A Teardrop to tow behind my new Kia Rio SLS

[Hamish121212]

Hi all,

I have been lurking for a few weeks so thought I would start my build thread and say hello.

I have recently downsized from a 2005 Kia Sorento 4WD 3.5L - which was a gas guzzler and ridiculous to have such a big car to get me to and from my day job in town. So my goal is to build a lightweight teardrop camper to tow behind my new 2012 Kia Rio SLS 3 Door Hatchback 1600cc - which is a tiptronic automatic with a max ball weight of 50kg (110 pounds). Max unbraked tow weight of 450kg (992 pounds). Max braked tow weight is 950kg (2094 pounds).

I have a small permaculture farm in North Western NSW/South Western QLD Australia (I'm located on the border!). On the farm I keep goats which provide me with milk to make goat milk soap - which is excellent for people with skin conditions. I also make lip balm using the bees wax from my bee hives. I grow my own fruit and vegetables and I sell my products online http://www.countrylifegourmetfoods.com and also via some shops and at farmers markets. If you are interested you can check out some of my YouTube videos around my little farm by visiting my channel here https://www.youtube.com/user/Hamish121212

My aim is to be able to use the teardrop camper to travel to markets, sell my products at the markets, and then have a long weekend away at the same time and explore Australia. Sort of like having a small working holiday to a different location each weekend.

Currently I use a really good pop up gazebo when I go to the markets. Its called an OZTrail Delux Gazebo http://www.oztrail.com.au/WebPage.gtl?Product=MPG-GD30-A?currentgroup=ZZZ008?currentsubgroup=STANDARD . Currently when I go to the markets to sell product, I pack all my product into the car along with my gazebo, a camping chair and a fold up blow molded plastic table. Then I drive to the market, unpack everything and set up the gazebo. Then at the end of the day I have to pack everything up, drive home then unpack the car on my own. Makes for a very big day. With all this extra work packing and unpacking I tend to not do the markets as often as I should.

Currently making a working holiday weekend of it is simply not an option as there is no room in the car for clothes and the cost of accommodation would make the trip cost too much money. Especially when the goal is to make money for my soap making business/farm. Also - I would have to invest in a roof rack if I am to keep going to the markets in my new car as it will be difficult to fit the gazebo inside the interior of the new car like I use to with the much bigger Kia Sorento I use to have.

I am hoping that if I build my own teardrop camper I will be able to work out a way to have all my product set up in the camper so that it is easy to hitch up at any time and head off for a weekend camping and selling at the markets. No packing and unpacking - or minimal anyway - and no accommodation costs. Also the Kia Rio SLS is very fuel efficient at 6L per 100km (or close to 40mpg). I would like to keep it as efficient as possible with the camper attached so its cheap to run.

So my search started for plans for a small lightweight teardrop camper that I can build myself and that search ended with this excellent forum. I haven't fully decided yet, and I'm open to suggestions, but at this stage I'm leaning towards a NEW CUB Lightweight. I hope this camper will come well within the unbraked 450kg limit of my car with plenty of weight to spare for my gear and products. I really dont want the expense or hassle of fitting brakes to the trailer if I don't have to. What are your thoughts on this?

The New Cub Lightweight plans look very straightforward and something that I could handle having built a couple of yachts in the past. The dimensions seem just right for towing behind my car with the roof of the camper being just a few inches taller than my car (should be good for low drag). And the length being slightly shorter than the car - which should look good from a proportions perspective (can you tell I was a graphic designer in a past life!?!?).

I notice the New Cub Lightweight design does not have any insulation. Being in Australia we don't get it very cold here - certainly no snow or ice where I will be going and where I am inland its pretty dry so less issue with condensation than perhaps a humid coastal area. So I was considering keeping the build simple and just insulating the roof between the spars to keep the worst of the summer sun/heat out of the cabin. The floor would be uninsulated and would rely on the mattress to provide insulation - which should be ok. For the side walls I was thinking carpet. Any thoughts on the insulation properties of carpet?

There seems to be no mention of outside cladding on the New Cub Lightweight plans - so I was simply thinking of painting the outside in nice white marine paint to complement the car. Perhaps with some stainless steel or aluminum laser/water-jet cut art deco stripes on the sides.

