Hello, I'm about to embark on a journey of a teardrop (or box style) trailer. I live in the Midwest and have an LX470 currently with a rooftop tent on it. I have three small kids 7,4, and 1, so 5 of us total. We love to go dispersed camping and off roading. The muggy Midwest heat (need AC), set up time, more security in wind/storms, and our growing family are all reasons I have to do something with a trailer. I would love to buy a Colorado teardrops summit (https://coloradoteardropcamper.com/summit/) but I cannot afford it and I do have welding and fabrication skills, so I think I'm going to build something like it. I also love this trailer built by someone on here but it might be a little bit big (viewtopic.php?f=50&t=66631). The idea is to build something that has bunkbeds in the front that convert into a couch and one more bed in the rear with cabinets at the top. Looking to do Timbren axles with 33s to match the rig. Here are some questions that I have initially.
It seems most people build a 5' wide trailer, there are a few 6 foot wide. Is that too wide? Especially to maneuver off road or is it ok?
I can weld aluminum, and put it on top of a steel frame (like the Summit). Is that worth it? or necessary to is it a lot easier to build with plywood? Will plywood last a really long time? Pros/Cons?
Time is always limited with having kids, wondering if I should convert a utility trailer?
I guess I just need a little direction lol. Thanks
First post and questions about an off road trailer.
4 posts
• Page 1 of 1
First post and questions about an off road trailer.
by wsudu » Fri Aug 30, 2019 7:43 pm
- wsudu
- Teardrop Inspector
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Sun Aug 25, 2019 3:44 am
Re: First post and questions about an off road trailer.
by Squigie » Fri Aug 30, 2019 10:15 pm
Preface: I have not yet built a trailer. I've been planning for years, sketching for just as long, and only seriously working out the design over the last month or so. But, I feel like responding.
Width: Most people go to a 5-foot wide trailer for bed size. With a 4-foot cabin, you're down to only 44-46" usable width for sleeping area for two people - or a bunk that even most 7 year-olds can't stretch out across. That's too close for comfort, for a lot of adults. (Including myself.) 5 feet results in a cabin interior width somewhere between 54-58.5", depending upon wall construction. That's full a size mattress, approaching queen size width. Much better.
Six feet is even better. But then you're pushing your wheels out to 90+ inches of total width, unless you want wheel wells/tubs intruding into the sleeping area.
Whether or not anything is too wide for off road use is a call that you'll have to make. 5-foot cabin widths seem to be most common. Most people want the trailer to be no wider than their rig (myself included). Where I go, I want the trailer to be no wider than my Ranger (71") or, if I have to compromise a bit, no wider than the mirrors (I set this limit a bit narrower, at 78"). Since I don't want to be sleeping on wheel tubs or increasing the center of gravity by raising the bed above the wheel tubs - which requires adding height to keep cabinets high enough off the bed - I found myself settling on a 60" wide cabin (exterior). (Planned wall construction will cut that to 57-8" interior width, depending upon how I mount the walls to the floor.) With a 60" wide cabin, I can deal with about 4" of wheel tub intrusion into the knee area of my bed, or push the wheels out to 78" and have a bed clear of obstacles.
But there's still more to consider for width...
Weight.
These are my "rules of thumb" based on posts that I've studied on these very forums, and are rough ballpark figures. They are certainly not 100% accurate. But I keep them in mind any time I think, "Hey, why don't I just add another six inches on the back and add a little more head room?..."
Your basic 4'x4'x8' teardrop will weigh about 800 lbs. This is your basic unit.
Each foot of length adds about 100 lbs (or more).
Each foot of width adds about 150 lbs.
Each foot of height adds 100-200 lbs.
(Most of these estimates are exaggerated. It helps me look at "worst case" when thinking about the weight penalty while I design.)
It's really easy to get a "light" figure stuck in your head for weight and think, "I'll just add another foot up front for an electronics cabinet," and, "I'll stretch the rear by another foot so I can throw my big cooler in," and, "the ceiling seems low, I should stretch that by another foot," and, "Oh, I forgot to make room for a battery compartment..." Before you know it, you've got a "teardrop" trailer that was supposed to weigh 800 lbs, but will be lucky to come in at 2,000 lbs (empty) and is larger than a fully-setup tent trailer.
Metal:
If you have the skill, ability, and equipment to build the skeleton out of aluminum, do it!
I was of much the same mindset (with a steel frame) for years with my trailer desires. Properly designed, even a steel skeleton should be lighter than solid plywood construction. I'm a metal guy. I'd much rather work with steel, in particular, than wood. The biggest reasons why I got away from that idea, however, were:
1. I don't have a tubing bender, don't have the budget to buy what I want, and don't have anyone to borrow one from. My designs all have long curves. There was no way I was going to spend hours with a torch, heat-bending all of the tubing. ...And then spending another week fine-tuning and getting the minor kinks out. So, I decided to go with sandwiched plywood construction with dadoed joints where other boards meet the walls.
