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Build a Modern Conestoga Trailer
Vintage Lightweight Camping Trailer Plans
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Modern Conestoga Camping Trailer Plans
Build this Vintage Prairie Schooner Style Camper
Trailer
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Price $12.95
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Get a restored copy of these vintage Modern Conestoga
Camping Trailer Plans with 7 Pages of Enhanced and Enlarged Figures
and Illustrations and Searchable Text.
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We will email these plans, to the address provided
with your payment, within 48 hours following receipt of your order.
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Vintage Trailer Plans|
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| IF YOU'RE looking for something different in the way
of a trailer, you'll want to hear about our covered wagon. We built it
for only $150. Let us take you through the series of steps necessary to
duplicate it.
Before starting, of course, you should have some knowledge
of the use of hammer and saw. You may build the project any size that strikes
your fancy. To meet our particular needs for vacation trips, ours is small.
Set crosswise at the front of the trailer are a double-bed spring and mattress.
There's storage space beneath the bed for luggage and camp chairs. At the
back of the trailer, on both sides of the door, dressers with shelves above
provide space for all our cooking equipment, utensils, and supplies.
The completed trailer weighs exactly 450 lbs. It trails
up steep mountain grades like a breeze. Since the road clearance is 18
in., we can take it anywhere our car will go. And it is easy to handle.
When we get into tight places, we often unhook the trailer and turn it
around by hand. |
| We had an ironworker build the 47x96-in. frame from 2x2-in.
angle bar. This is set on car springs. Since we wanted to have these flexible
under the light load, we had all of the leaves removed but three on each
side. For running gear, a pair of second-hand 6.00x16 wheels and tires,
complete with axle, were employed. The V-shaped tow bar consists of two
lengths of 1/4 x 1 1/2 x 1 1/2-in. angle bar welded to the frame. |
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| In cooking area, bucket holds spring water and fresh
tea towels tuck between canvas and bows, which make a perfect “clamp” for
holding them. |
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| Dresser on opposite side has shelves above and storage
bin below. Heating stove and stack are backed by asbestos to protect the
surrounding wood. |
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| Cement-coated nails and stove bolts secure the 1x6-in.
floor boards and their 1x4-in. cleats to each other and to the frame. Eight
lengths of 1x1-in. angle bar were bent to Z shape and welded to the frame
by our ironworker friend. These have 1x1-in. diagonal angle-bar braces.
They form supports for the sides, ends, and wing |
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| flooring, which consist of 1x4-in. and 1x6-in. stock
and are bolted in place. The top boards on the sides and ends are joined
with sheet-metal straps. All flooring is covered with linoleum to keep
out dust.
The front and back ends are framed with 2x2-in. stock
and covered above the end boards with curved-top pieces of Masonite. The
wagon bows were purchased from a hardware store. We had a carpenter rip
each in half on a power saw, which resulted in four lightweight bows. These
are fastened to the trailer sides with 1/4 x 1 1/2-in. bolts. The frame
headers are secured to the uprights with 20d nails and the Masonite is
nailed to the framing and the bows. Openings are cut in the Masonite for
a window and a door. Wire screening is tacked over the outside of the window
opening and trimmed with screen molding. Window glass is set between the
framing uprights and held in place with window stop. The glass fits loosely
enough to enable us to raise and lower it from inside. The door is constructed
by building a 1x4-in. frame and covering it with Masonite. The window in
this door is similar to the one in the front of the trailer. Both windows
are set at the same height so the driver can see right through the trailer
to watch traffic behind him. |
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Completed trailer weighs but 450 lbs., so it is
easy to handle. Since the road clearance is 18 inches, you can take it
anywhere your car will go.
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| At this point, the spring and mattress were set in place.
This is important because they won't fit through the door, but must be
installed before canvas top is put on.
Wooden strips, 1/2x3 in., are set on top of the side boards
and bolted to the bows. Seven 1/2 x1 1/2-in. longitudinal battens are then
spaced evenly and bolted to the bows. The canvas cover is stretched over
this framework and secured to the sides and ends with 4d nails that are
driven through short lengths of screen molding. The cover is treated with
canvas preservative, which goes on just like paint and dries quickly. |
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Closeup showing hitch and two of the four pipe
stands that support the trailer when stops are made. One end of the bottled
gas tank appears on the left.
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| The dresser tops and shelves are made from 1x12-in. boards
and are supported by scrap-wood frames. You can be as original as you like
when building these. Our dressers are 31 in. high and have 24x36-in. tops.
We covered all work surfaces with linoleum remnants fastened down with
upholstery tacks. The inboard edges of the wing flooring under the dresser
tops have 1/2x3-in. lips nailed to them. When working or eating at the
dressers, the bed serves as a seat and a camp stool can be set up near
the door. |
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Pipe stands support the trailer when stops are made. A welded
assembly consisting of a 5-in. length of 1-in. pipe and a 9-in. length
of 2x2-in. angle bar is bolted to each corner of the trailer. Through each
pipe is slipped a 28-in. length of 3/4-in. pipe that has a 3x3-in. pad
welded to the bottom. One hole through each corner assembly and ten holes
through each 3/4-in. pipe take 1/4-in. bolts and allow the stands to be
adjusted to suit uneven ground. ***
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