I will probably add a small cheap household 'through the wall' type air conditioner to the camper for those really hot nights - Thinking this would be mounted behind the galley with a ducting made so the hot air blows out underneath the camper. Another thought is to recess the air conditioner into a dropped box in the floor to save cupboard space in the galley. Perhaps not enough room to fully mount it under the trailer but a partial drop would help with space inside. Or would it be better mounted inside a tongue box? Again open to air conditioning suggestions.

For the market stall - I could take the gazebo with me but I'm thinking of making a really simple canvas awning for the market stall. Not sure how well this would work as it would have to slope up and away from the camper at an angle as I am 6'2" tall and wouldn't be able to stand under it if it came off the side of such a low camper without some rise. The other option is to just use the open tailgate as the sun shade for the market stall.

Well enough babble from me. I would love to hear from anyone out there who uses a teardrop for selling products at markets, air conditioning options for hot climates, insulation suggestions, builders in Australia that can help me with red tape and legislation regarding registration etc.

I'd especially like to hear from anyone who has built or is building a NEW Cub Lightweight. I cant seem to find any build threads on the forum.

Thanks in advance for all your advice.

Here is a drawing of what the 5 door version of my car would look like with a New Cub Lightweight behind it.



And one with a tongue box.



And another tongue box design.



And here it is with simpler round mudguards probably more in keeping with the Kia Rio styling.

[Hamish121212]

Anyone have any idea of the finished weight of a New Cub Light?

[KCStudly]

What are your thoughts on this?

First thought is, "thank god I am no longer the most verbose poster here". You are very well written and I look forward to your future posts.

My next thought is that using the hatch as a canopy my not work depending on the size of the stalls provided at your typical market. Here in the US swap meets and market fairs typically have an assigned zone that vendors must stay within; not necessarily conducive to presenting the arse end of a trailer to the presentation side while still fitting "inside the box" (i.e. the canopy seems like a necessity). Some designs include a storage section between the cabin and galley, accessible through hatches in the side walls. Maybe that would work for you for storing canopy, table and chair(s).

Third thought (not necessarily in order) is that you may not be able to store your soap products in the camper when idle if they are subject to degradation due to heat. It is my understanding that these little boxes can become quite unbearable when subjected to warm climates and direct sunlight.

My typical advice is to study, study, study. Look at all of the stickies (the fixed posts at the top of each forum) and build journals that you can stand. And don't miss the "Foamie" section. Lots of light weight solutions there.

Good luck. I will be watching.

[Hamish121212]

Hi KC - yes I do like to think out loud and I find forums a great way to put all ideas on paper before starting a build. I did the same thing when I first got into Aquaponics - the forums were an invaluable resource.

Thank you for your ideas - they are certainly all very good observations and worth careful consideration. Thank you for being the first person to reply to my thread - I'm looking forward to learning and getting into the build this year.

[mezmo]

Hi Hamish,

Welcome to the forum ! Your idea for using a TD as a transporter
and base for your weekend sales sounds like a good idea. Good
luck with the build.

I can't offer any specific advice per your questions, but I just wanted
to suggest that you consider using a very inventive way another forum
member came up with for attaching awnings and other accessories, like
tables and such. He has extra hitch receivers welded onto the trailer
frame at the corners or where ever he needs them located. He can then
insert matching holders you'd have fabricated for awning poles, table bases
into them etc.. This really makes a handy way to deal with such.

Here is Fellow forum member Oasis Maker/Scott G.'s thread on this idea.
A really great idea in my view, kudos to him !

http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=30891

Go through the whole thread as there are good pics and good info throughout it.
'Hope this can help you or give you ideas for your future awning and/or
market stall set up on or with the TD.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[Hamish121212]

My Tow Vehicle. A super efficient 2012 Kia Rio SLS 3 Door 1600cc.

[Hamish121212]

Hi Hamish,

Here is Fellow forum member Oasis Maker/Scott G.'s thread on this idea.
A really great idea in my view, kudos to him !

http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=30891

Go through the who;e thread as there are good pics and good info throughout it.
'Hope this can help you or give you ideas for your future awning and/or
market stall set up on or with the TD.

Thank you Norm - that is exactly the sort of help I am looking for! I really want to get going with the build and getting experienced forum members pointing me in the right direction is certainly a big help!

[Hamish121212]

And don't miss the "Foamie" section. Lots of light weight solutions there.

