Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Tightening the Top Skin with a ½” Wrench

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I would like to pass along an idea that was tried on the Three Texas Teardrops Project. After watching the trouble with attaching the top skin on the first Teardrop, I tried to innovate a way to tighten the top skin with a tension device. It worked very well. I was able to tighten the skin in just a few minutes with a ½ inch wrench; I can remove the top skin and make adjustments very easily.

The picture shows an all thread rod that is welded to a flat plate. The flat plate is bolted to a stainless steel leading edge that is wrapped over the .040 aluminum skin. The stainless steel leading edge is a 3” wide piece that is folded in half so the total width is 1.5”. A piece of angle iron was then welded to the bottom of the front frame. The all thread is passed through the angle bracket and the nut is tightened to desired tension.

I hope that this might help someone with their project.

Nice. I really like a lot of the details you all are using on your trailers, I'm planning on copying a few for my project. Hope you don't mind.

On your tensioning system...Did you consider using a spring below the adjusting nut? That way the skin could contract and expand as it wanted.

Victor-


Yes, I did consider that option. The spring idea would make a very good floating system. I plan to put an A/C unit in the front and that might affect the expansion and contraction of the top skin. I was very please with the ease of tightening the roof skin and not having to use straps.

Also, I used four of these devices on the leading edge of my teardrop.

Thanks for your reply. You are welcome to any of our ideas.

Garland

Garland wrote:Tightening the Top Skin with a ½” Wrench

I'm confused. It sure seems like a lot of work just to hold a skin in place.

All three of my skins are floaters (2 sides & 1 roof) and after 2 years of being in hot and cold weather, the only skins that I've noticed any movement in are the side skins. The sides are .040 thick and move about 1/8" along the outside. Seems like every thing moves outward because of doors and fenders. Total time for me to locate, clamp and finish trim my roof skin was about 30 minutes. And that was with no help whats so ever. And should I ever have to replace it. All I have to do is remove all the molding screws, sun roof & radio antenna and look for my tie down strapes. It'll probably take me all day. But that is something that is not planned.

And this is the way I did it (but by no means the only way to do it).


Have a good day.

Gage

This system does not just hold the skin in place. I developed it for two reasons.

1- After skinning the first teardrop I noticed that if one of the sides was just ahead of the other, by even a 1/32”, it would cause a wrinkle in the top. With the tensioning system I have control over the top skin. I can apply more tension to one side over the other and remove the wrinkle.

2- I was told that it would be a good idea to skin the trailer in the hot sun, so that the top skin would be fully expanded. It is winter time in the Texas Panhandle when I skinned the top of my teardrop. The tensioning system allowed me the advantage of stretching the skin during the winter. I can readjust the top skin in a few minutes if needed.

It was not a lot of trouble building the tensioning brackets. I made it out of some scraps that I found around the shop, but it help to have a chop saw and MIG welder.

There is no right way to build a teardrop; there is only the builder’s way. Your system looks great and it worked for you.


Garland

OK - I can underatand why you are doing this - ease of maintneance - if you get hit or something. My question is - How do you attach the other end?

Thanks

Bill

Garland wrote: it worked for you

Hmmm I've heard that before.

Dear Garland,

Thanks to you and the other Texas Three for helping to advance the Art and Science of Teardrop Building. Even ideas that do not work out are great since they themselves provoke thought and its byproduct - innovation.

Garland, I can go with that. Different areas, different methods, same results. I skined my tear in the summer. Before applying the skin to the tear, I had laid it out on the driveway in the hot sun for about 3 hours. Then wraped it over the tear. And by the way, your tear is looking real good.

Have a good day.

P.S. Just goes to show you that there is always more than one way to achieve something. Something to remember when asking a question.

Bills question-

OK - I can understand why you are doing this - ease of maintenance - if you get hit or something. My question is - How do you attach the other end?





Bill

Thank you for the question.

My reply to Gage might help you understand the reason I built this device and I just like doing things different.

I like the idea of tensioning the top skin like you would tune a guitar. I would take the wrench and tighten the nut and watch the top skin snug down to the sidewall. I guess it might be a control thing.

The rear of the top skin was bent 1” down at a 90 degree angle. I then fabricated an aluminum retaining bar 1” x ¼”. A screw was counter sunk about ever three inches. The retaining bar sandwiches the top skin to the kitchenette wall. The second picture show the hatch hinge. I will have to use exposed screws on the hatch hinge but I will use lots of Pookie. That is a technical term for silicone.

Garland

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