A Teardrop Wreck! Ouch.

[Tony Latham]

I built a teardrop for my sister and her husband eleven years ago. This summer, while they were towing, it was rear-ended. The collision bent the tongue and axle and damaged the hatch.

This morning, I did a necropsy. There's no structural damage to the hatch, which I'll use as evidence for my advocacy on the way hatches should be built.

These bolts held the handle in place. You can see the T-nuts where they went. That spar (popular) is undamaged.

Here you can see how the hatch was constructed. You'll have to look close to see the hatch ends that were cut from the wall.

I'll have to replace the 1/8" Baltic on both sides and replace the aluminum, and she'll be good to go.

Tony

 

[Tom&Shelly]

Wow! Glad to see it isn't more serious.

Tom

 

[TimC-TNT]

If anyone can make that TD new again it's Tony L!

 

[rjgimp]

Any idea what the speed might have been at impact?

 

[Tony Latham]

If anyone can make that TD new again it's Tony L!

Thanks. It's labor-intensive, taking off the 1/8" Baltic, but it reinforces my belief in Loctite's PL3 adhesive that I used.

None of the spars–even with a direct impact to the grab handle that was bolted to one–or the joinery was damaged. I think a major reason is that the hatch was built as a torsion box with sheathing on both sides.

Well worth the 5 pounds that the internal sheathing adds.

Tony