Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I am going to start constructing my floor on wednesday and I was going to sandwich 2'x1' slats between 2 sheets of 12mm ply. Does this sound suitable or should I go for 2'x2' slats?

I was going to go for 2'x1' to maximise the amount of headroom I get inside the teardrop.

2 sheets of 12mm weighs about 100lbs/45 kg plus the 1x2. Maybe a little heavy for your lightweight to start out. How about 2 sheets of 5mm water resistant Luan and the 1x2 with foam in the bays. Use 1x2 cross members every 300-400mm. Glue it all together composite style. Shim over your center beam so they are supported in the middle of the trailer. Should be plenty strong unless you plan on tap dancing with spiked heels in the trailer. As they say, just my 2 cents worth.

Jim

Carter wrote:2 sheets of 12mm weighs about 100lbs/45 kg plus the 1x2. Maybe a little heavy for your lightweight to start out. How about 2 sheets of 5mm water resistant Luan and the 1x2 with foam in the bays. Use 1x2 cross members every 300-400mm. Glue it all together composite style. Shim over your center beam so they are supported in the middle of the trailer. Should be plenty strong unless you plan on tap dancing with spiked heels in the trailer. As they say, just my 2 cents worth.

Jim

Hi Jim, Thanks for the advice, I have already ordered the 12mm ply, but I do want it to have a fairly solid base. As for the cross members, is there any reason why I should opt for 2' x 2' (ie. will it make the floor more rigid) or will 2' x 1' be more than sufficient?

Be careful with 1 x 2; they vary from 7/16" to 9/16" here and are referred to as furring strips.

If you plan on any chilly camping, you may want 1 1/2" insulation, otherwise the 1/2" should be sufficient with 2 sheets of 12 mm ply.

I'm thinking that poplar is a good choice for a floor. Most lumberyards will sell poplar at 13/16ths. It's heavier than soft wood, but will really support thinner ply, so you save weight in the long run. It will also allow for 3/4" rigid insulation, which tends to run just over 3/4".

I'd use the 1x2 and either put the stringers lengthwise so they are crossing all your steel crossmembers or shim up on the Tongue tube that runs the length of your trailer so 1x2 crosswise is supported along the centerline of the trailer. As always my 2 1/2 cents worth.
Enjoy your build.

Jim

If you look at the new style beams used in houses, they have 2x3 top and bottom and vertical 1/2"ply in between..

Where I did not need the x member to be a mounting place, I cut the out of 1/2" ply, 1.5" tall and mounted them vertically.

The strength comes from the top and bottom sheets, not the x members.

I did use 2x3 where I wanted to hang the spare tire, mount the galley wall and needed them to bolt the floor to the frame. Also at the front and rear where I had to attach the 1/8" ply roof/ceiling sheets. Looking back, I could have use 2x2 instead of 2x3s.

I think half of the x members are 1/2" ply. The floor has no flex because the 1/8" sheeting on the bottom of the floor would have to stretch, and the load is not heavy enough to cause that to happen. All x members were glued in place.