Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

QueticoBill wrote:It seems a large majority of the tears I have seen or more seen photos of have the side walls and/or skin extending to hide or cover the trailer frame. Tears obviously intended for off-road use more than general use seem to expose the frame much more often.... So, any practical considerations - like weather and wind blown rain - to consider? ....

• I was building with weather exposure in mind, and ease of checking on and/or repairing of future potential water intrusion. I started with a 50"x60" frame, welding on one foot in front, and two feet in the rear to increase the frame 'platform to 96". I placed the first sheet of 1/2" birch plywood on the frame with the front recessed 3/4" from the edge, and the rear all the way to the edge of the frame. A vertical front wall was to be placed directly on the frame at the front, while an overlapping vertical hatch door would close against the rear edge of plywood. PL Premium adhesive sealed all wood to frame contact points. the plywood sheet, centered from side to side, left exposed frame and exposed plywood edges (to be sealed later with poly "mix", straight polyurethane, and finally multiple coats of acrylic enamel -for waterproofing). After the 1/2" sheet was carriage-bolted to frame crossmembers, a 1/4" luan sheet was glued to it with Titebond2, pressure-rolled, and Tek screws were installed thru both layers of wood into the frame, all-around the perimeter. The finished flooring was given the complete poly treatment.

• 

  frame exposed all around.png (405.79 KiB) Viewed 847 times

• The 3/4" front wall of the trailer rests on top of the frame, sealed with PL adhesive, and there is a thin steel plate glued and screwed to the outside surface, that drops down over the wood-to-frame interface, to protect it from highway speed-induced debris, and forced water intrusion.

• 

  frame overlap.png (197.38 KiB) Viewed 847 times

• As I stated, I intended to leave all other plywood edges either exposed for my future care, or directly sealed to other plywood surfaces. That said, I then put the rear bulkhead, and the 3/4" vertical walls sitting, and completely sealed to, the top edge of the plywood floor. The roof pieces were placed on top of the walls, with its plywood edges also exposed, and they were sealed in the same manner. All joints and seams were then also sealed, inside and outside, with more PL, and later the poly and paint. P.S. all exposed hardware was sealed, and the holes drilled to install bolts sealed, usually with PL, or with UV-resistant clear acrylic enamel.
• I think I sealed it pretty well (except for the canopy dumping water onto a not-completely-shut door-seal!), but to do so, required that the interior width was only 46.5" (which negated a plan to install a 48" wide front window I had already purchased), while the interior height stayed a full 48", but it was a change in my original plan, that I thought would be better for later inspection and possible touch-ups. Besides, I thought that the exposed frame was a plus factor for a nuts-and-bolts guy to show off.

QueticoBill wrote:It seems a large majority of the tears I have seen or more seen photos of have the side walls and/or skin extending to hide or cover the trailer frame. Teatrs obviously intended for off-road use more than general use seem to expose the frame much more often. Since I'm working towards a more retro design, using the original trailer for two article and plans for profile and appearance, and the frame was exposed, I'm considering it. I am using the NT 5X8, and not extending width. It seems that extending a 4' wide standard trailer could play a part in the walls extending to bottom of frame or appearing to.

So, any practical considerations - like weather and wind blown rain - to consider? Purely aesthetic? Can't help but think the easy extra 2-3 1/2" of height isn't welcomed.

aggie79 wrote:

QueticoBill wrote:It seems a large majority of the tears I have seen or more seen photos of have the side walls and/or skin extending to hide or cover the trailer frame. Teatrs obviously intended for off-road use more than general use seem to expose the frame much more often. Since I'm working towards a more retro design, using the original trailer for two article and plans for profile and appearance, and the frame was exposed, I'm considering it. I am using the NT 5X8, and not extending width. It seems that extending a 4' wide standard trailer could play a part in the walls extending to bottom of frame or appearing to.

So, any practical considerations - like weather and wind blown rain - to consider? Purely aesthetic? Can't help but think the easy extra 2-3 1/2" of height isn't welcomed.

If I recall correctly, the NT trailer platform is made of angle iron with the leg up. If you inset your floor and or side walls, I would use trim to bridge the gap of the upright frame leg and sidewall to prevent a place for water to collect.

KCStudly wrote:GPW may pipe in here. He lives in a very wet/humid location (NOLA) and has found that having at least a drip edge running past the frame will keep moisture from rolling under the edge of the wall, where it can rot the lower edge of the wall and creep between the floor and frame. Could be as simple as a small bevel cut on the bottom edge of the ply, or a dedicated trim piece. (Check his FoamStream foamie build for more details and discussion.)

noseoil wrote: