TrailBoss

[sdtripper2]

I would be concerned with that square corner on your hatch area. I too designed mine like that at first but if it is going to be wood, it will be a weak point...

That's a great point. I certainly don't want that... Maybe the verticle part of the hatch could open like double doors and the top part could open up??? I like the look of the trailer as is, If possible I'd like to keep the same look but I don't want a flawed design either.

How about this??? Too much???

***


Joanne has your first choice of hatch design in her "Desert Dawg".
She has some pictures here and a discussion on what she
did to make her hatch with distributed weight. This may be of help for you?
***

Steve

[Arne]

put a 1/2" plywood doubler on the corner on each side and forget it... oh, don't do chin ups on the hatch. an overlap of 3" on each piece should do it. don't forget the glue.

Anything else you do will complicate the build, add weight and kill the simplicity of the design.

If something is weak, you do not have to redesign the whole thing, all you have to do is reinforce the weak point.

[Steve F]

It can give more room for tight turns etc before it hits the tow vehicle, other than that and a weight saving I cant think of any real benefit. I like the A frame as it is stronger by design and I plan to mount a tongue box on it for storage as well, this is harder with a single tongue and defeats the added benefit of more turning room that the single tongue offers anyway.

Cheers
Steve

Hmmm, Steve, I do respect your opinion but it's hard to believe Larry wouldn't have updated his page if he'd had problems with the tongue. Still, nice to get others opinions but I think, ESPECIALLY with Grant's endorsement, can I say that Grant(hope, hope, hope), I'll still base my patten on Larry's.
Now, I'm sure we don't want to get into a pissing match suffice it to say, obviously Steve has had luck with his design and I can't see Larry's success being disputed either.
So...
There you go...

I'm a little confused, I never said he'd had or would have a problem with the straight tongue Actually looking at Larrys page he went with the straight tongue for one of the reasons I mentioned, a tighter turning circle, he also says he likes to be able to park the trailer at 90 degrees to the tow vehicle.

Before you decide on your own though check this table

http://www.angib.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/teardrop/tear84.htm

My TD is tagged to a max weight of 1650lbs and empty weighs 1078lbs, you also need to allow an extra 50% here (Australia) when building the frame if you want to pass inspection. So that means I needed a tongue that can safely take a trailer weight of 2475lbs at a length of 48", I went with the A Frame 2X3X3/16th to allow for the additional offroad stresses as well, this tongue in this length will carry 3230lbs

Cheers
Steve

[angib]

.....you also need to allow an extra 50% here (Australia) when building the frame if you want to pass inspection.

Steve, is this 50% something that the inspectors add, over and above the trailer rules, like 'for good luck' or something, or is it part of the rules that I haven't noticed?

Andrew

[Steve F]

.....you also need to allow an extra 50% here (Australia) when building the frame if you want to pass inspection.

Steve, is this 50% something that the inspectors add, over and above the trailer rules, like 'for good luck' or something, or is it part of the rules that I haven't noticed?

Andrew

It was what my inspector added, to be honest I think it's because they are not as well versed in the actual rules as the guys that are building them are and they normally see much heavier campers than our little TD's 2x4 A frame construction is typical of what they would normally see on a camper trailer and my TD looks big compared to a packed up tent trailer but it is much lighter.

This is the sort of thing they are used to.



Cheers
Steve

[stomperxj]

You are joking ... right ... ...? Larry's been off-roading as long as I've been racing (as in, nearly all our lives!), and he's been a heavy truck mechanic & maintenance guy for longer than I've known him. Trust me, he knows his stuff ... and like Russ has already said, it (his Outback Teardrop) has more-than-stood-the-test-of-time-&-terrain. Lots can be learned from that ornery coot ... ...

CHEERS!

Grant

I'm actually not joking Grant. The fact that Larry has been off roading, and has been a truck mechanic forever is irrelevant. A triangle tongue is inherently stronger than a single tube design from a structural standpoint. More material in a triangle shape means more strength. If his trailer has stood the test of time, that's great and good for him. The point I'm trying to make and I think Steve is trying to make is that for the minimal additional cost involved, a triangulated tongue makes the most sense when building your own frame from scratch or buying and modifying an existing one for serious off road use.

Just my two cents
Jess

[grant whipp]

Well, Jess ...

... let's just do a quick review ... then see if we can come at this from a different angle, shall we ...?

Why do you suppose he went with the straight tongue?

Because he didn't research on how to build a frame properly? That's my guess ...

You are joking ... right ... ...? ... Trust me, he knows his stuff ...

I'm actually not joking Grant. The fact that Larry has been off roading, and has been a truck mechanic forever is irrelevant ... The point I'm trying ... to make is that for the minimal additional cost involved, a triangulated tongue makes the most sense when building your own frame from scratch or buying and modifying an existing one for serious off road use.

