Pop up camper to hard-side conversion in 15 min- Part 1 (turn on CC)

(Turn on CC) Thank you so much for watching. This is the first video in the series. Amy and I convert our pop up camper to a hard-side in this time lapse. The studs are 2x2s and they are the same width as the front and back base. The sides are a little wider and I had to use some 1/8” wood spacers to push the finished outer wall flush. The wall panels are LP Smartside from Home Depot. 2” wafer head screws attached the studs to the base and roof. Supervisor was our 94 year old neighbor, Cleatis.
Hard Side Camper conversion: Part 2- lights and electrical
• Hard-Side Camper conve...
Camper Salon: Part 3- Insulation
• Hard-side Camper Conve...

[@deondbryant]

Ps thank you for bringing people together just reading the comments so awesome! God bless 🙏

[@HammerWrench]

We appreciate your kind words. Love your neighbor, even when you’ve never met them before.

[@deondbryant]

@@HammerWrench Thanks for having a open and big heart- God-bless you always!

[@calvinwashington1]

The coolest thing about this is y’all did it together!🎉

[@HammerWrench]

Yes sir! Combining talents from each person makes it go well. We appreciate you watching and commenting. 🛠️

[@leezee5540]

Thank you for this video! In 2 weeks I’m beginning my pop up conversion and I was stuck on how to attach the base. After seeing this, It will help! 👍

[@HammerWrench]

That’s awesome. I intended on removing the crank arms at first. Then decided they would keep good rigidity. You’ll have to seal the front and back 2x2 bases if it is like mine. They tilt towards the inside. The only leak I had after the hard side was the front marker lights up top. Sealed them up and it’s great. Good luck on your project. If you make a series, paste your link here so I can follow yours.

[@deondbryant]

Definitely will do!Thank you

[@jamiebaker3730]

Good job!, been wanting to build my own camper, i wish i could have bought the lifting mechanism off yall for the pop up part lol but it looks great!

[@HammerWrench]

Yea we won’t need the crank now. If you need to build your own and have a welder, get some square tube, threaded rod, nuts and washers, and some electrical conduit from from Home Depot. Could fab your own handle and make a video for all the folks that don’t have one. Hey, that’s a good idea….. I might just…

[@fishhuntadventure]

Two ideas for next time: 1) if you think about it a bit you can retain the slide out beds with a hinge-down panel for front and rear, sheathed with aluminum for waterproof. 2) 1x2 “studs” is how ‘regular’ campers and a lot of utility trailers are constructed. Use 1/4 acx for outside sheathing. You’ll save a surprising amount in towing weight. Bonus third idea for the next one: embossed siding coil is fairly inexpensive and would make it longer lasting unit. Maybe weather is not an issue in your locale? It is here. It’s great to repurpose cheap things that have stuff that ‘fails’ - the lifts and side curtains are vulnerable on these and repair at a dealer is costly. So otherwise serviceable popups are cheap to buy.

[@HammerWrench]

These are all great ideas. The LP Smartside has a 50 year warranty and being in South Georgia, it’s rain and heat. The initial purpose of this pop up was to be a mobile salon. We outfitted it to be that and inevitably had to convert it into an office. I’ve got other ideas for repurposing the next one. The total weight when finished was about 1600 lbs. less than when it was a camper.

[@user-hs9us6qw1t]

Thank you for the commentary also. Mine is going like this

[@HammerWrench]

You’re welcome! It was a fun project and made better use of a camper that just sat there collecting mildew and wasps. It’s even lighter now!

[@user-qo5hh9bw4w]

In Minnesota, we call this a fish house.

[@HammerWrench]

That’s cool! Hole in the floor for ice or just shoreside?

[@sharonsanders8208]

This is amazing idea and the future I hope to do this to my pop-up

[@HammerWrench]

Thank you so much. It’s not very hard to do. Just takes vision, some planning and a great teammate! Good luck with your build and if you post it, let me know.

[@timmykellz2931]

I just did this sake thing the last 3 days by myself.. it looks good guys can't wate to see what else you do to it

[@HammerWrench]

That’s awesome and you must feel very accomplished in your project! There is more to come, stay tuned!

[@drummer2day]

Like the build! I almost did one recently but I ended up fixing the one broken lift post and selling. I was thinking it would be cool to add space by creating a tear drop in the front to make the kitchen. Perhaps I will find the time and space to do a cool project like this eventually

[@HammerWrench]

Thanks so much. That tear drop kitchen is a great idea. If you do it in the future, please document it.

[@docvalentines]

Nice build !

[@HammerWrench]

Thanks! I hope you enjoyed it. It was way more fun and creative than buying a handi-house.

