Contest: How I would use the Harbor Freight trailer if I win

[Spadinator]

Hey Mike...


This is my Benroy when I started to skin it with Coroplast.


If you want you can check out www.spadtothebone.com to see the planes I build out of Coroplast.

Also if you look really close you can see the edge of the coro glued down on the roof of my Benroy.

The airplane above it is also coro.

[kitcarguy]

Well Let me give this a try.

I plan on building a squidget, but before I take the plunge maybe I should try something a little smaller. So here is what I think I would use the trailer for... .


Hell who am I kidding, I dont have a clue what I would use it for. I have a million ideas in my head and a bunch on paper but no real direction. I think a good start would be a benroy, and at the same time I have been tossing around the idea of a small Foam/Glass constructed TTT

I cant really say and of my ideas are innovative but it sure would be a cool build thread.

Thats about it.

[angib]

If I won the HF trailer, I would use it to bring about world peace and allow me to spend time helping defenceless animals.

No, wait, that's my beauty pageant acceptance speech. Dang, I got them mixed up......

Andrew

[grant whipp]

... The area of most concern would be the back-to-back piano hinge set up at the galley and hinged front section. Perhaps Grant could come up with a dual-acting extruded aluminum creation just for this purpose. (Hey Grant, I'll trade you a pair of custom wood-spoked wheel covers) ...

It's a DEAL, Roly!

The solution is really simple - instead of a "back-to-back" configuration, you just mount two standard Galley Lid Hinges (yes, my "better-than-hurricane"-type ... ...) in tandem fashion, one just up the roofline from the first, both anchored to at least a 1-1/2"x3" hinge beam. The actual hatch lid hinge would be mounted in the normal fashion, while the "lifting roof" hinge would be mounted in the same configuration but in reverse function - the part that is normally on the hatch would mount solidly to the roof/hinge beam and the part that would normally be mounted solidly to the roof becomes the moveable hinge part. Clear as mud, right?

While I have no doubts that this will work, I've got a pair of motorcycle-sized teardrops that I'll be proving this concept out on .... someday ... when somebody finally pays me to build them ... or I win the lottery and I finally have the time & money to build what I want when I want (yeah, yeah ... dream on, brother ... gotta play to win, ya know ... ...)

So, Roly ... when ya gonna start on my wheelcovers ... ... ...? And, BTW ... that's a damned admirable project, my friend!

CHEERS!

Grant

[Kevin A]

Roly,

Can you upload a couple pics of your cardboard model of the Full Nelson into your album, or post them in this thread? You did a great job with the description, a couple photos would give a little extra towards visulizing the project.

[Roly Nelson]

Ok Kevin, as soon as I can get my digital camera battery to charge, I do plan on posting the pics you mentioned. A picture is worth a thousand words. I guess the last resort would be to buy a new battery.......hmmm we'll see, I've got my daughter working on it, as it was her camera.

Roly, thinking small and light, what's wrong with that?

[rudeboysaude]

OK.. Had a few moments today so I thought I'd make some crappy pictures and explain what I would do with a HF trailer.

I'm in the process of one right now with the same frame and already I'm seeing things I definatly would have done differently. The biggest being my wife and I would really like solar panels. Problem is, I didn't design the one I'm working on with enough roof space. So the general outline of a new on would be something more like this:







I'd get rid of a roof vent and find an alternative venting solution on both sides of the trailer instead. Also, I didn't leave room for a heater. 2 times now this winter if we would have had an insulated tear with a furnace like Mike has put in before we could have avoided hotel rooms. So I'd like to plan for that. Solar power would help keep batteries charged also in remote area. I'd also build the floor plan a little larger and hang it off the frame more. That would allow a little bit more insulation without losing sleeping space.



I like the idea of a storage space in the front too to make up for loss of space from the furnace. An accessible toungue box would also make that up, but I'll need a place to transport propane and thus will probably have to seal that off.

