Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Tell me Tell me !!!!

I may go shopping for the flat trailer this weekend or during next week.
My tear plans are for either 4x8 or 5x8. I don't really think I'll go to 10'.

I have a 4 cyl 2001 Honda Accord to tow it with. Right now, I'm thinking trips to lakes and festivals... and yes Colorado or thru the Smoky Mtns but not off road kinda thing.

I am in OKC and we have a Harbor Freight and Tractor Supply and someone told me even Home Depot sells flat trailers.

Since you can't go with me, can you tell me in a nutshell what I should really concentrate on and what to look for/ ask. Of course , I'll need a hitch put on too and want to pick it up and ready to drive off.

And also... is a 5x8 too box-y as a tear drop? I plan on a simple galley, some elec but nothing too elaborate and this is to sleep one, possible two for now. I'm not a big woman but not little and petite either!

Thanks guys!!!

Julie

Slow down, Grasshopper...

A 5 by 8 trailer is just 5 by 8. It's not boxy, unless you build a TD like that. ALL trailers are rectangles (more or less).

HD doesn't sell trailers, and HF's selection is very limited for long-distance use. They're mostly utility trailers that you radically modify for TD use.

IraRat wrote:HD doesn't sell trailers, and HF's selection is very limited for long-distance use. They're mostly utility trailers that you radically modify for TD use.

Actually, HD DOES sell trailers. At least the ones in Mass. do. That's where I bought my Snowbear utility trailer.

I'm building my tear on a 5 x 8 bolt-together utility trailer from RedTrailers.com It's just like the HF trailers only wider.

Julie,, one thing further you might want to consider is tire and wheel size,
If you want a larger tire say a 13,14 or 15 incher they typically have 5 lugs and some of the HF or Tractor supply ,light weight trailers have a 4 bolt smaller tire,, some have a preference to the larger tires which means changing spindles, axles or trailer capacity all of which mean mo money,
a 5x8 can have almost as much room as a 5x9 0r 10 depending on how much ya undercut the front and rear elipse or if ya come straight down from the top curves and drop straight to the frame,, in other words a 10 foot trailer with a healthy elipse on the front and rear bottom will eat ua 18" to 2' of room, now this can be utilized for cabinets and such but it still is on a 8' long frame,,
Alot can be done to start the build process with out a trailer however ya first have to mak the decesion of 4' or wider,, then go from there,, ,,,

just a nickles worth,,

chipper

...Julie, TS sells 5x8 welded trailer that is just frame, wheels, fenders, lights, you supply the flooring...you just hook it up and go and is generally considered a better trailer than the ones HF sells...they are a 4x8 bolt it together yourself after you get the big boxes home kit trailer. HD in various parts of the country sell various types of trailers so it would be hard to say anything about them with out specifics of them(trailers). Here, locally HD and Sams Club sell the snowbear trailer which is a good trailer but is a more expensive trailer.
Trailer hitches are something you will need to shop. There is a wide variety of prices, styles and brands. I am sure that Okiecity has alot of reputable dealers and I would call around and check out prices...you want a class 3 reciever hitch with an inch and a quarter draw bar minimum...you don't need a class5 with a 2 inch draw bar. The draw bar comes seperately and you might (for example) goto TS and measure the tongue height on their trailer and get a draw bar of appropriate height for your car. Once again, here locally, there are many dealers of trailere hitches, we also have a regional U-Haul outlet and they have consistently had the best prices on the hitches that I have bought so you really need to shop around. One las thing on hitches...I said a class 3 reciever hitch because you can remove the drawbar when not in use and save your shins from a bashing however you can also get a frame mount hitch that the draw bar is fixed and nonremovable (a shin basher), these type hitches will be cheaper than a reciever type
madjack

Another place to look for trailers is Northern Tool. At least they stock quite a few here in San Antonio.

trailer hitches/receivers can be ordered from e-trailer.com.. they did a great job of getting my hitch and it was for a car thats hard to find a hitch for,, from the order date to hitch in hand was a week, but then I had to put in on,, bout 2 hours total,, beer break included,,,,


chipper

That car sounds a bit small for towing a 5x8 - I could be wrong but I'm just barely squeeking into the weight requirement with my ford focus.

My owner's manual says that the car can tow 1,000 lbs - sure, no problem for a teardrop but then it says that the tongue weight cannot exceed 100lbs Now, that is a bit tricky.

I'm certainly no expert at this but here's basically what I know - It is possible to affect the tongue weight by moving the axel. However, moving the axel also affects the towing performance. If the trailer waggles all over the road (and tosses your little car around) that would not be cool.

I just did a quick google search and came up with a few sites that said that a 2001 honda accord has a towing capacity of 1000 lbs and max 100lb tongue weight. (check for accuracy because those figures did not come from Honda)

It seems to me that a completed 5x8 trailer would weigh about 25% more than an identically completed 4x8 trailer. Sure, that is a rough estimate but I don't think that it will be too far off.

I guess the question now is if it would be possible to build a 5x8 trailer that would come in under your weight rating.

The 4x8 Kuffle Creek Cubby is about 900lbs with a 180lb tongue weight. I modified those plans a bit and left my axel in the "stock" positition to compensate for the tongue weight.

I like the HF trailer and I didn't modify mine at all. The modifications in the Kuffel Creek plans are to move the axel back - that does somewhat improve towning performance but I think that it is mainly for cosmetic purposes. My tear tows beautifully with no wobble or anything. Once the axel is moved back, you would have to reinforce the sides because they're not meant to support weight on their own, they're meant to have the axel under them. If you don't move the axel, you don't have to modify the sides either.

I'm happy with my HF 4x8 - I feel like it is strong and safe for highway use. We travel just about every weekend during the summer. Some trips are several hours away. We've only been using the trailer for a few weeks now I know that there are several others on this board who've had their HF trailer for many many years with no problems. I really think that the value for the price is fantastic.

It has been an amazing project - I'm not even close to being done. I'm looking forward to watching your project progress too. Please be sure to post pictures. www.myphotoalbum.com offers free online albums.

Lindsey

TomS wrote:
Actually, HD DOES sell trailers. At least the ones in Mass. do.

Weird--not down here.

Home Depot, Lowes, and Northern Tool sells trailer here as well as about a million little trailer sales places.

Julie,
Where are you located in OKC?
Gene

Julie...Given the towing capacity of the Accord all you need is a class 1 hitch. Here is a link to a hitch that should suit your purpose

http://www.etrailerpart.com/MyWebs/myweb/catalog/pu55135_1800857.htm

As for 4x8 or 5x8, the wider trailer will be more comfortable especially for 2 people. Many have used a Harbor Freight chassis to build either a 4 or 5 wide unit. I would not move the axle back as per the Cubby plans to keep the tongue weight down.

The overall weight of the trailer will depend on the constuction you choose. Solid 3/4 inch ply sides will be heavy. A sandwich of 1/4" ply, 3/4 " stock for the internal frame and 1/8" interior skin would be lighter. That's what I will use if I build another.

Julie,

I agree with Tom. Buy the 5x8 from Redtrailers, and just build it once. You'll probably keep it for a lifetime!

Mike...

Ira and Tom,

You're both right. It's really weird. Here in Kansas City I can go to a HD and they don't have any trailers and don't offer any. I can go to another HD, same size store in another area of town and buy several different types of trailer. It must be left up to the discretion of the manager of each store.

Scott F.