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What Does Your Teardrop Trailer Weigh?

PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 8:11 am
by SteveH
Just wondering what most Tears weigh. Along with weight, it would be interesting and meaningful to also know what the size is of your Teardrop. If your Tear weighs 1500 pounds, it would help explain it if it is 6' X 10'.

Additionally, if you have a heavyweight, what do you use as a tow vehicle?

PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 8:37 am
by Arne
Here is my best guess:

h/f trailer, 250#

Each wall (which I can lift up myself (70#), so say 150#

Roof, 150#

Floor 100#

Misc, another 100#

Total, 750 pounds, plus a 10% flub factor, about 825#...

no galley, and not much inside except the mattress, some curtains, etc.

I tow it with an '02 Honda Odyssey..... I notice it being there, but it is not difficult (240 h.p.)....

PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 9:55 am
by Woody
We pull with the Odyssey 03, Did you add the Tranny cooler and brake cooler that Honda recommends,We did not have the teardrop prior to purchase so we had to add it.

PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 10:28 am
by Arne
I went to a local transmission shop. They do work on motor homes, and they had coolers in stock... they put a much larger unit in than the stock honda.

There is a honda odyssey forum which has a lot of information, including much discussion about trans coolers.... If I had time, I would have put the cooler in myself, but my time schedule was very tight on building the tear and leaving on my trip.

http://www.odyclub.com/

Installed it was $374, as a diy project, it would be under $100....

PostPosted: Sat Dec 11, 2004 12:38 am
by tdhombre
I estimate that my tear weighs in at around 800-1,000 lbs. I intend to get it weighed at a public scales when the stars get aligned and I remeber to do it. My tow vehicle is an Isuzu Hombre V6 w/4 speed and OD trans. It really is a Chevy S-10 with the extras. Works great for us. The truck box is a real benefit for the bits and pieces that makes it fun.

:)

PostPosted: Sat Dec 11, 2004 6:17 am
by sftiggee
I estimate my Camp Inn weighs about 1200 pounds loaded with all gear. The trailer is 5 ft wide and 9 ft long (not counting tongue).

I tow with a 2000 VW beetle diesel with a 4 speed auto transmission. Only modifcations i've made to the bug is adding larger injectors to give me 10 more hp and 25 more ft pounds of torque.

My bug also has a snowboard rack on it right now..poor thing gets NO rest!!!!

PostPosted: Sun Dec 12, 2004 4:07 pm
by SteveH
Thanks for everyone's inputs. I'm sort of surprized at what you are using for tow vehicles. I'm not really concerned about mine, but just wondering.

Don't know what mine will weigh, but it will be 5' X 9', sort of conventionally built with 3/4" plywood sides.

Shurely there are others on the board that know what their teardrops weigh?

PostPosted: Sun Dec 12, 2004 4:46 pm
by mikeschn
Steve...

A 5x9 with 3/4" walls sounds like it'll weigh in at about 1190#. :)

Mike...

SteveH wrote:Thanks for everyone's inputs. I'm sort of surprized at what you are using for tow vehicles. I'm not really concerned about mine, but just wondering.

Don't know what mine will weigh, but it will be 5' X 9', sort of conventionally built with 3/4" plywood sides.

Shurely there are others on the board that know what their teardrops weigh?

PostPosted: Mon Dec 13, 2004 8:34 am
by Joseph
Per the local truck scale, 620 lbs. If I fill the water tank, add another 50.

Joseph

PostPosted: Mon Dec 13, 2004 5:42 pm
by beverlyt
SteveH,
My teardrop is 4'x8'. I only have one piece of 3/4" plywood in the trailer.

Took it to the feedstore to have it weighed. Fully loaded, including all gear...battery...etc... 820 pounds, minus 3 gallons of water.
Tongue weight, 95 pounds.

I'm adding the spare tire underneath the galley, which will increase my weight abit.

Bev

PostPosted: Mon Dec 13, 2004 7:35 pm
by mexican tear
Mine will weigh way to much. It is not important as I am going to pull it with a Navigator. When I get the 49 Plymouth set up, then there may be a problem.

I can always build a new one. I have learned a lot.

kai

PostPosted: Fri May 27, 2005 4:55 am
by hammer & tongs
I aimed at 600#..but with most weighty work done(w/o the door ,windows, roof or battery) the total of left and right wheel plus hitch is 585# for this 4X8 ,MacBuilt RT 66 style camper..
Since I am planning a tongue box as well, perhaps 800# would be realistic.

PostPosted: Fri May 27, 2005 12:46 pm
by Boodro
I just had my 4x4x12 TD weighed , it has 1/2 walls with 1x2 sandwiched frame with foam , full 1 inch floor(plywood) very heavy chassis( 2x3 1/2 inch box steel., plus cabinets & finished galley & it was 1120# . The chassis was an old popup frame I got for FREE! My tounge weight is 145 # . :thumbsup:

PostPosted: Fri May 27, 2005 5:26 pm
by angib
I'll repeat what I said some time ago:

A modern (gas) Beetle is exactly the size, weight, power and torque* of a small American car of the 1950s - they looked bigger, but they weren't - least my dad's Studebaker wasn't.

Andrew

* OK, actually a little more power and a little less torque, but near enough.

PostPosted: Fri May 27, 2005 6:02 pm
by campadk
4 X 10, 735 dry, 1096lbs loaded last time I checked.