Greetings from the pacific northwest!

[C.B.]

Hello! (I've edited this multiple times to finally get the pictures in right!)

I confess to lurking on your site for the past month, even moreso the last two weeks, since my husband and I just purchased a home-built tear after having posted a "wanted" ad on craigslist. We had asked for a homebuilt in decent condition, that needed some work, but which could be camped-in right away. That's what we got, though I'd be interested in knowing if we paid too much...($2500) It's very solid, with only a bit of water staining. It's not wired - but we didn't wnat wiring - we're very low-tech campers. It pulls great, and we loved that it has that older look - the wheels and fenders seem to be quality, the door and roof vent work smoothly and are without leaks that we can see. The undercarriage, although with some attachment issues (?) appears solid, and well-painted, without any softness or rot...

Being new to this, we missed a few details of the tear's construction that perhaps would have led us to look elsewhere...although, maybe not. We're resourceful, and have done a lot of major-type restoration on old houses, so I think we'll be handy-enough to get the work done. I'm inspired, no, HUMBLED, by the amazing creations some of you folks here have built - especially those of you with no prior experience!

I hope some of you will be kind enough to review the work we think the tear needs, and get us going in the right direction! Thank you in advance! Carla and Wade
the day after we got her home -- greasing the wheels, starting to clean the siding, evaluating the frame and axle...Do any of you recognize what kind of kit this is? It's an 8 X 10 or so...


The galley cabinets show some staining. From the stain tracks, it looks like one of the sides leaks, about half way down the side of the galley from the hinge. Also, we're planning on putting some kind of sealer under the galley hinge - maybe an inner tube, as I've read on this site?

What kind of hinge is this, anyway? It isn't a hurricane hinge, is it? Also, the maker used screws that were so long they pierced the galley ceining by almost 1/2 an inch...is that normal? Should we just put another wooden strip up there to hide the screw tips, or is it ok to use shorter screws??



Here you can see the water stain coming down the side of the tear, from about midway along the hatch edge…The galley is another project – none of our camping equipment fits anywhere! The cabinets are too short and too narrow, for stoves, water jugs, collers, etc. I wonder what kind of gear the builder was going to use?



Here’s the last major issue for now. The axle is attached to the frame with these crazy u-bolts, and these spacers are spot-welded together between the spring and the axle. There is a dent in the wood, so you can see she bottomed out at one point. My husband is thinking of cutting out the spacers, and re-installing a single bar, but a shorter one. Does that sound right?



Thanks in advance for any advice you might have! We’re really excited to use this for winter camping – it’ll be so great not to have to pack up the wet tent in the morning…

[rainjer]

Wecome aboard.

What part of the Great NW are you in?

With tha kind of window you don't really need a drip cap. you should be ok unless it is really raining hard. even then a drip cap may not help.

Yes that is a hurricane hinge.

The first thing i would do i fix that axel mess. You may look at getting diffeerent spring or a new drop axel.

[asianflava]

Welcome to the forum!

The spacer blocks on the axle are crazy. It looks like they only expected about an inch of travel. Yeah, remove the blocks and use regular U-bolts. It will raise the trailer but it will be more secure.

[Nitetimes]

If that don't just beat all. Sorry, couldn't help myself, I was laughing so hard when I saw that I almost fell out of my chair.

First thing to do is get rid of that mess and mount that axle right. If you want to maintain the ride height you have now you're gonna need a 4" drop axle. Otherwise your trailer will sit higher than it does now by about 4". The reason the u-bolts are pieced together is that they don't sell them that long, tho you could get them made. That mess is just a problem waiting to happen.
Hmmm, I don't even see any weld on the spring seat, maybe on the inboard side?

[DaveandDebbie]

Here’s the last major issue for now. The axle is attached to the frame with these crazy u-bolts, and these spacers are spot-welded together between the spring and the axle. There is a dent in the wood, so you can see she bottomed out at one point. My husband is thinking of cutting out the spacers, and re-installing a single bar, but a shorter one. Does that sound right?



Thanks in advance for any advice you might have! We’re really excited to use this for winter camping – it’ll be so great not to have to pack up the wet tent in the morning…[/quote]

WoW

Did the builder think the springs didn't move?
That would be one of the first things I would fix before putting it on the road again. If you don't want to buy a new axcel to maintain the hight I would at least remove 1 of the blocks it would be much more stable. On the brite side It looks pretty good Have a good time and don't forget the Dave

[C.B.]

Thanks for hte comments, everyone!
We're from the Olympic Peninsula. Gorgeous, and not too many people -- but darned few teardrops (we've only seen one out here that I can remember, from a distance), which is why we just jumped at this one, even with its flaws.

The guy we bought it from bought it from the builder. The story goes - he never even camped in it, because it was too small for him.

The galley counter is already 40 inches from the ground. If we remove the blocking, won't that make the trailer ride even higher? What is an average kind of clearance? (I know they're all different, but still, there must be kind of a basic ballpark figure out there???)

Does anyone recognize this kind of pattern or kit? Thanks!

