Now-former lurker getting ready to build....

[JustDave]

Howdy! I'm David, from Abilene, TX. I've been lurking for a while, and have been thinking of building a TTT in support of my craft business (doing a fair or craft show is *way* cheaper if you don't have to pay for hotel rooms!)...but I'm torn.

I need a solo rig, and I don't expect to be too very far from campgrounds with showers and toilets, normally.

I've seen the Weekender design, and like it--particularly in the plywood-only, no-insulation configuration. I'm thinking that could be built out *real* quick, to have me ready for Old Sorehead Trades Days in October. Minimum galley, minimum electrical (just some 120V for powering a CPAP machine, and a couple of lights.)

...but I've seen the Stewart Family's little boxy weekender, and really like the idea of putting the bed crossways, and having more room inside. I'm thinkin' that space under the bed could be put to use for a 12V electrical system, maybe even a little fresh water tank for a tiny sink and outdoor shower unit on the tail end, later. Since it's going to be built for one person (at-most two, if she's really friendly! ), then a smaller bed can go in there, and I'd have still *more* room inside. The thought of a little bit of insulation when the nights get cold--and the days get hot--appeals to me, too. Scott, I hope you don't mind if I shamelessly plagarize your design!

Any thoughts on the relative merits of these two designs? I see a few folk who have talked about plywood-only TTTs, and haven't heard any major complaints about cold and heat...I won't draw the conclusion that they *have* no complaints, however. Scott, how do you and your family like that wide little box you built? I've seen where many of you have built two, or even three...I really only want to do this *once.* Call me crazy.

The Platform of Choice is going to be the heavier-duty 4x8 HFT trailer. It's on sale at our retail store, until mid-August! The time for me to strike is right now! There'll probably be some design-as-I-go bits, particularly electrical and such. That seems to be the norm, in many of your cases.

Wish me luck!

--David

[emiller]

Welcome David,
Good luck with your build and have fun building it.

[oklahomajewel]

welcome Dave!! You'll find a friendly and fun group here in the South Central !!!

The foam board insulation in the walls is not only for just that ... insulation.... but in my case building light, it helped with the 'sandwich' and stability and then also it does help with the sound issue a bit .... and as far as heat and cold, I think it helps with the condensation issues that some people have had inside their trailers.

CocaCola teardrops , Linda , goes to craft shows and can probably give you some insight about camping in the teardrop for that .


Good luck and most of all ---- have fun !

Julie

[starleen2]

David
shamelessly plagarize away - that's what it's for. The design was quite simple 8 sheets of plywood and your done (with some additional support of course see my construction details) That is a queen sized bed in there and sleeps three of us very well , I am six feet tall and felt closed in when sleeping between two walls, that why we sleep widthwise - so I'm not up against a wall. I would agree that making the bed shorter will free up a lot of room. I would hinge the bed platform for easire acess to what ever electrical or storage you might have. All three of use can sit on the bed and play card and games - even eat inside if the weather is stormy. it only weights 1060 lb fully loaded. We insulated our due to the Texas heat in summer - and it paid off in the winter as well. Our camper could be built and campable within a long weekend. and Oh yes, I use mine on long trips to save on hotel and lodging costs

Have fun on whatever style you choose - it will be just right for you

[Arne]

I built a basic box tear drop. Then I added an a/c unit. Then I chopped down the top to make it lower, then I add a galley by making the tear drop longer. In other words, I did not follow my own advice in the next paragraph.

Personally, I would not build with no insulation. I also would design it so any mods you might want would not require major reconstruction.

If you put the bed sideways, you will have to widen the trailer, or build over the axle.....

Try to attend a rally or at least visit a dealer and it will give you some reality of what you are trying to get done in 3 months (or less).

With a time frame like that, I would consider building the floor, outside walls with studs, roof with rafters, and put in the insulation... and finishing the inside walls if you had time or put it off until you have additional time to work on it... it would still be usable and water tight, just not complete..

But it would beat the heck out of a tent.... and it would give you some ideas about how you might want to finish it off after you actually use it.

[Cliffmeister2000]

Welcome, Dave!

Be sure to check out Joanne's Desert Dawg for a great weekender, http://www.asolidfoundation.com/index.shtml and of course Mike's Weekender design. http://www.mikenchell.com/Weekender_Photo_Album/
http://www.mikenchell.com/Weekender_Photo_Album_2/

Plywood only would be much faster. For me, building is at least 1/2 the fun, so I went with skin and insulation. I might build a ply only cubby for my second build, though. I want to see how fast and how cheap I can build one!

Scott's design is very cool, and fast! Whatever you decide to do, good luck, and take lots of pictures!

[Miriam C.]

to the playground Dave. Arne gives some good advice if you can manage it. There are some campers meeting at Red River (I forget where) and you can get all the information in the South Central Forum. Seeing one will make all the difference.

Enjoy and get a good camera---keeps the bubble oil level.

[JustDave]

Thanks to everyone for the kind words and bits of advice. I'll be starting, maybe, in the next week or so, once some money gets here...