[@robmchugh5454]

Can somebody please tell me if I remodel or convert a camper like this do I need to get a framing inspection or insure it in a different way to legally tow it on the road. Any help is much appreciated. Thank you

[@HammerWrench]

If you get inspectors involved, they may cause you more headache than enjoyment of the new build. The top is still on the OEM lift supports with the addition of all the 2x2 studs with stainless pan head screws for support. It’s the same type of framing older campers use. It just has that wood siding instead of fiberglass. It’s definitely more sturdy. In this configuration, it is several hundred pounds lighter than before. Doesn’t sway when being pulled either. Don’t know the insurance question tho. It isn’t technically a pop up anymore but if you are towing it, your auto insurance should cover any damage it causes to others.

[@laquitacavin3403]

Amazing Job how much would you charge for a job like this

[@HammerWrench]

I’m not sure at this point. I will update when it is complete on total cost spent. The place where you can save the most cost is to find a pop up that has a solid structure and roof, but the vinyl is no good. Those can be found for under $1000. Ours was a good functioning camper, so it was much more than that.

[@shannonwelton950]

@@HammerWrench we have just removed all of the vinyl from our camper today. Your video gives us great ideas and inspiration. Is there anyway I can get the measurements of your boards you used for the framing work? Thank you so much

[@HammerWrench]

That’s awesome! I used 2x2s. They are actually 1.5” x 1.5”. They came in 8 ft sticks. As far as the height of the studs, I went up so there was about 3” of overlap onto the roof. It’s not all the way to the ceiling. I left a few inches so I could run the wiring across the top of the studs and not drill thru them. Look for a short video on my page for the wiring update.

[@HammerWrench]

The total material cost of the build out was about $2000.

[@camarogtz1392]

Hello nice work do u have exact details or measurements

[@HammerWrench]

I believe I put some of those details in the description or in the comment section. It’s been a year ago so exacts are a little fuzzy. But the process I remember fully.

[@mzhollewood]

What did you use for the siding?

[@HammerWrench]

That is LP Smartside from Home Depot. Very weather durable.

[@crawdaddiver]

My wife commented on measurements - what she was wondering was what sizes were the boards used for the framing - did you rip down 2x4s or 2x6s?

[@HammerWrench]

Neither of those. I bought 2x2x8s. So I didn’t have to rip 2x4s down. The base of the camper was 1.5” wide and they worked perfect. And are light weight.

[@HammerWrench]

I used 2” zinc wafer head screws to secure through the cap and base. I would suggest using stainless since zinc will rust. I’ll be switching them out before painting.

[@shannonwelton950]

@@HammerWrench what kind of siding is that and how far apart did u space the 2x2s - thank you for all this info - I was completely lost and this video really inspired me. Thanks for all the information and I hope to see the rest of the videos .

[@HammerWrench]

LP smartside from Home Depot. We used on our carport and it gets wet every time it rains and does not swell.

[@HammerWrench]

Thank you both for subscribing. If you post a video of your project, drop it here so I can check it out.

[@grahammason6466]

I'd like to do the same thing but maybe half the height more like the teardrop height

[@HammerWrench]

As long as you would be comfortable with it’s interior ceiling height, I think that would be a great build. The aluminum door frame is the only thing that would have to be modified to fit a different height.

[@wickscanflip9912]

I'm curious how does this pull down the interstate? I'm in process of doing the same thing only making a Boba Tea Truck. I'm not finish at all but it seem like it gonna be top heavy or at the least wobble severely

[@HammerWrench]

I haven’t pulled down the interstate, but it does great at 50mph and under. It’s light and my Excursion breaks the wind against it. Usually it’s heavy trailers that get to wobbling from overcompensation and weight.

[@HammerWrench]

Wicks, the top wobbled during construction until the panels we’re screwed into the top, sides and tub. After that, it wouldn’t. Also, if you haven’t watched the other 8 videos, one of them has the lift arm chocks and I lowered the top onto them and bent them around the arms to never come off again.

[@theelephant2887]

Did it not make your camper much heavier? No risk of rollover towing it with it's new height to base ratio?

[@HammerWrench]

The camper was actually lighter than as a stock pop up. It was about 1600 lbs when we finished and about 2000 before we started.

[@reneebarquest2559]

How much did it weigh after all that wood?

[@HammerWrench]

I would estimate 1600 lbs. it was heavier in camper form. Amy could lift the hitch without much effort.

[@HammerWrench]

Hardside? How about lightside! kzbin.infoUVr_FgtFs5E?feature=share

[@yankeejade]

Went through all of your build videos, you and your wife did a magnificent job on the pop up camper conversion and thank you for all of the videos. I've been trying to locate a video on YT for a while now and bam your video came up on the algorithm today. There are not that many hard wall conversion vids with this type of Goshen lift system, like yours and mine (I have a 98' Damon Camplite). Please correct me, I believe the telescoping posts are square on your trailer and not rectangle. My pop up telescoping posts are square. I read where you utilized 2x2 for the vertical supports frame however what did you wrap around the original four main telescoping posts? It is hard for me to view, thin sheet metal perhaps? Does the office trailer flex much when driving down the road?

