Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Hey Tommy,
You are really moving along there. Glad you decided to share your build with us.
I think most of the folks here do have a sense of humor, and toilet humor... well, that's just funny sh** right there.
So, I like the window/stained glass idea. I actually made a 4' x 8' stained glass for the "Back Bar" at my house. I used a piece of frosted glass (privacy glass) and laid out patterns with a black silicone type affair to represent the lead seams, then filled those with different colors of translucent/clear type paint. It came out real nice and lets you express your artistic side. Go to an art store like Michael's and look for a "Faux Stained Glass Kit" , Walmart has some stuff.. http://www.walmart.com/ip/26003458?wmls ... 72&veh=sem
You may want to consider a sliding door for "El Bano" at some point, on the other hand you really feel like a king when you can sit on the throne and watch the wife work your "Bacon and Eggs",... just sayin'...
So, I am gonna try to make some progress on the black tank today. I need to finalize all the locations and mountings for the tank and shower/toilet combo pan and vent BEFORE I cut the holes in floor and tank and roof. Wish me luck!
You may be able to fold those legs in on the bed if you cut a semi-circle around the bolt in the 2 x 4. If you knock off the corners adjacent to the bolt hole it may pivot?
Anyways, I'm off to the shop. I'll check back with you soon.

McDave

Mcdave...brilliant on the slider. wow I never thought of that. Im gonna look into that. The vent pipe may get into the way. Maybe not!
Also I did think about how your doing your tank set up. Tank first. Grommets not spun fittings. I feel a little sick in my stomach when I think of what might happen if things don't line up. Also when I imagine going down a wash board road even slowly, those grommet fittings will move and flex which is good. My spun tight threaded fittings could crack or come loose???. Anybody PLEASE offer some advice or input on this though I am committed now to what I have. Plastic-mart 15 gallon tank with 2 spun female fittings. a 1.5 inch and the 3 inch drain.
Also very creative on the faux stained glass. I will go with translucent textured Plexiglas. Yellow or gold. I would like two round port holes app. 12-18 inches in diameter. one on the rear panel and one on the side panel. We will see though.
Good luck.

A long weekend. I through bolted it right through the floor with 6 12 inch carriage bolts. galvanized. 3/8. for better or worse that's what I did.

The hole. Seemed to line up ok.

Well waiting on the door now. Code enforcement is on me. Will have to beg for more time.

Hey Tommy,
That tank came in PDQ. It sure looks like your mock up. So, did you put any sort of rubber or foam between the floor and tank? A little something to prevent chaffing?
I am right behind you on the tank install, with a little luck maybe this week.
Here's my plan for install.
1" x 1" weather stripping around the perimeter of the top of the tank, and around the 3" pipe, and a couple strips down the center.
Ya see those flanges on the side of the tank? Those are where you want to try to hang the tank from. it's the strong point on the tank. In a perfect world the tank would sit on those supported by the frame of the trailer. Weather stripping there as well. Then you want to block both ends to stop it from moving to and fro. Im thinkin I will attach 2 x 4 right along the sides to the floor, then some angle iron with the weather strip to catch those flanges. that gives you support all the way down both sides to spread out the load. Now it cant move side to side, a couple blocks at each end and it cant move that way either. You also wont have all that stuff hanging down to get hung up.
It must be nice to live in a place where you can get 12" carriage bolts, but no way I could have "Code Enforcement" up my ass. That would escalate QUICKLY! I'll stay in Tiny Town and we'll all just mind our own business.
I'll check back with you soon,
McDave

