Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Happy New Year to all!
I started cutting out my patterns today!!
For my Teardrop I am trying something a little different. If you look at the photo you can see a hinge two feet from the back of the trailer. The hinge will let the sides of the trailer open outward so that the counter top can be folded out to give me a ten-foot wide counter. I have several questions that this enlightened group may be able to help with.
One thing that is not shown is a box on the front for AC and a generator.



1st On the hinge, I have Grant’s aluminum piano hinge. How much weight can it hold.
I would like to swing the back 1-foot of the trailer with a drawer in it out to the side?
Will this overload the hinge?

2nd What would be the best height for the counter top?

3rd Any suggestions on cabinet and axel placement?

Thanks from Dan

Hi
could you not "clip on" the extra counter area?, this would be a lot more leakproof and a lot easier to engineer.

Counter height, check out the work surface at home, are you or other half the main user? would you (or other half) like the counter slightly higher (or lower) than standard?

Piano hinge is not designed to carry weight (in the plane) you are suggesting.

DHAZARD wrote:2nd What would be the best height for the counter top?

When I got ready to build my main cabinet. I had my wife come out and stand at the end of the tear and place her arms like she was working at the counter. I asked her if that's how high she wants the counter top? It ended up just less than two feet above the floor or 3' above the ground. Most counter tops in your average house is just a couple inches more than 3 feet. The galley area is one of the better places to get your wife involved in the design (if your married).

Have a good day.

Dan, I believe you are designing into your unit a engineering fault, while I have no doubt that it can be done, what you are suggesting falls wayyyyy outside of the K.I.S.S. principle.
Without some imaginative sealing solutions, I am afraid you are looking at a lotta leakage and/or other problems...either now or down the road...
...clip on tables on either side would be a better solution as would cabinets that would slide out, to which your "wings" could be attached, allowing you to keep the body "whole".

Mounting the genset(40+#s) and AC(40+#s) on the tongue is fine as long as you realize that by themselves, they are adding upwards of 100#s to your overall tongue weight

If you go with what you are thinking, a SS hinge may be a better choice to withstand the stess you are planing on inflicting upon it
madjack

Hey Finn,

This is a good way to test your profile, and also determine the location of the wheel. Of course, I would also want the fenders at this point!

Mike...

DHAZARD wrote:

Hi George, Gage, Mike and Madjack,
CAD systems are great but I like to see a full size mockup before I commit to a designee.
With the hinges in the back the wheels will have to be moved closer to the doors so I’m thinking that I will have to make the fender. I think that the wheels will have to be about 4’ from the back that is why the AC and Generator will go in the front to put some weight on the tongue. What I am trying to do with the hinged out sides is get an uninterrupted workspace. If I swing just the outside wall I will be adding one extra seal on each side along the edge, no problem, K.I.S.S. principle. If I swing out the side and the back I agree that it will go well past K.I.S.S. but with a name like Hazard what do you expect .
Just throwing an idea out and seeing what sticks… Anyone else have some input?

Regards Dan

DHAZARD wrote: .....but with a name like Hazard what do you expect .
Regards Dan

...funny but that is eggzactly what I was thinking when I read/responded to your post ........

DHAZARD wrote:With the hinges in the back the wheels will have to be moved closer to the doors so I’m thinking that I will have to make the fender.

Got a piece of card board that you can cut the fender profile out of? It would help with the visual!!!

Mike...

Hi Mike,
I will add something with a CAD program after work tonight… I hope everyone is enjoying all the football games. Will do my best to keep them on air.
Your dedicated static pusher Dan

As promised , profile of my design with fender. It was easier to see this way than adding it to the photo.

This may help and clarify what I have in mind. This is a top view with the sides opened up. This is my K.I.S.S. version without the swing out draws. Madjack has a very good point about sealing it and I don’t think the door hinges that I have would hold up.

Hey, Dan!

The strength of those hinges just might surprise you! Especially if you built those swingout sections light enough (you DID make lots of mental notes as you looked 'round my shop, right?), and you included some kind of support rod that extended down to the ground in the full-open position (wouldn't take much to add just that little bit of security). The teardrop's floor and a good fit when the sections were closed would supply any needed support in the travel mode. Think airplane ... ;-} ;-} ...!

CHEERS!

Grant

ok I'm sure this is a silly question, but... If you countertop is going to be the same height the entire width, whichpart folds out of the way for it to close? the center or the "Wings"? If it is the wings aren't you going to have a problem with the hinge blocking the sides from closing completly? or will there be a gap in the surface? I can't get a mental picture of it....

Dan,

Now you are going to have to model your counter in 3D so we can see what you have planned...

Mike...

Mike,

Help! My CAD program “IS CANVAS 7” it can do 3D but I have never took a month of to learn how to do it. It came with two novel size books that I have only used to hold down the desk drawer… I think I could build the trailer faster in real life than with that CAD system. It’s like using a B.F.H. to drive a tack. Lets see if I can describe what’s in my head, scary but lets give this a try.

With the trailer shut it looks like a normal tear.

When the hatch is opened then the sides can be swung outward. I am thinking about using a pin that is in the hatch that will go into a hole in the side wing to hold the side shut when the hatch is down.

After swinging the side out then the countertop that has a hinge on each end will be flipped over, locking into the sides to make the 10’ workspace.

A 2D drawing with a back view.