[@HammerWrench]

Im so glad you found us!! This was a fun build. The lifts are the square telescopic style. There were 2 C channel support braces that were to go over opposite corner lifts then you would lower the roof onto the braces. This took the weight off of the cables and the actual lift mechanism. What I did was bend the c channel around the lift so they were permanent. The 2x2 studs helped the rigidity of the roof without flex or sway after the plywood got put on. It doesn’t sway and since gutted, is actually lighter than stock. There is a short of Amy lifting the tongue off the ground one handed. It’s incredibly balanced. I saw a few videos of folks doing them but not like we wanted to do. It was supposed to be a hair salon but ask any hair stylist, it is hell on your body physically. So we just transitioned it into an office. The 50 amp service panel is way overpowered for our use, but could be repurposed in the future to run a water heater, electric heater, water pump, and what ever else that could use the approximate 5500 watt capacity. I think it’s about 1600 lbs. so most cars could pull it. I appreciate you watching the series and hope it gives you inspiration to start your project. If you ever have other questions, our email address is in the page about section. Thank you for your kind words.

[@yankeejade]

@@HammerWrench Thank you so much Skip/Amy for responding with the above details. I found the safety post online this morning. I never knew they even existed 🙂 If you don't mind I will probably email you in the future with regards to the 50 amp service panel/5500 watt cap. I plan on converting my pop-up to a food vending trailer. I've just about gutted out the trailer, so the framing will be next. I do have one little issue with the 1473 series cranking mechanism, perhaps I will send you an email today with regards to this minor set back. These videos are extremely helpful and yes full of inspiration! I really do appreciate you sharing your knowledge 😍

[@HammerWrench]

Thank you so much. These videos are a digital memory to show and teach our sons and grand kids on how to take something, dream to improve it, sketch the plan, and make it happen. We can’t write down all the things we know how to do but can show them how we do it. That way if they share the know how, they have a coach to help them go forward. We also hope it helps others that inspire to do more but just need that nudge to jump in. We are no experts, but can think our way through problems and find solutions.

[@savingprivatet8o356]

How thick is that board you used? Is it waterproof and does it hold up with the wind when you pull it.

[@HammerWrench]

I think it’s half inch or maybe 5/8. It’s LP Smartside from Home Depot. It’s weather resistant with warranty. The wind doesn’t budge it when we pull it. Used the same stuff on my carport 4 years ago. It gets wet every time it rains. No swelling, no rot.

[@savingprivatet8o356]

Thanks for the fast response!

[@HammerWrench]

You’re welcome. This community is for helping each other. Glad I could help your project.

[@coltonhite]

What did you use for siding? I have my framing done, but having a hell of a time choosing a siding.

[@HammerWrench]

Hi Colton. Great question. I used LP Smartside from Home Depot. My scrap pieces have been out in the weather and are still in good shape. We used it when we enclosed our carport and the unpainted edge gets wet every time it rains. It’s been 3 years and there is no swelling or rot. Good stuff.

[@deondbryant]

Hello neighbor Aluminum siding is what I'm going to be using

[@HammerWrench]

We are painting the inside and outside for part 6 this week.

[@thehomesteadpastor1234]

Just curious. Have you had a chance to pull it down the highway. How does it pull?

[@HammerWrench]

Yes I have pulled it. Now I drive a V10 excursion, so it was like it wasn’t back there. It pulled great. It is actually lighter than when it was a regular pop up. Amy can lift the tongue off the ground with one hand. I made a short about it on my channel somewhere. I think it could easily be pulled by a 4cyl front wheel drive car.

[@HammerWrench]

And as far as the weight on the axle, it is close to being balanced. I think that’s why the tongue is so light and probably the only reason it sits all the way down.

[@thehomesteadpastor1234]

Thank you so much. Im thinking about doing this to my pop up and was worried about the drag since it will be a flat box shape.

[@HammerWrench]

@@thehomesteadpastor1234 you’re very welcome. While it’s fine to ask questions here, my email is in the about section if you have more questions or need more detailed answers. -Skip

[@josiahdavenport1071]

any updates

[@HammerWrench]

The conversion was bought by a fella for his sister. She is a cosmetologist and he wants to make it into a salon for her.

[@HammerWrench]

Unit pulled well. Didn’t sway.

[@nickbuffat21]

what's the estimated weight and tongue ... thank you

[@HammerWrench]

I think the camper is 1600lbs in factory form. Having gutted the interior and adding the walls may bring it back close to that number. The tongue will be 10% of the total weight. The addition of the rear cabinets, counter, chair, toilet, black tank, and interior luan walls may bring it to 2000lbs. The profile of the front wall in the wind will be an obstacle. We will be pulling it with our Excursion so the total weight and wind drag won’t matter.

[@HammerWrench]

Here’s an update of the tongue weight. It’s not a number, but check out this short on how heavy it really is! kzbin.infoUVr_FgtFs5E?feature=share

[@mr.shadestrains6033]

“;-)”👍