Let's Get Rollin' - Aaron and Tess' Teardrop - Take 1

[Dean in Ct.]

I found sheets of 1/2" MDO plywood which is faced with paper in 4'x10'. Might solve a lot of your worries. On the other hand, I went 4'6" wide and it caused me a lot more difficulty building the roof and hatch. Gotta love the tradeoffs!
Good luck, it will be an interesting build to watch.
Dean

[_Ryan_]

Have you decided on width yet? Are you sticking with the 4' wide? I only ask because the extra 1' of a 5' wide makes a big difference...

I appreciate that input. I was thinking about keeping it at 4' wide for simplicity, but maybe I will look into 4' wide mattress options and do a mock-up of 4' wide space to see what I think about it before moving forward.

For a mattress think about using high density foam instead off a traditional inner spring. They are cheap and can easily be cut down to whatever dimensions you need. I just got mine in the mail! 4" thick Queen size for under $100 shipped, can't beat that.

Looks good! May I suggest that instead of cutting the frame down and worrying about axle placement and balancing, you just make the trailer a bit longer to fully cover the original frame. Yes this would involve splicing a bit of plywood, but it should be no harder than cutting down the trailer, and besides you will have a bit more room when planning your galley.

well that is great input. My original thought was to avoid altering the profile 1) so I wouldn't have to re-figure out how to translate the shapes from paper to plywood 2) to avoid stitching multiple pieces of plywood together, and 3) to keep the trailer "cute"...

BUT... I guess I got ahead of myself, because even with complications 1 and 2, it is probably easier than modifying the trailer itself. and glimpsing through your build journal, it looks like it is all feasible and it looks great! Your trailer is very similar to what I have in mind.

Also, keeping the trailer "cute" was causing me to take some of the galley space away so I can fit in the cabin ! ...so stretching it out it probably a good idea altogether. I was getting a bit weary about modifying the trailer anyway, partially because the axle comes from the factory just about at the "sweet-spot" already.

Do you have dimensions/geometry for drawing your profile out on plywood, that you would be willing to share? You have the same shape that I am looking for, and it is the same length I will need. Thanks for helping me realize I was going too far down a more difficult path.

I can give you the basic dimensions. This image also shows the splice size and location but that will be very dependent upon your specific design. The splice fits a section where I have a support running vertically through my sidewall. I have the specific curves measured out in SketchUp but there are a couple problems where the dimension lines don't always meet up with the edge of the wall. I caught these errors before making my cuts thankfully but I need to go back and fix it before making it public. Unfortunately this process is rather time consuming... hopefully this will work for now.

[aabowman]

I found sheets of 1/2" MDO plywood which is faced with paper in 4'x10'. Might solve a lot of your worries.

I would love to find some 4 x 10 sheets and save myself from splicing 2 sheets together. Plus I just feel like it would be more structurally sound.

I am in Seattle, so if anyone knows if/where large plywood sheets are available in the area, please let me know.

I can give you the basic dimensions. This image also shows the splice size and location but that will be very dependent upon your specific design. The splice fits a section where I have a support running vertically through my sidewall. I have the specific curves measured out in SketchUp but there are a couple problems where the dimension lines don't always meet up with the edge of the wall. I caught these errors before making my cuts thankfully but I need to go back and fix it before making it public. Unfortunately this process is rather time consuming... hopefully this will work for now.

That is very helpful. Its useful to see the overlap and location of the splice. I will definitely be lining up the splice with a vertical support. I would love to see the specific curves if you ever get it fixed up, but don't go back and do a bunch of work on my behalf. I'll take this drawing and work from it. thanks!

[Oreellyfool]

Aaron try calling Dunn lumber. They may be able to get it if they don't already have it.

[aabowman]

Aaron try calling Dunn lumber. They may be able to get it if they don't already have it.

Thanks Oreellyfool, I will do that! Life has been busy, and the teardrop has been on hold for a bit.


on a seperate note, I have an idea for sealing up the bottom of the trailer by using this plastic (almost rubber-like) sheet. It is 4 x 8 ft so it would cover the whole footprint of the floor board. My idea is use this between the plywood floor and the floor beams to have a continuous seal acrosss the underneath part of the floor plywood.


Click on these for a bigger image to read text.


Then I would use something to seal around the floor beams and the edges. This would help reduce the amount of roof sealant (nasty to deal with from what I read) that I would need to use. Any thoughts on this idea?

[jeff0520]

Hello,
We decided to go 73" wide to allow a queen sized bed. Here's something to consider, If you go with an over-the-wheel design, it gives you the chance to build under-floor storage too. We didn't do that in the Command Post because we are planning so much cabinet space, but we easily could have.