Hello from Virginia Beach

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Hello from Virginia Beach

Postby windsurferdude451957 » Thu Feb 02, 2017 10:24 am

Hi, I'm new to the forum. I have a dream of building a tiny trailer that can be pulled by a Ford Escape Hybrid with a towing capacity of 1000 lbs. I am considering starting with a 5x8 aluminum trailer from Northern Tools that weighs slightly over 200 lbs. I've been searching for designs that utilize slideouts that could expand the width to around 9 feet. I'd also like to include a wet bath. I have only the most basic carpentry skills to boot. I have a ton of questions and have been cruzing all over the site. Thanks in advance for any sagely wisdom or advice you may share. Scott
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Re: Hello from Virginia Beach

Postby Aguyfromohio » Thu Feb 02, 2017 11:36 am

Nice to meet you.

Slide outs can be a bit tricky, and they add weight.
I did the engineering design for this particular slide out, the kitchen slideout on the 1996 Holiday Rambler Diesel Endeavor LE.
One important challenge is thinking through how the camper works with the slideout closed.
I doubt the cabin of a teardrop would be usable at all with the slideout closed.

For this motorhome we had only about 2 ft of dirty exterior wall inside the coach when it was closed, and we hid it cleverly against other interior walls - one dividing the kitchen from the bath, the other a little dividing wall right behind the driver seat that was there only to hide the dirty side of the slideout wall. You can do those kind of things in a 36 foot motorhome, but I don't see how in a TD.
You would likely be committed to only getting inside if you open the slideout.

Seals get pretty elaborate all around a slideout. And leaves and sticks fall onto the top of the slideout, which tear the seals and jamb it up when you close it. Notice the little awning that covers the slideout just to keep the debris off that little roof. You also need a secure latch to keep it from opening during travel. In this motorhome the electric drive for the slideout was a cogwheel engaging holes drilled into steel square tubes and you could not back-drive the gear motor.

The design and build of the slideout would probably take more time and money than the design and build of an entire traditional TD.
But never say never - I hope you pull it off and show us how you did it.

There is that one TD made in Australia called the Gidget, shown below. I've never seen in an interior photo of it with the slide closed, so I don't know how you get into the cabin with the slide closed.
It will obviously block the entry door - perhaps those big windows line up and you somehow crawl through them.

Image

Image
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Re: Hello from Virginia Beach

Postby windsurferdude451957 » Thu Feb 02, 2017 3:25 pm

Thank you! Scott
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Re: Hello from Virginia Beach

Postby Getaways » Sun Feb 05, 2017 1:13 pm

Hello from a native VA Beachian. Went to PA HS.
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Re: Hello from Virginia Beach

Postby windsurferdude451957 » Mon Feb 06, 2017 12:11 pm

Both of my kids graduated from PA. Scott
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Re: Hello from Virginia Beach

Postby G-Mac » Mon Feb 06, 2017 12:29 pm

I'm over in Hampton. God to meet you. I'm currently waiting on my TD to be delivered, but I look forward to seeing your build. Maybe we;'ll bump into one-another sometime! Good luck!
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Re: Hello from Virginia Beach

Postby Spotman » Mon Feb 06, 2017 1:57 pm

:applause: Welcome Scott. I am the Director of the Virginia Chapter of Tearjerkers (Old Dominion). You may want to jump over to that site also to check a few things out.

http://www.tearjerkers.net/new_forum/in ... 149f837bbd

We are having a Gathering in April at First Landing State park April 20-23, stop by to see some interesting trailers/campers. 8)

http://www.tearjerkers.net/new_forum/vi ... =39&t=9461

I live in Va. Beach also, near Dam Neck, in Red Mill. Anything I can help with let me know.



Bob :thumbsup:
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Re: Hello from Virginia Beach

Postby Getaways » Wed Feb 08, 2017 2:35 pm

G-Mac wrote:I'm over in Hampton. God to meet you. I'm currently waiting on my TD to be delivered, but I look forward to seeing your build. Maybe we;'ll bump into one-another sometime! Good luck!



Thought you were across the river from me on the southside. I'm in Hampton too.
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Re: Hello from Virginia Beach

Postby Phill R. » Mon May 08, 2017 6:57 am

Hey Scott,

I newish to this site too, but am in the home stretch of building a tear drop, here in Virginia Beach.

I like the thought of slide outs, I'm sure it can be done if kept simple. But two things you said in your post struck me, and I hope you don't mind me piping-up. This is my first tear drop build, and I thought about the 5 by 9 trailer, but the materials list gets complicated. The five foot dimension causes you to re-orient the classic build pattern - creating transverse seams in the middle of the long 'run' of the top, and more waste scraps.

I went with the 4 by 8.

Secondly, my 4 by 8, built-strong, is going to weigh-in at 900+ lbs, empty. Unless you take serious weight-saving measures, the empty weight of a built 5 by 9 would likely exceed your towing capacity.

Keep the dream alive, just offering some guiding thoughts.
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