Most 30' tandem frames are between 1000-1500lbs alone, especially with brakes on all 4.
Agreed with cedar...readily available, lighter than spruce,and always straighter. Doubt if balsam would be significant gain strength/weight-wise.
I have 9" I-beams outside, and will insert 2 watertanks , still leaving me with adequate foam insulation below them and fully on the rest....leaving space for underfloor radiant tube-heating.
You can't put too much insulation in the floor, and you should spotweld a full-length steel belly pan, or plastic- separated aluminum with optional drain holes right from the start. Likewise add a thermal break on the upper flanges/ cross- beams before flooring goes down.
Sips should be lighter/tighter than stickframe per sq.' with comparable r-value, and more effective overall.
Build in set bath/kitchen dividers and loft frames for box-rigidity in transport, Don't forget hurricane tiedownstraps.plates/roof.
Aluminum roof instead of steel would cut weight, although i don't know if they have a nontoxic paint on alum. for using the rain for cooking. Still, most of that water could be used for laundry, shower, etc.
The problem I see is these units sound heavy ? Are they heavier than a normal trailer already built ?
I'm wondering in a SHTF , there might not be any gas to move it to a BOL and the heavier it is , the more
gas needed to haul it around ?
Also, many people might not be able to build one from scratch, are there any such trailers for sale that would be
suitable ?
Yes Goldie, they are heavier because the framing, therefore insulation, is suitable for 4-season living...unlike the thin aluminum cans called travel trailers. Most use real wood in and out instead. They are generally outfitted with more durable amenities. They are available in kit- form, plans, or completely finished. Here's one site: http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/products/amish-barn-raiser
For sure, you would want to have it before you need it, and settled on your bol. Use it as cottage/retreat, rent-out, hunt base, ski chalet,....whatever.
Help build, hire carpenter, organize a group-build with others who want the same and raise it up.
The larger ones do require a 3/4 or 1-ton pickup to deliver. This is a common service available most anywhere for a few hundred- to 600, depending on distance/ ease of access for the driver/rig.
They can also be made on a trailer,using a different design to clear the wheel wells or above the wheels.... and can be offloaded onto a more permanent base foundation, and still be classified as a mobile unit. In such case it may be more efficient to build it on site. It's all about secureness distance and zoning of location.
My 3/4 ton dodge will pull 10,000 pounds traditional and 12 thou on a 5th wheel application. A trailer gets to be 10,000 pretty quick. My buddy bought a 23 ft toy.hauler that is 7600 pounds empty and dry.
Want to see the future, past or the unknown? Learn to be psychic. Ask me how!
A good time to invest in spf3000 if you live on the NK penninsula.
Oh November 17, how I fear thee...
On a side note, you might want to check out some of the biomimicry planning designs.
One, appealing to a self-sustaining/eco-friendly pool may open tax and zoning loopholes or even qualify for no-repayment grants.
Two, if you can't source enough you true preparedness-minded folks, you can get permies and environmentally conscious people. I'd write in limitations on limiting legal government rights to prevent somebody from ever restricting the annual air gun tourney in the harvested crop field, but with some exceptions, permies and homesteaders are basically preppers (with and without the guns and body armor and security focus).
Three, a lot of biomimicry city/community design includes leaving wild space. That means you'll be able to
A.) Increase naturally existing small game opportunities
B.) Create visual breaks/shields
C.) Be able to tell the next mall or developer to stuff it because your "eyesore" marsh field, duck pond, native meadow, scrub woods, dove/quail/partridge habitats, and fox/deer woods are internally (or externally, more tax breaks for the U.S. although property value can drop for habitat sustainment zoning) protected
D.) Allow you to develop slowly by creating those zones internally, thus without having to put in the entire infrastructure and arrangement or cultivated orchards at once
Just a thought I wanted to toss out there for the overall project idea or for smaller groups who are looking at individual or group-purchased and sub-leased land.