Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Hello to everyone! I am new to the site and have enjoyed all the reading that I have had the priviledge to go over in the last week. I have an enclosed trailer ( 5x8) from HD that I have owned for 3 years. I am an avid elk hunter and bassfisherman and thought about making my trailer into an outdoor home away from home. I own a 28' travel trailer, but feel this trailer would suit my needs a lot better. I will begin my project this coming week and will post pictures as soon as I get started. Thanks for all the info on the site it has been a great help to get started.

Welcome aboard and we await to see what ya come up with...ya got the imprtant part already figured...the pics ...we wanna see a pic or two of the trailer your gonna convert and as it goes thru the conversion process
madjack

Elkaholic wrote:Hello to everyone! I am new to the site and have enjoyed all the reading that I have had the priviledge to go over in the last week. I have an enclosed trailer ( 5x8) from HD that I have owned for 3 years. I am an avid elk hunter and bassfisherman and thought about making my trailer into an outdoor home away from home. I own a 28' travel trailer, but feel this trailer would suit my needs a lot better. I will begin my project this coming week and will post pictures as soon as I get started. Thanks for all the info on the site it has been a great help to get started.

Elk-man,

I would like to see more enclosed trailer conversions. Although they don't have the most pleasing profile, they seem to be a very practical starting point for a camping trailer. I'll be interested in seeing your project come together.

Joanne - waiting on those pictures!

Elkaholic,

Welcome to the forum.

Have you seen this Cargo trailer conversion?

http://tnttt.com/viewto ... cargo#9653

Mike...

Thanks for welcoming to the forum. I am really excited on this project. I will send pics ASAP once I get started. I am leaning toward making beds that will fold down on both sides of the walls and will have cabinets in the front of the trailer. My trailer has the double doors in the rear and plan to keep them there. I will get more into the plans when I get started. Thanks again for the support!

Here is a plan you might want to consider. I will be doing this in June when I finally acquire mine from the factory in Calleo Va. It is a 6x10. My wife will only accep t this if the back window can become an escape hatch. The window is able to be removed.


Back on line after a worm caused a very bad slow down in my computer. Crashed the whole thing and had to redo the whole hard drive. Good thing my son is a computer whiz.

Welcome!!

Merely for idea gathering.... http://www.teardrops.net/b/photo04/photo01.html

Howdy friends,
I am new to the teardrop world but not to RVing. I am thinking of converting an enclosed trailer instead of building a teardrop (even though I like the tears better) but I have two large dogs that will be traveling with us and since they are such mama's babies, they won't sleep in our truck alone. (Or better yet, I don't think mama can sleep without them, all of you 'dog' people understand I am sure!)

Any ideas anyone has about maybe building a loft in an enclosed trailer or if someone has an idea to convert a teardrop that would be great!
Thanks! [/quote]

Hello
Am also new to site. Have Kuffel plans for a TD, but am rather interested in converting a 5x8 enclosed into a camper first. But, I want it to be a tear drop, so I am considering cutting the shape right into the side of the aluminum trailer sides, and making a new galley hatch. Might still be able to use existing side door. I'm guessing one of the hardest parts will be attaching new roof frame(wood) to existing side frame (metal).
Any thoughts?
Thanks
Dan Sutton

Dan,

Tear shape is pretty nice, but it isn't everything. Square is nice too, especially if you have it!

I have a 6 by 12 that I keep thinking of converting. You could make the side door access to the sleeping/storage space, and open the back doors (guessing it has side opening doors) to a pretty nice galley. Some storage, like some upper storage, could be attatched to the doors.

Tell us more of your ideas, and some one might move it to a new thread.

dave

The short-lived R-Vision Cassette trailer was a teardrop in design, with the usual sleeping area in front and outside kitchen at the back. It was not teardrop shaped, being basically a rectangular box.

One of the Cassette's nice features was that the galley hatch was not the top of the trailer, it was the vertical back wall. It hinges up 90 degrees to horizontal, and since the trailer is just a bit taller to the roof than most people (standing on the ground outside), the hatch becomes a roof over the kitchen area. I think this could be done with just about any cargo trailer of a suitable height, by replacing the usually double doors with a new single panel, hinged at the top.

Here are a couple of earlier topics about the Cassette:
"CASSETTE" (r-vision): request for review, feedbac
Cassette Trailer arrives! Pics posted!

Dave
After looking again at the enclosed trailer, the front rounds in from the sides towards the tongue, so a true tear drop shape may not be possible, since it would be a compound curve on the top of the front. But i think I can cut the back down for the galley. But, as you suggested, it has horizontal swing doors that are square and seal well. And I do have my heart set on a tear drop shape. Just was trying to utilize a frame/trailer to cut initial costs.

prohandyman wrote:Hello Am also new to site. Dan Sutton

Welcome Dan always nice to see More Indiana people. I was just down your way Friday. I'm from Greenfield.

Sorry didn't mean to hijack just didn't see Dan in the Newbies section.
Back to what you were talking about.

Scott

After further consideration, I believe that the cargo trailer that I have is set-up with an axle that way too heavy for a Td. I think it is rated for 5000#. Are torsion axles changeble to different weight ratings?
But still could use the existing frame with a new axle. Even with a new torsion axle it would be cheaper than a completly new set-up. Am I crazy thinking this way?

prohandyman wrote:Are torsion axles changeable to different weight ratings?

Some in theory are changeable, but:
- you would need to have the right type (for example, Flexiride say theirs can be changed);
- you would be restricted to the weight range of that axle model (typically they can only go down to around 70% of the maximum);
- you would need to find a dealer of that particular manufacturer willing to do the work;
- you would need to take the trailer to the dealer, or they might want you to bring only the axle; and
- if all the above is OK, there is no guarantee that it would be cheaper than just buying a new axle.....

So really, it's a new axle you need. You would then be using just the frame from your trailer. It is rather overbuilt and heavy for a teardrop, as it is designed to carry 5000lb, but it could be used.

But isn't the amount of work to strip the old body and the old axle off your existing frame more work than it would be to build a new trailer from scratch? And isn't the enclosed trailer worth something - like maybe as much as a teardrop-sized frame and axle?

Andrew