Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Here's another possibility regarding the trailer and registration. I am not recommending this but I may or may not have used this in the past.



1. Build the trailer configuration as you would like using the components that you like.
2. Wait for the cheapest street-legal with registration paperwork HF or NT bolt together trailer to go on sale and purchase the trailer.
3. Incorporate a portion of the purchased trailer in your custom built trailer and attach the VIN sticker from the purchased trailer to the custom built trailer.
4. Use the registration paperwork from the purchased trailer to register the custom built trailer.

Tom

That's certainly an option...

And here's another option!



Mike...

Dedicated ballast might only be required when the camper is a combination of too tall and too narrow (... or if you are particularly thirsty!). If the camper is not too tall/narrow then the floor types that we have been discussing will naturally be heavy enough.

Although I went to the trouble of making a "torque box" style built up floor, even using light weight cedar, 1-1/2 thk foam and 5 mm ply both sides, it still was about the same estimated weight as if I had done a single 3/4 ply. The difference is in the rigidity and insulation (both sound and thermal) properties.

Just thinking , this trailer you might have to throw a little Money at , but not near what a commercial unit would cost ... getting the right trailer , designed specifically for the job would make the rest of the building simple and you could use any floor you wanted ... A custom trailer won’t cost that much if you do the grunt work , then all it needs is welding , chipping and paint ...
Properly done a Foamie trailer should last a long time , so it would be a long term investment...

KC , remember when it was required to carry 500 lb. of ballast ( BEER) so the foam trailer wouldn’t just float away in the breeze...

I don't know if such plan idea was ever discussed, it just appeared to me if the table top is turned 90 degrees for dinette, day position then it creates more space inside compact design trailer. Then the dinette becomes easier accesible, provides 1-2 feet more space in the kitchen area to move around, it's kind of an L-shape. See the sketchup snapshot below. What do you all think? Dimensions are similar to Compact3 trailer floor plan.

Here’s an idea (no drawing needed ) make the trailer empty , make the furniture/cabinets ... put the furniture /cabinets in the TD ( unattached ) and move them around to see how it “feels” with different configurations .. ? Find something you like , Glue it in !!!

Actually that would work for certain parts...

I'm thinking about limiting the trailer to 10' long. I would let 4 or 5 feet or so hang out over the back end of the trailer, and that would be where the bed would have to go. Think about the back end of a T@B, something similar to that.

The I could let a foot or two hang out over the front of the trailer.

Then all the furniture could be re-arranged except for the bed.

And depending on what ended up being the best floor pattern, I can only hope that the door is in the right place!

Mike...

Wouldn't that put your axle to far forward?


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Gary,

The axle would have to be moved rearward, quite possibly almost to the end of the chassis. It would end up being similar to a T@B frame, but rectangular instead of triangular.



Mike...

RAYVILLIAN wrote:Wouldn't that put your axle to far forward?


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Okay, so I started playing with the outside profile... It's real rough, and I see some problem areas, and the curve isn't exactly what I had in mind, but I'll keep working on it...

The main thing I wanted to find out is if I can do a swoop under the bed, and end up with a chassis that is only 10 ft long. So that's what you're looking at is a 10' long chassis, and a 15' body.







Mike...

Mike, what is your plan for stabilizing jacks placement and how will they provide good stability with the bed in the back?

That potty ??? Will be "fun" to cut a compound curve to match the wall and roof ... Why not just use a curtain and jam that small potty up in the corner, maybe with a cover that would function as a seat or small table ( slide out potty ? ) ... With that you could turn the diner 90 degrees and lose some of the excess trailer length ...

GPW wrote:That potty ??? Will be "fun" to cut a compound curve to match the wall and roof ... Why not just use a curtain and jam that small potty up in the corner, maybe with a cover that would function as a seat or small table ( slide out potty ? ) ... With that you could turn the diner 90 degrees and lose some of the excess trailer length ...

Yes Mike, I know you said that this is very preliminary, but are you going to optimize the floor plan length at some point too or you like it being longer like that? What I am trying to ask is: have you decided on sleeping, sitting, potty etc. requirements, like what will be the scope for this trailer project, or it is not decided at this point.

OP827,

Ah, the scope! As this project is in it's infancy, and I have almost a year to figure out stuff, things are wide open.
The starting point is:
What can we live in for 6 weeks?
What is really light to tow?
It's gotta have a porta potty.
The wife likes to have a TV
I like to have a place to set up the laptop
And we have to be able to cook inside in case of rain
2 mini schnauzers can navigate the interior without getting hurt

I could cheat and get a Casita, but what's the fun in that?

As to your eariler question regarding stablizers, the plan has always been to have 4. I didn't look real close but I'm guessing I can add a couple BAL stabilizers across one of the under bed spars. I would have to make the spar a 2x4 rather than a 1x2. That was a really good question! Keep em coming!

Mike...

OP827 wrote:

GPW wrote:That potty ??? Will be "fun" to cut a compound curve to match the wall and roof ... Why not just use a curtain and jam that small potty up in the corner, maybe with a cover that would function as a seat or small table ( slide out potty ? ) ... With that you could turn the diner 90 degrees and lose some of the excess trailer length ...

Yes Mike, I know you said that this is very preliminary, but are you going to optimize the floor plan length at some point too or you like it being longer like that? What I am trying to ask is: have you decided on sleeping, sitting, potty etc. requirements, like what will be the scope for this trailer project, or it is not decided at this point.

Would be that 6 weeks off grid ? Or where there are “facilities “ ??? That would determine a lot eh?