Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

i'm wanting a storage chest or container for the platform on my lil guy.

it is 60" long by 16" wide

you can see it in my album


any sugestions??

okiecamper wrote:i'm wanting a storage chest or container for the platform on my lil guy.

it is 60" long by 16" wide

you can see it in my album


any sugestions??

Ahh yes, the platform of a Lil Guy tear - you can do so many versatile things with this. Take your time and think your needs through. I'm sure Hiker Chick will chime in on this too as her quest for the perfect trunk led her in yet another option for you.

Now, you have a 5 wide and I have a 6, but still here ya go. I have a Coleman Extreme cooler on one end. I use my platform for preparing food under my side awning (pics to be posted later). I also tuck my ground mat and a flat table securely behind the cooler. In the middle is a rubbermaid container that at the top measures 19 X 27, but the beauty is it tapers down at the bottom to fit the 16" platform perfectly. I store my porta potty and all things related in there along with extra 1 pound propane bottles. I place the flat table stored behind the cooler on top of the rubbermaid for the grill and food prep. On the far end is a Reliance Water Jug, 8 gallons of water to be used for showers, dishes, etc. Everything is secured to the rack with tension locks, bungie cords, and the water jug with a heavy duty lashing strap . All have very easy access.

This is is a very functional area of my Lil Guy as all of these things are exactly where all the action is for me in my set up, and that is in the front and on the side, not the rear like most others. That's the beauty of these things, each is basically a custom job to the flow of your camping preferences.

Scott G.

The thread at this link chronicles my 6'-wide Little Guy. The tongue box selection was a chore for me. I'm very happy with my choice. 17 pounds empty. As you will see, the box was too deep for the 16" platform so I just mounted it on top of treated wood and painted the wood black. Piece of cake.

http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=23387

Owens Products tongue box (48"x18"x16.5")
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetai ... toview=sku


Were I looking now, I'd also check out this new plastic box Cabela's is selling. Website doesn't list the weight but I'd imagine it's pretty light.

Cabelas - Poly Hitch Hard Box
Item:IK-523511
$169.99
The all-purpose solution to your storage needs. This large-capacity, low-profile chest is constructed of heavy-duty, impact-resistant polyethylene. It can be mounted to the floor of pickup beds, trailers and garages. Overlapping lid design seals out weather. Top-opening lid with zinc hasps. Stainless steel hinge. Built-in carrying handles. Made in USA.
Capacity: 8.3 cu. ft.
Dimensions: [b]44"L x 17"H x 19"W. [/b]

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... hasJS=true


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thamk so much guys!!! ive been looking and didnt know what to do.


scott: man i just looked at the extreme cooler by coleman, and i like the way yours fits the plartform

and hiker chick , i really like that cabella's box also. thanks again you been a gret help .


phil

also , scott,

i am getting one of those Max Air vent covers for my droof vent, that way i can have the vent open almost always . they fit perfectly and only about 25 buks.


phil

p.s. i have a fantastic fan vent in my lil guy.

oh, and alsi i haver the grill that attatches to the side of my trailer, they "threw" that in.

lucky me


phil

I really struggled with this decision myself. Finally, after exploring several other options, I decided I wanted to purchase a lightweight, locking, weatherproof tongue box. I wound up with this one from Lowe's:

Like Hiker Chick, I painted a couple of 2x4's black and mounted it on those. The bottom fits down in the platform frame, but only about a 1/4". The width is 57". This thing is cavernous: it holds my Coleman stove, a step-stool, a porta-potty, a Reliance water jug, a small tool kit, etc.

