Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Has anyone put on a front box and wish they had made it smaller, larger, or left it off. What were the reasons and what do you think a good size would be? Making decisions as I go Bob

It depends on what you want to put in it, some boxes are just too big and make the tongue weigh too much. I see alot of people make it big enough for a small table and chairs and some put spare tires in them.Others put there battery in it or propane tank, it's what you think you need to use it for.

I've used a box on all of my tears. It's very practical. I designed the front profile of the Lil Diner to accept a box as well. We keep chairs, propane, grass carpet, and some tools in there.

Mike...

We added a tongue storage box and are quite happy with it.

It fits two of the popular fold up chairs just fine along with our 5lb propane tank, axe, rope, tarp, wheel chucks, marsmallow sticks and life jackets. Its a bit large so we have to be careful not to jack knife the trailer but haven't had an issue so far. One of the main considerations some might have is added on afterwards is that it adds more weight to the tongue. Loaded our box and gear added 35-50lbs on the tongue.

Thanks I will be able to locate my axle to acomodate the weight If I can just estimate it's weight and what it will be used for. I would like to make my tongue long enough so I can still jack knife the full 90. At what point does the tongue get to long. With my 5x10 TD+20" box, and another 36" for the tongue the TD starts to get quite long. Bob

Southern Oregon Bob wrote: I would like to make my tongue long enough so I can still jack knife the full 90. At what point does the tongue get to long. With my 5x10 TD+20" box, and another 36" for the tongue the TD starts to get quite long. Bob

The tongue really can't get too long unless you don't increase the material size you are using to compensate for the extra length and the weight you are putting on it.
As a general rule, the longer the tongue on a trailer the easier it is to back up. Tongue length has little effect on towability tho so make it as long as you need, just make it strong enough.

Southern Oregon Bob wrote:Thanks I will be able to locate my axle to acomodate the weight If I can just estimate it's weight and what it will be used for. I would like to make my tongue long enough so I can still jack knife the full 90. At what point does the tongue get to long. With my 5x10 TD+20" box, and another 36" for the tongue the TD starts to get quite long. Bob

I would not add 20" for the box. I would make the tongue 36", and then set the box on that. (Plus or minus a couple inches!)

Mike...

Mike--
I noticed your tongue box has angled sides. I saw one like that listed in JC Whitney. Is that were you got yours?
Rob

Yep, that's where I got mine!!!

I was thinking some more about your tongue... If you are building a 5' wide trailer, you'll probably have a 4' tongue. There's plenty of room on your tongue for a box!

Mike...

P.S. Did you ever see the tongues in this thread?
http://tnttt.com/viewto ... =1942#1942

As my frame sits now, the tongue is 2.5x2.5x 1/8 wall. It returns to my first cross bar 26" onto frame. From the front of the frame it comes out 15" to get to the back of the box (the front is going to roll under very similer to the Kin-Skill. AT that point I alowed another 16" for the box and then I would like another 36" to the ball so I can jack knife 90 degrees. I ran diagonals from about 24" onto each side of the frame and they come to the tongue at the front of the proposed box. At this point the tongue is ran wild but I had hoped to cut it off 36" past the front of the box where the diagonals come in. If that sounds like trouble any input would be appreciated, I'ts not to late to get the cutoff wheel out but if I must the sooner the better? Bob

Bob:

Sorry to said this, but I think 2 ½” X 1/8” square tubing as a tongue, could be into a tongue collapse, at list you are going to avoid any off roads.

I will think about 3” X 3” X 0.125” or much better 0.1875”.

Tongue is the most critical part of the trailer when safety matters.

Raul

When I took my Scad-A-Bout down to BigTex to have a new extended tongue installed, they recommended that I only go 45", they told me that is what they build all of there trailers at, and being that 10" is taken up by the cabin it leave me with 39", which still seems short to install a box and a propane set up. If I left it stock I would have had just enough room to install a propane tank and nothing else, and you could see where the cabin was damaged when the prior owner made a tight turn. I was told that with the 45" I should never have to worry about making contact with the cabin while turning.

Is that 45" of unbraced tongue or 45" from frame regardless of bracing? Bob

Where it is welded under the cabin there are a metal plate brace and I have a center brace also, you can see the different if you want to view my two photo album, the 1st

http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictu ... invite&%20

is my tearing it down and the

2nd is the start of the restoration

http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictu ... lbumInvite

Here's a picture of the box I just finished and installed. It's big enough to hold the awning, folding chairs, door mat, water hose and extension cord.