The seat for the corner is pre-coated with sealant.
3. A piece of plexiglass cut to the size of the opening sits on the sealant and is fixed from the inside with a glazing bead from the same duralumin corner.

Internal layout

Our choice is a convertible seat bed and a folding table. The transformation mechanism will make the pictures understandable.

Useful little things

• An alternative to galvanized plywood - external sheathing made of profiled sheet... In a similar scheme, country houses are often built from block containers.
• Do-it-yourself cottage trailer repair usually comes down to periodic painting of galvanized... Old paint can be removed with removers. In those few cases when the wheels, fenders or suspension of the trailer are damaged, spare parts for the caravan are bought at the nearest auto shop.

• The easiest way to organize ventilation is to provide a pair of hatches closed with a mosquito net (bottom and top) in the door.

Conclusion

A mobile home is not cheap. Prices for high-quality imported equipment in Russia start at five to six million rubles. It is all the more gratifying that on the territory of our country there are firms engaged in the construction of motorhomes for every taste and budget. We got acquainted with the products of some of them at the Caravanex exhibition in Sokolniki.

Externally, the motorhome of the Avtokemper company is difficult to distinguish from imported analogues

One of the main suppliers of caravan vehicles to Russia, the Avtokemper company, has recently started its own production of motorhomes. The first sign of the company was the Helix camper model 4200. It is built on a Citroen Jumper chassis with a 130-horsepower diesel engine and a "mechanics" with a gross weight of 3.5 tons - this means that the driver needs to have a category B license to drive it.

In the back there is a solid sleeping place

The walls of the motorhome are made of sandwich panels, and the plastic elements of the cladding are made by the Togliatti company "Avtoritet Plast". Inside, there are sleeping places for six travelers. At their service there is a gas stove, a sink, a 90-liter refrigerator, and a bathroom, which includes a shower and toilet.

Combined bathroom

The motorhome is equipped with two independent heating systems (if one fails, the equipment can still be used for its intended purpose), and the gas equipment is located in a separate compartment, in which heating and ventilation are provided. The clean and waste water tanks (100 l each) are also heated.

The body is integrated with the cab into one whole

At the moment, several similar motorhomes have already been built. Moreover, at the beginning of the summer, their additional production should start in Kolomna, Moscow Region. Moreover, the cost of one such camper is four million rubles.

The back of a Toyota housed a small, but full-fledged house

Another solution is a "house" in the back. For example, the four-seater module Helix 2400 quietly sits in the cargo platform of the Toyota Hilux all-wheel drive pickup. This module is designed for four people.

The interior is cramped than in a full-fledged motorhome, but there is also a kitchen and a toilet with a shower. The approximate cost of such a superstructure is in the range of one and a half to two million rubles, depending on the content.

Want to get cheaper? Then a smaller house with a lifting roof - the Helix 1500 - can be installed in the back of a pickup truck. At the exhibition, this structure was installed on a Volkswagen Amarok. In the bowels of such a “tent” there is a large bed (2x1.4 m), a table and a sink with a fold-out washbasin. The price starts at 650 thousand for a superstructure without a heater. Does this figure seem large? Then welcome to the "DIYers".

At the exhibition a well-worn old Gazelle buried its face in the bushes, and in its body there was a simple-looking, but neat motorhome trimmed with aluminum panels. Its author is the Russian traveler and engineer Yuri Litovka.

Everything is very simple inside, but cozy

The motorhome itself is removable: it is installed in the body of any flatbed truck - for this you just need to remove the sides on the sides and front. Inside you will not find finishes with "purebred" materials, but it is very cozy here. In front there is a huge bed. In the middle there is a living room area with a table and sofas, which can also be transformed into sleeping places. Behind - a huge (for motorhomes) shower stall.

The bathroom is larger than the more expensive competitors

The caravan was made entirely by hand, only sandwich panels for the walls were ordered by Yuri from the company Istok from Krasnogorsk, which produces trailers with various superstructures. According to Yuri, if you build such motorhomes to order, then they will cost no more than 350-400 thousand rubles.

So, with a strong desire, even in the Russian market, you can find a completely budget solution even in such a highly specialized segment as the construction of motorhomes.

Some travelers and outdoor enthusiasts prefer DIY caravans to ready-made ones. The choice is explained not only by the lower cost of self-made structures - you can think over the layout and equip the interior as you wish. Before you build a house on wheels with your own hands, you should learn more about the process of making motorhomes, decide which option is better: a caravan or a camper.

Original motorhome

The device of a motorhome and a caravan

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

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

• washbasin;
• gas stove connected to the cylinder;
• shelves, lockers and other storage systems.

RVs designed for long journeys usually have a bathroom 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.

DIY motorhome making

A home on wheels with their own hands is made on the basis of a van or trailer. Buses are suitable for this purpose - a spacious cabin, a high roof make it a good candidate for redevelopment.

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

Motorhome bus

The construction of a mobile home consists of several stages:

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

First of all, you need to 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.

DIY motorhome based on a car

To create a mobile home, a car or, for example, an old bus is used. A 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 it easier to work, make a plan.

