Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I have a harbor freight trailer (40" x 48" cut down 6" on width) that I want to add 18" front and rear overhang for a sleeper. I'm actually looking at a box 7' L x 3' W (between fenders) x 18" high I can bolt on and take off.

Yes, I know it would look like a coffin.

So, anyway. 7' box. Can't have over 30 or so lbs on the tongue. How long does the tongue have to be? Is there a width to length thing for tongues and wheels?

My tire centers are 46" apart and axle to tongue is 72"

Currently it tows just great but I figure it might change with a 7' box on top.

My biggest concern is to lessen the pitch (up and down motion) on the hitch.

Any engineers out there? Can't have a squirrelly trailer on a bike. My belief is that the rear of the trailer going left will cancel the front of the trailer going right and so on. (At least if the box is centered on the axle). I know it will probably be slightly forward to give me the required tongue weight.

I apologize now for rambling.

For those interested in my trailer idea:

The roof would fit on like the lid on a shoebox and I would add a 2-3 foot strip of canvas between roof and walls. It would look something like the old VW vans with pop-up tops.

It occurred to me that if I added 4 corner holders 1/2 inch or so deep on the bottom interior and 4 of them on the lid, I could use 4 broomstick sized rods to keep the roof up. Mounting them in each corner would prevent the roof from swinging around much and the canvas tension would keep the wood rods in the holders (holes drilled in wood or metal). I think that would work great as long as it didn't rattle a lot in the wind. The canvas would be one piece from RR around front to LR with a flap at the back to climb in and seal it. It would attach with snaps or something to the outer lip on the box and inner lip of the lid.

Build it coffin shaped....that would be really cool. Especially when someone sees you crawl in there to sleep!!!

...anything similar to this....
http://s199.photobucket.com/albums/aa60 ... 5/bedroll/
...this was built by my partner, it is 30"s wide and 7' long...it is about 16'" tall at the front and opens up in a clam shell manner...to get it to tow properly, he moved the axle back about 6"'s and lowered the hitch height...
http://s199.photobucket.com/albums/aa60 ... n%20hitch/
..you might wanna drop "B52" a PM or email about it......
http://tnttt.com/profil ... file&u=553
madjack

p.s. he tows with a Harley NightTrain...but he would probably still talk to ya... ...................MJ

check this out...

http://www.bakersfield.com/hourly_news/ ... 49862.html

Appreciate the photos Madjack. Harley riders are a tad emotional when my plastic covered toy rolls over the top of them. I try to be gracious with my horsepower. His choice in bikes aside, that is a beautiful trailer. I'd have loved to see it unfolded.

I like the U shaped sides I chose because I can slide cargo in the rear and use it to carry a ladder or a light load of lumber if I want to.

I'd attach a picture of the lower box design I came up with but I can never seem to import them into these boards.

...ej, since those photos were taken he has done a lot of work on the unit...he has a drop down mosquito screen and has built a pretty nice side tent and enclosures to weathproof it...give him (Jim/B52) a shout, he probably has more pics of it as it is now.......
madjack

p.s. he started with the same HF trailer as you, tossed the steel and used aluminum "hat" channel for the frame(think hiway signpost shape)...the whole unit, wheels, axle and all only weighs in around 200#s with about a 20# tongue weight.......MJ

Nitetimes wrote:Build it coffin shaped....that would be really cool. Especially when someone sees you crawl in there to sleep!!!

Coffin shaped ?? Hope your not a day sleeper ( 3rd shift)

If you are hide the broom sticks

The finished trailer will let you know in short order if it's happy.
When I finished Eggbert My 3x5 motorcycle tear he would scare
the s^&%t out of ya. Wobbled in the turns and yanked and tugged over uneven pavement. I extended the tongue 2' and went to the smaller 8" tires to plane out the tow angle to almost level and he is a much better boy. He is on the same frame (40 x 48 HF) and I tow him with a GL1200

How about a telescoping trailer :lol:

Or an assemble on site trailer house

dhazard wrote:check this out...

http://www.bakersfield.com/hourly_news/ ... 49862.html

Now that there is cool...that would make a great camper.... but I don't think the wife would go for it!!!

Sonetpro wrote:

Nitetimes wrote:Build it coffin shaped....that would be really cool. Especially when someone sees you crawl in there to sleep!!!

Yep, that's a good one too (someday I'm going to build a coffin just for S&G's), but I was thinking more along the lines of the tapered pine boxes!

Great pic's Madjack. That's exactly how I planned to attach the canvas around the inside of the lid only use 4 poles and have a flat wood roof that rises vertically. My bike is heavy enough that I don't need the tripod attachment to sleep in it connected. I'd just lock the trans in reverse and nobody can roll it. The Rivco hitch I use keeps me perfectly level right now with the 12" wheels. Think I'll just build it and then decide if I have to add additional tongue length.

His tongue is too short for me. I'd hit my hard saddlebags if I wasn't careful backing up. Sweet job though. The boss keeps telling me I don't have time to go camping (preachers are always busy on weekends) but it would be a great cargo/sleeper and I do enough electrical and handyman work around our congregation to make it worthwhile.

I'll have to stock up on lumber a few pieces at a time till I have it all together and then put it together. A couple of times a year I disappear for a couple thousand miles and this would be great.