"TrailTop" modular trailer building components

[jscherb]

Here's another TrailTop design I did for someone who's been following this project. It's a little larger than the others I've drawn, he wants to get a queen-sized bed in for two adults, and some upper bunks for the kids. It's 10' long and 5' high, but it might possibly have to be slightly higher to fit the queen above the pull-out kitchen and the bunks above the queen. He's interested in overlanding, so it's got 30" tires. I also added a wall-mount A/C + heater for family comfort.



He seems to like it :

Wow!! That is perfect! I love it! Thanks for the drawing and I truly do hope you can find someone to bring these things to market, even though that's not your ultimate goal I know. This would be a perfect trailer for my family!

[jscherb]

Maybe he should also put a nice awning on it to provide some shelter from the sun and rain...

[jscherb]

A possible interior arrangement...

[jscherb]

Another follower of this project had this to say:

Cargo-Lite trailers are neat too. They have a window and door on each side and a ramp for the back door.


I have been jonesing for one. It would be neat with a rooftop tent.

That could be done very nicely with TrailTop parts...

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[jscherb]

Steps for assembling the TrailTop parts...

It will be easiest to assemble the TrailTop side panels laying on a flat surface, so I've marked the rectangular outline of the panel on the floor with tape. This is to ensure that the pieces get bonded together with correct right angles, and also to ensure that both sides are the same.



Next the joints between the parts get trimmed and fitted.

In this next photo the parts are sitting inside the lines in the template on the floor. The joints haven't been final trimmed or fitted yet, that's the next step.

[jscherb]

Here's what a joint looks like ready to be bonded together. The parts are still slightly green because I haven't washed the mold release off yet, and there are two reasons I haven't - first, it's 16 degrees outside so I can't wash them off with the hose, and second, since I'm going to be bonding these together, the mold release will protect the nice surface from getting "glue" drips stuck on it. I put "glue" in quotes because there are multiple types of bonding agents one could use here, I'll cover that detail later. I have scuffed the tab surface with 50-grit sandpaper to give it some roughness to improve the grip for bonding.



And here's how they look when they're assembled. They're not bonded together yet, this is just a final fitting. I'll fit all the other joints for this side panel before I bond any of the joints.

[jscherb]

Bonding the parts together is next. There are a number of ways these parts could be bonded together:

• Epoxy. Very strong and easy to work with. Best for this application would be one that's thick enough to be gap filling.
• Fiberglass. A layer of 2 oz. fiberglass mat soaked with resin and sandwiched between the parts will form a very good joint.
• Automotive body filler. I hear you saying "wait, body filler isn't a glue!"... well it sticks pretty well to that dent in the fender you were trying to fix, doesn't it? So well that you can sand the filler to a feather edge. Body filler is based on polyester resin, and so is fiberglass so they're very compatible, plus body filler is thick enough to be gap filling, so it makes a very easy to use bonding agent for fiberglass parts.

I'll be using body filler for the joints in the prototype teardrop.

[dodgedartgt]

Today's spelling lesson; "Need" - Spelled as W-A-N-T

I NEED a set of these components! LOL

Mike in FL

[jscherb]

The passenger side teardrop framework all bonded together.





I used automotive body filler to bond the parts together. The joints are very strong, and the filler was easy to use and quick to bond. About 30 minutes after I began bonding the first joint I was able to stand the assembled framework up as shown in the photos. I still haven't washed off the greenish mold release, I'll try to get to that soon.

[jscherb]

A quick test fit to make sure all is good:



Next I'll install a sill across the bottom of the framework so it can sit on the edge of the tub. The sill will be used to bolt the TrailTop shell to the tub and serve as a bottom attachment point for the outer plywood skin. More pics soon.

[jscherb]

I've installed the bottom sill on the side framework and clamped the framwork onto the Jeep tub. The sill is 1x2 oak. In this case the sill is about an inch above the bottom of the TrailTop parts, that's because the Jeep tub has a taper over which the top sits. If you were doing a TrailTop shell to sit on a base frame instead of a Jeep tub, you'd put the sill all the way at the bottom of the TrailTop framework. The side panel plywood will attach to the flange on the TrailTop parts and to this sill.







So far I can report that the parts went together exactly as designed. Trimming/fitting the tab ends to prepare them for bonding together was fairly easy. Bonding with automotive body filler was very quick and easy to do; the filler is thick enough so it fills any gaps nicely and the joints are plenty strong. The side sill bolted up as planned and made it easy to install the framework on the Jeep tub. Assembly was fun - it was very easy to get this far. I think building a camper with the TrailTop system will be within the capabilities of most DIY-ers.


Next up: assembling the driver's side framework.

[Socal Tom]

unless it is painted, FRP isn't UV stable, Filon is the version of FRP that is stable it seems to be easier to find in areas where RV's are made, expensive to get for the rest of us. If I was building using your awesome corners I would cover the plywood with painted canvas.

I've heard that, I've also heard the opposite. Do you have a source for the info?
Tom

[aggie79]

unless it is painted, FRP isn't UV stable, Filon is the version of FRP that is stable it seems to be easier to find in areas where RV's are made, expensive to get for the rest of us. If I was building using your awesome corners I would cover the plywood with painted canvas.

I've heard that, I've also heard the opposite. Do you have a source for the info?
Tom

For UV resistance of Filon, check out this link to the manufacturer:

http://www.cranecomposites.com/industries/rv.html

Crane also makes the FRP used to line bathroom walls. Here is a link to the spec sheet for FRP where it says "For interior use only":

http://www.cranecomposites.com/_pdfs/7505_IPSA_Tech.pdf

That said, I know of several teardrops that use FRP on the outside. They did paint the exterior. I used it on the underside of my galley.

[jscherb]

For those of you interested in details, here's a photo of the inside detail of the sill. It's bolted through the TrailTop flange with a (too long) 1/4" flathead machine screw. There will also be a sill across the front edge of the shell, that's not installed yet. In the final assembly stage, I'd likely epoxy the end of the sill to the TrailTop framework.



And a few shots showing how the TrailTop parts integrate with a Jeep tub and how the panels go on. A corner:



Panels will attach to the flange on the TrailTop framework, and to the wood sill between the bottoms of the TrailTop frame members, in this next photo I've drawn a side panel in place (don't mind the slightly greenish look of the TrailTop fiberglass, I still haven't washed off the PVA mold release):



Everything works the same if you're building a camper without a Jeep tub, the main difference is that the sill is at the bottom of the TrailTop framework, instead of being about an inch above the bottom to allow for the taper at the top of the Jeep tub.

[jscherb]

Today I'm bonding the second TrailTop teardrop side together. Here are the parts before trimming/fitting/bonding:



And once they were bonded together, I stood both sides together to make sure they were identical (they are):



It took me about an hour to bond the second side together; the first one took a little longer because it was the first time ever done, but the technique developed during the assembly of the first one made the second one go more quickly. I took step-by-step photos of the trimming/fitting/bonding, I'll post those soon.