Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

hankaye wrote:flybye, Howdy;

When I had mine they hadn't come out with the "jackets" so as I'd mentioned when I
first mentioned them, I used to use a drop or 2 of liquid soap to act as a lubricant.
Things always rub better with lube. Added benefit is it doesn't collect road grime as
with the next rain storm it washes off or you can hose it off with a spray setting.
Enjoy.

hank

Hank.. does the lube affect the anti-sway capability if it is working off the friction?

flboy, Howdy;

Don, not that I could ever tell, Just kept it quiet.

hank

flboy, Howdy;

Don, the friction is a result of the pressure that the solid arms are pushing or pulling
back-n-forth between the trailer and the tow vehicle. Direct pressures instead of an
arm that is suspended from a chain with the inherent moments of slack.

hank

Nothing dramatic on this slide show... just a few odds and ends that I didn't get an opportunity to photograph on our last "adventure".
I wanted the Main Power Box to clearly show which fuse goes to which junction. Darkness isn't a good time to be fumbling around trying to remember which is which. If you look close you will notice that I ran separate lines for each light section and their corresponding receptacle separate. I wanted to be able to isolate any future potential problems without wiping out all of my lights or receptacles. Also, I wanted to be able to turn off the kitchen lights while watching TV in bed. No one likes light on directly behind the TV while watching.

We took back the beautiful stone backsplash because the color didn't match like they did online. We ended up "punting on fourth down" and just went with some peel and stick laminate for the backsplash. We plan on eventually putting some stained trim around it to tie it in better. We love the countertop with the stained cabinets and plan on installing the sink sometime next summer "Lord willing".

I settled on straps to hold the fridge down while driving due to it being a wee bit tall/top heavy. The straps will come off when at the camping destination. I thought is was a bit funny that the Camo-Straps almost match the curtains my wife made. The Curtains really block the sun during the day and really shield the inside light from exiting the camper at night. Did anyone say "Stealth-Camping"?

The TV is a 32" smart TV on a rotatable wall mount.
We haven't even taken the packing plastic off the fridge or TV yet.

Here is how I mounted the antenna and its bracket to the trailer. The antenna obviously come off when not stationary and the base itself is pretty low key without any wind-drag and snag-proof. The TV coax inlet was installed about waist level because some camp sites have TV cable hookups and I liked the idea of a simpler user-friendlier setup.

While at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas, I saw this teardrop trailer. I'm not a betting man, but I bet ya a "dime to a dollar" that the rascal who owns that rig is a member of this forum. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to stop and visit since we were pulling out as they must have just come in. If you recognize the rig, let us know!

FlyBye wrote:I didn't have the time to stop and visit

I learned the other day, that not all ctc builders are of a friendly nature. I was admiring a trailer camped in the Home Depot parking lot, when a very paranoid man emerged. I complimented him and tried to carry on a conversation. But he was having no part of it. He quickly gave me the brush off and that was that.

Icon, Howdy;

Ya get that sometimes, ... Was pullin' outta a Wally World in Deming, NM one day,
noticed what looked like a CTC so, pulled up close to them and asked, 45 minutes
later I fired up the diesel again and was on my way. We've had a few pull in at the
RV Park where I live but they claim they hadn't heard of the website so I gave them
the address haven't heard from any of'em yet less of course they are just hidin' in the
bushes lurkin' . Maybe if they don't join they can continue to act surprised that someone
else thought of the idea before them ... I dunno, humans are not wrapped to tightly, IMO.
, , .
hank

Iconfabul8 wrote:...I learned the other day, that not all ctc builders are of a friendly nature. I was admiring a trailer camped in the Home Depot parking lot, when a very paranoid man emerged. I complimented him and tried to carry on a conversation. But he was having no part of it. He quickly gave me the brush off and that was that.

That was both a bummer and unfortunate. Most folks I've run across with teardrops or camping cargo trailers have been extremely friendly and want to talk your ear off. They usually are pretty excited about finding someone with the same/similar interests, not to mention an opportunity to see in person how others have fixed their rigs. If we hadn't been pressed for time I would have loved talking to the fella and seeing about their travels, but we had "a long way to go and a short time to get there", plus I had a few hours of work that was waiting on me when I got there!

Maybe your "friend" was paranoid because he inadvertently tore the tag off his mattress and didn't want anyone to notice and turn him in to the Federal Tag Inspectors. I don't know what the penalty/fine for such an egregious offense would be, but I betcha it would make most us mortals quake in our boots! :-) Cheer up, maybe the next builder you run into will be more of the cheerful type instead of a Jason Bourne wanta-be.

I finally finished (almost) my camper toilet a few days ago. I think I'll call it our "Southern Comfort"! I think... I know that it will be a blessing on my wife or myself if we have to "go" when it's "dark-thirty" in the middle of the night! It's just a plain ole 5 gallon bucket system and nothing fancy. We will use heavy duty bags designed for the task and may even sprinkle a bit of cat litter in the bottom. We will treat the donations as you would a diaper and discard 'em as such.

We still want to either stain, paint or varnish the wood to make it blend in with the rest of the decor, but we will have to wait until we get some drier and warmer days before we venture that task. I'm just glad that it's functional right now without being the "eye-sore" of carrying around a traditional Chamber Pot!

That stool looks great!

FlyBye, Howdy;

One of the finest Thrones I've ever seen. A Place I'd be proud to place my posterior, ... anytime.


hank

Thanks for the kind words featherliteCT1 and hankaye. I tried to copy one I saw online that I liked. It's far from perfect but I don't anyone will complain in the middle of the night because of aesthetics! :-)

I hope everyone has a Happy New Year in 2019. Our East Coast friends will be celebrating in a few minutes!

That is the "Cool Stool" for sure. Don't let Karebru see that. Looks like it would fit nicely with his décor. Nice work Fly Bye. Good to hear from ya.
Happy New Year.

McDave

Well we made a little progress on the trailer but still have a lot to do, but we have enough done now where we can enjoy the trailer a bit while getting the other done... "when we get a 'round to it!" Having the beds finished was a relief even though I'm not completely pleased with the weight nor the placement of the bed/weight while driving. Both beds are 110 lbs each or 220 lbs for both and they ride in the rear of the trailer which isn't ideal for balance. Fortunately, we were able to place other storage/weight up front to hopefully offset the other.

I was really concerned about getting firm foam for the bed mattress. I didn't want that wimpy foam where you sink-in like you are sleeping in quick sand. I cut the ordered foam into the 30x76 panels we needed for our beds. They are four inches thick. Foam update: Well, they are not wimpy, quick-sandy stuff. They are firm as a Rock! Way too firm! Your body doesn't compress the foam enough for your head/neck to get comfortable. We will have to add some wimpy stuff to average it all out. Anyway... If you know anybody who is building a coliseum and needs a good foundation... I know what will work!

Here are a few photos from the camping trip we took this weekend!