Pop Up Tear

[Guest]

I found this link while reseaching design ideas:http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/teardrop/teardropindex.html
I see that there has been some discusion going on about pop up tears. I would like to get your guys feedback on this design.

[Shrug53]

Mike and I both have given this a lot of thought and a considerable amount of thought has gone in to it. Sumners pop-up is awesome but it is done with a full steel fram construction, so it is not light and he said it involved a good deal of welding. Sadly he has no real plans as he just built it on the fly.
It has been a while since I have done any fresh design work on the pop-up, because I have not been feeling very well, but I have come up with a few great ideas.
While Sumners entire trailer is split across the middle, my latest idea involves just lifting the roof. This is kind of like the Were-Tear idea I have (see my site). If you do a design like Mike's Benroy you have a nice flat roof to work with so basically all you have to do is make a box slightly smaller than your living area. Then you can use a simple cable and pulley system to raise and lower it on heavy duty drawer slides. Because it is only 1/8" plywood, weight will not be a big issue.
The only drawback to my design is that you will not be able to enter the trailer when the top is lowered as the side wall will block the door. But then you can not get in to a pop-up when it is collapsed, so no big deal. This concept can even be applied to a traditional tear shape. I will whip up a sketch tomorrow. With this concept you can easily get a six foot high living space out of a 4 foot high trailer.

[Guest]

Shrug,
I hope you get to feeling better real soon.
I looked at Sumner's pics again and I gotta say, I am impressed with the design of his rear window. It's like a clerestory window on a split gable roof line when the top is in the raised position. I'm a glazing contractor and I must say, I've got to go with something like that! I would hope that Sumner sits down and draws a plan of his trailer at some point. I've been overloading my brain these last couple of days, taking in a multitude of different designs and accessories. I'm going to have to go back to your site and check out the Were-Tear design. I anxiously await your new sketch.
Thanks!

[Ron Dickey]

I was wondering how long it would take for this to "pop up" almost started this ideas a week a go and then thought no let's see how long before it comes around... And I see I did not have to wait long.

I was viewing the above site long a go and it is a bit heavy and does not do much for all that is put into it. But they spent long hours figuring it out and are, I am sure proud of it.

So check this one out maybe this one is more simple.


http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... ures1.html

Ron D.
Los Osos, CA

[Guest]

That's a nice one too Ron, but I think I'm hooked on Sumner's clerestory rear window system.
I also saw a tear drop that pivoted, (I can't remember where though) it looked like a PacMan getting ready to chomp a goblin when it was in the raised position. It opened like a clam shell. My kids liked that one.

[mikeschn]

Oh that's Len's teardrop...



Mike...

[Guest]

The only drawback to my design is that you will not be able to enter the trailer when the top is lowered as the side wall will block the door.

Shrug,
You could put a hinged out swing door on the section that raises. This door would have to also be hinged horizontaly across the face of the leaf, so the door could fold in half and lock into postion, to make it shorter, when the upper section is lowered. The lower section of the stationary wall would just need a door opening space in it. The only glitch I see that would need to be worked out is the door hinge jamb and strike jamb in the lower section. I seem to think that using an offset jamb permantly hinged to the lower folding section of the door, would only require attaching a few screws to lock the offset jamb and a separate offset strike into place in the lower section of the wall.
Whatca Think? (I think it would have been easier to draw a picture than use words)

Mike,
Yep, that's the one that my kids like.