[doug hodder]

CB...that's unfortunate on the axle set up...Like Rich says, I would definately look into a 4" drop axle on that, also shorter brackets for the attachment points and it'll get down lower without doing any further damage to the frame. Not knowing exactly what you have it's a guess, but you could cut down the front spring receiver, redrill it, maybe shorter shackles in the rear and mount the axle on top of the springs, that way you only have an axle into it $ rather than the whole works...You may also be able to use the same hubs and bearings, but you'd need the specs on them prior to buying an axle, to make sure they would mate up. If you do modify it, make sure you get the correct hub spacing so that you don't end up crowding the wheels on the sides. For the "too long" screws...I'd back them out and install the correct length, and then rip a small piece of stock or some sort of trim to install and hide the holes in the ceiling. What size tire and wheel are on it? From the paint out on the inside of where the fender was, It appears that the fenders were riding pretty high for the wheels on it. The bottoms of the U bolts had to be pretty close to the pavement. It's all doable, just going to take some time and imagination. the big thing is, you need to take care of the axle hammering into the tear body... Doug

[Miriam C.]

Carla, Welcome to the playground.

I don't do axles but I lengthened my shackles so you can shorten yours. My galley counter sits at about 40" too. It is high but I kinda made that choice for a different reason.

First thing I would do, since I am short, is pull that galley cabinett back to the edge. It won't seem as tall when you can reach it. I would check to see if the spar for the galley hing was replaced. It sounds like someone might have reaplaced a thicker spar when the leak occured. Perhaps had a different hing.

Rest looks workable. Remember to have fun and build it your way.

[angib]

Welcome, Carla.

Yoweeee! That axle mounting looks like the first entry in a 'Hall of Shame' to go with the current 'Hall of Fame'!! And as you didn't build the trailer, none of that shame falls on you!

One point you mentioned was that there are some water stains. This suggests that there's a leak (or leaks) somewhere which you should trace and fix - if there's water getting in, it means that there's some plywood somewhere that's getting wet and may delaminate. Fixing it now will be much, much less work than repairing water damage later. Perhaps it would be a good idea to put the galley hinge (and anything else) back as it was when you got it and then taking the trailer outside for some hose testing to find the leak.

Andrew

[C.B.]

Thanks, everyone! We've done a leak test - nothing major, just need some new foam strips along the galley edge. The axle situation has been tinkered with - just removed one of the spacer blocks for now, and the other two were welded on stronger. We're taking it camping for three weeks down to california desert, and we want to see how it rides, how the galley fits, etc., before we make the rest of the changes. We figured this tear was a good way for us to see what we like, what we don't, before we rip into it and start major renovations. Thanks again for the help - we'll post more pics as we go along on the renovations!

[dahoon]

Hey there fellow nor'wester,

One option that I did was to find an old camp trailer that has a 4" drop axle and cut it down to fit.
Or, call Six Roblees in Tacoma and they can get you the proper drop axle. Better still they have what is called a torsion flex axle by Dexter that would bolt directly to the frame. They flex within the axle tube.

As for the water stains you may have to strip the finish off then sand and refinish.
Doug h. had the right idea for the over length screws. If the new screws seem a little loose you can use match sitcks in the holes to take up the slack.
I have finished my frame and have ordered the wood for my TD. my wife and I wouldn't be adverse to a ferry ride over to see your project.

In Bayview building like crazy,
Mike

[Juneaudave]

Six Roblees in Tacoma is great!!! Get 'er road worthy and enjoy!!!!

[The Teardrop Nanny]

Welcome to the website--it seems you got on just in time! Another successful story of a lurker coming out in the open. If you are going to be traveling to the desert you'll probably be coming through my way, via Hwy 101. Be sure to check out the IRG site listed below, because you are close enough to attend one of our impromptu campouts this summer, and the official IRG in the summer of 2008. Dean and I will be doing some camping in the redwoods this summer (2007) at the site next door to Pamplin Grove and will let people know when so we can have some early bird gatherings again. It was a great way to meet other TDers and have a mini get together before the actual Pamplin Grove event. Happy trails,

The Teardrop Nanny
Joanie

[Sierrajack]

Hi C.B.
I find it very hard to believe that anyone would construct such an axle configuration - it's just flat UNSAFE!!! The axle tubes appear as though they have been extended with a small tube inserted and then welded. That's not safe because the entire trailer's weight is almost directly over the welds. Welding axle tubes is never an option. I would completely cut off everything and start over with new springs with less of an arch or have those dearched at your local automotive spring shop, replace the U-bolts and axle assembly. You can pick up springs, hangers, etc pretty cheap now. I know this isn't your fault and you obviously saw a weak point so now it's on to do it right. I see stuff like this and wonder if the builder had a death wish. You've got a good beginning and recognizing and fixing problems is just one of the "joys" of ownership.

[Juli n Bill]

Where on the Olympic Peninsula? We have a home in Port Townsend, in fact that was our first destination after we built our Teardrop. If you're heading down here to Sunny Southernn California you won't have to worry about drip rails or leakeage, we've been having the dryest winter. It was over 80 this weekend. crazy!
Not sure what style your trailer is suppose to be, at 8 x 10 it's on the large size for a teardrop width wise. Should be nice and roomy though. As far as remodeling or modifications, I'm sure you'll know exactly what you want to fix or change after you've spent some time camping. For galley suggestions check out the galley gallery. http://tinyurl.com/2tg64f
Have Fun!
Juli