Planning for First Build - Completed!

[chrisgrashorn]

Hello, I've been reading around here for the past week or so and am starting to plan out my first build! The goal is to have it done by June but if all goes well, much sooner.

The Plan:

Tow Vehicle



I already have a 1-1/4" hitch installed along with wiring for lights. I am hoping to keep the trailer build fairly compact so it can be pulled easily behind my Saab.

Frame

Find a 4x8 trailer that I find suitable. I'm looking to find a solid frame, or have one built for me. If that doesn't work, I will go with the Harbor Freight 4x8. I think I have found someone who can weld a frame so I think this will be the better option if cost is not too extreme.

Design

The goal is to make this pretty compact and lightweight. That being said, I am 6'3" and my girlfriend is 6'2" so it will have to be long enough on the inside. I'm thinking to build it 4' tall, with a rounded front and square corner back. To save on legroom the back "galley" will be more of a storage area and only come 2' down from the top. I don't plan on having a full kitchen setup so I think this will be fine. It will mainly be for storage and possibly small plug in appliances. We can always store a camping stove and such. For the door to this area, I was thinking having a hinge on the bottom so that it can open down, and with support straps or chains, be a counter space. On either side I am planning on using pre-built 26x32 teardrop doors.

Testing full scale design with tape on wall:



Started to design in Inventor:





From the sleeping area there is a cabinet up high for storage. Directly below this is space for outlets to be installed facing both into the back storage area and sleeping area. The narrow passage below this is for wiring to get to the back. The area behind where one's feet would be is an electrical area. I figured I could have an access door here from the inside to get to the tail lights, electrical equipment, and wiring.

Electrical
For the electrical system I don't think I will need too much. I am going to install 12v led lights in the roof and maybe around the perimeter outside. I will also have a 12v fan in the roof. I plan on having 12v lighter style outlets in the inside as well as back storage area. As for a battery, I am not quite sure if I will need the usual large deep cycle many use. I don't plan on having much on battery power except the led lights and fan. For 120v I will have a 15A inlet on the back side, along with battery charger/converter. I'm thinking 120v outlets next to the 12v outlets on inside and back storage area. Not sure if I will install an inverter as I was hoping to use a smaller battery and probably won't have anything 120v unless the trailer is plugged in somewhere. The goal is to house all of the electrical goodies in the lower rear storage space.

Finishing
For the outer skin I was hoping to use either fiberglass or aluminum sheet. I don't like the look of bare/polished aluminum so I was hoping to find this in white. I'm going for an enclosed cargo trailer type of outside.

I'm excited to get started on this as soon as I get the plans worked out. I only have a single stall garage so space will be limited, but I've done other projects here before with success. I look forward to hearing what all of the experts have to say as I take on this fun project!

[Woodbutcher]

First, welcome to the forum. Second, your design should work well and do what you want. My only question would be, do you want to sleep in 46" of width. I know you mentioned "girl friend" so right now it may seem OK to sleep so close. But many couples I know have all said they would not go back to a 4' size, just to crowded. Especially when it's hot outside. Don't want to discourage you, just something to think about. You might try sleeping together in a twin bed awhile and see how it works. If you are OK on a 39' mattress than a 46" one will feel spacious. Good luck and have fun. If you finish by June, come on down to the Crossroads gathering in Spenser Indiana and join a 100+ trailers full of friends you have not met yet!

[chrisgrashorn]

First, welcome to the forum. Second, your design should work well and do what you want. My only question would be, do you want to sleep in 46" of width. I know you mentioned "girl friend" so right now it may seem OK to sleep so close. But many couples I know have all said they would not go back to a 4' size, just to crowded. Especially when it's hot outside. Don't want to discourage you, just something to think about. You might try sleeping together in a twin bed awhile and see how it works. If you are OK on a 39' mattress than a 46" one will feel spacious. Good luck and have fun. If you finish by June, come on down to the Crossroads gathering in Spenser Indiana and join a 100+ trailers full of friends you have not met yet!

