How tall is too tall

[greenchicken]

I plan my TD to be 5 feet tall.
I plan to have sub-floor storage, so let just say 6 feet tall.
Let's add one more foot for the wheel.

So a total height from road it 7 feet.

Is that too tall?

[tony.latham]

The interior of ours is 46” and we think it’s about right. On chilly nights your heat will be a long ways from where your at.

And that height puts it in the slipstream of our tow vehicle.

I don’t know what we’d do with another foot up there. You might do a cardboard cutout and sit down next to it.

T

[halfdome, Danny]

I plan my TD to be 5 feet tall.
I plan to have sub-floor storage, so let just say 6 feet tall.
Let's add one more foot for the wheel.

So a total height from road it 7 feet.

Is that too tall?

You're talking 7ft or 84"?
Most residential garage doors, when open, measure somewhere around 82".
Are you going to build it in a garage, store it in a garage ?
Will you be removing the wheels to free it from a garage with a dolly of some sort.

How tall is your tow vehicle in relation to the TD?
Is there enough horsepower and weight from the tow vehicle to pull it?
How flat will the front of your TD will to be to resist freeway driven wind and rain and cause possible stability problems?

For aesthetic considerations, how long will the TD be in relation to the height and width ?

These and maybe other questions will need to be answered by you.
Good luck with your build, Danny

[greenchicken]

Thanks. So 5 feet total hight from ground?

[halfdome, Danny]

our teardrop in the signature photos is about 67" (5' 7") tall.
Depends on your profile and wheel size.
I run 15 inch wheels.
Danny

[Andrew Herrick]

I've built several 5-ft and 5.5-ft tall teardrops. A 5-ft tall cabin, I mean. I don't do it much anymore.

5-ft doesn't get you much more usable interior space unless you plan to put in a dropfloor compartment and/or a convertible dinette. It's also a challenge to design a teardrop kitchen galley where you can easily access the top shelves of a 5-ft tall cabin. You lose fuel efficiency AND OFTENTIMES the ability to park in a standard garage or parking garage. Yikes. With a 4-ft cabin, you can add a roof fan and cargo rack, and you'll usually be able to park where you want. You lose that with a 5-ft cabin. Plus, you have to get on your knees to turn off ceiling lights or the ceiling fan.

The perks? A bit more interior storage and the capacity for a much larger entry door - which is pretty awesome, I admit. You'll have fewer bruises on your crown.

I think they can work for some people. You just have to be aware what you're sacrificing.

[GPW]

After one of the members had a blow over in a too tall trailer ( and in a terrible crosswind) , the Foamie guys decided it was a good rule not to build taller than your wheel width …

[Andrew Herrick]

After one of the members had a blow over in a too tall trailer ( and in a terrible crosswind) , the Foamie guys decided it was a good rule not to build taller than your wheel width …

Sounds like a solid rule of thumb. I'm not telling you anything you don't already know, GPW, but for anyone else interested: You can adjust that rule of thumb based upon the vertical center of gravity of your trailer. A lightweight camper shell built upon a heavy-duty steel frame with underslung water tanks and trailer accessories will survive stronger winds than, say, a wood-framed camper built on a HF/NT trailer with a cargo rack on top. The more weight towards the bottom and center of your camper, the safer in crosswinds you'll be.

[working on it]

After one of the members had a blow over in a too tall trailer ( and in a terrible crosswind) , the Foamie guys decided it was a good rule not to build taller than your wheel width …

You're talking 7ft or 84"?
Most residential garage doors, when open, measure somewhere around 82".
Are you going to build it in a garage, store it in a garage ?
Will you be removing the wheels to free it from a garage with a dolly of some sort.

How tall is your tow vehicle in relation to the TD?
Is there enough horsepower and weight from the tow vehicle to pull it?
How flat will the front of your TD will to be to resist freeway driven wind and rain and cause possible stability problems?

For aesthetic considerations, how long will the TD be in relation to the height and width ?

I built a squareback TTT a few years ago, on a modified junk frame, to fit mine (and the wife's) minimal requirements for a semi-offroad trailer. Small, but packed with necessities?, it was just right for me (the wife never used it) at that time. The short-ish 46.5" inside was ok for me then, but now I wish it had been a foot taller (and two feet longer) so that now at 68, I could enter/exit it easier. In retrospect, I would've made it longer, but I still would've had to keep it at 4' tall (above the 24.5" floor height).

The 4x8, all 3/4" plywood trailer is shorter in length & taller in height (144" from coupler to rear, 72" tall at roofline + 8" with 6" diameter fishing gear tube on top - total height is 80") than some others I've seen, but sized to fit into its' own garage bay for storage. Barely. The garage bay opening is 84" high by 96" wide, and the trailer clears the opening by 4" on top and 6" per side (fender-to-fender width is 84"). There's room enough for it, and working space to spare, but it's as big as could fit inside, IMHO, so that's one of the reasons why I built a 4x8 in the first place.

Though the trailer height (with rooftop tube mounted) is the same as the width (outside edge of fenders/tires) at 74" each, and the profile is angular and not really aerodynamic, I have no worries about tip-over in wind or during high-speed travel, because

• 1)the trailer has its' center of gravity barely above the frame, and forward of the axle,
• 2) heavy relative mass for its' size (2065 lbs total weight/260+ lbs tongue wt.),
• 3) Weight Distribution hitch provides sufficient downforce to stabilize it onroad, and
• 4) is towed by a 2500HD Chevy pickup, with over-capability to tow it.

Another item to consider is the trailer suspension. Weak springs (leaf or torsion) can contribute to sway and instability when travelling, as can over/under-inflated tires, or uncontrolled suspension action (bounce or sway). Depending on your preference for type of ride quality, adjusting components to match road or weather conditions may be required to ensure stability. On my trailer, the 3500 lb leaf-spring axle with 3000 lb springs is controlled by active bumpstops to absorb excessive movement, and since axle/springs/14" all-terrain LT tires are under-stressed (even carrying 2000 lbs of loading), I foresee no adverse conditions to cause tip-over or sway. And I've road-tested it, while trying to induce instability, with none experienced.

While my 4x8 is short & squat

squat.png (78.94 KiB) Viewed 1395 times

and un-aesthetically appealing (except to myself), it has been purpose-built and massaged to address faults after each trip, so that it is safe to tow anywhere, and capable of handling conditions greater/harsher than I will probably ever expose it to. On anyone's build, aim for a goal, and adjust and improvise to reach it, as needed.

[GPW]

Andrew, when we originally confronted the problem, Foamies being so light and all , it was suggested we bring along 500lb. of Beer as “Ballast" … To keep the Center of Gravity low …

Here’s a pic of Catherine’s trailer , the one that got blown over … Result was a bent coupler, front frame twist ( the usual ) and a slight scuffing of the covering on the foam … That tall on a narrow frame . For those inclined , you can read about it here… viewtopic.php?f=55&t=44431

[Woodbutcher]

I have made both a 5' and a 4' high teardrop. Both were fine. I would not go any higher with a teardrop shape, just because I think you lose the esthetics of a teardrop. With that said my new trailer is 6'2" high, ( not teardrop shaped ) from the inside of the drop floor to the underside of the ceiling. I can now stand and put my pants on. Yippee Life is good!

[S. Heisley]

Something that I don't think I've seen mentioned is that, if you want to store your trailer in the garage and you want a vent on the roof, remember to allow for that, too.