tear loving newb

[kbuddy]

Hi there!

I'm new here.. but i'm in love with the idea of owning a tear.. It seems really intimidating, but i've read so many build threads that have made it seem within reach..

so anyway last week i bought a trailer.. and i'm diving in head-first..


So anyway I had originally planned a 5x10... i need to fit my wife and i and 3 dogs =) so inside i wanted 6' 6" for bed plus another 30ish inches for dogs..
i also didn't want to give up the galley so i figured 10' would be perfect...

i wanted 5 feet between the wheels because going over the wheels looked more complicated..

.. i ended up with a 12' long and 6'6" between the wheels trailer.. so anyway i'm hoping to make it work.. i know i've seen some that are 6' wide ones..

i've got a profile drawn up. i'll try and attach it here

so i'm planning on a sandwich floor 1/2" plywood -> 2x4 -> 1/2" plywood.. my trailer is angle iron and i'm trying to get the floor up to the top of the angle (that's why the 2x4)

i'm planning on sandwich walls 1/4" plywood -> 1x2 -> 1/4" plywood and something similar for the roof..

[kbuddy]

i stole the profile from the excellent "how to use sketchup" video series.. i scaled it up to fit my trailer size

at more than 5' tall i'll have to use the plywood the 'tall' way.. so it'll take more than 3 sheets per skin per side..

and at more than 5' wide i'll have to use the plywood the 'wide' way .. will the plywood bend this way?

am i going to have strength issues with a 78" wide roof?


thanks for looking,
jason

[mandy]

Welcome Kbuddy,
Have fun building your teardrop and be sure to take lots of pictures,

[Roly Nelson]

Hi Kbuddy, welcome to the forum. Sounds like you pretty much have decided on what you want in a teardrop. Sounds good. However, I too, built mine with a sandwich floor, with insulation between just to make it warmer. Big mistake on my part. I had a slight leak in the galley hinge and some moisture got below the floor and down there, it has no way to evaporate. I feel this is what creates problems with many older tears, water getting into encapsulated areas. I solved my problem by drilling a bunch of holes in the floor below the mattress, and I believe I have side-stepped a potential dry-rot problem. If I had it to do over again, (like I did on my other 2 trailers) I would NOT have covered the bottom, just waterproofed the frame, stringers and the bottom of the floor plywood. However, that is just my 2 cents. Others may not agree with me, but the proof is in the pudding, at my place.

Oh, by the way, 1x2 cross members on a 78 inch wide teardrop will almost surely create a sag problem. You might consider douglas fir 2x2s or perhaps double up the 1x2s that are placed on edge. Better yet, maybe 2x3s on edge would make a stronger roof structure. I don't think you mentioned where you are located, you might have some TDers close by. Oh one last thing, with a 6 ft 6 inch wide trailer, that only gives you 9 inches on each side for the fenders, so you don't exceed the 8 ft wide limit. I know motorhomes can now be 8 ft 6inches wide, but I'm not sure if trailers fall in the same catagory.
Roly

[kbuddy]

I hadn't really thought about overall width.. But that's a good point! I think I'll be ok though because I'm not making it any wider than it already is.. My utility trailer is 10x6.5 with 6.5' between the wheels.. Hopefully I won't break any laws!

Thanks
Jason

[canned o minimum]

Welcome Kbuddy ! YEOWZA! A 12ft long.. 6 ft wide.. 5ft tall.. TEARDROP ! That's more like a rollin PALACE ! Are ya gonna have an open galley or an indoor kitchen ? Yer certainly ambitious!

Oh.. and jus a fair warnin bout that Roly Nelson guy.. He's got 3 builds under his belt and a restoration on a standie trailer.. His mind NEVER stops ! I like to think that he is FULL OF IT.. (information that is ) He's a master crafsman/woodworker.. so, if ya want sum good info.. he's yer "go to" man !

Oh.. yer waitin on the "warnin" ? He's TOO easy to talk to...way TOO much fun to camp with.. and will NAIL ya with his humor..

Now go make sum saw dust !

[bc toys]

Welcome from Las Vegas glad you are starting a build as far as breaking laws I don't think you would be breaking any but check local trailer laws. Good luck with your build and post lots of pics.

[kbuddy]

thanks for the welcomes =)

So I really appreciate the advice about spar size.. Do you think i'd be ok if i used 1x3 poplar spars? or should I double them up (essentially a 2x3)? If I can get away with it, i'd prefer to keep the roof spar vertical dimension down to 2".. just to save an inch of headroom.. but I'm definitely of the rather be safe than sorry mindset..


Also if you wouldn't mind commenting on my wall plan.. I'm thinking 1/4" plywood inner and outer with a 1x2 stick frame for a total width of 1.5".. is that reasonable? at 6.6 feet wide i'm not worried about making the walls "too thick" so if i need to go thicker i'm ok with that.

thanks for taking the time to look!
jason

[Roly Nelson]

Well Jason, I'm going to defer your wall-thickness question to others that are more well versed on that subject than I am. Since all of my So Calif area tears have only one layer of 1/4 inch plywood, I have found that double walls and insulation really aren't needed, so I never even considered it. Some of our other "less than fair-weather" members would be able to help you. Some of the advantages of dual sidewalls, is that elect power can be run within them ,it provides a smooth, finished interior and of course can be insulated against heat and cold. I suppose they are a bit more sound proof as well, if that is worth concern. (like cranking up the sound system or keeping shouting matches within, where they belong).

Now that we know you live in SLC, (which isn't St Louis Center), you may hear from some of your neighbors located in your area. A trip to check on some other teardrops would be well worth while. Those builders are more than helpful.
Roly ~~

[Forrest747]

Well Jason, I'm going to defer your wall-thickness question to others that are more well versed on that subject than I am. Since all of my So Calif area tears have only one layer of 1/4 inch plywood, I have found that double walls and insulation really aren't needed, so I never even considered it. Some of our other "less than fair-weather" members would be able to help you. Some of the advantages of dual sidewalls, is that elect power can be run within them ,it provides a smooth, finished interior and of course can be insulated against heat and cold. I suppose they are a bit more sound proof as well, if that is worth concern. (like cranking up the sound system or keeping shouting matches within, where they belong).

Now that we know you live in SLC, (which isn't St Louis Center), you may hear from some of your neighbors located in your area. A trip to check on some other teardrops would be well worth while. Those builders are more than helpful.
Roly ~~

Hello from West Valley

Your thickness should be fine. feel free to stop by say hi bring an adult beverage and well give ya tour.

[Robbie]

kbuddy,

Whereabouts in Salt Lake are you? I'm in West Valley with Forrest747. Glad to see another Utah tear lover!

Robbie

[kbuddy]

I live in Riverton just south of ya'll by a bit. I work out near the Salt Lake airport.. I had no idea there were so many tear builders here.

[kbuddy]

This is where i'm at now...