Want a slightly bigger teardrop? HF 5x10 trailers!

dbhost

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2015
Posts
1,320
Location
League City, Texas
I never did bother with a Teardrop because I figured the typical 4x8 would be claustrophobic for me...

HF is offering a larger size trailer now, not quite perfect for me, but might work for you at 5ft x 10ft. https://www.harborfreight.com/2000-lb-c ... 59846.html

For ME a minimum would be a 6' x 10'.

Anyway, just figured I would let y'all know as this could be a game changer for folks.
 
Anyway, just figured I would let y'all know as this could be a game changer for folks.

I'm glad to see this, but for a $1000, that's probably close to what a fabricator could build a much-better chassis.

Tony
 
Will it work? Trailer in one day with vin making it easy to register. A lot of time saved if it's good enough.
 
QueticoBill":3dj7yjxv said:
Will it work? Trailer in one day with vin making it easy to register. A lot of time saved if it's good enough.

That is what I was thinking...

For those wanting a 6x10 simple outriggers could fix the width issue...
 
tony.latham":36081rvp said:
Anyway, just figured I would let y'all know as this could be a game changer for folks.

I'm glad to see this, but for a $1000, that's probably close to what a fabricator could build a much-better chassis.

Tony

Hey Tony!

I have never built a trailer from scratch. I noticed that "utility trailer kits" from places like Southwest wheel runs about $600 for a kit containing springs, shackles, axel, wheels & hubs, fenders, wiring, lights, and hitch. About $800 for the torsion axel version. How do I get steel & fab for only another $400 +/-? My welding skills are so bad I wouldn't want anything that I welded on the road. :shock: (I can braze copper pipe pretty good but it doesn't seem to translate) anyway, I could make do with 5x10 but would prefer 6x12. Is this something regionally dependant?
 
How do I get steel & fab for only another $400 +/-? My welding skills are so bad I wouldn't want anything that I welded on the road.

I live in a two-light town and can buy pre-cut lengths of steel and I'm sure you can too. The last Dexter torsion axle I ordered cost $600 about 18 months ago.

I would encourage you to learn to weld. It's not magic. You know someone who welds and could mentor you. There are a ton of YouTube videos on welding using flux-core welders that really help.

This flux-core welder gets great reviews on YouTube:

Easy-Flux 125 Amp Welder

$150.

If not, have a welding shop fabricate one to your specs. You'll have a much better camper than one built on a cheap frame and a cheaper axle and tires.

Here is the chassis plan from my book. I've lost track of how many people have built teardrops using it.

dQpQFRC.png


It's built from 2 x 2" .120" steel--which isn't a challenge to weld.

And by the way, after twenty years of teardropping, my wife and I agree that a 5' wide teardrop is the perfect size for camping and towing. It also allows the builder to use 5' x 5' sheets of Baltic birch.

Good luck with your build. :thumbsup:

Tony
 
Horror Freight tongues have been known to break.
If I remember correctly Mike the founder of this forum had an issue with the tongue and a member whose name was like Rangier leaned on his tongue box and the tongue broke.
I bought a welding DVD and learned to weld, YouTube is a great resource.
:D Danny
 
I think the fork is overstressed because we move the axel back from center to 60% or so. It was easy enough to add a sterl tube at center and reinforce that weak point.

I liked the specs on that trailer. None of the 5x8 limitations: 75 mph, 13" tires, underslung axel, led lighting.
 
If I was looking for my next chassis I would definitely look closer at this 5x10. Specs look good.

It sure beats the **** out of the Sterling 4x8 I built my latest foamie on top of. I baby the foamie and have reinforced the tongue so I don't worry about it too much. I would not recommend the Sterling as it is currently designed.
 
tony.latham":3jnyqwvb said:
How do I get steel & fab for only another $400 +/-? My welding skills are so bad I wouldn't want anything that I welded on the road.

I live in a two-light town and can buy pre-cut lengths of steel and I'm sure you can too. The last Dexter torsion axle I ordered cost $600 about 18 months ago.

I would encourage you to learn to weld. It's not magic. You know someone who welds and could mentor you. There are a ton of YouTube videos on welding using flux-core welders that really help.

This flux-core welder gets great reviews on YouTube:

Easy-Flux 125 Amp Welder

$150.

If not, have a welding shop fabricate one to your specs. You'll have a much better camper than one built on a cheap frame and a cheaper axle and tires.

Here is the chassis plan from my book. I've lost track of how many people have built teardrops using it.

dQpQFRC.png


It's built from 2 x 2" .120" steel--which isn't a challenge to weld.

And by the way, after twenty years of teardropping, my wife and I agree that a 5' wide teardrop is the perfect size for camping and towing. It also allows the builder to use 5' x 5' sheets of Baltic birch.

