Retro canned ham foamie

[wagondude]

It was not intended to be critical. It really was sad to see that she had to cut up all that hard work (and such a nice trailer too). Gotta do what you gotta do, but still sad.
Now back to our regular program......

[GPW]

It did seem a bit “impulsive” eh ... Especially before we all got a chance to discuss it ... at length ... Beauty about this forum business is now we can have many thoughts on one subject (if we don’t get off to pets and such ) allowing a better overall view of a subject ... Two heads (or more) are better than one !!!

And if it doesn’t go right , we can blame you guys ....

[KCStudly]

if it doesn’t go right , we can blame you guys ....

Where's the line for that? I gotta know because I should be at the front of it!

No hard feelings, just a gentle ribbing and a chance to speak my peace.

[Wobbly Wheels]

Yeah, mine's glassed but Mike had a problem with the canvas on his standy though. In short, it seemed that on panels the size of his, the canvas shrunk enough that it cupped the panel. I don't recall whether he got back to it and wrapped the other side, nor whether it straightened out.
I guess, once they get to a certain size, it becomes important to canvas both sides at the same time.

I thought about ballasting it because of the height as well: I'll have two Group31 deep cycles at about 100# each and 25gal of water (~200#) right down at floor level just forward of the axle. I'm also not building upper cabinets, despite the loss of storage space.
In a stick-and-staple RV, those upper cabinets add stiffness to the corner to help keep the thing from flexing. I could guess that if you got the outer 'sock' shrunk tight enough, it would always be in tension and would give you that same stiffness. You also wouldn't have all that extra weight in wood trying to rock and roll in a crosswind.

Once you get beyond a certain size, I think the buffeting from wind is just going to be too much for the trailer's weight to stay stable. I wonder if Catherine's Penguino would have fared better with more weight down low or not: the wind would have so much leverage that it could still blow it around pretty good if not tip it over. I canted the upper and lower corners on mine - the idea is that it will help spill side winds over and under the shell, sort of like presenting the leading edge of a wing to the side wind. The vertical section of the walls is only 4' tall (although it's 11' long and sits a foot above the frame)

Besides the canvas shrinkage issue (which I think is just a technique problem to figure out), I see that as the biggest problem to solve in making a foamie out of that shape.
Or I could be completely out to lunch on that.

I gotta take a sick day more often so I can catch up on the forum !

[GPW]

Pre-shrinking the canvas should work .... I know we’ve discussed this before ... Didn’t know that happened to Big Mike ... Was wondering if he got offended and left ? Maybe something I said ?

if you look at an 18 wheeler , they’re waaay tall for their width (a lot of cargo trailers too ) , and the ones that seem to have problems are the Empty ones ... Wondering if Catherine was carrying anything at the time ... ?

[atahoekid]

I gotta take a sick day more often so I can catch up on the forum !

That makes two of us. I've been on the road so much and so busy that I think I'm trying to catch up on three weeks of postings. Let's just call it a mental health day. Bad part is my schedule doesn't have any holes in it so I can take one

[atahoekid]

I'm a firm believer in ballast down low and keeping the base wide. Without enough ballast (beer or whatever else makes you happy) I think you essentially have a foamie kite. To me it's all about keeping the center of gravity LOW. It just also happens to fit my design eye...

[GPW]

Mel, that may be the fault of a Foamie ... Too LIGHT!!! We can build these to ridiculously low weights , and without some sort of ballast , they are as you say , Kites ... and in excess of a particular crosswind speed ( X mph ) they will tip over eventually ... ballast low on the axle delays these effects ..
I can see the need to build a Standy , and there’s nothing cuter than an old canned ham , but if built tall and narrow , that does seem a disadvantage , unless the axel is Wide ... Maybe a good reason for building on a “carry on “ trailer like Eagle got ... the wider stance makes it much safer ... Am sure this can all be calculated by those blessed with Math skills ...

[Wobbly Wheels]

Nah...in true TLAR fashion, the math comes later to justify the mistakes you've already made.

The concern I've had in the back of my mind on my build is more about moment arms and harmonics.
First, with the 'ballast' so near the axle (fulcrum) and the six or seven feet of vertical leverage that the wind has on the sides of a standy, it would be a bit like the mechanical advantage one gets out of a wheelbarrow. Then repeat for all of those extra square feet of sidewall (handle length)...

Then there's the harmonics of using leaf springs without shocks to damp them and developing a side-to-side 'hop' that could send the trailer over to leeward in a sidewind. To mitigate that, I canted the corners to try and let the wind slip above and below the shell, and I have mapped out shock locations should I need to add them...but it remains to be seen whether or not ballast alone is the answer.

I still think that this is a perfectly viable way for the average Joe (or Jane) to build a trailer that can be towed by virtually anything (just like the original TDs)...but it's a bug that needs to be worked out once one gets to a certain sidewall size vs width.

[atahoekid]

Am sure this can all be calculated by those blessed with Math skills ...

"Blessed with Math Skills" ???? I can't even balance my checkbook anymore...

[GPW]

It still takes a pretty Strong wind to blow over a trailer ... Sometimes it may be prudent to just wait till the wind subsides before towing any trailer ... Like a sailboat , or plane ... some days it’s just too windy ... and we found camping in a strong wind can be difficult ... and not much Fun ... Been there , done that ..

We already know all the TLAR rules for lessened crosswind occurrences .... lower height , wide wheel stance , rounded surfaces, and BALLAST ... Easy enough to do ... easier to wait out the wind/storm...

[ghcoe]

I believe the incident in question was addressed at the time of the build. I remember reading, during the build, that someone mentioned a possible height to width problem. At the time of the incident the trailer was being pulled in high wind conditions with strong gusts. Even under these conditions the trailer seemed to have traveled quite some distance before it finally had conditions that made it fail. Considering that the build parameters were already in questions and the conditions the trailer was in before failure it did quite well showing that foamies are more stable than we think.

[GPW]

... and the tip over damage to the foam cabin was negligible , compared to some of those videos we’ve seen of “other” trailers tipping

The thing about a Foamie is it’s Made to carry Weight !!! Gear!!! Ice ! Your Grandma’s cast iron waffle griddle ... and still not stress out (overload ) a smaller trailer frame ... and it SHOULD carry “some” weight (on the floor ) ... Gear or Beer... your choice ... Couple fishing poles , a sleeping bag or two , and a cooler .... That’s Nothing ...

In the summer , having a small 50# or so of an air conditioner , mounted at floor level would be a Nice bit of functional ballast ... and a good extension cord...