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

[aabowman]

Hello knowledgeable teardrop enthusiasts!

I have introduced us here.

This thread will be our build journal.

[aabowman]

So we're in the planning/thinking phase.

We really like the rounded wonky shapes, very similar this popular teardrop image that is floating around the internet. Its a nice lookin trailer.



So.. I found a very similar profile: the "Ultralight"



my goal is to be able to cut the sides from one piece of plywood for simplicity. I also feel it is more structurally-sound, especially for my skill-set.

If I shift the side-panel to the rear so that it lines up with back end of the trailaer it looks like this.

in this picture: the orange box represents a 4' by 8' plywood sheet. the red is the 8' trailer, and the black is the profile (which fits within 1 sheet of plywood).

This shifts the whole trailer-weight to the back, with the galley practically perched over the edge, so I'll hafta look into the weight-balance to see if this will work out. This drawing doesn't even show the trailer A-frame portion of the trailer hitch, so this puts the weight pretty far back.
I may have to counter-weight the front end with a trailer box or somethin.

[nevadatear]

Welcome aaron and tess! That beautiful tear was built by our friend joe kosoreff of vacations in a can. If you two come down to the dam gathering the first f may, you can most likley can see it in person. You dont have to have a trailer to attend nd it is a grwtbopportunit to see probaby over a hundred all inone place!

[AlgoDan]

Hello and welcome aboard, keep us posted as you build....Good luck.

[NebraskaTeachr]

Aaron and Tess

I really like your profile. Have you seen the design library by AngiB? I built mine from his Superleggera design. His Pico Light is intriguing, but it doesn't have a galley. At any rate you might pick up some good ideas for how you are going to structure you project from here. http://www.angib.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/teardrop/tear00.htm

[aabowman]

Thanks everyone.

Welcome aaron and tess! That beautiful tear was built by our friend joe kosoreff of vacations in a can. If you two come down to the dam gathering the first f may, you can most likley can see it in person. You dont have to have a trailer to attend nd it is a grwtbopportunit to see probaby over a hundred all inone place!

That is very cool that you recognize that trailer! Props to Mr. Kosoreff! I'll look into the dam gathering and see if we can make it. I'd love to see 100 in one place for inspiration.

I really like your profile. Have you seen the design library by AngiB?

Actually that is where I borrowed the "Ultralight" profile from, that I think we will use. A great resource to know about.

[nevadatear]

Hard not to recognize joe and leslie's trailer, had everyone here on the west coast a twitter when it was on the cover of Sunset magazine this time last year.

The dam is the place to be first weekend in May.
http://damgatheringofthetears.weebly.com/

[aabowman]

I think from Sunset magazine it got picked up and became quite popular on the internet... On the blog-o-sphere, etc. Thanks for the info about the gathering.

[nevadatear]

Another very helpful resource, at least for us, was the builder's manual from steve fredricks http://www.campingclassics.com/shopman05.html

[aabowman]

Here is my plan at this point. I’m going to use a Harbor Freight 4’ by 8’ trailer, but I am going to have to modify the trailer to match the profile. As you can see in Figure 1, the profile doesn’t meet the trailer at a 90 degree angle, and this causes some complications, being that the bottom length is shorted than the trailer length.

Figure 1


I will need to shorten the trailer length by moving the rear crossbeam (shown in pink in Figure 2) forward to match the bottom length of the profile.


Figure 2


Other trailer mods are I am going to do are to take the 2 center crossmembers (shown in purple in Figure 2. there are 2 there if you look closely) and use them to reinforce the side beams to make it non-foldable. This is described here.

This is a picture of what someone's reinforcing mod looked like.



I will probably put in a wooden crossmember to replace the 2 I am removing/repurposing.

I will scrap all of the pieces highlighted in orange in Figure 2.

Moving the back beam forward (and shortening the trailer length) reduces the distance from the back of the trailer to the axle (see Figure 3), to about 28% of the trailer body length. I ran some calculations in the balance spreadsheet, and it seems that it should be fairly easily keep the weight on the hitch below the max tongue load rating and between 10 -15% of the trailer weight. Although, I haven't planned out the Galley or any of the internal stuff, so I'm not really sure how that will play out yet.

Figure 3

Factory dimensions are shown in Red, and the Mod is shown in green. I will cut the side beams off where they stick out past the rear crossbeam.


It seems like all these mods can be done with only the need for basic tools and skills (which is where I am at). I think it only requires a hacksaw, drill, and file. Although I think a drillpress and metal grinder may be better.

I haven't done any of this yet, I'm just starting to design. So, if anyone has any input based on these mods (tips, warnings, pointers, cautions, etc) I'd love to hear them. Specifically what do you think about the axle only being 28% of the distance from the back. And, what problems I may run into with these Mods. Thanks!

[Oreellyfool]

Looking good Aaron! I am going to be watching this build since I will be starting my own here in a couple of weeks. Our good months are coming up here so you better get a move on it. (At least better than the weather right now... Sounders game tonight might be a little damp...)

[aabowman]

Well today I took the plunge and bought a 4' by 8' folding utility trailer from Harbor Freight (the 90154 model). Got it on sale and applied a 20% off coupon so $235 + WA state sales tax (which is considerable ).

But I think that's a pretty good deal, and I'm happy with my thriftiness so far.

Anyway, there is no turning back now! I must keep on designing, so I can get this project started. Although, I won't be able to do anything in the way of construction for a few weeks ...


So if anyone has any input on the design, trailer mod, and/or axle location that I am considering (see my last post), I am still interested in hearing what you think. In the meantime, I'll keep on scheming.

[txcamper]

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, but you end up with an over the tire tear or you have to get a different (wider) axle and probably more trailer modifications. Search on mattress solutions for the 4' wide if you're going that route there are a lot on here. Enjoy the build!

[_Ryan_]

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. I just did this exact thing a couple months ago on my own build, you can check it out on the link in my signature.

In my own planning I saw that planning a 4' wide is a much bigger benefit than restricting the length to 8' (still did a 5' wide myself... ). I say this because most material you find is usually 4'x8', it will give you many more choices without having to splice places such as the deck and roof for instance. In my own build I use a lot of 5' x 5' birch, but I will still have to cut a bunch of ply to 5' length from 4'x8' sheets and then splice them for my outside skin.

Good Luck!

[aabowman]

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.

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.