I priced these all over and decided to go with the Lowe's model because I got a 10% military discount there. Retail was: $268 at Lowe's, $249 at Home Depot, $395 delivered from Northern Tool, and, the best deal, $219 at Autozone. I didn't see the one at Autozone until later.

oh yea , John, ive seen those at lowes too, theres one 3 blocks away from my house.



tthanks


phil

also, John,

I was thinking about doint the same thing to the galley area like what you did


do you have any "plans" that show how you did it?

i'm not the best at that kind of thing, but my neighbor is a finish carpenter
and he will help me.


i really like what you did.



thanks


phil

One more might help...picked it up at PepBoys. It's 5' wide.
http://www.myphoto.com/humormeplease/5812/33450

humormeplease wrote:One more might help...picked it up at PepBoys. It's 5' wide.
http://www.myphoto.com/humormeplease/5812/33450

How much did it increase your tongue weight? ...and what is your tongue weight?

Thanks,
Mark

How much did it increase your tongue weight? ...and what is your tongue weight?

I'd like to ask the very same question... not only are there large-volume tongue boxes capable of swallowing many heavy objects shown in this thread's posted pictures, but there are 70+ lb lead acid batteries on the tongues, too.

Tongue weight is a critical consideration. Even if a Jeep or other truck can carry much weight over it's rear axle, some hitches are limited in thier veritcal load capacity. Too much tongue weight can also affect tow vehicle handling and safety by reducing the front axle's steering and braking traction, especially in wet conditions.


Here are some links to understanding and achieving an ideal tongue weight:

From sdtripper2's Index

Trailer loading and towing guide
http://www.sherline.com/lmbook.htm


Trailer Tongue Weight

Andrew's Trailer Balance Spreadsheet Formula
http://www.angib.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/t ... tear81.htm
My correlation of data used to plan a trailer build ~ Read from the top
http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=11178

Here is a rudimentary way of measuring Tongue Weight



Here is another suggestion on measuring Tongue Weight

Good luck! and happy towing!

I used this box on my six-wide Little Guy, mostly because the smaller model will fit on the platform. I just wish it was a little wider. This one is 33" wide at the back and 16" front to rear.
http://www.truckstuffusa.com/protrailer ... delta.html

I put plastic pegboard from Lowe's under the tongue box to make a level base and keep the expanded steel from rubbing against the aluminum. The pegboard is cut to fit between the front and rear angle iron horizontal part on the platform and about two inches less wide than the box. The compartment contains my electrical system. I also used the plastic pegboard to line the inside bottom of the box. This keeps things off the bottom in case a little water does get in. The plastic does not mildew and the pegboard holes allow things to dry. This is a a photo.

Bill

sid wrote:

humormeplease wrote:One more might help...picked it up at PepBoys. It's 5' wide.
http://www.myphoto.com/humormeplease/5812/33450

How much did it increase your tongue weight? ...and what is your tongue weight?

Thanks,
Mark

I should find out exactly how much it is...we just drove 300 miles each way to Provincetown, Ma. and the Jeep pulled it fine and it handled well at highway speeds on I-90. The most weight in the forward box is just a couple folding chairs, sleeping bag, and pop-up canopy. Still have not pulled it with our Honda Pilot, that should have a little more wheel base. The next addition will be a rear receiver for bikes or this same aluminum box? Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

That's where Little Guy mounted the deep-cycle battery. I thought it was strange, but it certainly is handy. Since it's so close to the hitch I don't think the weight of the battery should be included when figuring hitch weight to gross weight percentage.

Tongue weight empty with that battery there is ~165 lbs. Tongue weight fully loaded is about 230 lbs. (I stash 160 lbs. of gear behind the axle in the hatch and "trunk," which only partially offsets the 126 lbs of a fully loaded tongue box since it's much closer to the axle. Yes, I weighed all the stuff.)

The V8 4Runner's hitch is rated at up to 700 lbs and she sits almost level front to back when hitched to the TD. (it usually sits an inch higher in the back.)

We have no trouble with trailer sway in any conditions, including steep mountain roads and offroad. And in spite of a tongue weight higher than 10% (but less than 15%), with this combination handling is exceptional.

Fully loaded trailer weight is ~1750 lbs. This TD has a heavy duty frame with steel skid plates.

It also has heavy 31" MT tires. I load an additional 300 lbs of gear in it for an extended trip. Again, this combination wouldn't work well with some vehicles, but works great with mine.