Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Here are a few pictures of my progress building my Modernistic frame.





Everything in the above photo is drilled and bolted except the tongue attachments and the tongue angle braces.



The two cross pieces shown above are about 68 inches from the front of the frame, 37 inches from the rear, and will support the half axles which will be bolted as the one shown clamped below.



I haven't cut the tongue down yet and am considering running it back to the half axle supports to distribute the towing load throughout the frame.

If I attach the back end of the tongue to the half axle support crossmembers will it adversely affect the towing stability?

Looks great! Makes me miss the begining of my tear and how excited I was the first day! How much were the axles and hubs? I may go that way if I build another. Keep up the great work!!! Aaron

Sure looks good to me!!

Jerome

GeneH wrote: snip... Everything in the above photo is drilled and bolted except the tongue attachments and the tongue angle braces.

GeneH,
Looks great! I noticed that you are using all angle iron for the box frame. It should be a good weight saver. I would like to know why you chose to bolt the pieces together, rather than weld.

Anybody else notice all the tools and toys are brand new and still in boxes boy it must be nice to afford new toys. I have to get a letter from the pope and old what's her name.

Hi Cliff ... The why was bacause I wanted to build the trailer myself so I could control the tolerances and not depend on someone else to make it square. By using angle I can build it myself while I don't know anything about welding.

The how was provided by Jerome when he posted photos of his new frame back in 2006. Those photos and his generous help made it possible for me to build mine.

Just a thought, but for the price of all the nuts and bolts and extra angle you might be able to get a small MIG, they are extremely easy to weld with and it makes things move along at about twice as fast. Not to mention all the money you could save fixing stuff around the house and garage that you would otherwise have to pay someone else to weld. My MIG paid for itself the first week I owned it.
Aaron

I think it is pretty cool to build your own bolt together trailer frame. Some say why? I say why not? It just adds to the uniqueness of your build. As for your question about running the angles of the tongue back to the axle supports, It won't cause any problems in towing, for the most part the only things that cause problems in towing are axle misalignment and improper tongue weight.

GeneH wrote:Hi Cliff ... The why was bacause I wanted to build the trailer myself so I could control the tolerances and not depend on someone else to make it square. By using angle I can build it myself while I don't know anything about welding.

The how was provided by Jerome when he posted photos of his new frame back in 2006. Those photos and his generous help made it possible for me to build mine.

I was just curious, and think that is great a good frame could be built that way. I missed Jerome's thread on the how to. I wonder if there is negligible frame flexing after the TD body is mounted. Unlike some of the bolt togethers using a wider C channel there is space to double up on the nuts and bolts to add rigidity. What do I know, I haven't built a frame yet!

For my own pondering, I wonder if using angle iron like Mallet's would be sufficient for a 5x10 trailer with all the creature comfort features. I'll have to start a new thread when the time comes to build.

Bobhenry it helps that the wife fell in love with the teardrop idea when she saw the RV movie on the travel channel.

The Dewalt box is the router set that was on sale at HD and is the only new power tool in the pictures. I'm looking forward to getting to where I am using it.

First finish the frame then take it apart and clean it and "Rust Bullet" it. Then put it back together using the Grade 8 stainless steel hardware then I get to make sawdust.

Just an FYI since I deal with the stuff at work...there are no grade 8 stainless bolts. They use a different classification system. Even the best grades of stainless hardware are only equivelent to aproximatly grade 5 in steel. With that said, I would use grade 8 or F911 hardware to bolt your trailer together, since the hardware is all that is holding it together (no welding.)

Mike

bobhenry wrote:Anybody else notice all the tools and toys are brand new and still in boxes boy it must be nice to afford new toys. I have to get a letter from the pope and old what's her name.

What a difference,(you poor thing) . My wife is the one that encourages me into buying tools. Were both tool junkies Danny

Seriously mine is happier in a hardware store than anywhere. She is as big of a tool nut as I am. Birthdays Christmas anniversary's I know I will be quizzed about what tool I want. GOD LOVE HER !!!

I will say I have literally worn out a circular saw a miter saws and a couple of drills in the last 3 years. Still have 3 or 4 saws and drills as back up. I guess a new belt sander is next up I'm tired of plugging and unpluging it as a switch makes control kinda awkward. (Hardwired around the switch when it died)

bobhenry wrote:Anybody else notice all the tools and toys are brand new and still in boxes boy it must be nice to afford new toys. I have to get a letter from the pope and old what's her name.

I LOVE that "New Tool Smell".

SMW

A bit of hard learned advice.
make sure your tires are exactly where they would be according to the old plans, or you can't use old style fenders.