Thank you for your insight! Now that I think about it, I do agree that 5' wide would be better. For some reason I was thinking that would be much wider than my car but it shouldn't be. Mirror to mirror my car is 76" and I figure wheel to wheel the trailer at 5' will be at most 80". This would also let me fit a standard size full folding mattress.

[AlgoDan]

Hello and welcome aboard. I see you have a plan, and looks good. Just keep us posted as you build and good luck.

[chrisgrashorn]

After going back and forth we decided that a 4' wide trailer would be just fine. If we decide it is too cramped, we can always build again. This is also somewhat of a budget build so with that in mind I picked up the harbor freight heavy duty version on with a 20% off coupon. As others have done, I also decided to stiffen up the tongue. I used 2.5" square tube along with 2.5" angle.



This is also my first attempt at welding! I picked up the Harbor Freight 90amp 110v also on sale.
http://www.harborfreight.com/90-amp-flu ... NCJ9%0D%0A

Now that I have been practicing on the trailer, I am finally starting to get the hang of it. First welds were not pretty!



Getting better though:



For what I paid for this welder, it seems to be doing just fine (although I am no expert). Next I need to finish up the tongue area with some plate. I was also thinking I should seal up the ends of the 2.5" square tube so that it does not rust from the inside out as paint won't reach inside.

Here is a preview of the paint:



At this point I am just waiting for some warmer weather so the paint will dry.

[Ron Dickey]

My Box Kite trailer is similar to yours. You might think of making it so you can get in the back area so if you want to change beds, hall anything when not in use as a camper, or just to let hot air out on a hot hot day.


The Box Kite has now Galley my new one The Cross Bow will (building right now). WE want to stop by the road and have a picnic Lunch right there.
Make sure you have 2 doors in the middle of the night one person may have to climb other the other as nature calls.

nice design

[chrisgrashorn]

Finally got around to show some progress!

First voyage on the roads, trip to get more materials


End caps for square steel welded in


Tongue area finished up. I ended up flipping the original plates and using the one for the tongue mount on the bottom of the trailer. I thought about cutting this part off but figured I can use it as a point to mount safety chains. The Original frame sections did not line up quite right with the square tube. Not sure if the original ones were on a slight angle or what but I welded in some steel to make everything line up.


1/8" x 1-1/4" steel welded onto frame sections to bring them to the same level as the sides. Also drilled the necessary holes to mount the floor.


Floor starting to take shape. I am using 2 sheets of 3/8 plywood with 2x3 frame and 1-1/2 foam between. 3/8 seemed a bit thin at first but after gluing and screwing the frame together and getting the foam in there it seemed to feel pretty solid. You will notice a lip around the sides and back. This is where I will have the 3/4" walls rest where they will be screwed into the 2x3's.


Test fitted to the frame. At this point I crawled under the trailer and marked all of the holes for drilling where bolts will go through. Unfortunately with my lip design I don't think I can attach the floor to any of the outside frame sections as the bolt would be right on the edge.


First 50+ degree day here so off she goes for paint. I went through a car wash to degrease and scrub it down. I'll be painting at my brothers house where I have a bigger garage and room outside.


Primer went on without issues. I took the wheels/hubs off and taped off the ends of the axle. I painted the bottom, let it dry, then flipped it, and painted the top. First time using a HVLP gun and it worked very well. There are a few runs though which I'm debating sanding out or not. The frame will be covered except for the tongue area.


Hoping to get the frame painted black tomorrow if weather permits.

[chrisgrashorn]

Trailer frame is complete! Got it painted and have the tongue jack installed.



Next step is to seal the floor and bolt it to the frame. I'm still not sure what I want to use to seal up the floor underside. Options so far are the black roofing stuff, bedliner, or the sticky window seal on rolls. I do have a coat of CPES on the floor but I want to be extra safe.

Edit: Decided to go with roof asphalt. $6 for a gallon. Man this stuff is messy.

