Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

What's everyone's thoughts on using the HF 8' frame for the 10' Trailer for Two? I have been looking at that and wondering if it would work for a future project. It would have a 1' overhang on both the front and rear but I the plywood walls would (should) prevent drooping over either by keeping the floor straight.

Jimbo.. Until I got a trailer from Tractor Supply that's exactly what I had planned (and to be honest I wish I had since the TS trailer needed some modifying to make it work) and Andrew has some good info on his website. I only got the TS trailer because HF was back-ordered and it looked like a long time before any more came in. Plus, HF is $100 cheaper. Check it out - I think you'd be happy with the possibilities.

I built a 10' trailer loosely based on the trailer for two plans on an 8' HF trailer.

I got lucky with the placement of the body on the frame.

If you overhang the same distance front and back, the back will weigh more than you want it to, and the front will be too light (toungue weight to low, so a bouncy trailer).

BUT, if you put it too far forward, you won't be able to turn corners!!!!!

I got lucky and have enough room to open the doors on the suburban - barely! - when the trailer is connected and perfectly straight.

I can't turn the trailer 90 degrees from the tow vehicle, but can make most corners no problem.

I hang over 6 inches in back and 18 inches in front.

Jimbo,

I used a Northern Tools (HF) frame for the Trailer for Two. I put a 10' teardrop on an 8' frame. However, I modified the frame just a bit to accommodate the larger floor plan. I made a single tongue (2 X 2 X 1/4" steel tubing) and extended it 36" from the nose of the teardrop. This way you can jack knife the rig to get it into tight places, if need be. Thus adding the extra length of the floor to the front. I left the axle placement where it was meant to be as a utility trailer. This seemed to be close to the 60/40 ratio for the finial axle placement. The extention of the frame in front was built from treated 2 x 4's and bolted to the "A" frame that made up the original tongue.

It wasn't that difficult to do, just took time.

Just my 2 cent's worth and the way I did mine.

Ross

Jimbo,
I built my 10' Woody on a 4' x 8' frame and did the same thing Ross mentioned with building over the old tongue area and replacing and extending the new tongue by 36" with 2 1/2 x 2 1/2" x 3/16" steel tubing. I found the factory axle placement was pretty close to the ratio of the 60/40 ratio like Ross mention also. It was easier than having to realign and reattach the axle assembly to the new location and create another problem

Jimbo,

I had planned the same thing, then bought a 5' wide tear I'm restoring. I'm not sure if you have seen the Kuffel Creek plans but they have an excellent suggestion to take the two center cross members of the HF trailer, replace them with a wooden cross member and install the steel pieces in the side rails. This keep the trailer from folding. I took the idea and went one step further, I stretched the frame to nine feet long by using two wooden cross members:



This was going to allow me to use two 2x6s as the end members of the floor frame. Each 2x6 would be attached directly to the steel frame and overhang about 3.5 inches giving me the correct floor frame length. I stretched the trailer toward the tongue. That is, I left the axle where it was supposed to be from the back and got a pretty good ratio. The black piece in the picture is length of 1.5 x 1.5 angle iron that give some additional support and makes the bottom of that stretched section level with the other members, important as the axle hanger goes across it.