I've decided to go with a wide box-style, like Scott's. All of my electrical systems can live in a box under the bed (with the batteries in a properly-boxed-in box, a'course!) and I'll be good for 110V or if I don't need the AC, can boondock a little, maybe.

I'll be posting pics in a build thread, natch!

--Dave

[JustDave]

Bought my trailer today (HFT's 1175#, 12" tires, 4x8 foldable) After it being on sale, and a 15% off coupon in the mail, I paid less than $210 for it. An auspicious start!

My plan is to build a box like Scott's, with the bed in the forward end. Mini-fridge and microwave in the tail, rather like theirs, though I'll probably build some minor cabinetry in, rather than plastic shelving.

I'm thinking of putting a toolbox across the A-frame at the front, to put my EZ-up and kitchen gear in. With all that weight on the nose end, I s'pose I probably shouldn't move the wheels back, as is normal with a galley-in-the-rear tear...but should I consider moving 'em *forward?* Not knowing how much all that gear weighs complicates using the design spreadsheet...

Any ideas, thoughts, sob stories? I'm pulling with a full-sized pickup, so that's not much of an issue, but I'd like to get the tongue weight *reasonable*, anyway.

--D

[JustDave]

Life got in the way, as it is wont to do, and so I didn't get that little box built. Things are calming down, though, and I'm ready to get to hacking.

First things first, though is assembling the HF trailer. I used the crossmember-in-the-side-rails trick to cure its' folding habit, and just as I was getting ready to drill the holes to bold those rails in, it occurred to me that I could very easily stretch the trailer a bit that way. So I did. Eighteen inches of stretch, to be precise. The *frame* is now 114 inches, not counting the tongue.Still gotta bolt my axle works on, although I determined that by the 60-40 thumb rule, I needed to be at 45-ish inches from the rear end--and the stock mounting holes on the back section are 43 inches from the rear. So I'm going with that. A little more tongue weight won't hurt me any, since I'm using a full-size pickup, and I can always shift things around as needed.

In the design department, I've about concluded that going *wide* is not in the cards for me. Since I'm going *long*, there's not so much need, and I'm still very, very fond of the Weekender design. So that's what I'm going to build. All of the "stretch" will be in the cabin, rather than the galley, but the same dimensions and basic shape will be there. The pitch of the roof will therefore be a tad shallower, but I'm good with that, as long as it's not dead-flat. 1x2 and 1x4 framing, 1/4" outside, 1/8" inside, foam insulation. 1/2" floor over 2x2 deck support. 110VAC and 12VDC systems, with a battery in a box on the tongue. I'm thinking of a snazzy outside table that hooks on. I may build that, or I might just be lazy and buy the Thule Smart RV one.

I've debated what to do with all that extra cubic in the cabin; one thought that comes to mind, as I occasionally travel on business and would like to have a suit and nice shirt, is a narrow closet back against the bulkhead (where cabinetry normally is--just notch out the floor and face of the cabinets, and put in a rod. No closet door.) Anyone done anything where you could hang up a couple of shirts on board? Or am I just *crazy* here?

[Cliffmeister2000]

Dave, the Love of my Life and I just got back from our first overnighter in our weekender, and I'm with you. It would have been nice to have a place to hang up a nice set of clothes. I'm going to install a clothes hook on each side of the cabin, and if I need more hanging space than that I can stretch a pole between the hooks like the kind designed for the back seat of a car.

[Miriam C.]

Welcome back! Closet I think I would put one in the front and make that a headboard. My reasoning is that you will have more depth top to bottom. Other wise you are going over your feet, or encroaching on the galley.

[JustDave]

Miriam,

That's a possibility, except that it *won't* be over my feet. This rig is for one person only; I'm fat, but I'm not 4' wide. Yet. A twin-sized mattress on the deck is plenty for me, as I don't flip and flop much, so I'd have a foot, about, where the foot of a wider mattress would be. I'm debating a little fold-down table on the inside, too, if I can figure out where to put it. Sit cross-legged on the bunk, with the MacBook on the little table, and I can work even when the weather is vile.

For that matter, an RV-bunk-sized bed would be plenty, if it was *thick* enough. I don't have much complaint with the width of those, but many are not very supportive. In truth, I only want about 8" of rod width, so that should fit. And four feet of vertical space is plenty for men's clothes, as long as I don't try to hang a trench coat or my academic robes in there.

I'll narrow it down for sure once I get the walls up, but one or the other of these will work. I have a big hammer that will make *sure* it will work...

-David

[Miriam C.]

Sounds like a plan. If you look at Len's mini-Shasta you will find 3 tables. Some great ideas in that one!

http://s26.photobucket.com/albums/c106/ ... %20shasta/

Picture shamelessly borrowed.


Enjoy

[Sparksalot]

First things first, though is assembling the HF trailer. I used the crossmember-in-the-side-rails trick to cure its' folding habit, and just as I was getting ready to drill the holes to bold those rails in, it occurred to me that I could very easily stretch the trailer a bit that way. So I did. Eighteen inches of stretch, to be precise. The *frame* is now 114 inches,

I did the same thing with my redtrailer frame. I took it to 115". Rose turned out just fine.