Expandable teardrop with Add-a-Room

[kgingeri]

Hi All,

I won't likely post all my pictures up to this forum but I do have a Facebook album with caption descriptions - if your interested (see my profile pic).
This is a very light build. My final weight 440 lbs (no cargo or add-a-room).
The add-a-room is likely another 60 lbs.

Album -> http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... 073409b7f8

Hope I inspire someone!

[kgingeri]

The outside of the entire structure is a composition of vinyl cloth + coroplast (http://www.coroplast.com/). Walls of the trailer are thin panelling + cedar wainscot. My main adhesive was pure silicon. It has proven itself well (and did in lots of tests before my build also).

This gave me a very light trailer (440 lbs) and totally rot proof from the outside!

It has seen about 4000 miles from southern Georgia to Montreal and Manituolin Island Canada. And still going strong. We used a tent in Georgia and I decided on building the add-a-room when we got back.

I do have to do something else for the rain lip on the hatch, as the vinyl flaps in the wind and stretches. I could not find a trim that was flexible enough for the smaller back curve. The rubber "L" shapped trim on it is ok but only drops down about a half inch of the side - not near enough when you hit bumps!

[glassice]

All Coroplast twinwall profile sheets can be modified with additives, which are melt-blended into the sheet to meet the specific needs of the customer. Special products that require additives include: ultra violet protection, We do not recommend UV printing on COROPLASTâ„¢

[kgingeri]

@Glassice: Not sure I follow you? The Coroplast is not being printed on, it is part of my wall composition and is not exposed to UV - as it is covered with vinyl cloth (other then windows and door on the add-a-room part).

This product came from Home Depot, so I suspect it is a general blend?

Karl

[glassice]

As long as it cover I believe that some may pass on the covering it
Great looking trailer well planed out
,

The Coroplast is not being printed on,

Just showing that it can not deal with to much light

[Miriam C.]

You have a wonderful teardrop design. Thanks for sharing it with us.

[aggie79]

Very nice design and innovative structure!

Would you mind a couple of questions:

1. How did you adhere the interior paneling and exterior vinyl?

2. How did you join or fasten the aluminum door and wall framing?

Thanks

[kgingeri]

Very nice design and innovative structure!

Would you mind a couple of questions:

1. How did you adhere the interior paneling and exterior vinyl?

2. How did you join or fasten the aluminum door and wall framing?

Thanks

Thanks for the kudos - I certainly will answer any questions anyone has and try to provide pictures if necessary. I did this design so that we can stand and dress - if the bed is folded up. The interior height is about 6 feet. The box is only 4 foot wide so someone could do a bigger version. My wife and I are both under five and a half feet so this size works for us. Mind you, with the add-a-room we now leave the bed setup all the time. The flat floor area is 4x4' but with the front and back slopes and an air mattress in place we have about 6' head to toe.

Now for your questions:

1. I found 100% pure silicon (the type used for bath and kitchen chaulking) and screws to be the thing for fastening. You wouldn't normally think so but it makes an amazing glue. For instance, at first run I made my door too short (it is only the light paneling and coroplast, with an aluminum frame around it - and tenting fabric on the outside). So I thought I'd stagger the two layers on the extension. It took everything I had to separate the coroplast and panelling and it ripped the panelling layers apart!! That convinced me I found the right combo!! I used only silicon on the door panel - no screws or rivets.
I even silicones the final interior cedar pcs - screwed in thru the outside on the coroplast. The vinyl cloth was also put on with silicon BUT I found that you could only do about a foot at a time, lay on the vinyl and then had to smooth the silicon under the vinyl with a flat tool - or the silicon set up too quick and got lumpy. A closeup of a side wall will show that - I did the sides spreding the silicon on the whole thing first and then trying to smooth the vinyl Thankfully I'd learned before I did the top. The stone guard is a BBQ mat that looks like metal - it hard rubber, but is only siliconed as well

2. The door frame is hinged at the top so it swings up and in for transport. When I setup, I have a spit hinge (half fastened to the frame and half fastened to the trailer) and hair-pin clip that secures it to the bottom - bit hard to explain - I'll take a picture if I don't have one. For transport i put a bar across and use the hair-pin clips to keep the frame sturdy enough to hang up on the hatch. (more pics would be helpful here, i'm sure)

For the door, I used a piano hinge and rivets - on both sides of the hinge. The small U channel aluminum around the door was just wide enough to drill and rivet. The door is quite light so it worked fine.

I do have more pictures then are on Facebook. I'll try to update some and post back here when i do. I originally used Facebook to keep friends and family joined in on the fun but i did take other, more technical construction photos knowing I'd post here eventually. Just got around to it finally last weekend.

Karl

UPDATE: I uploaded another FB album - see my next post.

[kgingeri]

Ok, I've posted other pictures that may be of interest - this is a second Facebook allbum that has more technical details then the first.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=251288&id=583360445&l=d87b223300
See the captions on each photo for details and explanations

(I've been posting in TEARJERKERS as well)

[Hillmann]

That is very similar to what I am planing to build except mine wont have a straight line on it anywhere and to keep it a little lower I plan to put a drop floor in the back. Do you have anymore detail on how the back door is attached?

[Hillmann]

Double posted. Sorry.

[kgingeri]

That is very similar to what I am planing to build except mine wont have a straight line on it anywhere and to keep it a little lower I plan to put a drop floor in the back. Do you have anymore detail on how the back door is attached?

Hi Hillmann, I did update some of my original plans and sketches, in my second Facebook album just last night - did you see those? The tail-gate is hinged to swing down and also part of the floor section to wing up (when closeing the tail-gate). The floor section has two large brackets on either side for support when it is stepped on. The brackets rest against the body members on either side of the back tail section. I can take some more pictures specifically if you'd like?

[b.bodemer]

Wonderful idea........................and it looks great!
Barb

[Hillmann]

That is very similar to what I am planing to build except mine wont have a straight line on it anywhere and to keep it a little lower I plan to put a drop floor in the back. Do you have anymore detail on how the back door is attached?

Hi Hillmann, I did update some of my original plans and sketches, in my second Facebook album just last night - did you see those? The tail-gate is hinged to swing down and also part of the floor section to wing up (when closeing the tail-gate). The floor section has two large brackets on either side for support when it is stepped on. The brackets rest against the body members on either side of the back tail section. I can take some more pictures specifically if you'd like?

So looking at the pictures a little closer it looks like the entire back wall folds up to the hatch and then the fabric is buttoned or snapped along the bottom edge? Is that about how it works?

[Oasis Maker]

Myyyy goodness! That just has too much charm. Extremely creative. Great job thinking outside the box (pun intended).

That would make for a nice guest room too if ever needed more than what your house has.

Again... well done!

Scott