Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Hey folks ~ I'm pretty much decided on building a foamie, but one of the key design elements is a queen sized bed (I'm 6'4" and 250lbs, to sleep comfortably I need the length of a queen bed and to be nice to my wife, the width is essential too). But when you consider 2" foam ~ that I'm not even sure I can get here in central GA for a price I'm willing to spend ~ added to the 60" of bed width and 1.5~2" for wheel spacing, we're hitting ~5'8" wide unless one builds the floor over the wheels. I don't really want to do that as it looks awkward to my eyes (too much space under the floor, same with too Tall of a trailer when the car roof is only 68"). With a low TV (my 2001 Jetta TDI):



I'm not needing any more than the same 4" of ground clearance that the car has... But the queen bed and a foamie means I can't just use a 5' wide trailer with ease (at least by my math). I'm not too keen on going to a 6' wide because A) they're more expensive and B) I'd rather not have a trailer that's wider than the car (which is 68") to keep my wife comfortable driving with the trailer.

To add to the mix, this old boat trailer is for sale near me for $150... seems the perfect platform (assuming it's not all rusted out, I've not inspected it yet), but it's only a 5' wide trailer.



I've seen other trailers with a modified queen bed where the wheel wells cut into the interior space from about the knees down and I'm slightly considering that approach. Are there other options I don't know about? I'm sure there are, since I've only read maybe 0.000001% of the info here, just trying to justify the trailer purchase before someone else snaps it up.

Otherwise I've seen a 5.5' wide trailer (6 hours drive away ), and wouldn't have any issues in scalloping the foam a little behind the wheels to gain clearance. More money, but for the oddity of the trailer it's not too bad (and it's still cheaper than a NT/HF unit), though no suspension.




Thoughts and opinions? Oh, my wife likes the traditional TD shape the best, and of all the plans she likes the Cub/Mod the best:

TPCE is 64 inches wide (outside of frame rails and outside of walls) with 1.5 thk foam and 5mm inner skins leaving 60 inches for the std. queen size mattress plus about 5/8 for "tucking". (Actually, the door seal frame, toe boards and surface mount wiring chases encroach on this a bit more, but I figure it is foam and I can either squeeze it or trim it a bit.)

Now, I did build a custom frame and had to use more sheets of ply to accommodate this, so I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. Most people make their max dimension 60 inches (usually the roofing) and work their way back from there. Foam mattresses cut easily, or can be ordered to specific dimensions.

The "no suspension" is a non-starter. Don't even think about going there. In fact, I would hazard to speculate that most states do not allow it (...or maybe it is based on weight?).

That boat trailer looks like a decent start for a reasonable price. Maybe start by offering lower, depending on whether the rust is heavy or just surface.

Please think again about how your car, with it's 4 inches of ground clearance, traverses an obstacle with it's 2 "axles" located pretty far out at each end, vs. the trailer which only has one axle located well away from the fulcrum point (the rear "axle" of the car). The trailer is a teeter totter, the car is not.

I'm building for moderate off road use, so am not an expert, but from what I have gathered most road TD's like about 8 to 10 inches of frame clearance (anyone please check me on this).

Hope you find some or all of this helpful input. Looking forward to following along with your design and build progress.

If your not going off road (at least nothing other than regular washboard/potholed gravel), I would leave at least 8* of clearance like KC suggested. You can also get away with thinner foam. 1" foam can be had most anywhere and is probably enough for a light duty trailer. If you want thicker for more strength, just double it up of laminate 1/2" foam to it if you can't find the 11/2" on the shelf. Also, if you do go with the 2" foam, you wheel wells can intrude 1" into the foam without going into the cabin to help reduce the overall width. That may or may not require a custom width axle, or depending on your tires.