I'd also incorporate stoage boxes under the sleeping area in the next one. It would be a great spot to put various outdoor gear we have from kiteboarding to rock climbing. It would really help free up space and keep things in order.

The galley will have a fixed sink and burners. Camping this last weekend we realized how handy that would be as we don't really need alot of counter space.

And the first thing I would do if I won a new trailer for this project is drive 1.5 hours to Minneapolis to buy a whole bunch of 1/8 ply. 1/4 has made my current project very difficult and this one I would like to be able to do whatever I like with the design vs what the ply would allow me.

This first project showed me where to go to find what I need, what works and what doesn't, and more of what I'd like in a final tear and I haven't even finished this one yet! Could I get it done in 9 months... only if I can get this one I'm on right now done in another month. Then yeah.. I think it would be fun!

[Steve_Cox]

Here's my contest entry. The pictures are of my garage/shop space and the rest are photos of things I like that contain the essence of what I want to build. I can do this build in less than 9 months and Kerrys fenders would look really cool on the mini tear I plan to build for my Daughter next year. So here ya go.


The garage/shop


The galley


The galley with me cooking
(I used to live on that sailboat)


Some windows I like


The caravan



The House of Dreams

Picture if you will, a marriage of old world traditions and new world building techniques, a modern day miniature gypsy caravan capable of maintaining sojourns off the beaten path, or the ability to be within its element at the most modern camping facility by a showing of style, elegance and grace.

The House of Dreams in its entirety will be built with no regard to aerodynamic abilities for it is not about the journey but about the journeys end.


The frame: The prized Harbor Freight of course. Additions would be stabilizers, a tongue jack on the front, and an inch and a quarter receiver hitch on the back to serve dual purpose. A place for a bicycle rack while underway, and while in camp, a place to put a step below the entrance Dutch door at the back of the caravan.

The structure: Walls will be of ply/foam/ply laminations except where structural demands require wood support framing. Side walls will have a short vertical rise to just above the wheels going into a horizontal outcropping supported by ornate hand formed oak gussets, followed upward with a cantilevered wall culminating at the arched roofline. The front and back walls will be as the sides except the upper portions which will be vertical, with edges following the contours of the sidewalls and trimmed with decorative carved moldings made of native cypress. All sides will contain opening custom wood framed windows with cypress shutters, stained and beveled glass will be used to refract the light of day.

The interior: The key factor designed into this build is light weighting at every opportunity. Native cypress and cedar woods will be utilized not only for their durability but also for their light weight. Extensive use of fabrics will be utilized to cover cabinet face openings and for bedchamber privacy as well as drapery for windows.

The Tour: Welcome to The House of Dreams. As you open the Dutch door and look up before taking the first step up into the caravan you notice the rich warm ambiance of the dark oak curved ceiling beams contrasted against the gloss white ceiling. As you step up you see the galley on the right which contains a propane cooking surface, a sink with a single bronze hand pump, and a deep well ice box that will accommodate food, beverage and a 25 pound block of ice. There will also be ample storage within the galley for all meal preparation and serving items. Copper-bottomed pots and pans will be snuggly mounted on the wall with purposefully placed hooks and pegs. As you close the door, to the left you will see the settee with upholstered cushions and storage below. The back of the settee conforms to the cantilevered wall to insure a very comfortable place of rest. The bedchamber forward will provide double usage. A slight step up into dining booth by day, and at night with the table lowered and the seat back cushions placed upon it, a double bed stretches across the width of the caravan for sleeping. Lighting will be provided, inside and out by small oil lamps, and or 12 volt fixtures. A 120 volt panel will also be provided for added convenience. As in following the Romany traditions there will be no toilet facilities within the caravan as it is deemed unsanitary to have such in the confines where food is stored and prepared. The area beneath the bedchamber will provide externally accessed storage for such items as the cast iron, outdoor seating, sunshade, etc.

[grant whipp]

Grant,

Do you ever find the url to the Vardo you were talking about? ...

Mike...

Hey, Mike!