Truck van based motorhome

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

• grinder;
• car paint;
• screwdriver;
• welding machine;
• thermal insulation;
• materials for finishing (plastic panels, lining or other);
• moisture resistant plywood;
• carpet;
• fasteners (screws, nails, dowels);
• polyurethane foam;
• primer;
• paint brushes;
• sealant;
• metal brush.

Outdoor work

When the drawing is ready, the design is thought out, they proceed to external work. Required:

1. Clean the car body from rust and other damage. If paint on surfaces is loose, clean it off.
2. Make several holes in the van for the windows, if they were not there initially. At the same time, cut out ventilation holes.
3. Determine the location and cut openings for exhaust gases, drain holes and other communications.
4. Coat cut areas, areas where paint has been removed with a primer to prevent rust formation. Wait until it is completely dry.
5. Paint the exterior of the van.

RV based caravan

Internal work

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

First, the body is covered with heat-insulating material. Any insulation designed for residential premises is suitable. To fix the material on the walls, ceiling, hardware is used 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, it will be necessary to additionally lay waterproofing.

Insert windows. Move on to wall decoration. For cladding, we choose moisture-resistant plywood. The sheets must be quite thick to withstand a serious load - they will subsequently be used for attaching cabinets, shelves, and furniture.

Work starts from the ceiling. Having fixed the sheets there, they sheathe the walls. Further, a wooden beam with a thickness of the height of the heat-insulating material is attached to the floor, insulation plates are laid between them. The floor is covered with plywood, fastened to the timber with self-tapping screws.

The salon, in which the kitchen is located, and the shower and toilet 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 arrangement 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 they are mounted simultaneously with the installation of the insulation inside, making holes for the outlet of communications.

Furniture

The furniture for the motorhome is selected individually. The necessary furnishings include:

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

Since the furniture is subject to increased stress during the movement of a mobile home, it must be of high quality, strong, have reliable fittings and a minimum of moving elements. Make sure that the cabinet door will not open during a sudden turn and the contents will not spill over the cabin.

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

Interior solutions in a motorhome

DIY motorhome from a trailer

Making a mobile home from a trailer is more difficult than remodeling a car. In this case, you will need to build the base of the floor, walls, roof from scratch.

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.

A camper trailer is erected using a frame:

• metal;
• wood;
• sandwich panels.

The most affordable and relatively lightweight material for making a house on a trailer is wood. It is easier to work with and does not require special tools to connect the elements.

DIY vintage camper trailer

Frame

To make the frame you will need:

• timber 50 * 50 mm;
• moisture resistant plywood 10 mm for walls;
• plywood 12 mm thick for the floor;
• fasteners (screws);
• screwdriver;
• drying oil, brush;
• galvanized corners;
• jigsaw;
• metal profile for the roof;
• galvanized steel (for external cladding);
• silicone sealant;
• insulation.

A preliminary drawing of the future caravan-trailer is drawn up, only after that the purchase of building materials for the manufacture of the facade and roof of the house on wheels is carried out.

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

RV trailer manufacturing process

Work order

1. Remove the side from 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 frame of the frame are fixed directly on it, if it is absent, then the frame is welded from a metal pipe 50 * 25 mm.
4. The lower strapping is carried out from a bar of 50 * 50. The side elements are connected to each other using lags. Lags are placed at a distance of every 20 cm. Metal corners are used to connect them to the timber.
5. Cover the wooden elements with linseed oil in 2 layers.
6. Insulation plates are placed in the space between the lags.
7. The base is covered with 12 mm plywood, fixing it with self-tapping screws.
8. Go to the frame racks. The beam is connected to the lower strapping using corners and self-tapping screws. After that, the upper strapping is performed.
9. Cover the entire structure with linseed oil.
10. In places where, according to the plan, windows should be located, beams and racks are installed from a bar.
11. The sheathing starts from the inside. Plywood is attached to galvanized screws every 25 cm along the perimeter of the sheet.
12. Grind the inner surfaces using a grinder. Cover with varnish.
13. Outside, the sheets are treated with linseed oil.
14. Insulation is laid in the cavities between the frame racks, the frame is sheathed with sheets of 10 mm plywood, which are pre-coated with linseed oil on both sides.
15. The door is made of timber and plywood sheets. The door is installed on galvanized hinges.
16. Insert windows. A simple solution is Plexiglas sheets.
17. A self-made mobile home is sheathed with sheets of galvanized steel. Self-tapping screws are used as fasteners, they are screwed along 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 a sealant to prevent water from entering the structure.
19. It remains to make the roof and roof. It is necessary to cover it with corrugated board, fix the sheets on galvanized screws.

Internal layout

The walls, ceiling and floor are already sheathed, so all that remains is to paint or varnish them. If the size of the building allows, the shower and the bathroom are equipped with a separate room. A frame partition is erected, a door is hung. All the remaining space is divided into zones: a sleeping area, 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 mobile home.

Furniture

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

Useful little things

What else is worth knowing before you start making a mobile home:

1. For the outer sheathing of the frame of a trailed motorhome, you can use not only galvanized steel, but also a professional sheet.
2. If you can't organize the ventilation system, you can cut small holes in the doors and close them with a mosquito net. If there are opening windows 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 casing, 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 with it with complete confidence that you will be able to independently develop a project and bring it to life.