The Tiny Tillson Teardrop Trailer (T4)

[Greg M-TNT]

Time to update your location to “Back in Beautiful Oregon”
Welcome home, glad to see you back at it.

 

[BLTillson]

Time to update your location to “Back in Beautiful Oregon”
Welcome home, glad to see you back at it.

Oh! Thank you. I missed that in the morass of moving tasks.

 

[BLTillson]

Moving, Migraines & Mold!

Greeting teardrop community. I am seeing with greater clarity what a labor of love a teardrop trailer can be. It has a unique place in homemade projects because of what it represents, the freedom of the road in a custom made travel trailer, a bedroom and kitchen on wheels and the road ahead.

As I previously posted, last may we moved from San Diego back to our original town in Oregon. The move was very hard on my wife and I. My wife with her back issues and me with chronic migraines and frequent headaches were exacerbated by the massing amount of work that a move is. It took me nine months to finally have a breakthrough with my constant headaches, back and neck issues to be able to start up work on the teardrop.

The first issue I ran into was mold. I had started my project in sunny and dry southern California. After moving to Oregon I put my trailer in its carport but it was no longer wrapped in plastic in hopes I would work on it soon. The months rolled by as we were busy getting back into our life in Oregon. The medical issues also kept me from even thinking about working on the trailer. When I did go out to check on it last month I was shocked and my heart sunk to find that all the exposed wood was covered in a greyish/greenish mold, or mildew. So rather than moving forward I had to clean the mold off and put a mold resistant primer on the whole thing. (See pictures). This ruled out having the interior staying wood because the mold had robbed the wood of its beauty. Since the outside was going to be PMF anyway there was no loss there. That is what the mold resistant primer was for in the first place.

The great news is that though medicine and an exercise routine I have been starting to have better days and I am very happy to be working in the teardrop again. We have late spring as a target for getting it done and then a long trip to Idaho where we hope to move next year. OK, on to the pictures.

This is the trailer with the finished primer coat.

I used; Kilz Mold & Mildew Primer Sealer & Stain Blocker, Interior & Exterior

 

[BLTillson]

Progress was made toward getting the electrical system installation started.
I was working on solving the challenge of getting electrical from the tongue box into the front wall and then up to where the interior panel will be with the fuses, solar controller, charge selector and usage meter.

I have plans for most of the trailer that I made, however like this challenge, I did not engineer every aspect of its construction. This is where custom really takes on a more vital meaning.

It's good to be back at work. Pray that my health holds.

 

[BLTillson]

One more pic.

Here is my new workspace. Still no garage and now, no sold driveway. My driveway here in Oregon is gravel.

 

[KCStudly]

I suggest that you leave the tent flaps open as much as the weather allows. That type of instant shelter will pull moisture up out of the ground and trap it inside.

 

[BLTillson]

I suggest that you leave the tent flaps open as much as the weather allows. That type of instant shelter will pull moisture up out of the ground and trap it inside.

Unfortunately that is difficult both for security and the fact that it rains 5 out of 7 days here in Oregon this time of year. However, I do appreciate the suggestion. Perhaps I can setup some kind of vent system. My other hope is that this is the final push to get this project finished for spring.

 

[BLTillson]

I got this far yesterday.

 

[Tony Latham]

On the electrical side of things...

The only thing I caught was no disconnect between your panel and the controller. Without that, if you disconnect your battery, you can damage some controllers. Certainly my Renogy works that way.

Tony

 

[BLTillson]

On the electrical side of things...

The only thing I caught was no disconnect between your panel and the controller. Without that, if you disconnect your battery, you can damage some controllers. Certainly my Renogy works that way.

Tony

Right, thanks, I think we talked about that before. I will take a look and make sure I make the appropriate changes. I had read in other placed that the Renogy was susceptible to that kind of damage.

 

[BLTillson]

On the electrical side of things...

The only thing I caught was no disconnect between your panel and the controller. Without that, if you disconnect your battery, you can damage some controllers. Certainly my Renogy works that way.

Tony

Tony, I was looking into what you said and reviewing the thread from my posting in electrical questions and I think I am covered. I have the rotary switch that isolates the charge input between solar, shore and vehicle. The only instance where I see an issue is if the battery is disconnected while the rotary switch is set to solar charge. This is a rare event and I would need to turn the rotary to the off position before disconnecting the batterie(s). A simple warning note in the battery box would avoid that situation. Am I seeing this right?

 

[BLTillson]

A little progress note and picture. I am getting ready to order the water tank from Plastic-Mart. I had been holding off being that it was a fairly expensive item. Oops, it's $20 more than when I first decided on this tank. It was special because I had little space for it, only 5" deep. I found a 35" x 19 1/2" x 4 3/4" fresh water tank. That is 11 gallons. Since we will not be doing much boondocking this will be enough. We also have a little Berkey that will filter any additional water we need. I finally got the plans looking good and have the pipes routed and protected.