Just my two cents
Jess

Now, just think about this for a minute ... and maybe you'll get my point:
For someone who has received so much encouragement and support for designing and building an admittedly "outside the box" and purpose-built "teardrop", you were kind of quick to knock someone else's effort because they didn't do something the way you thought they should have!

There are a lot of people on this forum that have way more experience building teardrops of all kinds than you do, and I don't recall any of them questioning your methods and/or suggesting that you "didn't research on how to build [it] properly? ..."

There are a lot of incorrect ways to build a teardrop, but there is no one (as in singular) right way. That same statement applies equally to chassis/frame construction and suspension choice.

So, what I am suggesting (encouraging, actually), here, is that you at least consider extending the same courtesy to others as you, yourself, have received. The mere fact that Larry was/is one of the pioneers that helped blaze a path for off-road teardropping should be cause enough for that little bit of respect ... ...!

You've got a helluva build going, there, and although I personally wouldn't be doing some of the things you are doing and/or how you are doing them, I nonetheless am eager to see the finished product and hear/see reports on how well it accomplishes the tasks you've set forth for it. I wish you Continued Good Luck with your project!

I can't remember whose tag line this is, but it sure fits here:
"I'm not sayin' ... I'm just sayin' ..."

CHEERS!

Grant

[wlivesey]

Politics anyone?

[bobhenry]

If your gonna throw rocks ya better learn to duck !!!!

[stomperxj]

Thanks for the reply Grant.

you were kind of quick to knock someone else's effort

Not trying to knock someone else's effort at all and maybe my first reply was seen as harsh or a knock.... not the intent.... I'll word my replies differently from now on so i don't hurt feelings...

...don't recall any of them questioning your methods

Actually, several people made comments and suggested that I do some things differently. I took their advice, made some changes to my design and am better off because of it...

There are a lot of incorrect ways to build a teardrop, but there is no one (as in singular) right way. That same statement applies equally to chassis/frame construction and suspension choice.

I couldn't agree more...

The mere fact that Larry was/is one of the pioneers that helped blaze a path for off-road teardropping should be cause enough for that little bit of respect ...!

That's cool that Larry was a "pioneer" and built one of the first off road tear drops. Henry Ford was a pioneer in the auto industry but the last time I checked, my vehicle doesn't have wooden wheels on it "I'm not sayin' ... I'm just sayin' ..." I'm really not trying to be a jerk here, honestly. Russ brought up that he was going to use a singe tube design on his. My thought is if you are starting from scratch, why not build it as tough as you can and improve on an already good design ALA Larry's trailer?

You've got a helluva build going, there, and although I personally wouldn't be doing some of the things you are doing and/or how you are doing them, I nonetheless am eager to see the finished product and hear/see reports on how well it accomplishes the tasks you've set forth for it. I wish you Continued Good Luck with your project!

Thanks for the kudos on my build Grant. If you see something on my build sticking out like a sore thumb, I'd appreciate the feedback... I'm really not trying to step on toes here or start a pissing match at all... I'll just choose my words more carefully next time

Happy building everyone...

wlivesey - Sorry to muck up your thread. If you need any CAD help, drop me a note. I'd be happy to assist....

[grant whipp]

Points exchanged ... lights illuminated! Peace, my Friends ... ...!

CHEERS!

Grant

[Big Guy with a Little Guy]

I haven't read every post, so If I'm duplicating what's already been said, I apologize.

The issue of the weak joint in the galley hatch is easily solved. Simply put triangular braces in the corner on each side (right and left). For lack of a better description, the hatch forms an capital A (only with the legs of the A forming an obtuse angle). The brace is the horizontal part of the A. If you place them just inside the outer edge, they'll fit nicely inside the vertical galley walls when closed. Of course, the larger the triangle brace, the greater the stiffness. I'm thinking 12 inches along the horizontal part of the A.

I hope this makes sense, because as I read it, it's pretty muddled.

[wlivesey]

Hey folks, I've found that a number of you have built TDs with ducted AC systems. I'd really like your input for my trailer.

Pros and Cons:

Rear AC: Cleaner look, uses a lot of valuable storage space, blows hot air on the chef, rougher ride for the AC unit.

Front AC: Smoother ride for the AC, cold air blowing on my head. Looks Ugly (so far).


Front mounted AC (exterior view):


Front mounted AC (interior view):


Rear mounted AC (Galley view):


Rear mounted AC (interior view):


Other examples:
http://www.kuffelcreek.com/teardrop_a_c.htm

[Miriam C.]

Somehow I missed this. I think the front mount is great. It won't look ugly when covered with a nice wood box.You can make the sides to drop when in use.

got new pictures?????????