Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I am working on an idea for a diy roof rack for my squaredrop. I mocked up the general concept in carboard. I need to work on the transition in front. It would be built with 3/4" ac ply and 1/4" ac ply sandwiched together back to back making a 1" thick board, glued, screwed, filled, sanded and painted black to match the rest of the trim. It will be attached 1 1/2" down and project 4 1/2" inches up the side of the body with PL glue and screws. There will be 5 pieces of 3/4" pipe going across capped with end fittings and painted black. In between the pipes will be oblong shaped hole for tie down spots.

This isn't my first rodeo. I've been a carpenter for 45yrs, so I know how to build stuff. Just looking for opinions on the general concept.

Looks good. Being able to use/remove cross bars depending on need is a nice feature.

I think I would mount the sides on spacers to avoid any water pooling.

What do you plan on packing on it? 5 crossbars seems like a lot.

Pmullen503 wrote:Looks good. Being able to use/remove cross bars depending on need is a nice feature.

I think I would mount the sides on spacers to avoid any water pooling.

I agree with Pat. At the very least some weep holes to drain water from the joint. You being a carpenter I won't ask about what kind of anchor points the roof corners are made of.

I like the concept in general. I would personally prefer top mount instead of side mount but that's mainly my personal aesthetics preference and obviously this is yours, not mine.

I would explore the spacing requirements of various rack components available in the market before deciding on how many and the spacing of the cross bars.

CanuckShooter wrote:What do you plan on packing on it? 5 crossbars seems like a lot.

Good question: do you have a specific need for the rack, or are you building for a "what if I need this" situation?

I designed my trailer on a "mixed" plan...starting with features that I needed immediately, and included only one item (on-board generator, for contingencies), but overbuilt in many respects. I knew I needed building up my initially weak trailer frame in stages (from a <750 lb rated broken motorcycle trailer, to a very strong 3500 lb capable unit) completing that after 6+ months of camping, but the cabin structure was strong from the start, built from 3/4" ply (with dimensional oak interior bracing) and heavy-duty steel angles, braces, and connectors. I suspected that I'd need to add storage racks to the trailer someday, so I'm glad I built it sturdy.

I modified my trailer after every trip, adding or subtracting features as I needed, but always adding storage capabilities. I first moved heavy items fowrward into a large tongue box, then built two storage racks overhanging the tongue box, again, in stages. Each addition gave me more external storage (freeing-up the cabin interior, and/or moving items onto the trailer from my pickup bed), and helped my trailer balance. First rack: https://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=68441&hilit=+roof+rack#p1203547, second rack: https://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=70908&hilit=+roof+rack#p1237340 beware: my earlier posts are hard to read, due to spacing. Both racks were made for a specific purpose, of stainless kitchen shelving, stainless hardware, and galvanized slotted angle, they were easy to assemble, and durable.


With most of my immediate storage needs (at that time) covered, my next storage need took me to the roof, where I mounted a 6" diameter (98" long) for my fishing poles https://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=70709&hilit=+fishing+gear#p1234256. I used leftover slotted angle and 1/2" conduit pieces to suspend the tube over the roof (it barely clears the short roll-up door of my garage's third bay, where the trailer lives). Again, made just for a specific purpose, as needed. Then, deciding to use two remaining "kitchen shelves" again for the final external mod I'll make, I adding one shelf over each fender, on fold-up hinges, and put more fishing gear in another storage box on one side, and electrical, cooking, and miscellaneous items in the other box.



My selection of materials to build with, placement of the external add-ons, and my overall design choices make many look at my 4x8 squareback as a what-is-it?, but everything was made with considerable pondering before I added/modded anything. With your building experience, I'm sure you'll make exactly what you'll need, and make it a better match to your basic trailer design than I did.