Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Okay, after a lot of frustration trying to figure out what to do, I have decided to build around the tires on my tear to make the inside wider. I put the tires on the axle last night to figure out how wide it will be from the outside face of one tire to the outside face of the other, and it came out to about 70". Of course I thought I could stay in the 5' range, since it is easier to find aluminum in that width, but I think it won't look as good if I only cover the tires halfway. I can't seem to find a good solution for fenders if I go this route. So....if I end up building over the tires, I will be looking at going anywhere from 66" wide (I can use a rubber fender extension, similar to what Mike used on his Baja Benroy) or I can go 70" and just trim around the well with the same trim I will use for the lower edge of the sidewalls. If I do either of these I am left with the frustration of trying to figure out how to skin the roof. I really wanted to do wood sides with an aluminum skinned roof, but it seems like it is really hard to find high quality wide aluminum. I know someone in another thread mentioned going to a truck manufacturer for wider aluminum (103" wide, Lufkin Trailer manufacturing), but there was some question as to the quality of the material. I also remember seeing how a builder did his with a seam down the middle, but I can't remember who that was and how exactly he did it. I really need some help trying to figure this all out, I am totally stumped.

Amy

AmyH wrote:Of course I thought I could stay in the 5' range, since it is easier to find aluminum in that width, but I think it won't look as good if I only cover the tires halfway.

Some people have done exactly that, with half the fender sticking out and I think it looks really nice - just like the back wheels of a woody station wagon, where the wheel is partly under the wood.

You do then need to cut the side to fit the shape of the fender, but (a) that's not impossibly hard, and (b) fender welting looks lovely in the join, so minor discrepancies would be covered.

Andrew

Thanks for the advice Andrew. Do you think that I would need to use a narrow fender, or would a normal size fender work well?

Amy

AmyH wrote: I put the tires on the axle last night to figure out how wide it will be from the outside face of one tire to the outside face of the other, and it came out to about 70".
Amy

Amy, you could plan on doing a 72" wide teardrop. How wide is your chassis?

A 72" wide trailer gives you a lot of options... you could set a table in it, either like the Baja Benroy, or like a T@B.

With a 72" wide body, on a smaller chassis, I would definitely put rubber jeep fenders on it, like the Baja Benroy.

Since it sounds like you are investigating all the possibilities, please answer me this...

Do you want a teardrop style trailer, halfway inbetween a teardrop and a T@B, or a T@B style trailer?

Mike...

Mike, I have actually been pretty torn lately. My original plans were for a teardrop trailer based on the Comet plans from Kuffel Creek, but then I started thinking that I would like a bit more room. My chassis, so far, is built for a 48" wide trailer, but I have only gotten as far as the outside framework (rectangle). I was thinking that I could weld extensions to the outside of the framework to widen it, but I am still scratching my head to figure out how. I know that eventually I will want to build an all-season trailer, and I really like Andrew's drawings for the Widget as well as the Jim Dandy Hunter model trailer (on the Maxitear site). I have really been flip-flopping between continuing with the tear or going with a larger "T@B" style trailer. The problem with going larger is that my garage is really small with a low ceiling (basement level garage in an old 50's rambler). The tear would be easy, albeit somewhat tight, to build in there, but anything taller would have to be worked on outside. Aagh, I just can't make up my mind.....

Amy

Hey Amy,

I see where you are headed... I was there myself!!! Do me a favor if your would... draw me a side profile of your trailer as it though it was a 6x10 floorplan...

would you have a dropped floor in it? or would you lower the floor like the tab?

Do you need some pictures... I have a tab in the backyard, I can give you any pictures you need.

I'll be building Bev the walls for a Widget 7 this summer. And since Bev can't put a dropped floor in her trailer, the height will be very similar to a Tab... I just know she is going to like it...

If I were going to build one more Lil Diner, it would be 6' wide. It would have an indoor galley, standing headroom, and a tiny storage hatch in the back. It would also have a tongue chest on the front.

Maybe this weekend I should do a photo session of the Tab... nah... that won't work. It's supposed to rain Saturday and Sunday.

Mike...

Okay Mike, I'll try to draw something up tonight. I really like the Widget profile, and the JD Hunter profile, but with the tire well more open (http://www.maxitear.com/jdframe.htm). I took a look at the T@B site, and did the virtual interior tour. I really like the set-up that they refer to as the "L" shape interior. I don't know if I can go with a drop floor, the axle is set at a 0 degree start angle, which puts the chassis somewhat low to begin with. What do you think? I like the tongue box idea as well, it gives a nice place for the battery and/or propane tank as well as a roadside kit for flat tires, etc...

If I were to stick with a tear design, you can see the profile I was going for in my photo gallery. I wanted to do wood sides with a decorative inlay.

Amy

Last weekend we camped in the rain. We had no choice, as we were coming home from NY. Anyways, we were soaked, and we had to dive into the teardrop, wet clothes, muddy shoes and all.

We've since washed the sheets, and steam cleaned the feather bed. But it would have been far better if we could have walked into the trailer, peeled off the wet clothes and muddy shoes before we hit the bed.

That's what the T@B profile does for us. And here, east of the Missippi we need that...

The ultimate profile is going to be a cross between the Lil Diner, the Lil Guy (which is available on that ebay CD), and the T@B. I'll be working on some cad drawings of that soon, unless Andrew or you beat me to it...

Mike...

Yes, the rain.....here in the northwest there can be a constant mist, and a lot of the places that I like to go camping tend to be like that year round (Olympic Peninsula, rainforest). It really would be nice to walk into the trailer and get the muddy stuff off before climbing onto the bed. Plus, with the doggie, you know how those muddy paws can get all over everything really fast. Now I have another reason for thinking about this type of trailer, as opposed to a more traditional tear.

Amy

Actually, the Lemon Drop is a good starting point... it need a lot of streamlining, and it doen't need a bathroom with a shower... but you decide...

http://www.bobsteardrop.com/LemonDropConcepts.pdf

Mike...

Mike,

Do you have any more info on the lemon drop.

I like the idea of a bathroom/shower!

The Lemon Drop? that's something that Bob started, and Andrew played with... Other than the PDF that I just shared with you, I don't know if there is any more... I'll have to pass this question on to Andrew...

Mike..

I hesitate to jump in here because I don't have formal plans but what Amy is talking about is a lot like what I'm going to build. I'm having an inside galley with a dropped floor to give me 66" to almost stand up. There will still be a hatch in the back for access to storage under the bed and overhead rear storage. My batteries, fresh water, and propane will be under the floor in separate compartments behind the axle to counterbalance the weight of the front galley. Access to them will be via the rear hatch too. My wheels will be halfway under and halfway outside the body and I'll be using modified 39 Chevy fenders which only extend out about 4". The bed base will rest on the inner fenderwells and hinged to fold back so that I can have a 2'X2' table with seats on the fenderwells. I probably won't use that option much but it will be nice if I need it. The outside dimensions of the body will be 10'6" long X 68" high X 64" wide. I'm planning to do a woody with epoxy and glass sides. There will be a detail of some sort the length of the side where the horizontal seam is. The roof is still up in the air (no pun intended). I may just paint it with Uniflex255 Brownstone color. If it's the color I think it is, it should give it a 30's or 40's look. Woody and aluminum roof are options too. That's too far down the road to worry about right now.

It's sort of a jelly bean shape but that shape gives me the height where I need it and plenty of room for storage...front and rear. One thing that makes this design possible that the frame steps up in the rear where the axle mounts. The body will extend quite a bit below the frame. It definitely won't be a teardrop but it will be functional and fit my uses very well.

I'm not trying to steal Amy's thread. It just seemed like a good opportunity to describe what my plans are since they're similar to what you're talking about. I'll be real interested to see what Mike comes up with.

Endo wrote:Mike, Do you have any more info on the lemon drop.

Here is a drawing I did a while back of the Lemon Drop. And here is the previous thread where the Lemon Drop was discussed.

If the interior layout looks a little odd, there's a reason - Bob wanted to have an Australian-style slide-out galley that stowed under the back of the dinette and pulled out to the right to use. This meant that the dinette had to be pushed right up into the air, with the result that there is only sitting headroom at the two seats either side of the table and not round the back.

There are two alternatives to this:
- there's sufficient space to put a galley inside, if that's suitable for your planned use; or
- a galley box could be stored under the back of a normal-height dinette and then raised on legs once it was pulled out.

Andrew

Ya know, its sort of ironic,, I built a larger trailer to start with, filled it full of everything I thought I needed and have been unloading ever since,, now I am in the head scratching, design stage of a 56' wide, 4x8 tear thats light weight, basic, simple and comfortable,, with a little planning its amazing how much "stuff" you can leave home, 2 nights, 5 or 6 meals,, it does not take a lot to put that together,,

trailer, cooler, e-z up and clothes,, thats about it,,

just my 3 cents worth

chip