[casadelamour]

Hi,

Looks great so far! We are also from Michigan and just began building on the 4x8 HF frame. Looking forward to watching your progress

[rmef27]

Im not a professional welder by any means but ive done my fair share over the years.I actually think for most small household projects the HF welder you bought isnt to bad to use.The part that is bad about them is the wire they come with.Its junk and will splatter really badly no matter how good of a welder you are.Just going out and buying a name brand quality wire will greatly improve the quality of your welds.Just a friendly heads up.

Looking forward to watching your build.

[chrisgrashorn]

Hi,

Looks great so far! We are also from Michigan and just began building on the 4x8 HF frame. Looking forward to watching your progress

Thanks, and i'll be sure to follow yours as well!

Im not a professional welder by any means but ive done my fair share over the years.I actually think for most small household projects the HF welder you bought isnt to bad to use.The part that is bad about them is the wire they come with.Its junk and will splatter really badly no matter how good of a welder you are.Just going out and buying a name brand quality wire will greatly improve the quality of your welds.Just a friendly heads up.

Looking forward to watching your build.

Thanks for the tip! Luckily I caught this in the reviews at the harbor freight site before even purchasing the welder. I used Lincoln Electric .035 from Home Depot. I have been very happy with the welder except for one small issue - the cooling fan has never worked. It just makes a whining sound but even with some assistance it won't spin. I used a small fan behind it which i'm sure worked even better but I do need to take it back at some point or see if I can get a new fan to install.

So at this point I have been waiting for 3 days since Monday for the roofing asphalt to dry. Right now I can put my hand on it without being sticky but fingerprints do stay if i push into it. Think this is safe to flip and bolt down? Maybe it being somewhat flexible still will help seal around the frame? I'm sure it doesn't help that it has been raining the past 3 days..I have had a space heater and a few fans running in the garage but I'm not sure if that has done much. I would like to get started working on it soon!

[chrisgrashorn]

Update:

Finally the black roof asphalt was dry enough to not make a mess. Was able to flip it over and bolt the floor section down. Then I screwed down the top of the floor sandwich piece.



Next we got some 4x8 3/4" Maple plywood for the sides. We cut the 24" radius in the corners with a jig saw and sanded them round and smooth with belt sander. They fit perfectly into the floor section which made holding them in place very easy. Some glue and screws later and the walls were up! To finish off we cut the back section and attached it with pre-drilled screws and glue.




It is great fun to see this finally take shape! This part of the build is much more fun than the frame... Next up is roof spar's and cutout for doors once I get them. I'll be going with the pre-made ones from Vintage Technologies. I also have all of the electrical goodies purchased and ready to install, LED lights, battery, charger, AC panel..

[aggie79]

Chris,
Very nice! Great job with the tongue extension. You're making great progress on your TD.

BTW my DIL is from Grand Rapids.

Take care,
Tom

[davidniebeling]

Hey Chris, I was just looking at your build and I wanted to encourage you...don't worry, a 4'x8' trailer is just fine for 2 people! Cozy, but fine. My first trailer was 4'x8' and was great for my wife and I but a little too small for my wife and I and my 7 year old son! The one I'm building now is 6'x10' and is HUGE compared to the first!

[chrisgrashorn]

Hey Chris, I was just looking at your build and I wanted to encourage you...don't worry, a 4'x8' trailer is just fine for 2 people! Cozy, but fine. My first trailer was 4'x8' and was great for my wife and I but a little too small for my wife and I and my 7 year old son! The one I'm building now is 6'x10' and is HUGE compared to the first!

Good to hear, Thanks! Now that the walls are up we can tell it should be just fine.

A few days ago we drove to Frank Bear's (Teardroptrailerparts.com) shop near Kalamazoo, MI and had a great time! It was nice to see some trailers fully built and hear from an expert with 30 years of experience building teardrops. I will be getting the doors, trim, and aluminum from him along with any other small tidbits.

Today I got some more roof support in along with the door cutouts:



I am thinking for the inside celing of using 1x4 beadboard tonge and groove siding boards. I like the beadboard look and I think this will make the roof a bit sturdier. This also saves me from piecing together plywood sheets. I am thinking these boards will kind of follow the front curve and still fit in with each other somewhat.

http://www.menards.com/main/building-ma ... c-5826.htm