Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Building Towed Hall

First, an introduction while I work on adding photos. I have aready shot (click, not bang) an appropriate avatar. I'm 70, retired, divorced, have lived in central Flrida ever since spring break back when it was called Easter vacation, and regularly build SOMETHING, usually not too well.

For some time now I've considered doing a small travel trailer a certain way but didn't know if it would work. Well, I'm a little claustrophobic for a teardrop, no regular travel trailer would store in the garage as expected where I live, and my Honda Element is limited to towing 1500# anyway. Then I saw Steve's Puffin 2 in Ebay Auto, so learned what I had in mind could be done!! Following his reference to his building thread led to this huge, huge resource, and I was hooked.

In general, it's a 5'4" x 8' drop-floor stand-up, using my existing Harbor Freight trailer and as much as possible from my bucket of small metal bits, pile of small lumber pieces, and stack plywood scraps. No, we're not there yet but we've been under way for two weeks.

Welcome Barefoot and looking forward to watching your trailer build.

Barb

Week 1: With any luck, this shows the original flat trailer turned into a tiny travel trailer frame, showing the drop floor. I was able to use only original trailer holes and all scrap straps but did have to drill two of those. The key strap is a stout piece from an old boat trailer and neatly clears the front of the tire and the spring bottom and side. I painted it for two reasons: the metal bits were ugly, several different colors, and by the time I was done, I'd had enough of Chinese red![/img]

Here ya go
Really like the ingenuity

Great frame.

To get the pictures to land you click on the thumbnail, copy the resulting url and then paste with the img tags.

Barefooot:

Interesting drop floor. Right now there is little if any load on the tires and springs plus the tires are 1 3/4" off the floor. How much ground clearance will you have at the front of the drop floor going thru dips and over speed bumps once the trailer is built and loaded?

Miriam, thanks for the tip. I realized that maybe I should have copied the URL of my photo and not the one used in the example, but by then was about seven miles out in the woods! Now I wonder how the picture got included after all. I've made some progress since then and will try another photo later today. So much to learn after glue-and-screw and drill-and-bolt. Wait until I have to learn to sew!

Frog, the clearance will be six inches, the same as the tow car, and the bottom of the coupler hits first, at least on paper. If the springs settle more than I expect, thin blocks between the springs and axle should fix it.

I failed to point out the reinforcement across the joint in the frame and that the next-to-last crossmember is spaced down a little , yielding a two-step drop. Yes, I missed a couple of spots, painting. Drat.

Looks good! But I think 6" might be cutting it kind of close I think 8" would be better. That's just my opinion. 6" might work but I would hate for you to get all done and fully loaded to discover you now have only 4" and it is hitting every thing you drive over. That would really ruin your day. Good luck cant wait to see you build progress!

One way to ensure clearance would be to go with taller tires assuming they will clear the fenders plus a similar rise in the the ball height on the tow vehicle. IMO it might be something to consider before buying and installing fenders.

Installing even a 1" block between the springs and axle would probably only result in a 1/3" - 1/2" rise at the drop floor due to the relationship of the distance between the axle and the drop floor and the drop floor and the tongue. You still might have to increase the height of the ball the same amount.

Just my thoughts on the matter for whatever little they are worth. Looking forward to the rest of the construction.

Kirkman and Frog, thanks for leaning on my thinking some more, until I had an Aha moment. I already have on hand one like new 5.70-8 tire on a 4-bolt wheel, one more of which plus mounting would gain an inch, all I can and still get it inside, and the same as buying a pair of 4.80-10 tire$ and wheel$ Deal!

Today I did not get to work on it any after all, so will not have to tear the inner fenders back out to raise them, and can keep one of the current 4.80s as a spare --and there's still the axile block if need be. Besides I never liked the idea of those teensy wheels whirring maniacally at [mumbly-mumbly] mph.

Y'all, keep after me, hey?

Still waiting on some pictures. Glad I made some sense on this site. Those tires looked larger than 4.80 by 8 in the pictures.

If you want to really check your ground clearance, you could secure a load of 600 - 800 lbs (or whatever it will take to make up the gross weight of the finished trailer) and take it for a drive thru some dips and over some speed bumps, etc. It will also give you an idea how well it will track.

Towed Hall, Week 2: The floors are in, the foot wells boxed in, and all is painted inside and out. For years I've done sloppy joints (first message) and just found that my small square (aft) is small but hardly square. Since I'm also learning to saw straight, we'll see if things improve.

Fortunately, any problems with, uh, recycled plywood (to right) and small lumber (below), and um, emerging carpentry skills respond to putty, caulk, and foam. Note that the thin gaps at the floor are for tucking in carpet without needing trim, and are closed off.

Alas, in this small town, the closest I could get to a 5.70-8 tire was zip, and it turns out there are actually two diameters so numbered, so it must be a tape-measured sale. I'll try Daytona after spring break.

I'm having a ball! Hope you are, too.

I'm still having trouble with photos and begrudge the time to keep trying. Please just click on "Album" at the lower left of these postings. So far the photos run from right to left: the drop frame, detail of the key metal piece from an old boat trailer, and the completed floors and foot wells. Thanks.

Barefoot, if you have the pics in your album, the hard parts done. Open your album in a new window, then click on the pic you want to post.That pic will open in annew window.Copy the address of that window and paste into your thread.Highlight the entire address you just pasted and hit the Img button above. That should post your pic.

Also, at the very top of the page there is a "Help with photos" tutorial.

Not much progress on the TTT. Too many interruptions, including some unexpected yard work from more stuff turning out dead from the unusual number and depth of this year's freezes. Well, I like to help out the old people here, many of whom aren't even my age. Also I've been working up to my annual contribution to the Infernal Revenue Service. I did also finally find a tire down in Tampa and sent for it.


One home supply store in the whole county finally got in some door skins and I rushed over before they were gone, but need not have. They are fiber (cardboard), so my choice was 5.2mm luan or 5.2mm luan, so I got 5.2 etc. I do have on hand two door skins and one similar size piece of very flimsy 1/4", so if I use the flexible plastic cieling I saw, I should be OK. Next time I ought to know to fetch plywood before tearing the lights and fenders off the HF trailer! Of course I had expected to bring home 3x7 sheets. Besides, who says a Honda Element won't take 4x8 sheets?

That does leave me with some unexpected free time to again try including photos. If they come through, it's because I have been following the directions all along, all but the last step, finding "[img]"%20or%20what%20it%20is%20"above."[/img]