Good luck with your build. :thumbsup:

Tony

Tony,

Thank you for the info in your response! :thumbsup: Life is full of ups & downs these days but I hope to be able to build a modified version of the Slidavan some day. I appreciate the good wishes.
 
Elseanno":rdvxudvo said:
tony.latham":rdvxudvo said:
Anyway, just figured I would let y'all know as this could be a game changer for folks.

I'm glad to see this, but for a $1000, that's probably close to what a fabricator could build a much-better chassis.

Tony

Hey Tony!

I have never built a trailer from scratch. I noticed that "utility trailer kits" from places like Southwest wheel runs about $600 for a kit containing springs, shackles, axel, wheels & hubs, fenders, wiring, lights, and hitch. About $800 for the torsion axel version. How do I get steel & fab for only another $400 +/-? My welding skills are so bad I wouldn't want anything that I welded on the road. :shock: (I can braze copper pipe pretty good but it doesn't seem to translate) anyway, I could make do with 5x10 but would prefer 6x12. Is this something regionally dependant?

If I didn't need the van for medical purposes (long story don't wanna go into detail), I would be VERY interested in doing a 6x12 standing height foamie with a tongue box and a bump out on the back... Not a teardrop per se, but a small travel trailer that does not require stooping...

I have a bucket of projects that will require welding, and I have seen how my friends welds are. Gotta learn some other way because dang....

I have some thoughts on another matter, but will want to come back to this later. Long wierd story that I will loop back around on...
 
I've been hemming and hawing about building my own trailer vs buying this. I just got quotes from two local shops for the steel required to build my own. $630 from one shop, $430 from the other. And those prices will only go up (in the very near future) if I don't act fast. I had been hoping that material cost for the steel would be more like $300, so I got a bit of sticker shock, especially because the $630 number was the first shop I called.

So with steel + axles + wheels + fenders + wiring + paint/bedliner building my own is looking like $1400-$1600.

In any case, the main limitation on this HF trailer (for me) is that I want to put bike storage either directly on the tongue or above a tongue box. I worry that this trailer has a relatively short tongue and there wont be enough room. And it doesn't look like it would be easy to modify and make the tongue longer. Does anyone have opinion/thoughts about that? Do you think it's too short for bike storage?
 
I can't tell from manual but the tongue on 5x8 was easy with a piece of 2x2x1/4 steel tube. Maybe just a 12" hitch extension would give you enough space to mount bike closer to front of trailer.
 
I'm here from the not-too-distant future just to mention that it appears the Harbor Freight 5x10 trailer will soon be no more!

Not sure exactly what happened. It seemed like there was a fair bit of anticipation for it when it was first shown at SEMA a few years ago, but then it was delayed for a year or two, and apparently it wasn't selling in high enough quantity after release, so it's now on clearance.

I'm a bit of a Harbor Freight deal veteran so I waited for an opportunity to buy one. Wasn't sure if I would use it for a teardrop, my ATV, or something else. On first release, it was priced at the announced $1000, but then I watched in horror as it almost immediately rose to $1200 - assumably as a result of tariffs, inflation, and general supply chain uncertainty. Not exactly uncommon, as automakers do this all time too (looking at you, Ford Maverick and Slate Truck).

After the price jump, I all but wrote it off and was inclined to wait and weld my own chassis some day, a la @Tony Latham's recommendation. However...

Just a couple of days ago, I had a chance encounter with a Redditor who had a 25% off "We miss you" email coupon. Half-jokingly, I asked if I could use it. To my delight, he actually sent it right over and said he had no need for it. I have a few semi-large Harbor Freight purchases in my queue at any time, so I got on the app to see how the coupon could be best spent.

Out of curiosity, I pulled up the 5x10 trailer product page, expecting it to be at least $1200 still, if not more! But it was actually only $900 now, already discounted 25% off the previous price on clearance. That got me excited. I almost lost that excitement immediately when I saw that it was out of stock at my usual store, as well as the dozen other locations in my metro area... except one. It was a 45-minute drive, but small price to pay. I called them to confirm they actually had one on hand, and they were down to the very last one. They gave me a 2-hour courtesy hold and I raced up there yesterday afternoon.

So, I am now the new owner of a Harbor Freight 5x10 trailer kit for $675 out the door. Hard to beat that.

It had to go right into a storage unit since I'm in the middle of a cross-country move, but in about a year, I expect to start the build in earnest. Will try to share as much as I can here once I start making some progress!
 
You can still pre-order these trailers for the clearance price. I did today and it will be at my local HF in about a month.

Guess I'm building a teardrop after all...
 

New posts

Try RV LIFE Pro Free for 7 Days

  • New Ad-Free experience on this RV LIFE Community.
  • Plan the best RV Safe travel with RV LIFE Trip Wizard.
  • Navigate with our RV Safe GPS mobile app.
  • and much more...
Try RV LIFE Pro Today
Back
Top Bottom