fiberglass component kit egg are duck first ?

[dogscats]

First of all much thank you to Andrew Gibbens .
The kit I AM building has fiberglass flanges that are 4'' wide with a 2'' lip dropped down 3/8''. So if I use 48'' plywood that give me a trailer 56 to 57 wide.I plain to use Andrew Gibbens http://www.angib.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/teardrop/tear57.htm It calls for it to be 60''. If I pull it in the 4 '' will that hurt anything ?
From what I been told that most trailers that have been built are only 48''wide.
So would it be better to build the frame are the shell first ? The axle is 2000 pound taken down to 1000 it will take 6 weeks to get .
Any of your thought's will be great help
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[angib]

Narrowing that frame by 4" will do no harm at all.

[Vedette]

Go 5' wide for sure, unless you are single and only plan to use this trailer for fishing trips by yourself.
Check out Dexter Torsion Axles (currently 1 week shipping time) great product, great service. Built to your specs.
#8 axle up to 1100 lbs and #9 axle from 1200 lbs to 2000 lbs, again to your specs.
Cheap to!
Good Roads
Brian & Sandi

[dogscats]

I have a lot more will power now that Andrew has given his OK.

Go 5' wide for sure

I ask the manufacturer why he did not go 6'' on the top flanges. I was told as they are flat you get more leverage the farther out from the corners .Plywood is cheaper than fiberglass .At 56'' you can get a full side bed in there.I can get lowe,s to cut 4x8 sheets for $$0.50 per cut so there will be little left over and the cuts will be strait. Will have to look more in to #8 axle up to 1100 lbs . For the doors there working on a kit that takes a chey van side window turns it on it side . I seen the windows at pick and pull on sale for $15.00. Using drop down windows as doors cost around $300 and $100 to ship. That $800 before you get any walls up The manufacturer Has told me there try to keep the fiberglass part kit under $75.00 for the two sides

[angib]

I should make clear that I was just saying that narrowing the frame was OK, structurally. I think however wide a teardrop is, another few inches of width will always seem desirable after it's built....

Narrowing the frame could be done by either proportionally shortening the two A-frame members (to 81-1/2" I think) so the angles remain the same, or by leaving the A-frame members the same length and just swinging them in, using a narrower angle between them, which would require a bit of grinding the ends to get the angles right.

[dogscats]

Again thank you . I am going to leave long and cut the ends to get the angles right.
I tried again today to see if I could get the manufacturer to go out to a top lip of 6''.
They went on about leverage on the fiberglass parts . If you cut a 4 by 8 foot piece 52 ''long to get a 5 foot wide trailer. You will have 44'' waste .I guess you could use on the inside.
Also the manufacturer has said they don't want to retool .There to many chooses aluminum . wood, stamp steel on the market for these flanges
In the big picture you only have around $20 in waste
I did talk them to do a 1947 kit profile this next fall

[JaggedEdges]

Go 5' wide for sure, unless you are single and only plan to use this trailer for fishing trips by yourself.

Yes, I just came to realise I'd have to go 5 wide, if me and the missus didn't want to get all bruised up from each others elbows, just trying to roll over. It's still going to feel tighter than a double bed methinks, unless you make yourself an arm and knee hole for dangling it out of bed.

[dogscats]

Which would you build first the frame are the shell ?