HF weight comparison to custom buillt trailer

[asianflava]

I saw those trailers there too. I considered it but abandoned the idea because of extra work/planning involved. You'd either have to adapt the trailer to the body or the body to the trailer. For my first TD I thought I'd keep it relatively simple and lightweight.

I suppose if you were designing one from scratch the Lowe's trailer would be fine.

[BrianB]

The modifications would be rather easy. Just need to grind off the side rails and it should be ready to go. It uses a metal grate as the floor that seems like it would be a good idea to keep since it would protect the wood floor from the various crap you end up running over on the highway, plus it'll help stiffen the trailer.

But the main problem is the weight. I'd like to use 1x2 steel channel like this guy did:
http://www.uncledennyscorner.com/teardr ... ame08.html

[GeorgeT]

Hey Brian. Every ready built trailer I have looked at weighed in around 380 to 400 lbs. Most had the railing around them and well built. I have been tempted thinking that maybe I could build a sparce cabin in the 400 lb range and just slide it onto the trailer just like a slide in pick up camper. That way I'd have the trailer for other uses sometimes. But the weight is still scarey. I will be pulling with a Honda CR-V with 1,000 lb towing capacity. I guess there's no real market for builders to build ready mades in the weight range we'd like as they are then just not heavy duty enough for multi-tasking.

Uncle Denny can make my trailer anytime.

[BrianB]

I hear you. My Hyundai Elantra can pull up to 1800 lbs with electric brakes, but I'll still like to keep the weight below 1k just to keep my mpg at a reasonable level.

Searching for "landscape trailers" turns up a few lightweights, but they're all 4' wide. I think custom is the way to go.

[angib]

In Austin too, but I'm still scribbling designs in AutoCAD.

And you've got a sophisticated web site, just waiting to show them, so let's start seeing those scribbles.

Andrew

[mikeschn]

Who? Brian or Uncle Denny?

Mike...

[BrianB]

Thanks much, Andrew.

My design is very similar to the Camp-Inn 550, but with bits and pieces of things I liked in other trailers. Things such as a galley with more storage, larger windows on top, and more of an airstream feel with the aluminum skin.

This is more or less what I'm working with:
www.brianburton.org/v3.pdf

I've just recently extruded my 2D drawings into solids, so it's not nearly as pretty as the stuff Mike puts out. I started out with little a model of me laying on a queen-size mattress and went from there.

[mikeschn]

Yea, but you got the inside skin modeled in your PDF... I haven't gotten that far yet!!! (Wondering if I need to model all the pieces of insulation... ) sigh... more important things bekon!!!

Wondering if it's possible to turn the fold out cabin into a teardrop? The heck with KISS...

LOL

Mike...

P.S. Does anyone remember the URL to that Canadian company that was selling mobile cabins, that doubled in size at the site?

[SteveH]

Got to wondering about the weight of my frame that I just finished this morning and weighed it at 200 pounds even. That is with the axel, hubs, hitch, and front jack. It does not include wheels, tires, lights, or paint. The frame is built with 2"X2"X1/4" steel and is 5'X8'. Pictures are in my gallery.

How does this compare to other Teardrop frame weights?

[BufordT]

Nice job on the frame Steve. Lightweight. That should work out great when you get the tear on it. way to go.

Bufordt

[Joseph]

HF said that the weight of my 990# HF frame was 220# but by the time I stripped all the stuff off of it that I didn't need it weighed 188# including axle and tires.

Joseph

[SteveH]

Buford,

Thanks, hope it is strong enough. I built it on a sort of beefed up scheme of the Light Cub frame.

Joseph,

That was the info I was looking for. So, if you take say at least 20 pounds for the tires and wheels off of the Harbor Freight trailer weight, I'm still thirty or so pounds heavier. However, mine is 5 X 8 and the HF is 4 X 8, but the extra width shouldn't be too much weight. Anyway, it's "in the ballpark" so now the only issue is, is it strong enough?

[GeorgeT]

Got to wondering about the weight of my frame that I just finished this morning and weighed it at 200 pounds even. That is with the axel, hubs, hitch, and front jack. It does not include wheels, tires, lights, or paint. The frame is built with 2"X2"X1/4" steel and is 5'X8'. Pictures are in my gallery.

How does this compare to other Teardrop frame weights?

My HF 1175# trailer without the tires, wheels, fenders, fender brackets and lights and with the springs, axels, hubs, hitch and front jack weigh 216.48 lbs. That's also including the weight of the outrigger brackets I installed to modify the frame to support a 5 x 8 floor. The fenders and fender brackets weigh 15.2 lbs but I am not using them. Looks like you're in good shape.

[Joseph]

Hey Steve,

Anyway, it's "in the ballpark" so now the only issue is, is it strong enough?

Unless you did a complete hash of the job it should be more than strong enough. As I've said before, if I were to do mine over I wouldn't use a steel frame at all.

Joseph

[SteveH]

George and Joseph,

Thanks for your inputs. Now all I need is some dry weather so I can get it outside and clean it, prep it and paint it. Shure would like to get that done before I start the body. Because of the size, 5 X 9, I plan to build it on the frame.