[Parking in the car]Undercover investigation! There are also manufacturers in Japan that are engaged in planning, designing, and manufacturing trailers! CROCO ART FACTORY (Part 2)

Why choose to build trailers?

He is very particular about design and technology, and he is very passionate about making things. People can't help but wonder why he chose to make trailers.

President Tokuda said: "Actually, I had no special idea about a trailer. I just wanted to make a car. But to commercialize a car, it needs to go through crash tests and multiple tests, which requires huge funds. But the funds required for a trailer are not Not as tall as a car. So I decided to create a beautiful and practical trailer.”

In this way, it seems that we can understand why it is possible to make a trailer like the Roomette that is not made of galvanized steel or reinforced plastic. Even the shadows of Roomette have been precisely calculated and designed with exquisite curves.

About CROCO ART FACTORY Roomette

Next, let the author briefly introduce Roomette.

Roomette is a trailer that will leave an impression on everyone who sees it.

The beautiful body design inspired by eggshells is made of reinforced plastic using the RTM manufacturing method. In addition to its beautiful appearance, it is also lightweight and strong, successfully creating a car body that will not corrode. The construction method and structure it adopts can also minimize the risk of "rain leakage", the enemy of the camper.

It also has a special chassis made of KNOTT parts, which has a good overall balance and can also make a high-strength, light-weight car body.

The size is divided into a short version with a total length of 4,570mm and a long version with a total length of 5,595mm. The width is 2,220mm and the height is 2,340mm.

This body height can enter a parking lot with a height limit of 2.5m. The ceiling height in the car is 1.85m, and it can stand upright in the car.

The height of the Hiace high-roof version is 2,285mm, which is 55mm different from the Roomette.

However, the cabin height of the Hiace DX is 1,635mm, and the Roomette is more than 20cm taller. And this is also the advantage of trailers.

The cabin length of the short version is 3,490mm, and that of the long version is 4,560mm.

The short version can accommodate long surfboards up to 10ft, and the long version can easily accommodate a 14ft SUP racing boat. The indoor width is 2.1m.

After actually getting into the car, I found that the short version is also very comfortable. It may be because the cabin is not high, but it doesn't look that big from the outside.

What should be mentioned here is that the total weight is controlled within 750kg and no towing license is required. (※ There are also Roomettes with a total weight exceeding 1,500kg, which require a towing license)

Can be made from scratch according to needs

There is no basic plan for the layout of the Roomette car. The interior can be made starting from whether heat-insulating materials are needed, and it has a wide range of uses.

Optional items include air conditioners (the outdoor unit can be installed on the outside frame or installed in the storage box), car side tents, ventilation fans, external power switches, etc. You can also change the position of windows and doors, and choose whether to design windows.

Of course, the windows can also be converted into store counters.

In addition to the standard single-door design, it can also be designed with a tailgate that opens at the rear.

The interior decoration can be made from scratch, and unnecessary interior decoration can be removed according to the purpose of use. It can be installed with only air conditioning, turning it into an empty and spacious room, and can also be used to place ordinary furniture and tableware.

If it is made into an office, it will also be very comfortable.

If the interior is made from scratch, there will be no problem that the design does not suit your preferences.

If a layman wants to design a car that suits his or her own preferences, it is easy for the weight balance to be improperly configured and it cannot be used as a vehicle. Leave it to professionals to create a vehicle with good weight balance and safety.

Entering the door, there is a reserved space in front of the sink, and there is a full-length mirror when you turn around.

Multifunctional wooden frame and multifunctional 20ft container trailer

In addition to manufacturing trailers, CROCO ART FACTORY also performs projects to transform 20ft containers into mobile homes and shops.

On the other hand, there is also a wooden frame that has the same size as 20ft.

Before the interview, the author always felt that renovating 20ft containers (iron containers) would be stronger and easier to construct. But this is not the case.

Although wood frame may seem simple at first glance, it is actually composed of several patent-pending technologies. It can be called a collection of CROCO ART FACTORY designs.

After interviewing and understanding the relevant description, I found that it is quite excellent in terms of design freedom, durability, comfort, ease of maintenance, and development, and is better than iron containers.

In addition, the bottleneck encountered when building a building is the "roof". The waterproofing of the roof of the campervan is also the focus of maintenance.

In the future, they will continue to develop reinforced plastic roofs that are suitable for wooden frames and have excellent waterproof properties similar to Roomette.

CROCO ART FACTORY has also developed low-trailer trucks that can load 20ft containers and wooden frames and be towed by ordinary vehicles.

Generally, if you want to move a mobile home that is the same size as a 20ft container, you need to entrust an operator.

However, as long as you have a tow truck license and a low-trailer truck and vehicle (a regular Hiace is sufficient) worth 1,320,000 yen including tax, you can move it by yourself.

Can trailers promote culture and convey dreams?

So far, we have only mentioned trailers from CROCO ART FACTORY, but in addition to trailers, the company also develops camping sites that facilitate the use of camping trailers.

In this interview, I saw many styles of trailers. The author feels that compared to owning a general vehicle + a truck and a camper, owning a general vehicle and a camper trailer is more cost-effective from an economic perspective.

This time the author also discovered cultural differences. Many European cars are manufactured with towing requirements in mind, but if Japanese cars are towed directly, the body may become skewed.

If a company that can compete with CROCO ART FACTORY emerges in the future and we work together to discuss it, Japan’s car culture should become more interesting.

Original source:[Undercover report]There was actually one in Japan! A trailer builder that handles planning, design, and manufacturing!croco art factory
Want to see more:MOBY

[Parking in the car]Undercover investigation! There are also manufacturers in Japan that are engaged in planning, designing, and manufacturing trailers! CROCO ART FACTORY (Part 1)