New from PA! (now my design idea thread!)

[starleen2]

Welcome aboard Zach. Good luck with your build!

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Hey Zach! Welcome.

Kerry/toypusher said you stopped by to check his tear and that you're super pumped now.



Looking forward to seeing more pics.

Git R done!

Yeah it was great to talk with him and see a teardrop up close! Honestly, it was the first time that I've ever seen one that close, and its just fueled my ambition! After talking with him, I now have some better ideas as how to go about this. I cant wait to start building!!

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Hey Zach , your choice , but look into the trailers at Tractor Supply , for under a buck more they have a 4x8 , pre build solid frame, no- bolt together - the HF I have , I spend alot of time welding up the joints, not a very sturdy trailer just bolted together - and plus you can just drive away with the TractorSupply, and go strait to the DMV for tags and then the lumber yard of your choice.

You do make some good points, but I was looking at the TSC trailer, and wasn't too fond of the way the frame rails are configured. There is a possibility that I may be going a few inches wider than 4', and the TSC frame may inhibit this. I'll look into it again, but I think the HF trailer will be more than adequate for my needs. Thanks for your input!

[toypusher]

Hey Zach , your choice , but look into the trailers at Tractor Supply , for under a buck more they have a 4x8 , pre build solid frame, no- bolt together - the HF I have , I spend alot of time welding up the joints, not a very sturdy trailer just bolted together - and plus you can just drive away with the TractorSupply, and go strait to the DMV for tags and then the lumber yard of your choice.

There is no need to weld anything on a HF trailer, the bolts work just fine and when you put even a piece of plywood (let alone a whole teardrop box) on the trailer it gets much more ridgid. Hundreds of the out there with thousands of trouble-free miles on them.

[absolutsnwbrdr]

I've finally come up with the 3D model of my trailer-to-be. As I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before, its based on plans from eBay, which arrived as a photocopied packet of hand-drawn sketches and a list of a few places to source some materials.

Its going to be a convertible teardrop, with a removable tonneau cover over top of a screen mesh "ceiling." The plans were accurate enough for a build, but lacked the detail that I like to have when diving into a project. I spent a few hours tweaking the plans, and came up with the following 3D model (minus doors & roof)

I shall call her Urabus (your-a-bus)

and here she is in all her glory....uh... kinda....










FYI... I will eventually be starting a build thread. I'm just not quite to that point for another month

[toypusher]

Looking good there, Zach! Gotta get ya to teach me how to do that!!

[TimJones]

Hi Zach you might want to rethink that piece of wood across the back of your tear. mind is like that and it is a pita to deal with getting things in and out of the back Looking forward to meeting around the fire someday Tim

[RonS]

Project URABUS? You wouldn't happen to have a tow vehicle with Pleiades on the front grille emblem, would ya?

Looks like a great plan, I can't wait to see how it comes along. I'm in the "design consideration" stage right now, hoping to build something soon.

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Hi Zach you might want to rethink that piece of wood across the back of your tear. mind is like that and it is a pita to deal with getting things in and out of the back Looking forward to meeting around the fire someday Tim

Thanks Tim! I"ve been pondering that little feature. Trying to decide how to integrate it into the hatch. I don't have sink or cabinets planned for there, but a cooler full of beer and happy memories could be difficult to get out of there. I'll keep you posted on what I come up with!

Project URABUS? You wouldn't happen to have a tow vehicle with Pleiades on the front grille emblem, would ya?

Very good!!



heres the tow vehicle... an '05 Subaru Outback 3.0R Sedan

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Just estimating my trailer weight....

4x8 plywood is about 25 lbs/.25" thick, or 37.5 lbs/cu. ft.
White pine is about 36 lbs/cu. ft.

Total plywood in my design = 6.55 cu. ft.
Total white pine in my design = .75 cu. ft.

HF 4x8 trailer = about 260 lbs (shipping weight)
Total plywood weight = 245 lbs
Total board weight (roof spars) = 27 lbs

Total estimated weight = 532 lbs*

* this does not include nails/screws, sealer/stain/epoxy/paint, glue, roof material, or doors

[toypusher]

Just estimating my trailer weight....

4x8 plywood is about 25 lbs/.25" thick, or 37.5 lbs/cu. ft.
White pine is about 36 lbs/cu. ft.

Total plywood in my design = 6.55 cu. ft.
Total white pine in my design = .75 cu. ft.

HF 4x8 trailer = about 260 lbs (shipping weight)
Total plywood weight = 245 lbs
Total board weight (roof spars) = 27 lbs

Total estimated weight = 532 lbs*

* this does not include nails/screws, sealer/stain/epoxy/paint, glue, roof material, or doors

Zach, I can not imagine that you would go over more than another 150lbs or so with everything. (dry weight). Guess that depends alot on the doors that you decide to use too!

I have never weighed mine since I finished it back in '05!! Should do that one of these days, I guess.

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Yeah I had never thought that a 4x8 sheet of 3/4 ply was about 75 lbs! 150 sounds reasonable for everything else.

[Shadow Catcher]

One thing to remember if you do not yet have your OB wired for the trailer use the factory connector and save a LOT of grief

We have an H6 OBW with the biggest trans cooler I could fit and 100% synthetic oil through out.

[absolutsnwbrdr]

One thing to remember if you do not yet have your OB wired for the trailer use the factory connector and save a LOT of grief

Unfortunately I think that only the wagon came pre-wired with a connector. I have the Outback Sedan. Also, when I ordered my hitch from etrailer.com, their site said that there was no harness adapter available and suggested that I get this to hardwire the trailer connector. Supposedly acts as a relay for all the lights.

[absolutsnwbrdr]

I'll probably end up getting a transmission cooler.... the 5EATs are supposed to be pretty solid, but a little extra protection is always good piece of mind.

"No one likes a hot tranny!"