Point taken about the trailer clearance. I'm not shy about dirt roads (born and raised in Wyoming, dirt roads are where the good stuff is found ), know how to position my Car wheels to deal with roads that are rutted badly, and certainly don't bomb down any roads, anywhere. The TD would certainly be taken down rougher roads though... like this (leading into Dinosaur NP in NE CO):



But I'll leave this type of stuff to my motorcycle trips:




I think I'm going to go ahead and buy (pending inspection) that top 5' wide trailer and deal with it. After all, this is a first build, not the only/last/forever (though it could be ~ depends on my skills). The only reason I was looking at 2" foam was because that's what was used in the Big Thread (yes, I read it.. skimmed through the chit-chat though after about page 120~130), I had already decided to go with FG for the outer coating because the wife wants "pretty", and her brother is in auto painting/restoration so I've got a bodywork guy on hand. I'll just make the bed tapered in at the wheel wells, like this (and this is NOT to scale, I'm not good with drawing anything, much less on the computer):

Brian , first get your trailer , and get that all business sorted out (make sure everything works right ) ... Important to do that now as it’s difficult to make changes or work on it later ... the trailer frame is what you build everything else on , no matter the shape of the cabin .. That’s just gotta’ be right eh ?

If you can get 2” foam in your area , that would be the best choice. JMHO

Brian,
If you haven't seen it, you might have a look at this ...
Classic teardrop shape, built over the wheels, dropped floor, queen size bed.

Here's the thread where the bed was built
http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=44091

My build is around a queen size bed, well 2" shorter which would make it a UK queen size bed . I had to make a decision on making the rear storage smaller or the bed. To get a standard sized cooler in the rear I chose to shorten the bed a bit. I could have made the trailer longer, but I wanted to make the sides with a single sheet of foam for simplicity. I have mine on a Harbor Freight trailer with the 12" wheels. With the 12" wheels I had to make wheel wells in the sleeping area. They are pretty short and when laying in the trailer it seems that they should not intrude into the normal sleeping area of the bed. If they do cause a problem I will simply raise the height of the floor by making a spacer with foam and light ply. Maybe even put in some under bed storage. I could have gone with the Harbor Freight trailer with the 8" wheels and probably would have been fine with no wheel well.





I also plan on installing skirts to lower the side profile down to the level of my TV. They will slope up from the wheel to allow clearance for obstacles.

I bought a used trailer off or craigslist for $200 and then proceeded to put another $350 (at least) into it. When I started to strip it and get it ready for paint I started to look at the hubs and decided they needed work. ($30 a side for new hub assemblies) I could have put in new bearings and used the old ones, but the bearings and seals were not much cheaper than the whole hub assembly (after coupons from NT). Next I did not like the wheels and tires that were on the trailer (8") so new wheels and tires ($75) a side. Then I needed a tung jack, spare tire, spare tire holder, new lights, new coupler, new shackles, sanding discs, primer, paint...... You see where I am going with this? If I was going to do it again, I would buy the NT angle iron, no floor trailer that they have on sale here for $450 or so. This plus the $100 coupon that they send me would make it cheaper than what I spent on mine. Plus I would be ready to build the box and not spend a month of weekends getting an older trailer ready.

I guess my point is be careful of a "good deal" trailer like I used (there is a picture in my album). When you start to weigh the idea of using a bunch of old parts and put your trust in those parts when you are on a trip. You start to see why the new stuff is worth it. I pulled ours up to CRA this year (350 miles+ each way) and did not have to worry about it. Just think how much it is worth to not be stuck on the side of the road because of old/inferior parts. I guess that's why I went overboard on my trailer.

Don't get me wrong on all this. If you can get the old trailer cheap enough and have some of the other parts available, go for it. Just weigh the cost of the parts, paint and labor that you will put into so you will not be suprised in the end. Honestly, I know that if I found another trailer at I really good price I would consider it, but I think I would still use the NT. Good luck on your build.

I picked up my HF trailer for $226.78. Came with all you need to roll down the road. I could not beat the price.

