Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

by **Steve Frederick** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 7:14 pm

Frank wrote: for the hands on how to area

Hey! how about a gathering in Lake Orion Michigan? I here there's a place to hang out, drink coffee, and mock up teardrops! :twisted:

A weekend trip could yield a wealth of information! :wink:

by **mikeschn** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 7:15 pm

:sign5:

The cost of admission is 1 sheet of OSB.

The morning session we'll be mocking up the Weekender.

In the afternoon we'll be mocking up the Winter Warrior.

In the evening we'll be mocking up Mudslides and campfires... doesn't that sound like a good day!!!

:lol:

Mike...

by **Arne** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 7:22 pm

Can anyone tell me what osb is? And tpo for that matter..

by **Guest** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 7:23 pm

Mike,

C

L

W H E E L S !

by **mikeschn** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 7:27 pm

arnereil wrote:Can anyone tell me what osb is? And tpo for that matter..

OSB... yea, we build mockups out of that stuff!!!

TPO... that's the white stuff Chip put on his teardrop... Chip, what is that? Thermoplastic Olefin?

Mike...

P.S. OSB is Orientated Strand Board
http://sres.anu.edu.au/associated/fpt/osb/2.html

by **Frank** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 7:31 pm

Yes to the garage type,

Really miss that place! :cry:

Having trouble getting the new one built.
Happen to know there is a place real close to your house that sells OSB! When you going to be ready for the party? Steve's ready and I need to come so as to get a tear built :twisted:

by **Chip** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 8:01 pm

TPO????yup thermoplastic olifine,,or something like that,,for some reason roofing materials all go by the initials of the compounds,,TPO, EPDM, PVC, CSPE, CPE, ABC,XYZ,,M I C K E Y M O U S E,,,Its a white, gray or tan single ply roofing material,,comes in large rolls, is reinforced with a polyester scrim, seams or joints are put together with a hot air welding machine,,its pretty tough stuff and is UV resistant,,,,and I used it cause I had connections ,,,,

chip

by **CheshyreKatt** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 9:08 pm

mikeschn wrote:but I can tell you I went out there with a scale and it says 65 pounds. Mike...

Excellent!

by **DANL** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 10:39 pm

Yeah Mike, After the first camping trip I determined that the trailer was riding too light on the tongue and the single piece aluminum tongue was just a bit too whippy. The Tacoma Prerunner rides on some big, squishy tires, and imparts a lot of sway and bounce to the hitch point.

I took the pod off and took the trailer in to Crystal Welding. I had them move the torsion axle and fender mounts back ten inches, raise the tongue by three inches, and add diagonal bracing to the tongue. Amazing--this aluminum trailer now weighs in at 320 pounds--a bit heavy in my mind but as solid as a rock. I could probably carry about four thousand pounds on it now without much flex. The axle would probably crack but that's not a frame issue.

So anyway--I put the pod back on and took it out for a test loop. Rides like the proverbial brick outhouse. Very stable, no more sway or wag, great clearance and steep angle of attack at driveways. I'll be working up through higher speeds until I feel comfortable at 85 MPH. That's about as fast as I will ever need to tow here in the north country. Most drivers here are still able to cope with the idea of a car and trailer going at only 65, the legal towing limit here in Minnesota (that makes three of us who know that now).

I'm going to check into those wheels you have. Verrry Niiice! Are you running radials or trailer spec tires?

by **mikeschn** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 4:02 am

DANL wrote:I'm going to check into those wheels you have. Verrry Niiice! Are you running radials or trailer spec tires?

Don't ever let anyone tell you that aluminum is lighter than steel. :lol:

Oh those are affordable car spec tires. $40 each, including mounting and balancing.

Mike...

by **mikeschn** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 5:30 pm

Here's an update on the tongue weight...

If you recall, the trailer alone had a tongue weight of 65#. When I added the body, it jumped to 74#.

So today I installed the a/c behind the axle, and weighed it... I shook my head, and said that has to be wrong. So I weighed it again. Exactly the same. The tongue weight is now 67#. :shock:

I guess I'm on track for a lighter tongue, eh??? :lol:

Mike...

by **OurStuff4You** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 10:30 pm

Hey - count me in on that party. I don't know nuttin' about building ... but I make a great mixed drink! :shock:

Did you go to Dream Cruise Mike? We had an awesome time, as usual. There were 2 tears being pulled. I tried to get pics but there were always other cars in the way. Cool tho.

by **mikeschn** » Tue Aug 31, 2004 3:47 am

Nope, didn't make it to dream cruise. We were out of town.

Mike...

by **Guest** » Tue Aug 31, 2004 4:16 am

mikeschn wrote:I installed the a/c behind the axle

Got Pic?

by **mikeschn** » Tue Aug 31, 2004 4:23 am

Sure, I put the photos in this thread... page 4 already scrolled off the screen... http://tnttt.com/viewto ... c&start=45

Mike...

Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

The trailer is in...

Who is online