Transforming trailers...

[Shrug53]

Here is a question. What does everyone think about building one or two teardrops with built-in jacks on te side (like you see ony camper shells sometimes). That way you could not only change campers, but also have a utility trailer when you needed it, all without having to have several actual trailers. I am seriously considering a removable tear myself so that I can use it as a utility trailer when not camping.
Not sure how it would attach though to make it secure for driving. Any ideas?
Electrical could work the same way as a trailer to tow vehicle, except there would be a connector from trailer to tear body.
Loking forward to everyones thoughts.

One other thought would be to have tabs on the corners that you could position a simple bottle jack under.

[JamesW]

I was considering leaving the lights (brake, stop, turn) wired and installed on the trailer only. The Tear would have it's own electrical system. My only concern is the aesthetics of the jacks on the side. You could use several bolts with wing nuts running the length of the trailer on both sides. The floor of the trailer would become the "sub-floor" and you would need another floor on the Tear itself.

[DANL]

Hey Shrug,

That's the way my unit will work. At this point, I'm planning to use U bolts that will drop through the floor (in concealed locations like inside cabinets) and straddle a frame member. Then a plate will be slipped onto the two protruding threaded ends and Nylock nuts will hold the plate in place. I considered using big draw hasps but since my pod has to slide backward past the fenders, I can't have stuff sticking out in the way.

My trailer is a tilt bed. I 'm going to try aluminum skids on the bottom of the pod so that it will slip off the bed easily--I hope. Could also use some of that slickery white plastic if I need more sliption.

I have also considered an idea that involves jacks on the back of the trailer. To remove the pod, one depresses the tongue down to the ground and then drops the rear jacks so they touch the ground. The next step is to raise the tongue as high as the jack will allow. A cross brace is bolted onto the front of the trailer about two to three feet above the ground. the cross brace extends out far enough on each side so that the support legs attached to it will clear the fenders as the tongue is lowered to normal height and the trailer slipped out forward.

Another easy system, if you only need to remove the pod when at home, and assuming the pod is light enough and your garage rafters are strong enough, is to mount brackets with holes in them at the four "corners" of the pod. Then you can simply lift it off with a one ton manual rope hoist such as the ones Northern Tool sells.

Probably a lot more ways to do this and if anyone has a better idea, I'd like to hear about it.

[Jiminsav]

I've built hydralic jacks out of PVC that work off of water pressure..i was thinking of using them for leveling jacks, but they are 3 feet long and kinda just hang there..don't know yet..time will tell

[Larry Messaros]

Here is a question. What does everyone think about building one or two teardrops with built-in jacks on te side (like you see ony camper shells sometimes). That way you could not only change campers, but also have a utility trailer when you needed it, all without having to have several actual trailers. I am seriously considering a removable tear myself so that I can use it as a utility trailer when not camping.
Not sure how it would attach though to make it secure for driving. Any ideas?
Electrical could work the same way as a trailer to tow vehicle, except there would be a connector from trailer to tear body.
Loking forward to everyones thoughts.

One other thought would be to have tabs on the corners that you could position a simple bottle jack under.

I was contemplating this very same thing. I have a gas guzzler Dodge pickup that I use mostly for hauling stuff and I was trying to come up with an alternative and the convertable utility trailer/teardrop would work very well.

I was thinking of a tube that would go all the way through from one side to the other for the front and the rear. They would slide out and a simple bumper jack could be utilized to lift it onto a set of tripods (jack stands) that are used for car repairs. It's simple and they are available everywhere.

As for locking the two together I was thinking of just using pins (about 3/4") that would go through the floor and would be held in place with some sort of locking pin. Another way would be some sort of twist cam lock.

I agree with the wiring that it could have it's own separate plugin.

I was also looking at some utility trailers at Home Depot and Costco. The trailer that I was looking at had removable sides and the fenders were attached to the trailer. I was thinking of using the stake pockets with pins to hold the two together.

I was also thinking of an additional body like a U-Haul type that I could use as a closed in utility trailer.

[tdthinker]

I have been thinking about this like crazy all day. At first I was going to put the jacks on the sides due to I was going to use a utility trailer. Now I dont need to but for some reason I want to. I really dont know how usefull this would be for me even though we do haul alot. I guess I will just have to think some more, bye

[angib]

All these jacks and so on! Why not simply drag the body onto the trailer? How heavy is it going to be? You'd need something to pull on, but a coupla bits of rope through eyebolts would do.

Larry: The original 'Trailer for Two' plans show the body held onto a (custom-made) utility trailer by bolts and big washers through the stake pockets.

