Kemper-Next: Gazelle turned into a motor home

Features of mobile homes

A mobile home has undeniable advantages - comfort, coziness and mobility. Moscow is a noisy city that you sometimes want to leave. Trailer owners do not have to look for a place to stay overnight, and travel becomes very economical. If you haven’t had the opportunity to use this original housing before, you should first familiarize yourself with their classification.

Types of motorhomes and their classification

When choosing the type of future mobile housing, you can be guided by its division according to:

• in appearance - there are trailers, vans, or mobile homes combined with a car;
• class – there are three classes of comfort for motorhomes;
• trailer type - there are trailer trailers, hybrid trailers and fifth-wheel trailers.

If everything is clear with the trailer type of mobile home, then the difference between a van and a combined motorhome is not immediately visible. In the first option, the living space is located in the car van and is separated from the driver's seat.

This option is suitable when traveling as a couple, when no one stays at the “house” during the move. Thanks to this design, it is possible to fit in more functional furniture using a blank front wall.

Combination motorhomes are suitable for traveling with the family, as there is access to the driver and passenger seats from the interior.

On some trailer configurations, the front seats swivel 180 degrees, providing additional seating when parked.

Motorhomes converted from GAZelles or minibuses are precisely combined.

The comfort class can be called conditional. Thus, Class A motorhomes include spacious trailers made on the chassis of large trucks. Outwardly, they resemble a bus, can have folding structures, and inside, in terms of functionality, they do not differ from a small apartment.

Please note that the driver must have a category “C” license to drive this vehicle.

Class “B” also has a separate sleeping place, a kitchenette and sometimes even a small shower with toilet.

There is much less space in it, but it is still convenient to travel in them. What is important is that you can drive such a car with a category B license if the weight of the car or the total weight of the car with a trailer does not exceed 3.5 tons.

Class "C" indicates the most basic motorhomes. This could be a small trailer or a minibus converted into a camper. There is no separate sleeping place - its function is performed by folding sofas or armchairs. But by equipping such a mini camper with a trunk-tent, a folding canopy and a set of camping furniture, you can get a comfortable stay at a minimum cost.

Such construction trailers are also called hybrid trailers to distinguish them from simple trailers. Separately, it should be noted fivesville trailers, the shape of which is designed for use in conjunction with pickup trucks. Thanks to this, it is possible to reduce the length of the entire caravan, because part of the trailer hangs over the car body.

Mistakes when building mobile homes with your own hands

Prices for mobile homes are noticeably high. It is not surprising that skilled family heads want to save money and do everything themselves. Here it is important to be wise and learn from the mistakes of others:

• you shouldn’t make everything from scrap materials - you’ll have to live in the house for at least a week and you want to spend your vacation in comfort;
• when remodeling a minibus or GAZelle, it is better to abandon the dry closet - in such a small cabin it is still impossible to provide good insulation, so it is better to use the free space for storing things;
• serious modifications to the body, heating system, wiring will be required - you cannot do without the skills of an auto mechanic;
• Without planning, it is better not to undertake modernization - you need to make cardboard models in advance and estimate the position of the furniture;
• if you still managed to fit in a shower and toilet, do not forget about the drainage tank - pouring dirty water onto the asphalt or lawn is extremely unethical;
• It’s better not to forget to make a connector for connecting 220V at campsites, and a converter for 12V from the car battery.

Making your own trailer

If difficulties do not frighten you, and the desire for action is unstoppable, you can try your hand at building a house. And whether to remake a GAZelle or build a trailer from scratch - the choice is strictly individual!

DIY mobile home from GAZelle

To work you will need a grinder, a welding machine, a hand saw for wood and a lot of patience. The gradual modernization of the car looks like this:

1. The seats are taken out of the cabin, the old trim is removed. All metal parts are treated with a special solution that prevents rust. The walls and ceiling are insulated with foamed polyethylene, and sheets of plywood are laid on the floor. All wiring runs under the floor and wall cladding; this should be thought out in advance.
2. The frame for the furniture is welded right in the body. If the car cannot be leveled, you can use a pipe as a level, its ends resting against the lower edge of the window openings. After rough welding, the frame is removed and everything is welded, cleaned and brought inside again.
3. Window openings are covered with carpet. Ceiling panels covered with carpet are also installed. After completing the interior trim, you can attach the slats under the mezzanine and mount the furniture frames.
4. A swivel mechanism can be made for the front seats. To do this, you will need a front hub, for example, from a VAZ, and part of a rotary strut. The scheme is quite simple.
5. The final stage is installing furniture on the frame, connecting lighting, installing a pump for the kitchen washstand, covering the mezzanines and minor interior improvements. For cooking, you can put a small gas stove on one burner.
6. Instead of welding the furniture frame, you can use ready-made sets, reinforcing them from the inside with corners and additional screws. The kitchen also needs to be attached to everything - the floor, the sofa, the wall. This is done to protect the furniture from becoming loose while driving on bumpy roads.