Hi KC - yes I had a good look through the foamie section. I was pretty keen on that idea. The only thing that put me off was that I couldn't find any complete plans like the ones available for the New Cub Lightweight. I do like the simple low tech approach of the canvas over foam construction. The other thing that put me off the foamie idea was (and it might be an irrational thing) that I just think the resale value might not be as good if I ever decide to sell it. Just doesnt have the same permanence as a plywood structure. Like I said this is probably irrational thinking as ive never seen a foamie in the flesh.

I am very keen to hear from anyone that has built a New Cub Lightweight - as I have no idea what the final weight of this teardrop is likely to be and I cant proceed with getting the trailer frame built until I know that it will be light enough and allow enough margin for payload without having to resort to brakes on the trailer.

[Hamish121212]

I just had a measure of the width of my Kia Rio - looks like the New Cub Lightweight is just slightly narrower than the car by a couple of inches. That's to the outside of the trailers wheel arches. And that does not include the mirrors on the car - just the main body. That means the body should tuck nicely behind the car. I don't know much about aerodynamics but I'm guessing that is a good thing for fuel efficiency. It will certainly make using the cars mirrors very easy as the main body of the New Cub Lightweight is narrower again than the wheel arches. So it should give great rear visibility using the car mirrors.

This gives the general idea.

[KCStudly]

Don't discount the thought of using trailer brakes too quickly.

I believe that every set up can benefit from trailer brakes, especially small TV's where the towed weight is a higher proportion of the total over the road weight. Small price to pay for a performance advantage that is always there.

[Hamish121212]

Don't discount the thought of using trailer brakes too quickly.

I believe that every set up can benefit from trailer brakes, especially small TV's where the towed weight is a higher proportion of the total over the road weight. Small price to pay for a performance advantage that is always there.

Thank you for that input. I guess electric brakes might be an option if they don't add too much to the overall build cost and complexity. I guess the good thing about having brakes on the trailer is that it would relieve some of the stress on the tow vehicle brakes and transmission when coming down hills - am I correct in thinking this? Being an automatic (albeit a tiptronic style gearbox) it might be a good thing to have the brakes. Thanks for your input to make me consider this more closely. Can anyone tell me if there are any drawbacks from having brakes on a very lightweight trailer especially when the tow vehicle has ABS and ESC? My simple brain would be worried about the trailer brakes locking up - or are the electronic brake controllers for trailers a bit more sophisticated than that?

[Hamish121212]

After reading this http://www.etrailer.com/faq-brakecontroller.aspx it seems a proportional brake controller is the way to go if I am to go down that path. Any advice on this from people who have electric brakes set up on their TD?

[KCStudly]

There are several threads on this forum that debate the need for brakes ad nauseam. Use the search feature.

Smaller cars that are dedicated to good fuel mileage tend not to be overbuilt, so there is not as much margin for the excess that comes from towing.

Brakes just make sense to me, but they do come at an initial cost. The brake/hub/baking plate kits that came with my axle cost more than the axle itself, and then there is the controller and sometimes a separate wiring kit; but in my mind it is cheap insurance and worth the added confidence and peace of mind that will come with them.

[Hamish121212]

There are several threads on this forum that debate the need for brakes ad nauseam. Use the search feature.

Smaller cars that are dedicated to good fuel mileage tend not to be overbuilt, so there is not as much margin for the excess that comes from towing.

Brakes just make sense to me, but they do come at an initial cost. The brake/hub/baking plate kits that came with my axle cost more than the axle itself, and then there is the controller and sometimes a separate wiring kit; but in my mind it is cheap insurance and worth the added confidence and peace of mind that will come with them.

Good advice - thank you I will get some quotes for the cost to add them to the build.

[angib]

I suggest you get advice on trailer brakes from within Australia. Different countries have different trailer brake practices - indeed there is such a difference that you would think gravity changed between countries.

I think in Oz it's usual to use American-style electrically-operated trailer brakes (rather than the European-style surge-operated type) but it doesn't make much sense deciding on a brake system and then finding that you would have to import it yourself from the US.

Actually a bit of Googling of Australian trailer parts websites suggest you can use either mechanical or electric brakes - in which case the mechanical ones are probably much simpler (being self-operating and requiring no tow vehicle mods) and quite sufficient for a teardrop's weight.