Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

hi all,

so this is like the third week and i am still on my floor...halloween, ren faires..never having made a thing in my life...blah blah blah

anyways, i am sure most of you are familiar with the TS carry on trailer with the angle iron and all the things i have been trying to account for to deal with hit. i got my floor frame made, got the floor on and such, made sure everything was square. i put it on the trailer...well, its not flush in the front, and i was stumped and dumbfounded. why ? well i got down on the ground and looked straight across the front of the trialer and it truly looks like the front of the trailer crossmember is bowed out and not straight.

pic of the nice flush side:



pic of the evil, not flush side:



and of course my best effort of a side view of the front of the trailer...this pic does not show justice at all to what my eye sees when i look at it.



soooo...i guess i am here to say, what are my options?? because of this, of course the back is not flush either on that corner. grrrr....

i have been standing looking at for like an hour going .... huh....that sux

ideas?

What you have is normal for a welded trailer, the heat will bow it.
Raise the trailer up off the ground on stands at the corners, let the axle hang and pull it down. If that doesn't get it all out bolt the deck down and pull it together. You can finish taking the rest of the bow that is left out with the walls when you attach them.
You need the trailer sitting on stands and level before you attach anything or your trailer will never be able to be squared up and it will give you fits trying to put everything together.

It might also help to put something under the coupler to take the weight off the back of the tongue once it is on stands too.

If that doesn't get it all out bolt the deck down and pull it together. You can finish taking the rest of the bow that is left out with the walls when you attach them.

hmm...not sure i understand this one. if i were to bolt the deck down now, how would that pull in the bowed corner?

Mandy, are you saying the trailer profile and the wood profile aren't matching?

Jeff

Mandy, are you saying the trailer profile and the wood profile aren't matching?

yep..thats what i am saying. the frame i built is def square (or at least i worked really hard to make sure it is). When i get on the ground and look down the front side i can see the front of the trailer bowed out where i have the gap i am talking about.

i am a little confused by rich's explanation of how to attempt that bow in the steel out..seems impossible to my little pea brain.

Ah ha......... well, I don't know how to fix your problem. To make sure the trailer is square, measure criss cross from corner to corner, the measurements sould be the same. If the actual metal is bent or warped, you'll have to replace it or just live with it and build around it. Oh, and don't tell anyone it's bent............ shhhhhhhhhh.

I think Rich is thinking the frame is bowed up in the middle, as you look at it from the side.

Jeff

If it were mine I would add a 1x2 or 2x2 to the front with the top edge even with my floor. ( It appears there is enough room above the frame.) Then I would simply build out to it. You can extend the wall down and over the frame and it will never be seen. Beats the Hell out of arguing to get a different trailer or getting a welder to fix it for ya. As WarPony said be sure and check your diagional measurements on both the trailer and your floor. It might be a boo boo on your part so check both to be sure. Avoid the temptation to build the trailer shell askew as you will fight that mess throughout the build.
option #2

If you are adding a wall cleat to the floor for your walls to attach to you could cheat them out a bit if the leg that attaches to the floor is wide enough.

Mandy,

I would agree with Bob, if you can build out over the trailer angle iron frame and hide it. Most utility trailers are not built to as close a tolerance as you would like to build your teardrop. I think the angle iron should be hidden anyway, it lends nothing to the aesthetics of your build.

A list
Check plywood for square---measure corner to corner
check trailer for square --- ditto
Measure from a central point of the tongue to the axle
and down the sides.

That will give you a good idea of what is outta whack.

When you say square are you using a square to test that or a corner measurement?

You might be able use ratchet straps on the diagonal to pull it back closer but you need to be sure your measurement to the axles is the same on each side.

And if your ply is square---leave it in when you adjust.

Hope that is confusing enough.

Miriam C. wrote:A list


You can always use ratchet straps on the diagonal to pull it back closer but you need to be sure your measurement to the axles is the same on each side.

Aunite M might have something there if the ball coupler to axle measurement is also off , back it up to a friendly telephone pole and bump the drivers side rail It is not an exact science but it will turn your parallellagram into a square again!

Yes I am serious

Aunite M might have something there if the ball coupler to axle measurement is also off , back it up to a friendly telephone pole and bump the drivers side rail It is not an exact science but it will turn your parallellagram into a square again!

lol...this is seriously funny!! but....

ok...so i did measuring and i am half at fault here. my diagonal to diagnal of my frame is a 1/2" off

the trailer diagonal is 1/8" of an inch off.

so being that this is mostly my own fault...does the advice change? i measured from side to side all the way down my frame and those measurements are exact. but the diagonal is def 1/2" off. how would i even begin to find out where that 1/2" happened? or do i just go on with life and accept that i screwed up? lol

rhltechie wrote: or do i just go on with life and accept that i screwed up? lol

That would be my vote...but I'm not sure I'm qualified to give out advice on the subject.

WarPony wrote:Ah ha......... well, I don't know how to fix your problem. To make sure the trailer is square, measure criss cross from corner to corner, the measurements sould be the same. If the actual metal is bent or warped, you'll have to replace it or just live with it and build around it. Oh, and don't tell anyone it's bent............ shhhhhhhhhh.

I think Rich is thinking the frame is bowed up in the middle, as you look at it from the side.

Jeff

OOOOPS, sorry, that's exactly what I was thinking.

Can you trim the floor to fit in? Or does it fit?

That would be my vote...but I'm not sure I'm qualified to give out advice on the subject.

lol...thanks for your "input" then

Can you trim the floor to fit in? Or does it fit?

well...i suppose i could "trim" the part that does meet the front if that thats what you mean..making my floor into a shape that i am not sure even has a name that would end up leaving me some unflush on the back, but i suppose i could use some 2x1 or 2x2 on the back portion to flush it up.

Next question. Since you are down inside the frame...how were you planning to attach you walls? That answer may solve your problem.