Teardrop Trailer Manufacturing Business

[Gsaunders]

Well after 47 years of working to include 9 Military, overseas contracting in Afghanistan for 6 years, 11 years driving a truck and 21 years in the telecommunications industry, I am retiring, and looking for my next great adventure in the world of keeping a roof over my head and food on the table.

I am currently looking at metal shops to start up my woodworking business, and I plan on building Teardrops and other items.

I am on the road about 28 days out of the month and as I travel across the country, I have observed the following. The major RV companies are getting into the Teardrop world, I see a lot of 4 or 5 foot wide by 8 foot long trailers on their lot. However as I drive across the country I dont see very many of these being pulled. What I do see is custom teardrops. So I started looking at the Teardrops they had for sale. What gets me is the Cookie cutter approach they have to building these, same approach as they have to their larger RV's. They have very few options, it is either a red one or a blue one with these 3 or 4 optoins. As I have read through all these discussions, I have realized that each person on here has their idea of what a tearcrop should be, what it looks like, and what goes in it. I dont think the Major RV dealers realize this is what people want. I have browsed some of their tear drops, and each one I get the same impression, cheap materials and poor quality. (the poor quality I know for a fact, as a flatbed driver I have deliver material to these places).

That being said, I plan building and selling. I would like to hear from others who do this (dont worry, I dont plan on driving you out of business, this is mainly to keep my sanity during retirement and let me do what I love to do and building something usefull to someone. (more or less a self funded hobbie).

[GPW]

GS, over the years the RV manufacturers have lost the idea of making quality trailers , and switched to Profitable trailers , cheaply made , poor materials , quickly thrown together , and most not lasting the length of the supposed warranty , and requiring pricy repairs at the local dealer . ( from personal experience ) To them , it's all about the Money .
Teardrops here are made lovingly , made with great care to last a long time . That's a world of difference...
Also retired , I believe it would make a great hobby/pastime making practical quality trailers . And you have a built in support group here if you run into problems or a lack of ideas.

[Pmullen503]

I wonder if the people who have the money to buy a manufactured teardrop are the same people that would want one.

Are the people you see pulling handmade teardrops pulling those because they wanted to make it themselves?

That is, it's less about the object than the process of building/designing the object.

[Ottsville]

I wonder if the people who have the money to buy a manufactured teardrop are the same people that would want one.

Are the people you see pulling handmade teardrops pulling those because they wanted to make it themselves?

That is, it's less about the object than the process of building/designing the object.

I'm sure that's part of it but I think there's just as many who build to get exactly what they want - for a long time, something that wasn't available - at a quality they want.

[Capebuild]

That is, it's less about the object than the process of building/designing the object.

For me it is about the designing and building .... but not sure I agree about the "less about the object"..... The final outcome and how it looks, works ergonomically, and how the entirety of parts function together is important.... or at least something to be considered.

Having built "stuff" for a living for my entire life (that is, building prototypes and inventions for others)..... and recently retired.... designing and building my own trailer has given me the opportunity to utilize my total skill set and creative library and put it into a project I've so totally enjoyed. I would not want to do it for others, nor would I think of it as a way to make $$. The "manufacturers" have automated their build process. Knowing what it cost to build my trailer, I wonder how the manufacturers even turn a profit. But they're buying in quantity (so discounted costs), they've automated the build process and automated the component creation (CNC, laser cutting, building molds)....they're building 4, 5 or more trailer's at a time....... so their business model is able to turn a profit and quite a different process than us one on builders (I'd think).

I suppose it's up to your motivation. You say a it would be "more or less a self funded hobby"..... I've been working on my trailer (including design, CAD time, sourcing parts and actual building for going on a year and a half). I don't think I'd want to build another .... although if I were 30 years old (or if I were Benjamin Button).... it would make for an interesting business.

My 2 cents.

John

[mountainminded]

My story is not so different from yours and if you insert “Critical Care Nurse” in place of your work history we have arrived in the same place. My metal building is finished and the lights are on and the first two production teardrops are taking shape. My goal is to build 2-4 trailers per year over the next ten years and if I can maintain that enthusiasm until my 30-trailer supply of aluminum trim runs out it will have been a worthy pursuit. Also like you, getting rich from this was never a part of the goal.

Now that I am more than a year into the project I would like to share some observations:

The Covid pandemic has made it both the best of times for producing these little trailers and the worst. Demand is unmeasurably high but the cost and availability of materials has been an enormous hurdle. My stock wheels were backordered for 6-months, windows and axles 4-months, etc., etc. And the cost of everything has more than doubled since my prototype was completed just a year ago. The Russian Baltic Birch plywood that I use for cabinets and bulkheads is now unaffordable and (I suspect) soon to be unavailable and I’m not sure there is even a suitable alternative on the horizon. Supply chain issues are real and may force a compromise of your ideals.

