exterior storage

[Irish1955]

I'm thinking of using underbody boxes for exterior storage on my Bullet 207.These are used on semi trailers and have doors on the front instead of on the top. The boxes on semi-trailers are too large but they make smaller versions. They are attached to the trailer main frame somehow. The lower decorative sheet metal would have to have a section cut out to make room. I would think this would be preferable to trying to attach a storage box to the rear bumper. Has anyone tried this?

[chuckster57]

Welcome to the forum

The decorative trim is called J wrap. It is attached to the lower portion of the exterior and extends down to give the trailer a "finished" look. It also serves as a cover for some components. Low point drains, drain valves, some wiring etc.

The only problem I see is how to attach them. The frame is inboard and if you just attach to that, the boxes would have zero support. If you weld, bolt supports under the boxes then I don't see how to support the outer edge. If you were to build a "box" support, I suppose you could attach it at the outer edge up into the subfloor. Interesting topic, I hope this sparks a good discussion.

[master sprinter]

This from Lippert would be very nice and solve some RV spare tire problems.


http://store.lci1.com/sliding-storag...e-tire-carrier

[Irish1955]

The semi trailer boxes use L-shaped angle iron brackets to carry the box. I don't weld but I could find a shop to do it for a price. I was hoping there was a way to bolt or clamp to the main I-beam frame. That Lippert storage system looks promising. I couldn't find mounting info on their site. Thanks for the lead. I will look further into their system.

[Bob Landry]

If you start chopping up the aluminum paneling on the sides, you can kiss your resale value good bye. I also think you will run into ground clearance issues between the frame and the ground.
I opted to have the bumper beefed up and had a custom aluminum box made that sits on half the bumper and comes up to the bottom of the taillight. If you had two of those built and used the Lippert pullout trays with tire storage, you could use one that spanned the entire width of the bumper and that would give you a lot of outside storage. I have a thread somewhere in the mods section showing the box and bumper supports. I have not had any issues with it.

[T3/T4 Hybrid]

Originally Posted by master sprinter

This from Lippert would be very nice and solve some RV spare tire problems.


http://store.lci1.com/sliding-storag...e-tire-carrier

That's an interesting idea. I like putting the tire under the chassis and out of the UV light.

[WaltBennett]

While I agree with Bob Landry, I also don't understand why trailer manufacturers can't see that this would be a really great added feature. Our previous trailer was a 28' Hornet that had next to no where near enough storage inside although with two slid outs it was OK on living space. The reason we traded up to our current 38' Montana was for more living space and a LOT more storage. Could have gotten by with the Hornet longer if there had been this kind of storage built in.

[Bob Landry]

I don't understand that either and until the designers stop thinking like designers, engineers, and bean counters, and start thinking like campers, that's probably not going to change.
They probably think that with an entry level trailer, you don't need to take the whole house for a weekend at the lake, and you probably don't, but when you start adding extra sewer and water hoses, power cords, leveling blocks, tools, parts, gas grill, and maybe an air compressor, space dries up pretty quick. That's why I had the storage box built for my bumper. It's saved my bacon on many occasions.
On my Outback, I was limited to the front pass-through for storage and the hatches were even too small to get anything large inside.I had an outdoor kitchen on the curb side that was worthless so I converted it to hold a CampChef stove.
The inside is just the opposite, we have more room for storage than four people would need. We scratch for things to put in there. It just goes to show that RVs, like boats, are marketed towards the aesthetic tastes of the female buyer and not the functional uses for us guys.

[master sprinter]

One reason is anything they add to your new rig adds weight and these little things add up. They could potentially lose a customer because of their TV. So they sell the RV and let people do what they do...add weight!