Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

So my build is beginning.
I've ordered my trailer (Ultra Tow 5x8) https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200660344_200660344 which should be showing up this weekend. (Spent the extra dough on the aluminum to save 90 lbs)

The plan is to build a collapsible trailer very similar to the slidavan.

(From the Unusual Designs Thread:)

WizardOfOdds wrote:

This one caught my eye for several reasons:
1- It is small (5x8) and light (660#) for (4 cyl) small car towing
2- It has full (6 ft+) interior height
3- It is simple (I think) and straight forward
4- Looks like it could be "foamed" without undue complications
5- They sell plans which I would expect to have decent diagrams (??)

But
1- I found no details about the lift mechanics
2- The rear door is 2 piece and may not open smoothly as one.
3- Not a lot of detailed information.

Here is a video, but it leaves out many critical views, like erection.


More info on Home page at http://woodenwidget.com/Slidavan.htm

I'm waiting for my trailer to get some final measurements (I'll also be using it to get my first batch of foam and ply)

Then I'll probably show my closer to finalized plans.

These forums have me so excited about the build.
(Link to google build gallery https://photos.app.goo.gl/YTbuKTWqm5wRydg68

That’s pretty Cool, certainly doable in Foam … And with Foam you might be able to use “Armstrong” lifters, saving even more weight , complexity and expense...

link to those lifters

and the plans

please?

The slidavan lift mechanism is just a ball screw placed in the center of the trailer with some pins that permanently lock it up.
However my build I doubt will be very balanced so I'm thinking the pop up camper method with pulleys and cable.

Found Dancam's cross canada build and it was enlightening.

He used a pneumatic system for the lift which was quite cool.

dancam wrote: I should say to never build a foamie like mine. I havent taken photos of the damage yet. But my bottom half is a long box with no top and a full hight hole in the back wall. Upper half is a box with no bottom and a full hight hole in the back wall... things vibrate a lot going down rough roads if they arent a solid cube and we ended up with a lot of paint cracking at the weakest points from all the flex. My trailer frame had some flex as well.

I'll try to strengthen the structure but I guess we'll see if it was a fluke or its just not a foam compatible design.


EDIT:

If you want to buy the plans they do sell them Duckworks Slidavan

Here is the ballscrew on the slidavan

They just use a portable drill on the bottom to rotate the screw

Ball screw. You just mount a pipe or piece of wood to the flange and it will move up and down.


I think by armstrong he means the hatch lifters on cars ?maybe?

Dancams pneumatic lift post

Build your own pneumatic with plywood and pvc

Hey! Maybe this weekend i can pull out my trailer and take some photos, but there may still be too much snow. I like the concept of the camper you posted and like you say yours will be mine was also unbalanced. But guess what? That doesnt work for pnumatic cylinders that are all connected togeather either, lol. I had to help the ones that carry the larger load.
With the damage- picture your camper built and done, latched down as you drive. Now as your driving 100kmh and hitting potholes and large bumps, driving on gravel, taking corners hard and so on where is your trailer flexing? If its flexing at a joint there will be damage. Flex across a solid piece of foam will be fine, its flex at joints that do it. I built a foamie with a wood perimiter on the lower half to support the upper half when it was raised and a wood perimiter on the upper half for holding itself up and for stronger anchor points to latch it down. Also for the doors. My wood joints that flexed while driving is what cracked the paint. My trailer frame was not stiff enough. It was angle iron and fairly flexable on its own, my wood and foam box was supporting the frame which doesnt work, you need a rigid frame for this kind of project.
Anyway, hope that helped some.

Blue is latch points, red is the flex, i had a verticle wooden 2x2 there.

Biggest issue was my flexy frame

Lots of flex here...

Thanks for showing the “failure” points so I can keep them in mind.

I wonder if you used larger bore pipes on the heavy end if it would have made it better.

JMHO, on Dan’s Box , some well placed inner foam “structure" would have lessened the stress at certain points indicated … But consider his extensive travels on the worst of roads and his build was most certainly "Good enough" …. He made it back … A True Adventure ... Well Done Dan !! And as a side benefit , now Dan Knows what parts to beef up for the next Adventure …
And then there's Ken W. who’s been literally EVERYWHERE ( even my house) in his Simple , but well thought out Foamie trailer …
Remember our original intent was a “Hard Tent” , not an RV structure with Furniture ... Many Foamie trailers here lie somewhere in between … and ALL have been successful …
Build what you think is right for you … The Beauty of Foamies ...

Armstrong lifters ... Two people , one at each end manually lifting the light Foam top into position … Very simple old school method , cheap , uncomplicated, and a well designed Foam top shouldn't be “that” heavy anyway …
IMHO the bottom Box should be Stiffer , the Foam top , not so critical as it’s supported ( closed ) by the stiff lower box … In essence the top box is the "Foam tent" part …

Yup, i wouldnt call mine a total failure either. I did 30k with it last summer and it has some cracked paint... it would do another 30k this summer easy if i wanted to. But without some work its not going to keep the water out and will rot long term timewise.
What i would call failures is my sealing the top box to the frame when down. Going fast on gravel roads would fill the trailer with dust-drove a lot of gravel roads but only did 100kmh once..... the fault there was my flexable frame.
The other thing was we slapped togeather the bug screen just before we left and didnt do it as planned because we ran out of time. Take your time with whatever you plan to do to keep bugs out! It gets annoying.
But we enjoyed ourselves and the trip was awesome!
Also the roads in the Yukon, Alaska and Quebec are incredibly rough. I broke a trailer spring early on in our trip in the Yukon and the only replacements available were way stiffer than i wanted. The trailer really bounced more than it should have 90% of our trip. That was the first day in the Yukon it broke

Received my trailer today. Girlfriend let me put it together inside on this rainy day!
This trailer is ~190lbs according to my bathroom scale. Maybe tomorrow I'll finish it up but I have hockey all weekend so I might not.



Maybe will have some foam by the end of the week!

Hey, I’ve been thinking of building a similar foamy on that same trailer! Will be watching closely... hope it goes smoothly for you!


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amandacreiglow wrote:Hey, I’ve been thinking of building a similar foamy on that same trailer! Will be watching closely... hope it goes smoothly for you!


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Welcome back!

Tyrtill wrote:So my build is beginning.
I've ordered my trailer (Ultra Tow 5x8) https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200660344_200660344 which should be showing up this weekend. (Spent the extra dough on the aluminum to save 90 lbs)

The plan is to build a collapsible trailer very similar to the slidavan.

(From the Unusual Designs Thread:)

WizardOfOdds wrote:

I'm waiting for my trailer to get some final measurements (I'll also be using it to get my first batch of foam and ply)

Then I'll probably show my closer to finalized plans.

These forums have me so excited about the build.

Nice clean looking trailer!

My plan is to extend the frame a little on the tongue and off the back (12").


I planned on using "the mix" on the wood and bolting it to the frame. Is the mix going to be enough?

Also I'm working on a glue test. I'll check them this weekend (its pretty cold here)