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Requirements

What this trailer must do, what Nathan wants, and what is still open.

Must

• Be larger than Joe's trailer (about 17 ft overall, 7 ft wide). Nathan wants to build bigger, and the size grows when a requirement needs it. The working draft is an 18 ft × 8 ft box.
• Tow behind Nathan's 2026 Ford F-150 Lariat 4x4 (5.0 L V8) on a normal ball hitch (a bumper-pull, not a fifth wheel or gooseneck). Ford rates it for 9,100 lb or more. See Frame basics.
• Use one axle unless the weight needs two.
• Keep the outside width no more than 102 in (8 ft 6 in) and the height no more than 14 ft. These are the Texas limits. See Texas trailer law.
• Have no trailer brakes (Nathan, 2026-10-11). So the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) must stay at or under 4,500 lb, because Texas requires brakes above that. The design target is 4,000 lb, so a Texas title is optional.
• Keep the load on the axle under the axle rating, with a margin.
• Keep the tongue weight at 10–15 % of the loaded weight. Less than that makes the trailer sway. See Frame basics.
• Fit DOT-marked lights and reflectors: tail, stop, turn, plate lamp, side markers. An 8 ft wide trailer also needs clearance lamps (80 in or wider).
• Have inside: a shower and a toilet (a wet bath), a sink, heat and air conditioning. See Bathroom and water and Heat, air and propane.
• Cook outside on a portable propane stove. No propane stove inside.
• Have a desk that holds two 27 in monitors and a computer, with room for a chair. See Layout dimensions.
• Work at a hunting camp with no hookups and at campgrounds with hookups. Off-grid: lights, a roof fan, a 12 V fridge, a water pump and phone charging for 3 days. At a campground: 30 A shore power runs the air conditioner. See Off-grid power.
• Have a propane alarm, a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm and a smoke alarm, because the furnace and the water heater burn propane.
• Keep the total cost under $5,000 as the target and never over $10,000. Tools are included.
• Make it practical for a first-time welder: straight cuts, simple joints, and help from an experienced welder on the frame welds.

Decided

• Design C — Bath 18 is approved (2026-10-11). See Decisions.
• Box 18 ft × 8 ft (216 × 96 in). A 60 × 80 in queen bed fits across the trailer. The trailer needs clearance lamps.
• Toilet: gravity RV toilet over a black tank, emptied with a 3 in hose at a dump station.
• Heat: propane forced-air furnace, 12,000 BTU class.
• Air conditioning: Coleman Mach 3 13,500 BTU roof unit, on shore power.
• Hot water: 6 gal gas and electric tank heater.
• Power: shore power, a converter/charger and one battery first. Solar and the inverter come last.
• An angled front, not Joe's curved front.
• Sleeps 2 on a queen bed.
• Title and plates in Texas.

Not decided yet

• Nothing blocks step 3. Exact part models get picked when the materials list is priced.

Limits