Yes, a new HF 4x8 can be had for a couple hundred dollars... but then you're stuck with a 4x8 and according to the polls, the #1 regret is not building bigger. And a new 5x8 can be had for ~$400, which is nice but didn't really answer my question of how to fit a queen bed between 2" walls without building over the wheels on a 5' wide trailer. I appreciate the thoughts, I really do, but I'd analyzed those options and discarded them as non-starters for Me. The number one problem I see with buying one of the cheap trailers is that they're only 8' long and I'm planning on a Mod/Cub design that's 10' long. I'm 6'4" and to sleep comfortably, I take up 80" of bed space which would leave ~16" left on an 8' build. I'm sure there are ways around that, but starting with a 10' trailer is the easiest work-around.

I've done a lot more reading, again (meaning since the last time I did a bunch of reading on the subject), and know that I'll either have to raise the bed over the wheels or cut into the bed space. I'm going to check out that top trailer as soon as the seller has time. I'm not worried about the labor of renovation, I have WAY more time than money on hand. I know it's usually more expensive to buy and fix than to buy as you want it, but we all have to do what we have to.

Brian , I’m only 6’3” but I agree ... a Big guy needs a Big trailer ... end of story ... you see what I built !!!

Ours is officially 6X10 with a queen size bed (some room on both sides and at the end of the mattress) and a wife that is slightly claustrophobic and I am 6' 3". One thing I seldom hear discussed is the interior room and how it is set up. Our grasshopper design means LOTS of interior room and LOTS of storage.

you can build a 5x10 on a 4x8 trailer, most build threads show a (useless weight in my mind) "frame" of wood (1" x 3" wood normally) on top of the metal trailer, to screw the plywood floor to.
Most of them are building a tear that matches the trailer for size so this wood "frame" is a waste of weight and height, IMO, and both hurt gas mileage.
The one time a frame like this makes sense is to stretch the tear floor out, in your case this wood "frame" of 1" x 2" or 3" wood wold support the 1 foot of over hang of the front and back of the trailer frame. Fully glued to the 3/4" plywood floor, it would be all you would need to support the extra length. (screws, nails and staples, loosen up over time, and are a possible entry point for water=rot)
Unless you have very wide legs the box that cuts into the bed for the wheel wells will not be noticed when sleeping. I have them on my 5x8 tear and have never bumped them in bed.
my "queen" bed is actually an inch or so narrower than a true queen, it really doesn't matter that much, unless I have the measuring tape out I don't notice the difference.

I built on a 4x8 trailer, the 6" overhang on each side has no frame under it, it is 3/8" marine plywood. it is instead suspended from the sidewalls, which are supported by the front wall and the galley wall.
In your case, with foam walls, a "beam" (could just be a few inches tall of plywood) of wood at the base of the front wall and the base of the galley wall, fully glued (marine epoxy and fiberglass tape would be strongest) to the top of the plywood floor, with another "beam" (once again a two inch strip of 1/4" plywood would do just fine, though you would want it to flare up over each wheel well) at the base of each sidewall, fully glued to the floor and the front and galley beams, on the mattress side of each wall, would give you all the anchoring you would need for the sidewalls, and would give the floor all the support it would need for the overhangs.
If that isn't too clear, imagine your trailer, with the plywood floor in place, now make a shallow plywood box the size of your mattress on top of the floor. This will be what all of the sidewalls wll be glued to, with the sidewalls sitting on the trailer floor and outside of the shallow plywood box.
This is all my opinion, but will be the way my planned foamie will be built.

..and there’s nothing wrong with welding on some metal frame extenders on the trailer bed to accommodate the larger /wider floor ... or even bolt them on ... a little metal working ... don’t be stuck with the idea of using the original dimensions ...

I'm 6'3" and over 250 so I need a big bed also. My trailer is 5' wide and when I built the walls the were each 1 1/2" thick. That made it 3" too narrow for a queen. I went to IKEA and bought a foam bed and cut 3" off one side.

The mattress goes from wall to wall and there is plenty of room for me and Cindi. You will never miss that 3".