My STANDEE build (still under $1,000)

[cajundood]

for awhile now, I have been reading posts and getting educated on building my own teardrop. my introduction post showed my story and the trailer that i will use. It was originally a farm trailer that was used to haul cabbage. It was built in the early 60's. I saved it from being turned to scrap, cut off the tractor tires and axles and installed a 3500# drop axle under it. This was done in 2013. It was used as a golf cart hauler when i had my 30ft. gulfstream. After selling the gulfstream, I used it as a motorcycle hauler. Sold the bike in 2015, and it's been sitting in the back yard since. Well.......I exterminated the wasps, aired up the tires and pulled it out of the weeds. here is my future teardrop.
I have my materials list for plywood, rigid insulation, luan, polyurethane, spar urethane, etc.
I made a purchase of some used rv skylights, windows and hatches that will be used in the teardropper. as stated in my introduction, I am going for what I believe is called the "standee" variation. The front and back will be flat angles.
I have a few unique ideas thats in my head and i hope to implement them into the design
It's going to have a mini-slideout, a stargazer moon roof, and a rotating lcd screen for indoor or outdoor viewing.

I didnt realize how wide it was till i measured it. I actually have 6' 8" between the wheel wells (8' total width)....so i guess it's gonna be a fatbody.
It looks like im gonna have to run the plywood floor across rather than the length of the trailer. Not gonna have to worry about weight saving since the super heavy duty frame alone is probably 1500lbs alone. It's very heavy C channel. (they built them to last back in the 60's)
So now that i have it up on the concrete, ill need to get all the rotten wood blocks & decking off and take everything down to the frame.

Any tips and hints yall may have for me as i travel through this undiscovered territory is welcomed.

I dont really have anything sketched up on paper or computer.....it's all in my head

UPDATE: As of 10/27/17, I remain under my budget of $1,000 (even with the recent generator purchase)..

[cajundood]

As my design (in my head ) is constantly changing....here are a few revisions that I am toying with. I've decided against the ducted external ac. the 5,000 btu unit can easily be incorporated into a cabinet under the bed with the vents drawing and expelling air from the bottom and front of the trailer.
I was going to remove the angle uprights on the 4 corners of the trailer and install brackets so i could go 6' 8" wide....but all that cutting would only give me 8 extra inches??? I can use those angles in my wall support without having to use any extra bracing. and still be 6 foot wide.
Rather than my original "renegade" shape, I figured (from watching countless youtoob videos) the teardrop desing is gonna work great for me....with one exception: It's gonna be a tall teardrop. I want to be able to walk in mine
Since my floorplan is gonna be wider than the standard 4ft, the 4 x 8 sheets for the floor and roof are gonna have to be added cross ways instead of lengthways. So the 5/8 plywood for my floor will be 2 sheets giving me the 6x8 floor that I'll need. Now for the luan roof it's likely to take 3 to 4 sheets since theyre gonna be cross instead of lenghtways. not to mention the 3 or 4 more sheets for the inside roof.
Comments welcome if I am on the right track here. The wood is all off of the trailer. I just have to clean everything up and repaint the trailer.

still going with the slideout, although the size and location on the trailer has changed 3 or 4 times
currently it's gonna be a 3' x 5' slideout located in front of the wheel on the drivers side. I'm gonna use 4 100lb drawer slides (which is probably overkill) that will pull out 22" allowing me to place the bed across rather than run the length of the trailer, freeing up space for my little galley.

[cajundood]

Go for it!.. diffrent is fun!...7 wide was to much for my mirrors on my ford suv so i cut mine 2 tear down to 6 4....7 will work on a 3 quarter ton dodge truck though...its the mirrors why some folks don't like 6 wides on smaller cars..but if you got the tow vehicle go for it ...wider is roomeyer...i got a fad for a 4 wide easrer to see around to tow and easy to get by things in my local Rocky mountains..so my old tears a 4 wide..

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J320A using Tapatalk

lol..... I still have my tow mirrors that extend out 12 additional inches from when i had my 30ft bumper pull.

[QueticoBill]

The direction of the floor ply is interesting question. I cant see the frame of course but if like others, there are cross pieces between two side rails at a spacing less than the distance betwern sid rails. Generally plywood is stronger when the exterior ply grain is perpendicular to the more closely spaced framing. Just like subfloor in a house, the long dimension is perpendicular to the joists. In your case if i understand t would be two pieces each 3x8 rather than 2 each 4 x 6. Depending on the cross frame spacing, 1/2 inch might work fine, though i understand weight is not a concern and it is a standee so 5/8 is not much if any overkill.

Experiment. Lay a piece of 5/8 on your frame and srep on it. Now turn 90 degrees. Im prety sure youll feel a little more give right between joists when 8 ft is crosswise. Not failure, just a little softer.

I dont know your plans and insulation needs but i have decided on a floor of 1/4 inch ply on each side of 1 inch foam. 5 x 8 frame with cross pieces 2 ft on center, floor will cantilever about a foot on either end for 5 x almost 10 deck.

That trailer looks like a great beginning. Great find.

[cajundood]

UPDATE

[cajundood]

well....got the floor layed out (mostly) gonna end up being 10' 3"x 6'. ...so it's gonna have some good area for me to work with.
the more i think about it, the more i am leaning towards a front slideout vs the side slideout that i originally planned.

deck boards layed out with base 2x4's. (those steel uprights are gonna be inside the walls and will give unbelievable strength to the structure...

got some hardwood laminate from back when my house flooded that i may use as flooring....

