Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I misremembered from camping with it. I thought it was just a few inches, but it's over a foot.



I was thinking I could use bed risers/lifters, but those aren't nearly enough. Concrete blocks on end would work, but that seems a little rednecky.

I was thinking about 6x6 cut up with bed risers on them, but now I'm leaning towards a railroad tie cut into 8 12x9 pieces 7" tall and double stack them. I could even screw or nail the feet down and not worry about guying.

Any other thoughts?

I was thinking on using PVC tubes with a bolt thru them to rest the leg base when inside the tubing. I would cut the tubes to the length which gets me to the height needed. Several bolt holes could also serve as an adjustable feature.

What about using 1-1/2" or 2" PVC? Cut the height you need plus another 2' in length. Cap one end. Fill with grout to the height you need to lift the canopy. The other 2' in length would be a sleeve that you insert the legs.

I like the bolt Idea better than grout.

I've seen a PVC suggestion before but I can't quite picture it.

I'm thinking you need one of two things - something heavy enough and flat enough and structural enough to be stable on its own and you use that for stability...

Or something lightweight that would become extensions of the legs, but in that case they'd have to have positive attachment to the legs as hard extensions. So using PVC pipe, I'd have to have a way for them to attach solidly to the legs, otherwise I envision kind of a "floppy joint". In other words, I don't think using something lightweight, I can just sit on the ground, and then let the canopy sit in/on it. Even with guying, there'd be too much opportunity for loose movement there.

I also found the need to raise my canopy to clear the top of the trailer, about 12" will do it. I'm going to do the PVC route. I'll make the tubes about 18" long, then use my heat gun to soften up the plastic so on first fit I'll push the canopy feet slowly down into the brackets, so they'll kind of conform to the foot shape. I agree completely with the bolt idea, but also maybe adding in a couple of wing bolt to act as tighteners on the canopy legs, kind of like a christmas tree stand. Haven't built them yet, as can be seen by the wonderful "lift" system I'm using during the build (yeah a 5 gal bucket and a milk crate for now)


dave

OK I initially pictured the legs sitting on bolts, but you're talking about using bolts to make a pressure fit?

I wish I could picture this, but I just can't

I guess what I can't tell on these, if one end has to be positive fit, is it on the leg end or the ground end?

I'd weld in filler pieces and extend the legs LOL but the pvc idea works, duct tape LOL remove the tires from the CVC ha

A varation of the PVC thought is to set the leg into the pipe to the bolt and then stuff something into the space next to the leg to help with the rigidity. The first type of material that comes to mind is that foam used on swim noodles. Wish I could even get to my canopy to experiment a little. I have this same issue.

Keep your eyes peeled for a frame that's set out for the trash or recycling.

Scavange the legs and bolt/weld them to the existing legs. I dismantled a bent frame for parts. The bolts are long enough, with Nylock nuts too.

Tom

I think I'm a bit grumpy because this was supposed to be a "this weekend" project and I think it just turned into "another trip down the road" project.

I could knock it out with concrete blocks or big huge pieces of wood, but then you get into weight and aesthetics.

With the PVC idea, it's just a question of whether it's immovable in relation to the legs or the ground because it has to be one of the other. I looked at those mailbox stakes you can put a 4x4 in, but those are hugely long - it would be a booger pulling them up. As far as making them immovable in relation to the ground, I could put flanges on the bottom and stake the flanges into the ground



That's probably the quickest/easiest route.

More elegant in the vein of making rigid leg extensions might be going with a smaller diameter pipe that the foot doesn't fit in to. You make a notch for the foot to ride down in to - say 4-6" - then drill two holes completely through legs and PVC and attach them with a bolts and wingnuts.

Treeview wrote:Keep your eyes peeled for a frame that's set out for the trash or recycling.

Scavange the legs and bolt/weld them to the existing legs. I dismantled a bent frame for parts. The bolts are long enough, with Nylock nuts too.

Tom

That's a good idea, too - or just skip the pvc and grab some hobby aluminum angle from Home Depot

I don't know what diameter the poles are but you could cut down those twist lock tarp poles to suit and make it adjustable

Are the lower legs fully extended? Perhaps you can pull them up a little higher?
Tom