 

[S. Heisley]

A little progress note and picture. I am getting ready to order the water tank from Plastic-Mart. I had been holding off being that it was a fairly expensive item. Oops, it's $20 more than when I first decided on this tank. It was special because I had little space for it, only 5" deep. I found a 35" x 19 1/2" x 4 3/4" fresh water tank. That is 11 gallons. Since we will not be doing much boondocking this will be enough. We also have a little Berkey that will filter any additional water we need. I finally got the plans looking good and have the pipes routed and protected.

Berkey went out of business at the end of 2023, but they transfered their filter business to a company called Boroux. (Spelling may be incorrect.) Those filters will fit your Berkey tank and work just as well.

 

[BLTillson]

Berkey went out of business at the end of 2023, but they transfered their filter business to a company called Boroux. (Spelling may be incorrect.) Those filters will fit your Berkey tank and work just as well.

Oh wow, I did not know that. It's surprising since is is such a wonderful filter. We have been using them for many years. We have a space set of filter for our big home version but not the camping version. Thank you so much for that information.

 

[BLTillson]

Little update. I finally made models for the new doors. At first, I was going to make my own doors but as time went on and the complexity of the project grew I decided to buy factory doors. Here is what it looks like with the new doors:

Once I have reworked and finalized the galley hatch I will post the new pics of that.

 

[Tony Latham]

This is a rare event and I would need to turn the rotary to the off position before disconnecting the batterie(s). A simple warning note in the battery box would avoid that situation. Am I seeing this right?

I have the rotary switch that isolates the charge input between solar, shore and vehicle.

If I understand your plan, that switch is between the controller and the battery--that will damage some controllers if the panel(s) are in the sun. Renogy controllers for sure, perhaps others.

There needs to be a switch between the controller and the panels.

I put a cutoff switch on the charging line between my vehicle and the battery. I've turned it on once to ensure it was working. During daylight, whether parked or on the road, the solar system chugs away and tops it off by noon or so. If I ever build another teardrop, it won't have a charging line from the vehicle.

But perhaps I misread your post?

Tony

 

[BLTillson]

Greetings to those of you who have watched my build or who have stumbled on my build log.

I have hesitated for a long time weather to post this or not and have decided to get this out there and see what happens. Since my last move from San Diego back to Oregon I have had an ongoing and worsening medical condition that it making it impossible for me to continue my teardrop project. After nearly 2 years of work planning, CAD work, construction and having bough nearly all the parts to complete the project I simply cannot work on it any more. I also do not expect that I will be able to given my issues.

I have a lot of time and money tied up in this project and I do not want it to go to waste and just disintegrate slowly in it's carport. I am strongly considering selling the whole thing, the trailer, all the parts, the CAD plans that are in Sketchup. I have not come up with a price at this point. I will need to go over all my invoices and receipts to see what I have invested.

I would appreciate any advice on going about this process of getting the most I can out of it.

I am so very thankful to this community who have helped me in immeasurable ways toward getting as far as I did. It is with a heavy heart that I hang up my hat as a teardrop builder.

 

[FischAutoTechGarten]

I cannot offer any insight into the value of your project.

I simply want to say, as a new member, I enjoyed reading through all 7 pages of this thread.. and was saddened by the last. Sorry to hear about your health woes... the smarter and more experienced we get... is offset by ravages of aging... it's unfair. I understand this projecxt will be too much for you, but I hope you find other interests to stimulate that great mind of yours that won't be so taxing on you physically!!

 

[BLTillson]

I cannot offer any insight into the value of your project.

I simply want to say, as a new member, I enjoyed reading through all 7 pages of this thread.. and was saddened by the last. Sorry to hear about your health woes... the smarter and more experienced we get... is offset by ravages of aging... it's unfair. I understand this projecxt will be too much for you, but I hope you find other interests to stimulate that great mind of yours that won't be so taxing on you physically!!

Thank you for your kind response. I will keep using my mind and creativity as long as the Lord gives me ability. If you are heading toward your own teardrop project, I wish you all the best with it. This is a great place to gain knowledge and solve problems with other enthusiasts.

 

[BLTillson]

Greetings friends,

It is with a heavy heart that I make this post. The hope of any of us is that the dream in our minds and the plans we make are made into reality. However, the Lord often has different plans for our lives. My health issues have reached a point where I can no longer work on my trailer. Though this is tough, I will continue to press on. Teardrop brings a new meaning for me now.

I made a good run at it and progressed far in both learning and construction. I am now looking for a way to liquidate the project and recover as much as I can of the money I have sunk into this project. As you can see from the pictures, I have purchased most of the materials to complete the trailer. The biggest items missing are the sink and faucet, the materials to make the galley hatch, though I have purchased the piano hinge. I am putting together ads for various online sales sites to see if I can find that special person who wants to pick up where I left off. If any of you have any suggestions, tips or advice, I am listening.

Thank you all for how helpful you have been in the journey I have taken with you all here. Perhaps the new owner will post the continuing build log and the final trailer will have its day in the sun.

Blessings to all of you.