Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I got my HF frame done, I'm working on my floor : 1/2 plywood with 1'' framing/foam sandwich.

Now i need to put recess holes on the bottom so it will fit over the HF trailer bolts ... that's ok.

But then how do I attach my floor to the frame ... probably bolt it, but that will leave bolt heads sticking out inside the camper floor !

Do you also have to recess those (from the top)? or do you use some other mean of securing the trailer to the frame ?

Thanks.

I drilled holes and countersunk carriage bolts to hold mine down.
Make some sawdust now and let's see pics...
TC

Floor screws. Drill a pilot hole/self tapping. Sets flush with the floor. on some the taper on the screw head has a cutting flute that cuts the taper as it screws in too. I got some of those from Mcmaster.com On the HF frame I put in spacer pieces of wood to compensate for the different levels of the frame and for bolt head clearance.

I drilled the recess holes on the underside of the flooring to fit over the HF bolt heads as you described, then just used carriage bolts down through the flooring into the HF frame and drew them tight.

You're probably going to have a mattress of some sort, but even if you dont you probably wont even feel that little domed head of the carriage bolt.

I was wondering the same thing when I did mine - the holes in the C-Channel frame members did not go though both top and bottom of the C. How do you line up the hole from the top of the floor and down into the hole in the C channel? I really wanted to drill up through the holes and through the floor from the bottom. After staring at it for a while, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I drilled down through the top hole in the C channel through the bottom. Now I had holes in the C channel frame that line up. Then I placed my floor on the trailer and drilled up through the frame and into my floor. easy peasy lined up holes.

Also how do you tighten the bolts.
I mean you can't probably reach the bolt and nut at the same time ... do you just have to have an helper to do this ?

Or do you "glue" (say epoxy) the head of the bolt first so it won't spin ??

Otherwise I guess machine screws might work.

Thanks.

tcolar wrote:Also how do you tighten the bolts.
I mean you can't probably reach the bolt and nut at the same time ... do you just have to have an helper to do this ?

Or do you "glue" (say epoxy) the head of the bolt first so it won't spin ??

Otherwise I guess machine screws might work.

Thanks.

I was able to reach get a wrench on the bottom and socket wrench on the top and manage both at the same time. Either that or the wrench would turn against the rail and be held in place while turning the socket wrench.

JP

If you use a fastener like Steve suggests; no nut required. It cuts threads in the steel as you drive it.

absolutsnwbrdr wrote:I drilled the recess holes on the underside of the flooring to fit over the HF bolt heads as you described, then just used carriage bolts down through the flooring into the HF frame and drew them tight

I did the same - Since I carry a motorcycle in the trailer I welded the frame after bolting it all together and then I used 3/4 inch ply and eleven 3/8ths carriage bolts . . . . 4 down each side and 3 in the middle. The heavy ply and the welding really stiffened up the 'wet noodle' HF frame!!

For a teardrop, 1/2 inch ply and 1/4 inch carriage bolts should be sufficient - 3 down each side and then 3 in the middle. Your back will never feel the 1/4 inch domed bolt heads

Don

My floor is built with 1 1/2" frame (ripped 2x4's) & 1/2" plywood with 1" Dow foamboard underneath. I used ten (10) 3/8" carriage bolts of sufficient length (3"?) to reach thru the upper side of the frame 'C' channel. Drilled thru the floor & frame cross members with 3/8" bit & when placing the carriage bolts, drove the square 'shank' (underneath the head) into the plywood. That'll hold the bolt 'til it's tightened.

I'm about ready to attach my floor to the frame also. I wonder if the carriage bolts would counter sink or spin when you tighten them down?? I'm still debating on which kind of bolt to use.-------Larry

I Ended up using "regular" bolts (although with fairly flat heads) and counter-sank them.

I tried Carriage bolts, but with nylex bolts it was almost impossible to tighten them any good, they would spin, and preventing a carriage bolt to spin is almost impossible.

Maybe the people who used them made a "square" notch so the bolt wound't spin ... but i don't have a good tool to do that.

tcolar wrote:I Ended up using "regular" bolts (although with fairly flat heads) and counter-sank them.

I tried Carriage bolts, but with nylex bolts it was almost impossible to tighten them any good, they would spin, and preventing a carriage bolt to spin is almost impossible.

Maybe the people who used them made a "square" notch so the bolt wound't spin ... but i don't have a good tool to do that.

If carriage bolts 'spin' while tightening 'nylok' nuts, your hole in the floor is too big. If ya make the hole no larger than the bolt diameter & 'drive' the square shank into the floor wood, it'll hold even when tightening nylok nuts. Since I was fastening the floor to the 'C' channel frame I just used regular nuts with lock washers against the steel frame. 12K+ miles & no loosening yet.

The holes through the ply can actually be a size or two *smaller* than the carriage bolt . . . . and then 'install' them with a BFH and you won't have any problem with them spining . . . . even with nyloc nuts

Remember to drill the holes through the steel a little larger than the bolt before you get out your hammer though

Don

Nobody wrote:

tcolar wrote:I Ended up using "regular" bolts (although with fairly flat heads) and counter-sank them.

I tried Carriage bolts, but with nylex bolts it was almost impossible to tighten them any good, they would spin, and preventing a carriage bolt to spin is almost impossible.

Maybe the people who used them made a "square" notch so the bolt wound't spin ... but i don't have a good tool to do that.

If carriage bolts 'spin' while tightening 'nylok' nuts, your hole in the floor is too big. If ya make the hole no larger than the bolt diameter & 'drive' the square shank into the floor wood, it'll hold even when tightening nylok nuts. Since I was fastening the floor to the 'C' channel frame I just used regular nuts with lock washers against the steel frame. 12K+ miles & no loosening yet.

Better late than never. I am on my 2nd build and I just bolted the floor to the frame. For some reason I made the holes too big this time around and the carriage bolts kept on spinning around as I try to tighten them. I wound up grinding a slot into the head of each one so my son could keep a screwdriver on them while I tightened from below.
I thought it was supposed to be easier the second time around!