Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

So I picked up the trailer a little over a month ago, but today is the first day i have messed with it. So with that let me warn you that this will be a slow build as my goal is to be able to use it next summer at the latest but sooner is OK. The trailer I picked up is an 81' Coleman pop-up trailer that has been stripped to the frame. I bought it stripped already, I mainly went this route because it already have a title and that seemed worth it to me. I am not a big fan of my local MVD, so having a title saves me an inspection. The plan is to build a sleeper that fits a full-size mattress, that way the Girlfriend, the dog and I can still sleep comfortably. My dog is only 30lbs so she doesn't take up too much room. Today is day one, and all I have been doing is cutting off some of the old cross support metal because the trailer is too wide and too long. Plus the support metal is pretty thin, so I might as well replace it while I am at it.

In the end I am shooting for the TTT to be 5'4" wide and 9' long cab wise. Here is a MS Paint rendering of the general shape that I am after

I still have a lot of cutting and cleaning up to do. I was just planning on hitting the frame up with some sand paper to get the surface rust off. Then its time to go buy some steel so that I can frame out the base to the size I see fit. Thanks for looking. Any advice or criticism is welcome just know that I cry easily . Sorry I just wanted to use the weepy emoticon.

I like that shape. Be careful about putting a window on the front. They are notorious for leaking.

Good luck!

That looks nice.

I wonder though for that size trailer that maybe your axle is a bit far back. You may have a lot of tongue weight, depending on how you balance things.

Jim,

That is a nice profile, I like it. As for the frame, I have exactly the same one. I'm excited to build another teardrop on it. I'm not concerned with the thickness of the frame, with the box I build on it there will be plenty of support there,

Have fun

John

Jguess wrote:So with that let me warn you that this will be a slow build as my goal is to be able to use it next summer at the latest but sooner is OK.

Nice find on the trailer! I really like your design. As mine is coming together, I think a little wider and taller than what we have would be nice.

As far as time, I am 9 months into my build. I am trying to be ready, at least campable in October for a gathering, but that is not likely. I think 12 months is the minimum realistic time for most working folks to build a teardrop.

Tom

Thanks for all the replies.

That looks nice.

I wonder though for that size trailer that maybe your axle is a bit far back. You may have a lot of tongue weight, depending on how you balance things.

As far as the placement of the axle, the drawing is just a rough sketch. I have figured once I shorten the trailer by cutting some of the length off the rear that I am going to have to move the axle forward. I am gonna be pulling this trailer with my diesel Golf that has a class 1 hitch on it. So I will have to make sure I don't have too much tongue weight. The hitch is rated for 200lbs of tongue weight. My plan is to have the majority of my weight above the axle. Obviously I still have a bunch to figure out but its nice to actually start on it.

That is a nice profile, I like it. As for the frame, I have exactly the same one. I'm excited to build another teardrop on it. I'm not concerned with the thickness of the frame, with the box I build on it there will be plenty of support there,

Have fun

John

Yeah the this trailer sat out side for so long that rust actually has penetrated some of the thinner metal. The actual main frame seems to be nice and thick so I am not worried about knocking the surface rust off of it and reusing it. If it weren't for the condition of this trailer I would probably reuse all the support metal to save money.

I like that shape. Be careful about putting a window on the front. They are notorious for leaking.

Good luck!

Good to know. I just really want a window on the front. The more windows I put on it the more likely my girlfriend will actually want to use the trailer.

Alright I have cut off all the metal that I didn't want now its time to build the trailer back up. The Metal I pulled off looked like 3x1 16 gauge steel, not even tube, in a C shape. The main frame is 3x2 1/8" thick steel tube, so I am thinking of buying some 3x1 16 gauge tube to build out the dimensions I want. Is there any problem using this thin of Metal? Doesn't seem like it to me since the coleman pop-up used it. I would like to keep the trailer as light as possible and the thinner steel will help. Here is a pic of the general layout:



The black is the frame, the blue is what I want to add on as 3x1 steel tube, The brown is the axle and wheels obviously.

The other idea is to build the blue sections out of 1x1 steel tubing and instead of welding them flush with the frame just set it on top of the frame and weld it in place. My buddy doing the welding would probably like that more. Plus I could go with a thicker steel and not add more weight.

Let me know what you all think. I have to admit I am leaning towards the second idea the more I think about it.

I don't know how far you are building out or what your floor construction will be, but you might be able to cantilever the floor without any additional steel.

My floor is a sandwich construction made from 1x2 framing, 3/4" foam, and 1/4" plywood top and bottom.



My floor is not cantilevered, but it spans the 56" between the frame rails. When stand on it there is almost no deflection.

Tom