2. I found a place with a CNC router that can handle in excess of 6' width and 20' length work pieces. Since I suck with a router (and both of my routers are crap), this presents the opportunity to not make mistakes myself, send off CAD files and get back a teardrop trailer "kit" of my design - saving me dozens and dozens of hours of my time - and being able to identify any mistakes, tell someone else to "fix it", and walk away until the new part is ready.
Whether steel, aluminum, or wood, a trailer will only last as long as it's properly sealed and maintained. My own experience with other trailers/RVs, however, does knock steel framing down below the rest for hidden damage. It's much easier for a leaky wall to go unnoticed while it rots away the steel frame, than it is with wood that will swell, stain, and give indications of a problem.
If you convert a cargo trailer, you can always gut it and turn it back into a cargo trailer once the kids are too big for their bunks...
Most cargo trailers don't really fit the "off road" scheme, though.
Width: Most people go to a 5-foot wide trailer for bed size. With a 4-foot cabin, you're down to only 44-46" usable width for sleeping area for two people - or a bunk that even most 7 year-olds can't stretch out across. That's too close for comfort, for a lot of adults. (Including myself.) 5 feet results in a cabin interior width somewhere between 54-58.5", depending upon wall construction. That's full a size mattress, approaching queen size width. Much better.
Six feet is even better. But then you're pushing your wheels out to 90+ inches of total width, unless you want wheel wells/tubs intruding into the sleeping area.
Whether or not anything is too wide for off road use is a call that you'll have to make. 5-foot cabin widths seem to be most common. Most people want the trailer to be no wider than their rig (myself included). Where I go, I want the trailer to be no wider than my Ranger (71") or, if I have to compromise a bit, no wider than the mirrors (I set this limit a bit narrower, at 78"). Since I don't want to be sleeping on wheel tubs or increasing the center of gravity by raising the bed above the wheel tubs - which requires adding height to keep cabinets high enough off the bed - I found myself settling on a 60" wide cabin (exterior). (Planned wall construction will cut that to 57-8" interior width, depending upon how I mount the walls to the floor.) With a 60" wide cabin, I can deal with about 4" of wheel tub intrusion into the knee area of my bed, or push the wheels out to 78" and have a bed clear of obstacles.
But there's still more to consider for width...
Weight.
These are my "rules of thumb" based on posts that I've studied on these very forums, and are rough ballpark figures. They are certainly not 100% accurate. But I keep them in mind any time I think, "Hey, why don't I just add another six inches on the back and add a little more head room?..."
Your basic 4'x4'x8' teardrop will weigh about 800 lbs. This is your basic unit.
Each foot of length adds about 100 lbs (or more).
Each foot of width adds about 150 lbs.
Each foot of height adds 100-200 lbs.
(Most of these estimates are exaggerated. It helps me look at "worst case" when thinking about the weight penalty while I design.)
It's really easy to get a "light" figure stuck in your head for weight and think, "I'll just add another foot up front for an electronics cabinet," and, "I'll stretch the rear by another foot so I can throw my big cooler in," and, "the ceiling seems low, I should stretch that by another foot," and, "Oh, I forgot to make room for a battery compartment..." Before you know it, you've got a "teardrop" trailer that was supposed to weigh 800 lbs, but will be lucky to come in at 2,000 lbs (empty) and is larger than a fully-setup tent trailer.
Metal:
If you have the skill, ability, and equipment to build the skeleton out of aluminum, do it!
I was of much the same mindset (with a steel frame) for years with my trailer desires. Properly designed, even a steel skeleton should be lighter than solid plywood construction. I'm a metal guy. I'd much rather work with steel, in particular, than wood. The biggest reasons why I got away from that idea, however, were:
1. I don't have a tubing bender, don't have the budget to buy what I want, and don't have anyone to borrow one from. My designs all have long curves. There was no way I was going to spend hours with a torch, heat-bending all of the tubing. ...And then spending another week fine-tuning and getting the minor kinks out. So, I decided to go with sandwiched plywood construction with dadoed joints where other boards meet the walls.
2. I found a place with a CNC router that can handle in excess of 6' width and 20' length work pieces. Since I suck with a router (and both of my routers are crap), this presents the opportunity to not make mistakes myself, send off CAD files and get back a teardrop trailer "kit" of my design - saving me dozens and dozens of hours of my time - and being able to identify any mistakes, tell someone else to "fix it", and walk away until the new part is ready.
Whether steel, aluminum, or wood, a trailer will only last as long as it's properly sealed and maintained. My own experience with other trailers/RVs, however, does knock steel framing down below the rest for hidden damage. It's much easier for a leaky wall to go unnoticed while it rots away the steel frame, than it is with wood that will swell, stain, and give indications of a problem.
If you convert a cargo trailer, you can always gut it and turn it back into a cargo trailer once the kids are too big for their bunks...
Most cargo trailers don't really fit the "off road" scheme, though.
-
Squigie - The 300 Club
- Posts: 403
- Joined: Sun Aug 04, 2019 7:52 am
- Location: Southeastern ID
