Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Been looking around for some time now for a good deal on a CT to convert ... Nothing to speak of ...yet ... except a 4'X8' CT that a friend has offered me in trade for a guitar ... 4'X4'X8'... looks homemade on a STOUT frame...
Got to thinking that this might be a fun project and a warm up for a bigger CT project ... It's got a small side door and twin back doors ... More TD size , so it will have to be kept really SIMPLE and compact...
Thinking a Futon that makes up into a bed (or a pad and sleeping bag).. Bucket sink, 50' GFI extension cord (the electrical system) , that and a couple flashlights.. Couple milk crates for storage ...Igloo, fan and perhaps a small AC unit ... May be room for some small shelving on the front ... Minimum interior, foam insulation and lots of pegboard on the walls at critical locations ... cargo net to store other fabric things, pillows ,blankets ...


Thinking of a layout similar to this : http://tnttt.com/album_ ... c_id=12162

I just bought a 5 x8 x 6 ceiling. I wouldnt go any lower, its nice to be able to stand up..
The 5 x8 foot print still seems small to me.. but i got a great deal and it came with a bunch of extras. E brakes, rear stab jacks, finished roof with 2 lights, side door with rv latch, and rear ramp etc..
Here is a thread where i have been posting some of my build.. more to come very soon.
http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=40066&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

I am converting (slowly) a 5x10 v-nose cargo trailer. The ceiling is 5'6" (not enough). The v-nose adds about 18 inches to the front, so it's really 5x11.5 ft. It's slightly narrower than my F-150 tow vehicle, so I can see behind and along side the trailer with the rear view mirrors nicely.

It's short and light, movable with one hand with the wheel on the tongue jack.

Downside: It's slapped together factory schlock. I'm fixing all those shortcomings, including replacing all the screws in the skin with rivets and spray foaming all the ribs (walls and ceiling).

Buyer beware.

Prem

Sounds pretty COOL Prem !!! The one I'm considering should be called a Micro cargo trailer... compared to yours..
I Think before I get it , I just need to sit in it for a while ... and see if it's actually workable ... Gonna' be small for my 6'3 frame ... But should tow like a feather... Many considerations, but good practice for doing a bigger one .... and it's Cheap !!!

Looking around here I see a LOT of CTs with mega wrinkly sides ... What's that about ??? Heat expansion ???

GPW,

Hey, any CT conversion is better than none, right? And really cheap? Go for it! Looking forward to your photos.

Practice for a bigger one? No problem. (I've been going the other way though...downsizing. I'm thinkin' 5x10 is as small as I care to go. My teardrop was 6x12.)

In T&TTT terminology, you'll have a "Simple" (The teardrop in the shape of a simple, rectangular box.) You could go to T (teardrop) gatherings with that trailer without being asked to move it out of sight! ....well.....*maybe*. Not all teardrop gatherings are TinyTravelTrailer (TTT) friendly.

Prem

P.S. Wrinkly sides? Generally caused by rivets/screws into the skin. I couldn't even get away from small, wavy indentations by sheathing the sides with 3/8th plywood before I put the aluminum sides on my ROUNDTAIL trailer. The fasteners warp the metal. MEGA-wrinkly sides? People lean up against them between the ribs. People bang into them with wheelbarrows, ATVs, handles of shovels and rakes. People back in to driveways crooked and the shrubbery presses the sides in between the ribs. (Cover it with the really thin alumium diamond plate riveted on...with ALUMINUM rivets.)

Quote: "Hey, any CT conversion is better than none, right? " That was sorta' my thinking ... The newly arrived fall weather (NICE!!!) makes me want to get outside and build something ...

Well, what ya waiting for? Start building!!!

I'm itching to start building too. Torn between a trailer that is wide and comfortable, versus a trailer that is narrow and easy to tow, I've been procrastinating.

You've been procrastinating too. So go ahead, and break the vicious cycle. Start building. I might just follow your lead!!!

Mike...

Mike,

I'm itching to start building too. Torn between a trailer that is wide and comfortable, versus a trailer that is narrow and easy to tow, I've been procrastinating.

So what size would be the happy middle ground:QM

Prem

GPW,

4'X4'X8'... looks homemade on a STOUT frame...

Well, if it's stout, why don't you take the box off and build a bigger box with inboard wheels (wheel wells) and make it 5 ft. wide and 10 ft. long with a v-nose?

You can just lay 2x4s across the chassis, notched for u-bolts that go around the chassis rails and you're on your way building. My buddy Joel did that with a tiny tent trailer chassis. Works fine. Insulated floor too. Photo link below:

http://www.tnttt.com/gallery/image.php?image_id=68958

5-wide and a v-nose make it a lot more spacious than 4x8.

For what it's worth,

Prem

Guys , just got word that the trailer deal is OK'd ... Maybe I can pick it up today .... then we can more closely examine it and see what we need to do ... This thing was supposedly made by somebody's Father in law... but the trailer part looks commercially made ... I'll take some pics so you guys can see what's going on ... If I do remove/replace the box ,it would make a good lawnmower shed...or something...

Here's a drawing I made from memory , and a couple ideas for "the conversion"... It's an Ugly little sod (looks "homemade") , just a box with sharp corners, so like Angib said , it's gonna' be real "draggy"... Good thing it's small !!!

Whatever doesn't fit in there can be carried in the back of the pickup in the camper top ( Pa Pa style Tow vehicle ) Gotta' keep it Simple !!!
Going to keep track on the expenses and see how really "cheap" this turns out to be ...

Got some CT pics .... Looks like an equitable trade for a guitar ... Works out great for both of us ... He needs a guitar , I NEED a CT... Rest of the pics are in my Album ...

PS. Checked it Thoroughly for leaks .... nothing apparent ... Inside all done ...

Looks great....did ya get it?

Haven't formalized all the details (paperwork) but looks like a done deal ... I'll have to scrub it up and see what it looks like ... I sat in it for a while ... pretty roomy for one person , two might get crowded (for old couples) or Intimate /cozy for young couples .... hahaha Great for hauling my stuff around ... may have to use it for Band gigs too ... Gotta' keep it Simple ... no room for extras... Not much to do but customize it ... Inside already done, but I'll remove some panels to check for insulation ... something to do ... While it's apart , will check spacing for installation of window, roof vent and small window shaker... The front looks a little rough the way it's joined ... a little RV trim wouldn't hurt ... Maybe I'll just cover it with some eternabond tape and be done with it ... Have plenty left over from the TT sealing..

GPW,

Wow! You weren't kidding about it having a stout chassis! That alone makes it worth getting.

If you get tired of the box, you could expand the chassis by welding on it and build something bigger. (I'd pay 300 bucks for just that chassis.)