Hello Mcdave and anybody else who may be lurking about. Yes those rails on the tank would be great for alignment and support but I did not want to bring in a welder and also wanted to be able to service this fairly easily. Very unfortunate that I could not use those rails on the tank or those trailer cross beams for support. I just could make it work that way. As it is now you grab one of the angled pieces of aluminum holding the tank up and shake the trailer with it and the tank will not budge. I will shorten up those 12 inch carriage bolts and trim up the angled aluminum for sure. The 3 inch and 1.5 inch fitting that goes through the floor also help prevent movement but of course I don't want to stress those fittings at ALL I know but its really in place solid right now. I may add a right side and front 2x4 along the tank to further prevent movement well see. any further advice or criticism is welcome.
On the vent. Drilled a hole through roof and 2x4 support brace. filled space between pipe and hole with Camco putty stuff. Squeezed out a ton of 100% silicone and then placed camco vent over pipe. Drilled holes, screwed down vent and covered vent and screws totally with silicone. Screwed on that awesome rotating venture affect thing. Rotates in the slightest breeze.
So Again I need advice. Am I ok here or should I improve things.

Yes I do believe I will further add those two 2x4 pieces as Mcdave suggested. That way there is no way it can shift. I really don't want to drop the tank to install a mat on top to prevent chaffing but had I thought of that before I would use one.
Thanks Mcdave. Good luck on you install. To bad you don't live next door. I hope my wife and I can see Montana some day. Been to Colorado. High in the rockies oh yeah

Thank you for the detailed photos and instructions on your installation! I think everything looks great.

Thank you Aggie. Looking at the pics it looks like there is room for a left side 2x4. I hope so. The back side of the tank is very close to the cross brace as you can see in one of the pics. there is only a smidgen to move until the tank would touch the frame. I don't see a concern there.

About pictures. I just want to say I do not take them to show off or what ever. But I do take many during the process and then I study them to get ideas. By posting them Here I may help somebody and if my computer crashes as it has before there is a record of my effort and progress. SO take pictures you will be glad you did for sure.

Code enforcement was very nice and said 2-3 weeks just call. Pays to be nice and respectful to authority.

More eye candy

Now look I will beef this up believe me..this was on the fly. Got to keep the momentum. Pick up the pieces later.

That's it. More tank work per Mcdaves input. Finish plumbing and electrical issues. Make that wall with slider, the out side shower inclosure..mount new door.
Later.

Great work. Looking good.

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Hey Tommy,
Now that you got that trailer about knocked out there is no excuse. Get your buns up here and lets get it started! This is a beautiful place to be, and these are your kinda people up here, so come on. We ain't getting no younger.
Listen brother, I wasn't intending to be critical of your work, I am a first timer just like you. I went back and read my post and I did pick up a hint of a** hole in there. Sorry for that, I guess my Irish was showing, again. Either that, or you've already been testing out that tank. Could go either way, just sayin'. We're all here for the same reason, cause we aren't like normal folks. I can write a check as good as anybody else, and just buy stuff like toy haulers. That's not the point. Writing checks is easy, I don't do things cause it's easy. I need the challenge and the risk, and the opportunity to overcome all the stuff that regular people are "smart" enough to avoid. It's how you separate the Alpha's from the Beta's. Just because you haven't done it before don't mean you can't, but if your too scared to even try, well, just go put on your pantys, and watch this. If your looking from the outside, the process aint' pretty. You don't want to know what goes into the sausage, but you can't get it in yer hole fast enough if you didn't have to make it. We're not like them, we stole the short bus and took it on joyride to Tiajuana, cause we can. Nuff said.
So, I think also detected a little bit of dissatisfaction in your tone as well. Like your were almost near the finish line and just wanted to get it over with. By the time you had a couple drinks and sat down for a while you already knew that you rushed it and didn't do the work that you were proud of. I know what you are capable of, you have jumped thru a lot hoops to get this far. The "kitchen episode" would have killed a "normal" person. I was really just trying to help you improve that tank situation BEFORE it had a failure. Because I respect you for what you are doing here, and I might need someone to slap me around at some point. Its probably not going to have a problem while its still nice and clean, ya know? Murphy was an Irishman...so that's one law I take serious.
Code Enforcement...that's how you keep "normal" people from wandering away from the flock. Can't have anybody getting any original thoughts.. might lose control of the sheeple, and then who would pay for Code Enforcement or Sensitivty Training or Gender Neutral Basket Weaving?
Anyways, your a rough cut, you can take it.
Rant over

McDave