Andrew

[mikeschn]

I like Andrews approach. If you build the body light enough, and add a couple handles a la T@B style, two people could just lift the body up and set it on the trailer.

Otherwise, if you have one of those pivoting trailers, drop the back end down and just drag the trailer up... Then pin it or bolt it down, and away you go...

:grab:

Mike...

[McTeardrops]

Two words: pipe rollers!

Set the rear stabilizer jacks. Unhook tongue and lower via front jack. Place jackstands under rear corners of the cab. Elevate tongue to seperate cab from rear framerails. Insert pipe rollers. Relocate jackstands to front corners. Lower tongue. Insert rollers. RECONNECT HITCH. Roll off cab, pausing to bolt casters onto subframe.

My trailer is incomplete. At this point I have a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood attached to the rolling chassis to serve as a utility trailer for hauling plywood, drywall and stuff. Attachment is via 3/8' bolts into rubber body mounts at the corners. My subframe is 1 3/4" x 6" oak with 3'' crossmembers. I plan to drill and attach it this afternoon. I built a 18' foot long tongue (length of my garage) with a single crossmember to attach my tosion axle, making a third trailer I used to haul the tube steel used for the chassis. Three trailers for the cost of one license plate!

[Ron Dickey]

Here is a question. What does everyone think about building ... teardrop with jacks on a camper shell. ... I am seriously considering a removable tear myself so that I can use it as a utility trailer when not camping.
...etc.

I have been on that track of mind for years ...

I wanted it for the pickup or/and trailer. My idea is to use commercial flat bed wheels like you find in a warehouse. have a
ramp and pull it out or in using a winch.
the winch will sit at the top of the back bed and use pulley wheels to pull it in or out. the cable would go down to the back
bottom of the bed where the first roller is for pulling it in and use it to control it's decent when back it out.

that way I could park in at the camp site and go off on site seeing and not worry that someone would drive off with it so
easily.

And I had mentioned something like that for one on a boat trailer under the heading of Trailerboat under Mikes non
traditional trailer forum.

The wheels would also let me park the teardrop in a small place that truck nor trailer could go when at home.

Someone mentioned raising it to the rafters in the garage. there is a guy that sell such a device for truck camper shells.
Not to hard to copy.

Ron D.

[Rick R]

Sometimes I'm glad I grew up working on furniture!

I am in the re-planning/pre-construction phase of building a squared-off TD modual, that will slide on and off a harbor frieght trailer. And one of the easiest things for me to plan, was how to fasten the modual in place while its on the trailer. The trailer, in its basic utilty configuration, will have a 1/2 inch plywood deck, supported by 1-bys or 2-bys on the frame itself. When the modual floor is first laid out, 6 bolt holes will be drilled thru the modual floor, thru the deck of the trailer, and thru one of the supporting 1 or 2 bys. Then simple T-nuts will be driven into these holes from the bottom of the frame.

To secure the modual for transporting, bolts would be run thru from the modual floor, thru the trailer floor, and into the T-nuts, allowing the bolts to be tightened from inside the modual, instead of needing to crawl under the trailer. And with the modual removed, shorter bolts would be placed in the holes and tightened, to keep debries from things being hauled from going into the holes and blocking them up. This way to go from trailer to camper would mean removing 6 short bolts, and replacing them with 6 longer ones for the modual. In fact, if ground clearance and under trailer snagging are not an issue for you, like they will be for me, then the same long bolts can be used for both situations. That would save keeping track of 2 sets of 6 bolts.

Far as getting the modual on and off the trailer, I'll be puting eye-bolts thru frame members at the front and back of the modual, at the corners. This will let rope, chains, or whatever, be hooked to the eyes, to safely pull the modual one way or the other. Such ropes,chains or whatever can be hooked to a convenient tree or a stake in the ground, to hold the modual, while the tailer is slowly pulled out from under it, to take it off the trailer. And a small winch on the trailer tongue can be used to pull the modual onto the trailer.

I designed it this way, for minimal effort in getting the modual on and off, to save strain on my back. And also wanted a modual, so I can get to the campsite, drop off the modual, and go off with the car and trailer to get some firewood. When I get done unloading the firewood, I can pull the modual back on the trailer. and be all ready for a weekend or a week of camping, with plenty of wood for the campfire.

[mikeschn]

That must be some bon-fire you build if you need a trailer to haul all the wood back to camp.



Mike...

[RC]

I've built hydralic jacks out of PVC that work off of water pressure..i was thinking of using them for leveling jacks, but they are 3 feet long and kinda just hang there..don't know yet..time will tell

Do you have any pictures/plans for these?
Thanks,
RC