Found it! http://www.amvardo.com/caravan/ Rae posted it on Jan. 1 in response to the topic "Frugal Gypsy needs low cost or free plans" under Non-Traditional Designs.

The more I think about this thing, the more I think what a fun project it would be ... ... ...

CHEERS!

Grant

[bledsoe3]

Even though I have lots of ideas, I'm pretty sure I won't have time to build another so I'll stay out of this contest. But I do like a lot of the ideas posted here.

[Steve_Cox]

The more I think about this thing, the more I think what a fun project it would be ... ... ...

CHEERS!
Grant

Grant,

I agree about how much fun this would be to build, the more I think about it the more I want to build a mini-vardo. It will never replace the Tear Drop but would possibly appeal to many TTT enthusiasts, maybe we will give the mini-vardo interest a boost. I'm a lot like you in the area of planning and design. I have lots of ideas, but have no inclination to take the time or $$ to do computer aided design, for me, it's lots more fun to make sawdust. I've been thinking too, that even though I do enjoy building my own frames, I want to use the HF bolt together one. I think this needs to be something the average weekend handi-person could get inspired by and feel they could build it themselves. So hopefully sometime in the not too distant future we will have a couple of examples of mini-vardos for the folks to look at and dream about. I sure like your plan, but like mine better

[sdtripper2]

Steve Cox:

The Gypsy looking Vardo with the Dutch door can capture ones thoughts for sure.

If you remember in the movie "The Wizard of OZ" the peddler had one and
it afforded comforts in a harsh environment and even equipped with a
crystal ball.


Build pictures of Gypsy Wagons:
http://tinyurl.com/254o49 Build URL
http://tinyurl.com/24thaz Wagon
http://tinyurl.com/2bhbu9 Interior
http://tinyurl.com/2yoj2x Exterior
http://tinyurl.com/2xyyft Idea URL
http://tinyurl.com/2efuzy HGTV URL
http://tinyurl.com/26vb8m England plans
http://tinyurl.com/ysmazy
http://www.speedace.info/gypsy_caravan.htm Old view of comfort

[Steve_Cox]

Steve,

Nice links and pictures. There were a few I hadn't seen before. Here's another link.

Gypsy Trailers etc

[LadyPeach]

How I would use the Harbor Freight trailer if I win it…

BUILD A TEARDROP TRAILER OF COURSE

It was just about a month ago that I watched “RV CRAZY” and I saw my first ever teardrop trailer. I've been obsessed ever since. I’ve been researching everything I could find on the internet… drawing up concepts on CAD… waking up at night with new teardrop ideas… and signing up for this forum just a few days ago.

My husband long ago vetoed the idea of buying a typical RV… despite the fact that we have space enough to park a Class A (previous owners used to park one in the side yard) and we have a Powerstroke F-250 that would pull virtually any trailer I could want. (Sometimes you just can't win!)

We love to camp and fish, but I don’t really like sleeping on the ground anymore. We didn’t even go camping and fishing last summer. That was a total bummer. This upcoming summer was looking like a no win situation… until… he liked the idea of the teardrop when we saw the “RV CRAZY” show. YIPPEE!!

So here’s my contest entry… a theme teardrop…

THE LADYBUG











And I really like this galley foldout concept so I'm going to put something like it in mine.



Just in case you’re wondering if I can actually pull this little project off…
Back in the days before my darling husband, a guy I was seeing actually said he didn’t want to go out anymore because, “You’ve got more tools than I do. You know more about cars than I do. And you just don’t need a man.”

Where would I build it?
In the carport... in the side yard... on the back patio... and in the lliving room. I can make a mess everywhere just like the rest of you guys!

Regarding the incentive to get it done...
I want to use it this summer! I just got laid off from my full time job (since the house market is so dead) and I've got time to kill. The only thing that would stop me is if some really great new job landed in my lap.

Wouldn't you just love to catch sight of me on the highway someday?

[bledsoe3]

LP, That is a pretty impressive first post. It looks like you've put a lot of thought into your tear. Good luck with your project and welcome to the board.