[cajundood]

doesnt look like much progress, but it's all underneath... I treated and undercoated the bottoms of the plywood. used some TBII as wood filler on the few imperfections....lol.... If you look real close, you'll also see a floor hatch. This is where my 2 car batteries, battery tender, misc wiring and other storage will be. Next on the list is to sand the plywood, stain and apply "the mix". after that i will begin work on the 2 side walls... stay tuned

[cajundood]

The direction of the floor ply is interesting question. I cant see the frame of course but if like others, there are cross pieces between two side rails at a spacing less than the distance betwern sid rails. Generally plywood is stronger when the exterior ply grain is perpendicular to the more closely spaced framing. Just like subfloor in a house, the long dimension is perpendicular to the joists. In your case if i understand t would be two pieces each 3x8 rather than 2 each 4 x 6. Depending on the cross frame spacing, 1/2 inch might work fine, though i understand weight is not a concern and it is a standee so 5/8 is not much if any overkill.

Experiment. Lay a piece of 5/8 on your frame and srep on it. Now turn 90 degrees. Im prety sure youll feel a little more give right between joists when 8 ft is crosswise. Not failure, just a little softer.

I dont know your plans and insulation needs but i have decided on a floor of 1/4 inch ply on each side of 1 inch foam. 5 x 8 frame with cross pieces 2 ft on center, floor will cantilever about a foot on either end for 5 x almost 10 deck.

That trailer looks like a great beginning. Great find.

yeah....it's pretty springy.
gonna add some bracing underneath the plywood plus some more under-floor hatches.

[razorback]

slideouts are notoriously difficult to seal. front slideouts at 70 mph during a rain event are probably impossible to seal. build what you want. its your td. have fun enjoy the time spent building and camping.
Larry

[cajundood]

After dealing with unfavorable weather, unfavorable job, and just about anything else life can throw at me, I'm back on the project. As the plans in my head are constantly changing, it's evolved from a modified tear to a standee. after having to remove the walls several times to make adjustments, I now have them finalized. there are 3 openings. the door opening is located at the back behind the wheel. In front of the wheel on the same side is the cutout for my slideout.
i also have an opening on the opposite side for a window that i purchased from a rv partout. I still have the floor hatches to make use of the space in the frame. you may notice that the tires are flat. I had to deflate them so it would fit under my low overhang. i may need to lop about 2" from the top so it'll fit cleanly under the carport.
as this will be a 12v system also with 110v, i will have 2 car batteries and a 1000w inverter in the rear hatch. not that i'm unemployed, i'll have more time to get this project rolling. more pics to come

[cajundood]

slideouts are notoriously difficult to seal. front slideouts at 70 mph during a rain event are probably impossible to seal. build what you want. its your td. have fun enjoy the time spent building and camping.
Larry

In my mind, I have a design that shouldnt leak. We'll see how it works out

[cajundood]

heres a lil update on the standee. I took 4" off of the top to allow space to park under the carport. I replace the dry rotted tires with newer ones and cleaned and painted the rims. after having to back-track a few times, It's beginning to take shape. Working everyday on it since I now have 1 month till i need to make a trip....

Hmmmm....what is that odd shaped piece of wood for?


since rain has been hindering my roof work, I decided to get started on the galley.


shore power connection installed.........

[cajundood]

This standee will be wired for 110v shore power as well as 12v (2 car batteries) using a 1000w inverter
that i had from an old solar system. I have 2 generators......a 5500/8250 13hp honda which is certainly
too bulky and heavy for this application......and also i have a sportsman 3000w propane generator
which i purchased almost 2 years ago and never even took it out of the box. Althoough lighter, it is
still heavy and bulky.

Being on the gulf coast, every resident MUST own a generator due to the frequency of hurricanes.....
and since I am somewhat of a prepper, 2 units with alternate fuels is a smart way to prepare.

Now at the same time I am researching teardrop designs for my build, I am noticing these little inverter
generators, which although are gas powered, they are very light, electronics friendly and are super quiet.....
it's just that they are very pricey. I saw a post about a portable ryobi propane inverter generator that is
supposed to be available soon at home depot. Just like any of the others.....it's pricey as well. ($599)

So for the past few weeks I've been scouring ebay and amazon for an inexpensive inverter generator. I found the
sportsman 1000i 1000w inverter generator to be quite economical.

First thing I did was consult the experts unbiased reviews....YOUTUBE...
Even though Sportsman is down there with the no-name brands, every review that I watched
rated it very high. I didn't see one bad review at all.

It's got everything I'd need......
weighs 25lbs,
pure sine wave technology make it very electronics friendly,
extremely economical on gas (runs 5hrs on a half gallon of gas) ,
aaand it is super quiet

So I am now watching the prices on these little gems. Depending on who you buy from they ranged from $240 - $389.
I was watching some on ebay that were selling for 239 and decided to hold off just a bit longer to see if i could find a better price.
Well..... I did.....
Target (of all places) has them for $179

so needless to say I couldn't pull out my credit card fast enough
it will arrive in 5 days.
Now being the thrifty person that i am, don't take my word for it......
I encourage all to do your own research on anything. yootoob has proven to be very useful
in instructional videos for my teardrop construction and now for user reviews of just about anything on the planet.

for those in the market for one here is the screenshot..........

[Woodbutcher]

Nice project, it should work out well for you. Hope you can "Git er dun" in time for your trip.

[cajundood]

Nice project, it should work out well for you. Hope you can "Git er dun" in time for your trip.

well.....the trip will happen....but without the teardrop...
Working on the roof of the teardrop, I lifted something heavier than i should've and pulled a muscle in my back. Was on my back for 4 days ..... also I realized that i can't really jump right into a 350 mile trip in a newly constructed camper. (it needs to be tested first in a closer area)
So the TD will have to wait till next years renaissance festival.