Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Hi all,
My trailer is so wide I am not sure where to put 3/8 bolts to hold it down.
The benroy says 5 on each side but??? I have 6'4" wide and only 1 inch on each side with half inch for walls. The ends are 1 3/4 inches.
This is a drawing of the metal parts. Hope it helps.


Secondly should I put the bolts on then the top floor (recessed) or put them through all 3 layers and recess them.

If I put them through all layers and some are in the middle how do I cover them for flooring.

Oh yeah. How are you sealing the hole the bolt goes in??
Have fender washers, zink coated hex bolts, nuts

Thank you so much in advance.
Miriam

If I understand your post, you are asking about floor to frame attachment. Yes? This is what I did:



My floor is sandwich, insulation between two sheets of ply with 2-1/2 by 1-1/2 framing. I decided to use t-nuts recessed in the floor deck with the attachment bolt coming up from the bottom of the frame. What I didn't label on the drawing is the pan washer and rubber washer between the bottom of the frame and the attachment bolt.

I only used fastening around the perimeter of the frame, I think 6 on the sides and 4 on the ends. None through the middle. I would think you could space your bolts 18-24 inches apart (I would use 18") around the perimeter. I used a forstner bit to slightly recess the t-nut, and after attaching the floor to the frame, faired over the t-nut with wood putty. The vinyl floor covers it all up. If I found a need to after construction, I could unbolt the floor from the frame (from below) and take the shell of the trailer off the frame--if I could find a crane to lift the enormous weight!

I hope this is the info, or idea you were looking for.

Tony
Thank you. I really don't want a gaping hole in my floor but my sides frame is only 1/2 because I left space for the walls.

Any chance a forstner bit is for a drill and not a router. A "T" shape would take up a lot less room than a fender washer.

Think I will visit a real hardware store and maybe forgo the hex bolts too.

and rubber washers. That is a good idea. Thanks
Ever try typing with a baby on your arm.

A forstner bit is for a drill. It drills round flat-bottom holes. If you haven't ever seen or used t-nuts, they are pretty handy. They are basically barrel nuts with a flat top flange

Recessing the t-nut doesn't leave any holes--the flat top is even with the floor and a 3/4 inch forstner bit is the same size as the head on the t-nut (or close enough to fill with filler).

Never tried typing with a baby on my arm, but I frequently type with my foot on my dog!

BTW--it's Tony with a "y" to match my chromosomes.

Oh kee do ee. paddle bit. Had to get a 1 1/2" for the fender washers. Way too big. Sorry about the i y thing.
Thank You
M

Forstner and paddle bits ar two entirely different animals...here is a link to some forstners on HF's website.......
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... umber=1903

Thanks Mad Jack,
Everytime I think I got it, it bites me. Ah well, the paddle bit I probably won't need cost me $6.00 so this is a much better deal.

Aunti M

Hey Auntie!

The function of the bolts is to hold the box to the frame, or pull the frame up to the box, which ever is most applicable. (We won't discuss the shear strength of the bolts upon impact at this time!)

I would get as many bolts in as possible, within reason.

For a 6' 4" wide trailer I would try to get 5 or 6 on each side, and one or two on the front edge, and one or two on the back edge.

As for the length of the bolts. I would recess the head, and put them thru all three layers.

You don't have to cover the holes if you have a foam mattress on the floor.

Sealing them is easy. Just slap some more roofing tar underneath, where the nuts are!!!

Mike...

Miriam C. wrote:Hi all,
My trailer is so wide I am not sure where to put 3/8 bolts to hold it down.
The benroy says 5 on each side but??? I have 6'4" wide and only 1 inch on each side with half inch for walls. The ends are 1 3/4 inches.
This is a drawing of the metal parts. Hope it helps.


Secondly should I put the bolts on then the top floor (recessed) or put them through all 3 layers and recess them.

If I put them through all layers and some are in the middle how do I cover them for flooring.

Oh yeah. How are you sealing the hole the bolt goes in??
Have fender washers, zink coated hex bolts, nuts

Thank you so much in advance.
Miriam

Why Thank you Dearie.
I bought the T nuts and bolts and rubber washers( 25 cents each ouch) and pan washers. Got 5 for sides and 3 across the middle of back and front. I can drop some evil smelling black stuff in the hole too. Perhaps make a little mop and send it down.

The wood is stuck to the frame enough to let the drill go through the metal and into the wood. Guess I got it pretty thick huh.

Glad to see you are home at a decent hour.
Auntie M

Miriam C. wrote:Why Thank you Dearie.

Glad to see you are home at a decent hour.
Auntie M

No problem... but I think you knew what you were doing all along!

As for the decent hour... yea, I guess it's not too bad!

Mike...

Now is this where I let you think my learning curve is flattened or admit
I bought 1 inch bolts.

It still seems like that is not enough but I bow to the greater knowledge and my purse is greatfull. Tommorow I go to get 1 1/2 inch hex bolts. Put them in my nicely drilled holes, hook it up, and go pick up my sides.

Just wait till I mess this up. I will have to get Ira to tell the story.

Aunti M

Sounds like a winner to me... besides, IRA tells a really good story... (usually!)

Mike...

Bolts are measured from the shank, the head is not included in the measurement.

With some newspaper on the floor, I have Lined the holes with black gunky stuff. Used a small tooth brush stuck in a small stiro. bowl. ( to save mess. I didn't think to put the roofing stuff on before I put in the T nuts and didn't want it on them.

The "T" nuts were easy and work great. I didn't want to wait for the forstner bit to get here from Harbor Freight so I used a 1" paddle to recess the nuts. The edges are a little rough but it left me a centered hole to drill my holes through the frame.

Thank you Tony. These are great.
OH yeah and loc-tite so they don't vibrate out!

Funny thing, I counted my bolts and nuts when I got home and had one too many T nuts, now I am one short. No kids around, so I think a ghost borrowed some.

Aunti M

Don't let it worry you, Auntie M....................I've a lot of experience with "shop trolls". They like to pick up things and hide them. I dropped one of my crank window handles in my nuts and bolts room the other day and spent about 30 minutes looking for it. Never found it, either! The shop troll got it. It was easier to just go buy a new one. I'll find the one I lost some day and use it for a spare.