The successful teardrop manufacturers that you are familiar with started in the same place, cutting parts out one at a time with a hand router. The two I have approached for help (So-Cal Teardrops and Aero Teardrops) have been an amazing resource for me. Don’t be afraid to reach out to other makers for advice or to purchase materials in bulk. Their business is booming and it is unlikely you will be perceived as a threat. The teardrop world is still small and friendly like family.

I’ve never owned a manufactured RV but I would liken them to the kitchen cabinets you can buy off the shelf at Home Depot. They look like kitchen cabinets and work like kitchen cabinets but are not the same as the kitchen cabinets produced in a custom cabinet shop. I liken the trailers I build to the custom cabinet variety and the challenge is connecting with customers who can recognize the difference. That will be your market.

Best of luck in your new endeavor!

[Capebuild]

My story is not so different from yours and if you insert “Critical Care Nurse” in place of your work history we have arrived in the same place. My metal building is finished and the lights are on and the first two production teardrops are taking shape. My goal is to build 2-4 trailers per year over the next ten years and if I can maintain that enthusiasm until my 30-trailer supply of aluminum trim runs out it will have been a worthy pursuit. Also like you, getting rich from this was never a part of the goal.

Now that I am more than a year into the project I would like to share some observations:

The Covid pandemic has made it both the best of times for producing these little trailers and the worst. Demand is unmeasurably high but the cost and availability of materials has been an enormous hurdle. My stock wheels were backordered for 6-months, windows and axles 4-months, etc., etc. And the cost of everything has more than doubled since my prototype was completed just a year ago. The Russian Baltic Birch plywood that I use for cabinets and bulkheads is now unaffordable and (I suspect) soon to be unavailable and I’m not sure there is even a suitable alternative on the horizon. Supply chain issues are real and may force a compromise of your ideals.

The successful teardrop manufacturers that you are familiar with started in the same place, cutting parts out one at a time with a hand router. The two I have approached for help (So-Cal Teardrops and Aero Teardrops) have been an amazing resource for me. Don’t be afraid to reach out to other makers for advice or to purchase materials in bulk. Their business is booming and it is unlikely you will be perceived as a threat. The teardrop world is still small and friendly like family.

I’ve never owned a manufactured RV but I would liken them to the kitchen cabinets you can buy off the shelf at Home Depot. They look like kitchen cabinets and work like kitchen cabinets but are not the same as the kitchen cabinets produced in a custom cabinet shop. I liken the trailers I build to the custom cabinet variety and the challenge is connecting with customers who can recognize the difference. That will be your market.

Well said!

[bartek]

I can tell you that before I decided to build (and even realized it was possible to build your own), I looked for a manufactured teardrop trailer for a long time and simply couldn't find anything that would fit my need (in this case it was a teardrop which would fit my family of 4). If I found something like this at the time, I'm sure I would have bought one. Once I discovered people are actually building those, I never looked back, and I had enough woodworking experience and tools to know I can actually pull this off, end up with something that would be exactly what I needed, and that I'd immensely enjoy the project.

From what I see, not that many people who'd want these trailers have experience/time/desire to build their own though. I'm yet to go on a trip and not be stopped by someone who either wants to know where I bought my trailer (or just wants to buy one from me )
In that sense I'm sure this kind of business would be viable, but I can't comment on supply shortages or the price point you can manufacture them at.

[friz]

I can't imagine the liability involved in this kind of business would be worth the potential profits. Selling something intended for highway use is a giant legal target In my opinion.

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[Pmullen503]

I can't imagine the liability involved in this kind of business would be worth the potential profits. Selling something intended for highway use is a giant legal target In my opinion.

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If that's the case, how can any trailer builder make it?

[saywhatthat]

insurance. I would bet a third of the people that build a teardrop have the same plan as you

[tony.latham]

I can't imagine the liability involved ...

I'm not concerned with the liability I've created by writing a detailed how-to teardrop building book. It's probably not much different.



Tony

[Tom&Shelly]

On the other hand, out there, somewhere, is a person who, every time he looks at a bag of desiccant thinks "See, because of me, they have a warning!"



Tom

[Woodbutcher]

I have built 4 different trailers, sold 3, and still use my latest. I made some money on each of the trailers I sold. But not enough to make a real living, but that was not my intention. Each of these trailers were built and used. Two for several years and one only a few times. When I sold them, they were used, as is sales. Each was titled in my name when I sold them. They were sold by me individually and not under the guise of a business. So no liability worries for me. If the OP just wants to have a hobby and make a few, and I mean a few bucks, it can be done. But if you are looking to build, high end trailers with excellent quality, they will be hard to sell and make much of a profit. He may get one without the other. There is a reason for mass production.

[featherliteCT1]

In Indiana, you can form a single member Limited Liability Company ("LLC") online for about $90, to obtain limited liability like a corporate shell so as to protect personal assets from liability for LLC activities, so long as you have a separate checking account and you do not mix personal assets with the business assets. No Federal or State tax returns required either.



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