Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Has anyone Built a 5x10 with 1/2" plywood sides not sandwiched? I'm planning on starting my build soon and still figuring out the design. I want to go with a 5x10 so i can have a large sleeping area (I'm 6'4") and still have room for the kitchen. I also need to keep weight down because it will be towed with a 4 cylinder S10. Would 1/2" be strong enough when its 10' long?
Thanks in advance

Howdy, I would think that if you used high grade marine or signboard (MDO) you should be good to go. The spars, bulkheads and cabinetry will strengthen it up considerably. Of course you're not going to have much of an R value and getting windows and such to work might be a challenge. I went with the whole shebang, 3/4" skeletonized MDO with insulation between 2 layers of 1/8" Baltic birch ply; unbelievably strong, quiet and over built. We have camped so far in 38 degree nights and were very warm.

I've looked up the tow rating on the S10 and it looks like baseline is 1,600 lbs then depending on options goes up to 6,000 lbs. Usually trailer brakes increases your capacity sometimes drastically. My trailer isn't 1,600 lbs loaded and she's pretty heavy. My guess is that you'd be fine with solid 3/4" MDO construction and your weight would be very tolerable.

All the Best,

Dave

I don't think you are going to get a straight answer because it really depends on the rest of the design and how well the side walls are tied back into other things; like the bulkhead, cabinets, spars, and ceiling structure. Does it have an arched roof or flat, 1x2 spars or deeper, interrupted bulkhead or one piece?

By 5x10 do you mean 5 wide, or 5 tall? ...or taller?

Are you making your own doors, or do you plan to use manufactured doors? Regardless of ply thickness, if you are making your own doors I think you will need some type of frame work to keep them from warping and to maintain a good seal.

Chubby was 5/8 osb











and he didn't turn out too bad
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the chuck wagon was 7/16
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and so was rip van winkle

I went and found the link to the 4x7 build because it is step by step and shows how I got rid of the wiggles by using partial cabinet walls with shear panels to stiffen side to side.

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=38489

Mham,
My first was 4x8. 1/2 walls. No problem at all. I live in CA. and was warm at night. Windows fit great by the way.
Second was 4.5x8. 1/2 walls and no problem again.
Third and last one is 5x8. 3/4 walls. I built this because the doors on the last two were a little flimsy. Not bad and we must remember we are not living in them just camping from time to time.
My 5x8. 3/4 wall trailer weighs 800 with a 75 pd futon mattress inside. The others must have been about 600 but I never weighed them.
Best of luck and keep us posted.
Dano

Mham,
My first was 4x8. 1/2 walls. No problem at all. I live in CA. and was warm at night. Windows fit great by the way.
Second was 4.5x8. 1/2 walls and no problem again.
Third and last one is 5x8. 3/4 walls. I built this because the doors on the last two were a little flimsy. Not bad and we must remember we are not living in them just camping from time to time.
My 5x8. 3/4 wall trailer weighs 800 with a 75 pd futon mattress inside. The others must have been about 600 but I never weighed them.
Best of luck and keep us posted.
Dano

If you do 3/4 solid walls, your S-10 will pull it just fine and you won't have to worry about all the twist and shout (because it twisted) issues with using the thinner wood. Go for 3/4" in my opinion, just watch overbuilding the other stuff, frame construction, sub-floor(why?), cabinetry, etc. I hope that helps!

My TD will be 5 foot wide and 11 feet long. The trailer frame is 5 feet by 10 feet. The height will be 4'-10" from the floor to under the ceiling. I have yet to decide on 1/2" for the sides or 5/8" ply. I am looking very seriously at 5/8" for the sides and the floor will be 1/2". The bulkheads will all be 1/2" and the cross beams for the ceiling will be 42mm x 19mm. The floor is screwed down onto 35mm x 70mm which is bolted to the 3"x2" steel RHS frame. All plywood is structural grade pine, not marine ply. Marine ply is very heavy and too expensive for me use. To cut down on expenses, I am also making all the bolts myself on my lathe. This will save me over $200 for an expense of $8.00 and a few hours of time. The TD frame has shock absorbers fitted and there is access to the shockie mounts if I need to alter the angle they are mounted. Close up photos of the shockies and bolts will come later. Hope this info helps you.

Kody

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?p=888625#p888625

I did some testing and here were the results.
1/2 inch you should be fine.
I did mine same dimensions and with 3/4 everywhere and its at 1600 pounds empty. i will know better next time. good luck