Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I'm in the dreaming stages right now. I really want to make a trailer that will fit into the wake of my mini-van and sleep 4 people with a rear kitchen. I've settled on a design that's about 16' long and around 6' wide. The problem is that it seems to be impossible to find trailers this size that aren't, ridiculously expensive, or really heavy (seems to be a lot of dual axle versions).

So does anyone have an idea of where I could find a suitable donor frame (craigslist seems to be empty in denver) or how much it would cost to have the frame welded if I cut all the pieces myself (again, does anyone know someone in the Denver/Boulder area). Along with that, I'd imagine a foamie could be supported by a fairly minimalist frame, are there any building guides?

Thanks

just like most of us build 5 wide tears on 4 wide trailers, a 5 wide trailer would do just fine for your 6 wide camper. Tractor supply, Northern tool, sell 5 wide trailers, though a bolt together 5 wide frame would be better as the premade onse today seem to also come with rails and ramps that would have to be cut off.
Most pop up campers are built on 6 wide trailers, finding one 16 feet long will be a challenge.
you live in an area that has welding and fabricating builders for the off road crowd, do a little bit of asking around locally or on expedition portal.com. For the size you want you may want to have a frame welded up to your exact specifications and dimensions, and those guys would have the equipment and experience.
good luck, let us know what happens!

Thanks for the reply, I've considered the Tractor Supply bolt together, but it still doesn't seem quite big enough to fit a family inside. I'm really hoping to find a donor frame as I think a custom made one will make the project cost prohibitive. Though it is always an option and I didn't even think about expedition portal, that would be a great source, thanks for the tip.

I'm curious if you know what the ballpark figure is for someone to weld up a frame if I cut all the pieces in advance? Welding is about the only building skill I don't have.

Why not check out boat trailers as a chassis? They are usually
longer and form a sort of minimalist frame. I'd also go for a
galvanized one if you can find one. You might need to add a
few cross supports - depending on your design. If you make your
TD body 5 to 5 and 1/2 feet wide and make it longer with a tandem
longitudinal setup for the sleeping versus cross wise sleeping, It'd
be easier to keep it within the cross-sectional area of the towing vehicle.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

P.S. Here is a great build using a boat trailer as a chassis:
Build #2 - The Log Cabin by M C Toyer
viewtopic.php?f=50&t=52767

Here's a fast idea for a tandem sleeper I did:
Click pic for larger view.

A Craigslist ad has a pop-up that could serve as your trailer base. Is this the mother of all pop-ups?



http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/rvs/4669338578.html
Per the ad: "27' 1990 Jayco Pop Up Hard Top camper. 23' folded Sleeps 6 people. Has toilet/shower combo,propane range, table, mini fridge, heater & ice cold A/C. 30amp hookup, water hookup. Surprisingly roomy inside."

Surprisingly roomy?!! What's surprising about a 27' pop-up being roomy inside? The thing is so big it has a double axle.

I used a pop up tent frame as the basis of my Road Foamie. I would recommend buying one that is not in great condition, strip it down to the frame, salvage and reuse what you can. My frame allowed me to build a Foamie that measures 14' long and about 7 foot wide. It is quite sturdy and we are quite happy with the end result