Jim is a professional carpenter who sold his big house of 25 years and spent two months converting a cargo trailer into a stealthy DIY tiny home on wheels — complete with an ATV winch-powered Murphy bed, five different types of wood (including veneer he had been saving for 15 years), and a rear garage with room for all of his woodworking tools. A year into nomadic life, he says he keeps asking himself why he did not make the move sooner.
Images via Tiny Home Tours
The ATV Winch Murphy Bed
The standout feature is the Murphy bed, which folds down using a repurposed ATV winch mechanism. When lowered, it reveals t-shirt cubbies along the back wall. When raised, it opens up the full living space. It is the kind of clever engineering you get when a professional carpenter builds for himself.
Images via Tiny Home Tours
Rear Garage for Tools
The rear of the trailer doubles as a workshop garage with space for Jim’s woodworking tools — because when your career is carpentry, you do not leave the tools behind just because you went tiny.
Images via Tiny Home Tours
Video Tour
Watch the full tour and interview with Tiny Home Tours to see the ATV winch Murphy bed in action and hear Jim’s story of leaving a big house for full-time cargo trailer life:
Learn More
Explore More
- Stealthy And RV-Certified 28-ft. Cargo Trailer Tiny House
- 24-ft. Cargo Trailer Turned Stealth Tiny House
- Couple’s Cargo Trailer Camper Conversion
Subscribe to our Newsletters:
Join the Tiny House Newsletter
=> tinyhousetalk.com/tinyhousenewsletter
Join The Small House Newsletter
=> tinyhousetalk.com/small-house-newsletter
Join Our Tiny Houses For Sale Newsletter
=> tinyhousetalk.com/tiny-houses-for-sale-newsletter
This post may contain affiliate links and/or sponsored content.
Natalie C. McKee
Latest posts by Natalie C. McKee (see all)
- Two Bed Two Bath 10×40 Tiny House - June 16, 2024
- Southern Heights Small House Village - June 16, 2024
- Little Italy Tiny House Community: Corcoran, CA - June 16, 2024
My house demolished built by my crippled dad I have two 50×100 lots I’m in the city I want a tiny house with bathtub/shower
What can I say…???
BEAUTIFUL WORK!!!
ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!!!
If you make it to Southern Oregon/Northern Cali… send me an email… Dinner will be on me…???
Of the many conversions that I have viewed, few if any, state the weight of the completed unit. This would be helpful to persons considering their own self conversion, in estimating if the vehicle they have will not exceed the gvwr (gross vehicle weight registration), thereby not doing drive train damage, and more importantly, not having braking ability to get stopped say…..coming down a mountain. Happy trails.
What you have done is amazing .
Jim is extremely talented. His home is so cute and looks very cozy. What more do you need? I’m very impressed!!
I was wondering, how do you get your folded t-shirts out of the cubbys when the bed is up? What keeps the mattress in place when you put it up? And since you are mobile, do you have to run everything off the generator until you get your solar set up? What do you have in mind to turn the low platform into a couch for the daytime? I think this is so cool, and I love your straight forward description, without playing with your dog and giving your life history. I think this might just be the first person I’ll ever follow. Thanks. Happy Holidays
Very nice and like my Mobil home I converted the back end which was a dog pound (used to transport Great Danes) to a comfortable cabin looking inside. Mine unit is a 1978 Wanderlodge Bluebird and not light by any means 14 ton. Completely self contained and makes the perfect small home. Jon