Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Starting to build any T or TTT is a big job. Befor you started acutally working on it . many made the trailer first some did not.
How did you start the main body of you project.

I started with a set of Kuffel Creek plans. They got me started and helped decide what I did and didn't want to do. I was lucky enough to go to Minden and see lots of tears up close. Then a friend let me camp in his 4 foot wide tear and that convinced me to go 5 feet wide. Evey time I go out to work on the darn thing I change something. I will probably have built three of them by the time I get this one finished. But that's part of the fun and appeal!

Scott F.

Since I don't do CAD, I did it on graph paper, 2" per square.... 1' per inch.

It makes it easy to translate to plywood... a few nails and some thin wood strips and a pencil to get the curve...

I also did a back view for layout of microwave, a/c, storage, etc... Not as pretty as CAD, but works very well.

I voted as doing it by the seat of my pants. Clarification: Cheated off of Larry Sorensens site. Bought a set of plans for an 8x4 and threw them out when they arrived. Changed things- i.e no galley, and built it from the outside in--wrong move. Now, for the next one.................
Cheers
Paul

The plans I used are shown below. So I guess you could say I planned and designed as I went. And I guess you might also say I built it 'by the set of my pants'. Every thing was in my head. Knew what I wanted it to provide, what I wanted in it and also knew I wasn't going to build another. Life is to short to be building teardrops.




Have a good day.

I started with the Generic Benroy plans. They were not complete at the time so I had to go by the seat of Mike's pants.

ours was done lottsa style...lottsa pencils, lottsa paper, lottsa imagination, lottsa argument (the argument portion continues) so as I say...it's a lottsa design
madjack

bledsoe3 wrote:I started with the Generic Benroy plans. They were not complete at the time so I had to go by the seat of Mike's pants.

Eewwwww

I had the printouts from Andrew's site and a full sized pattern. After that, I am going by the seat of the pants. Learning, designing, building as I go. That includes learning how to use the woodworking tools.

asianflava wrote: That includes learning how to use the woodworking tools.

Was I suppose to know how to use the tools?

bledsoe3 wrote:

asianflava wrote: That includes learning how to use the woodworking tools.

Was I suppose to know how to use the tools?

I also kept that simple but with a lot more clamps.



Have a good day.

When I discoverd this site and the ''Weekender'' I started the research and cost. Trailer was no problem, built one to my specs. A 5x10 rec.tubing, 5.5 pattern w/ 15'' tires spent close to $300. Lenghtin' the body to 10', rather have to big than not big enough. I made a spec and build notebook. Kids complained I'm wearin' out the printer But that gives me a on hand sheet to go to,plus its easeier to show what i'm buildin' to someone. I used most of Mikes specs,mockup and build pics. Joannes wirin' specs. And added misc. galley,fender,etc. pics to look and study. I keep actual cost down when I spend and total at EOM. Have a close expected budget to work with. If I save at one stage I'll use it somewhere else. Already I've had stainless steel hinges for the hatch and door donated so now I'm goin' with 2 doors. This is beginin' to be fun

I bought a set of Kuffle Creek plans to understand trailer construction techniques. Since no one sells a set of GrassHopper plans (that I know of) I made some drawings and started building. The rest is history. Well, that and bandaids...

It's amazing what you can do when you don't know you can't!

Joanne

I decided on a shape I liked (cub/modernistic), and using information on how to draw ellipses from Andrew's site, I drew a couple of profiles until I found one I liked, and I thought would work.

I transferred that shape to a full sized cardboard mock-up, and it looked like it would work, so I made a wood pattern out of a piece of MDF board, and started designing the rest directly on the pattern.



I realised real quick that I couldn't make it fit with a 4'x8' sidewall, so started all over on a 4' x 10' sheet of particle board. Been designing as I go, and other than my notes and marks on the pattern, I really don't have a plan.

I had a 49 Kit in 1979 or 80....knew what I didn't like about it and what I did...bought the Kuffel Creek plans and used parts of them and just winged it on the rest...I was happy with the results....however...am building another....learned a lot from my first build...now I'm going to put one together that I am really happy with... doug

doug hodder wrote:I had a 49 Kit in 1979 or 80....knew what I didn't like about it and what I did...bought the Kuffel Creek plans and used parts of them and just winged it on the rest...I was happy with the results....however...am building another....learned a lot from my first build...now I'm going to put one together that I am really happy with... doug

Are you selling the first one?