Break down Trailer

[Abaker50]

One more noob question for now.

Looking for info on trailer designs that can be broken down for storage. We have a postage-stamp sized suburban lot & need to come up with creative storage ideas. We MIGHT be able to get it into the space next our driveway, but it will be a very tight fit. We're also looking at making it as lightweight as possible so we'll want to get it out of the weather in the winter, when we can get some pretty heavy snow.

My current preference would be a one-piece slide out option, but DH wants to be able to break it down & store it flat.

In either case we'll want to hang it from the rafters in the garage. Since the shell will have to be super light weight for our vehicle to tow it, I don't think it will cause too much stress to the rafters.

I found this thread http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=56075, but I was wondering if there were any others. I'm not having any luck finding them.

Thanks, again
Andrea

[WizardOfOdds]

I remember a thread (a couple of years ago?) where someone built (may not have been completed) a trailer that broke down into a stack of light weight panels, all 4x8 or smaller as I recall, that he could store in his garage. I'll try to find it.

It's not exactly clear to me how much of the trailer you want to break down. So, you might want to read this related approach http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=59848.

[Abaker50]

Thanks!

To be honest, I'm not sure exactly what we're looking at either, but I think that if we can't just lift the whole shell off, we'll need to store it flat. The garage has two cars in it so it will have to be stored above them.

[Glenn Butcher]

I have a similar storage situation, so I spent some time noodling with 'dis-assemblable' designs. Some of the things that came up:

• You no longer have the 'monoque' structure of the roof glued to the walls, which give the standard TD it strength. So, my designs included at least partial end walls made of similar structure as the side walls.
• A galley should help with the first thing.
• I think you need a more substantial floor frame to provide something to attach the walls to.
• My thought on a curved roof was to mount angle trim to the sides, with the horizontal leg 'lifted' off the wall edge by about 1/8". The FRP roof would slide into these gaps. Spars mounted to the walls with angle brackets under the FRP would hold the walls apart at the right spacing. You'd have to caulk this with something you could remove at the end of the season; I also contemplated using appropriately colored duct tape, much to my wife's chagrin...

My wife ended up wanting something more substantially built, and I've just resigned myself to parking it in my garage space, so I've abandoned the break-down designs. They still intrigue me, though...

[S. Heisley]

Not to build like this fellow did; but, just for ideas, check out this thread: viewtopic.php?f=66&t=61533

[mezmo]

Check out this British design from 1939:

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/carav ... ry/caravan

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[S. Heisley]

.
You may want to watch this thread for updates, too:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=61714

[WizardOfOdds]

I must be missing something here ...

If you store the removed portion (folded or not) in the garage, where do you store the bottom (flat bed or whatever)? Or do you plan to use a folding bottom as well?

If the bottom is stored outside, why not make a top capable of the snow load, and store the folded camper in the trailer? How would this differ from a fold-down trailer, in width??

[kudzu]

The trailer base can be designed to stand on end, freeing up floor space.

[Abaker50]

I must be missing something here ...

If you store the removed portion (folded or not) in the garage, where do you store the bottom (flat bed or whatever)? Or do you plan to use a folding bottom as well?

If the bottom is stored outside, why not make a top capable of the snow load, and store the folded camper in the trailer? How would this differ from a fold-down trailer, in width??

We think we can store the flatbed on the side of the house, probably up on it's side off the ground & covered, but there just isn't room for the trailer with the shell.

Thanks for all your input - this has been hugely helpful.

Andrea

[Glenn Butcher]

We think we can store the flatbed on the sid of the house, probably up on it's side off the ground & covered, but there just isn't room for the trailer with the shell.

Thanks for all your input - this has been hugely helpful.

Andrea

I'm using the NT 40x48 trailer, and it stands on its rear end quite nicely in the garage. With the extended tongue, I'll need to move it over a bit to clear the garage door....

Yep, taking apart the walls and roof allows you to lose all of the trailer width for storage. Not counting the foundation trailer, I figured to reduce width to about a foot, two profiles w/doors + rear and front wall segments + thin roof material + spars (which I could tuck in various places). I think the challenge with such a design is coming up with make-break attachments that can be made waterproof.

A serendipitous by product of a break-down design is that fixing individual things you find or that happen over time is easier on a piece of the trailer rather than having to work with the whole unit. For example, if you have a place where water does gather and it rots, it's easier to rebuild just the affected component than to have to chisel out the rot from the whole trailer box. Also, dis-assembly every year allows more opportunity for such places to dry out.

Cripes, I'm talking myself back into doing such a trailer...

[Abaker50]

I'm using the NT 40x48 trailer, and it stands on its rear end quite nicely in the garage. With the extended tongue, I'll need to move it over a bit to clear the garage door....

Yep, taking apart the walls and roof allows you to lose all of the trailer width for storage. Not counting the foundation trailer, I figured to reduce width to about a foot, two profiles w/doors + rear and front wall segments + thin roof material + spars (which I could tuck in various places). I think the challenge with such a design is coming up with make-break attachments that can be made waterproof.

A serendipitous by product of a break-down design is that fixing individual things you find or that happen over time is easier on a piece of the trailer rather than having to work with the whole unit. For example, if you have a place where water does gather and it rots, it's easier to rebuild just the affected component than to have to chisel out the rot from the whole trailer box. Also, dis-assembly every year allows more opportunity for such places to dry out.

Cripes, I'm talking myself back into doing such a trailer...

You make some really good points that I hadn't even considered. I've been wondering about using aluminum trim or flashing or something like that for lightweight reinforcement at the corners. Not sure that will be enough for waterproofing though - I wonder if we could do something with weatherstripping.

Really appreciated reading about your experience with the CO DMV, since that's in my future as well.

-Andrea

[mezmo]

Here's a French folding camper, the Rapido, that's no longer made, but has a
cult following. One of the most ingenious designs I've ever come across.

http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=51027

The NZ Trade Me link is no longer valid. I use Chrome for a browser so
it will translate pages if needed.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[Abaker50]

That's very cool - one of the best designs I've seen. I think we're gravitating toward a simplified version of the Rapido - More compact & strong enough to be towed without being broken down. We need breakdown for long-term storage in between uses. I'm no more excited than anyone else about set up at the campsite.

Thanks
Andrea