Good Questions I spent months now thinking about this project and more questions and ideas keep coming into play As I start in on it.
I don't want any door between the two area's. My biggest reason is I don't want the coach to smell like a shop. Welding , running engines, and oils greases. Also I'm adding a smoke hydrocarbon detector in the shop. I'm running the buzzer wire to a low voltage relay that turns on my factory emergency roof escape slash powered fan ceiling what ever. I still have all the windows back there just tinted out. But if I start a engine up or weld some thing or am just sitting idling and some type of gas or smoke gets in through even a window the fan will come on and clear the area out. I have this over my old welding station and it was hooked to a bathroom fan and was great for keeping the shop warm by not having all the doors in the winter open and it shuts right off when its clear.
When we used a semi truck to haul or race car you could not go from the truck to the trailer so I'm not its to much to make sure its all strapped down. Plus today there are cameras. The Toad inside will be on the hoist then chains running to 5k lb D-rings bolted into the chassis frame. As far as tools and parts in that room i am going to just have to ply with bungees and straps and different stuff. Right now i use peg boards and the tool trucks like snap on use peg boards and bungee straps to keep every thing on the walls.
Surely there will be a learning curve.
After watching Eric the Nomadic Fanatic videos I have come to the idea that the video camera system he has in and around the out side of his rv is a great idea. Not only are you recording with color and sound in HD for possible YOUTUBE video content. The feed is live so you can watch every area inside and out from the drivers seat. Why have a back up camera when you can have every angel from inside and out. Whats a few tera bytes any more.
I want to start recording my actual traveling down the road in case anything interesting happens. plus I would like to have multiple angles on anything I'm working on with out having to reset go pros or pay fro my Nest cameras I have now that are on the cloud and really wont work on teh road any more with cell data costs. Long answer huh
The wall thing behind the driver? Honestly I came with in about 4" of the space i needed to pull this off I hope. I never considered a wall. I don't want a wall any how i am trying to keep the front first couple windows open to view through if I need to. I have so little room I just don't see what would come at me. Assuming i strap and bolt every thing down tight or well. No wall no Helmet there never going to take me alive and I drive this thing like I stole it.
I have this beautiful white leather couch i took out of the alfa RV before it left when the quilt machine was installed for Nik to take her business on the road. You can see that motor home here in this slide show. The quilt machine is 14ft long and 5ft deep and next to it is a 4ft sewing station. This is all on the 20ft by5 ft tip out. It makes an amazing office class space.
Nichole Wilde, Artist & Adventurer - Home
At first I was going to just buy a enclosed race trailer and haul it behind the Alpha but it was decided I was going to want to do everything my way and boss her around to much on the road with crazy things like keep to a schedule for clients instead of stopping on the side of the road for the day and painting a scene.
Any how the couch bolts to the floor and is DOT rated. plus it is a nice bed. Just have to make it fit and its very close.
It does have the side door emergency exit. I'm making a steel step that is mounted to the floor just inside the door that will fold down to the ground to give a stair system to walk in and out. The door is short to walk through it would be proper size if the floor was built into the stairs but I need that area in front of it to walk into my parts room. external step hinged at base of floor so it can be pulled up and door closed behind it for travel.
In the drawings i have a rear door that is a ramp to drive in o the bus. Today we settled on a rear lift gate from a semi trailer rated at 6k lbs. I believe the rear of the bus door will open like a hatch back on a car hinged at the roof line and opening upwards. I found some lift gates in a semi tuck recycle yard for about $500 bucks. unbolted or cut off? and laying there for some to pick up and make fit.
Ive planned for a year of work so will see.