Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

lrrowe, Howdy;

Mine weighs in at (about), 3149#'s empty and has a gross of 5200#'s.
So, I'm at close to 60% as is ... I intend to keep things fairly 'Basic",
kind of like Gonefishing has done with his. Bed along the side, counter
and shelf unit in front, some storage under the bed and a table/shelf
along the side opposite of the bed for reading or fly tying, & eating inside
when the weather turns bad. Some coolers for drinks and food, a few 6 gal.
water jugs what more could I need... of course the rods, reels and other
assorted fishing paraphernalia ...

hank

abqlloyd wrote:I've tested the HF against a Fluke and it was amazingly close and a fraction of the cost.

Thanks abqlloyd,
I was going to gamble on their being fine for my application which is pretty much to work on heat/cooling issues for my CT.
So I will get one on my next trip to the big city.

OverTheTopCargoTrailer wrote:Bob

Don't worry torsion are 10,000 times better then springs, you can't even compare day & night.
mine rides great when empty,
But ride is sweetest at 70-80% load.

Cheers OTTCT

Thanks Jerry,
I think with my rough estimate that I could get to the 70% range (not that 70% is my goal mind you). So if I live right, I will be ok. But until then, I will be nervous.

Hank, then I should be somewhere in the same ballpark as you weight wise. It is interesting that your axle is rated for 5200lbs and mine will only be 5000 lbs. I wonder if this means that springs have a higher capacity then torsion axles.

lrrowe, Howdy;

My axles are Dexters, don't know if yours are or not, here's a link to Dexter's Home Page.
http://www.dexteraxle.com/home_
Literature, is a good starting place for some reading.

hank

I will look at it here shortly. Yes mine will be Desters.

I finally made my trip to the Car Mate's manufacturing location in NW PA and picked up my 6 x 14 trailer. Now I must finish a few home tasks before I can start my work on it,

Here is the truck and trailer at the manufacturer's parking lot.


6 x 14
5000 lb axle, Never Adjust Brakes, EZ Lube
Dexter Torsion at neg. 22.5 degrees
Extra 6 in height
Barn Doors
Silver color
Plywood on outside

Another views with Side RV and Screen Door.




4 Inch Frame


Had the door Sill Plate raised 1 5/8 inch so I could add 1 inch insulation with sleepers, 5/8 inch top floor.


Shot from underneath. 6000 lb Dexter Axle rated at 5000 lb. Great ground clearnance.
Ride home was very smooth with almost no bouncing.
Neg. 22.5 degrees gave me two more inches in ground clearance. Side benefit to me will be to look at gray water tanks as I now have the room.


Looking in from Back.
Now I do not have to remove the internal paneling which would be one heck of a mess as CM glues and screws the panels to the uprights.
It will also speed up the process.


Spare Tire
225 D's which support the 5000 lb rating.
Goodyear Marathon's, not Chineese Brand. (but who knows, could be made in China).




Shot of Assembly area. Very neat and organized. Used latest techniques for inventory management and material flow.
I was impressed by employees and their attitudes. All seemed friendly and enjoyed their work. To me that is important because it should reflect in their work.






No matter how good you think things are, there are always problems. I found several things I wish were done better, but they were minor and I can move beyond them pretty easily and quickly.

As mentioned, future posts will be on a new thread where I can capture my progress.....Hmmm what is my project's new name?

Because you have a CarMate


How about OTTCT Jr

Congratulations on a nice trailer! Really looking forward to seeing your build progress.

REALLY nice looking trailer.




Bob

Thanks Cindy and Bob,
Now the pressure is really on. Between house jobs, fishing, deer scouting and hunting, part time working, pistol competition shoots, weddings, wine tasting clubs, wine country bus trips, senior hiking trips, doctor appointments, fall community events and a large list of other things to do, I am going to get stressed if I do not start it soon and stressed when I am in the middle of the work and something else pops up.

I cannot understand the folks who retire and say they have nothing to do.

Rainier70 wrote:Congratulations on a nice trailer! Really looking forward to seeing your build progress.

Cindy, I crawled under the trailer yesterday and see how easy it will be to add the insulation there like you did. In addition to what I am going to add to the inside, I will add it underneath also like yours.

lrrowe, Howdy;

Very nice looking trailer you bought yourself... Looking forward to
seeing what you do with it. ,

hank

Thanks Hank.
I am anxious to get going. On orders from the boss, I must finish a house project first. Then I take a wine bus tour trip tomorrow to many winery's. Can't ignore that one. Then some other stuff to do this week. Then next week I'll start to cut those dreaded holes in the top and side.

lrrowe wrote:
Cindy, I crawled under the trailer yesterday and see how easy it will be to add the insulation there like you did. In addition to what I am going to add to the inside, I will add it underneath also like yours.

Don't waste your time insulating under the trailer - just do 2" on the inside floor. Spray the underside ASAP with about 10 cans of undercoating on all the metal for zero rust.

Bob,

Fantastic trailer! I know your proud and deserve to be. I will be very interested to follow your build.

Take care,
Tom