PT Cruisin' newbie!

[RedHotPTGT]

Hi!

I'm Lori from Iowa! I drive an '06 Inferno Red PT Cruiser GT, and I'm interested in learning more about teardrops so our family (Hubby, 4-yr old son, and myself) can upgrade from our tent and be able to enjoy a two- or three- week road trip economically and comfortably. Budget is a consideration, but Hubby's very handy, so a homebuilt might be the ticket. Camper weight is also a big consideration which is what led me to the teardrops (Plus, they look REALLY COOL!! ). The PT can only handle 1000 lbs, but I'm going to chat with my hitch guy to see if we can push it a little. I like the CampInn designs with the queen size bed, kitchen stuff, and bike rack (Biking's my thing; I ride recumbents and love RAGBRAI. I think a teardrop would be the ultimate RAGBRAI "tent"!! ); I *REALLY* like the 560 with the bunk beds, in case our family gets bigger. Is it possible to build something along those lines but keep it under 1000 lbs? Does anyone else out there drive a PT who could offer some suggestions?

Thanks! Looking forward to joining the TTT Club!

[img]http://www.tnttt.com/gallery/image.php?image_id=24486[/url][/img]

[billnut]

Boy kid are you going to have fun. The's a bunch of us
Bill

[surveytech]

PT's and Teardrops seem to go together well....


Nice looking GT...love the inferno red.


Walter

[Miriam C.]

to the playground. There are a few real good td's that have bunks in them but I don't know all the weights. JTMK's if fantastic for kids. Find it below.

http://tnttt.com/album_ ... C&start=12

The other that I really like is EZ's
http://tnttt.com/album_ ... er_id=2202

They will both probably say hi at some point. One of the best things is to design your own based on your needs...

Enjoy

[campadk]

Welcome RedHot!

Good choice! Here was our PT / Hunter combo a few years back...



Warning! A teardrop, canoe, 2 bikes and 2 people is a bit much for a PT... but it'll handle it if you feed it gas

Then all you need to do is add some red fenders to match the PT!

[mfkaplan]

PT's and teardrops naturally go together. Most gatherings have a few. There were 8 at the Dam Gathering. My tear is around 500 lbs. It's a small one. I've had no problem pulling it with my PT over mountains. It does consume more gas though. 1000 lbs. might be ok but I would bet its really going to slurp up the gas. I would also worry about the strain on the tranmission and engine. How about an attached side tent for the kids. Just leave the teardrop door open into the tent.

[Mike C.]

Hi Lori,

Welcome to the forum. Have fun, and if you have a question just ask, people here are more than happy to offer advise.

[BestmanDan]

Welcome! You will find the friendliest and most helpful people here. Where at in Iowa? I live 30 miles west of Iowa City and am going to build one myself. You will get any question answered here that you have!
Dan

[pauld3]

The PT cruiser and the tear drop are shaped similarly....so much so that I personnally think they are perfect for each other...although I do not have a PT Cruiser, I work for a dealership and we have sold several used ones and I've often commented on how cute one would be with our tear drop.
Lynn

PS Welcome to th forum!!!

[surveytech]

hope all this helped.

[DaytonaGTS]

If you upgrade to the Mopar Stage 1 at least, you'll have 230 HP and a bit more torque and shouldn't have any problems towing more than 1000 lbs....

My car has basically the same motor yours has and my TD is around 1200lbs loaded and ready to go.... no problems on the towing end.....

I thought that the PT was rated at 2000 lbs or at least 1500.... I must be wrong but the neon is rated at 2000, but not mine... it is not recommended to tow with my car at all, but as you can see in my sig... I do anyways

[jmtk]

Hi Lori,

Welcome to the forum! I’ve done something very similar to what you’re thinking about. We comfortably sleep 3 in our 5x8 trailer (our son is 7 years old). We pull with a small car (Subaru Impreza, 2.5L engine), which also has a 1000 lb tow limit (without trailer brakes). The trailer is about 750 lbs completely empty, and probably about 950 loaded. I had to be very careful about how it was built to keep the weight low. Everything adds up so you need to pay attention to the details. Some of the things I did:
- Sandwich construction everything: walls, ceiling/roof, floor, galley shelves, fenders. I chose 1/8” ply inside and out with ¾” framing and pink foam insulation in between the framing for most everything. The roof has 1.5” framing. The floor uses 3/8” ply on the top and 1/8” on the bottom.
- No cabinets, just shelves
- Simple fabric bunk for my son
- No big battery
- Cut big holes in the ¾” ply bulkhead
- No aluminum outer layer (adds a surprising amount of weight)

My weight indulgence was a footwell/table (a feature I really wanted), and the running gear (chassis/wheels).

I’m very happy with how it came out. We have over 8000 miles on it and about 35 nights in it, and it’s not even a year old. We just returned from a two-week, 2400 mile trip and slept in the trailer for 12 straight nights. Back in our tenting days, I would’ve wanted to take a motel for at least 3 or 4 nights of the trip, but never had that urge with our cozy, comfy trailer!

My advice to you is to do lots of reading here, ask questions, and think about the features that are important to you. You’ll come up with a great design to match your family’s needs.

Have fun!

Jeanette

[MrBuzz]

I agree....'Cruisers are a perfect fit for 'retro camping' with TD's.
Mine is a 2005 Touring edition. The 4cyl motor seems to get along just fine with the TD, enought power and I only lose a couple MPG when towing.