We should not forget that such a modification of the car requires registration with the REO. To do this, you need to write an application and receive a resolution from the technical department of the traffic police and a protocol from the authorized organization.

Stylish plywood trailer house

If your car has a towbar, it would be a sin not to take advantage of the situation and not make a nice “drop” trailer for overnight stays outside the city. For this:

1. On the basis of the finished trailer, a floor frame with insulation inside and plywood sheathing is assembled.
2. The side walls of the future van are cut and attached to the base. All holes for doors and windows, as well as to lighten the frame, must be cut in advance, so it is better to think through the drawing carefully.
3. Shelves are assembled from furniture panels and installed on the base. These same shelves will serve as the front and rear walls of the van.
4. According to the shape of the van, a plywood sheet is bent above the shelves on both sides, and a power frame made of timber is fixed on top. One side is made liftable, providing access to the kitchen.
5. The top hatch and skylight are cut out. The entire frame is insulated and the wiring is installed.
6. Everything is covered with veneer sheets on top. Once the door and window openings are cut out, you can begin exterior painting and varnishing.
7. Doors, an overhead hatch and supply and exhaust ventilation are installed. After securing all the fittings, side lights and wheel fenders, you can safely set off on your journey!

And the video shows a detailed assembly of the motorhome with the installation of solar panels:

How to make a motorhome from a gazelle with your own hands

It is not easy to make such a structure. You will need an experienced craftsman. A homemade motorhome, equipped on a chassis, is combined: externally it is a car, and inside it is a mini-apartment.

Useful tips

Building a camper from a gazelle with your own hands will not be cheap, so many craftsmen are trying to save money.

We recommend watching the video: costs for a homemade motorhome based on a GAZelle 4x4.

• plan all changes in advance;
• improvised materials will not make the interior comfortable, because you will have to live in the house for more than one day, the rest must be comfortable;
• refuse a dry closet, because the interior of a GAZelle motorhome is small, and it will not be possible to make good insulation;
• some modifications will be needed: changes to the body, heating system, wiring; knowledge of auto mechanics will come in handy here;
• if you still had to install plumbing in the cabin, you need to make a tank for drainage;
• do not forget about the 220 V connector and the converter for 12 V from the car battery.

If you want to build a mobile home from a GAZelle with your own hands, do the work in stages.

Manufacturing process

To work you will need tools:

• Bulgarian;
• welding machine;
• hand saw for wood.

Drawing of a motorhome based on Gazelle with dimensions

The conversion time will depend on the availability of materials and the skill of the craftsman:

1. First you need to take the seats out of the cabin and remove the old trim.
2. All metal elements are treated with an anti-rust solution.
3. The walls and ceiling are insulated with polyethylene foam, the floor is covered with sheets of plywood, and the wiring is laid under the sheathing.
4. Without leaving the body, they weld the furniture frame, checking the installation with a level. Then they finish the work outside the car, clean everything up and bring it back into the car.
5. Carpet is used to glue window openings and ceiling panels.
6. The salon is sheathed and mezzanine slats and furniture frames are installed.
7. The front seats are equipped with a rotating mechanism using a front hub from a VAZ.
8. The furniture is installed on the frame, the lighting is connected, a pump is installed for the sink, the mezzanines are sheathed, and the interior is improved.
9. For cooking, you can equip a gas stove with one burner.
10. Instead of self-made furniture, an option with a ready-made set is possible. The furniture is reinforced with corners and screws, and carefully secured so that it does not come loose along the way.

We must not forget that all these homemade car transformations must be registered in the Regional Economic Inspectorate; before this, they receive a resolution from the technical department of the State Traffic Inspectorate and a document from the relevant organization. Re-equipment can cost up to 25,000 rubles. A ready-made motorhome based on a gazelle 4x4 costs 1,800,000 rubles.

Making a camper yourself is not too difficult a task for an experienced craftsman. But the timing of such construction can be very delayed due to the constant improvement of the design. To avoid getting into such a situation, you should think through the interior in advance, abandoning obviously unnecessary elements. This is especially important when equipping small cars, for example, when creating a motor home from a GAZelle with your own hands.