New guy from Florida

[Hubnut]

Hello all. I am new to the teardrops. I am in the process of building one. I'm 2 weeks in and have made several mistakes already. Costly ones, doh! I'm having a blast making this thing though. The learning curve is rather steep. I do have two quick questions to start, if you please. First, I went with a harbor freight trailer. I think the frame is adequate, but am concerned about the 12 inch wheels and 25 mm bearing set for long hauls. I plan to travel country and need to tow on the highway. This, I think, is my first mistake. I guess I will need to change the axle out and go to larger (15 inch) wheels? Second, I am using aluminum skin. I got this from local welder. It is 0.032 inches thick. Can I use a flush cutting, carbide router bit to cut this stuff? I've been using the search tool--sometimes it works, others, not so much. Thank you. I've been learning a ton on the site.
Steve

[grantstew8]

Welcome to the site and you're right there is tonne of stuff. Finding can be difficult I've had some success using advanced search and searching "topic only" or "in the first post"

I've used a caravan trailer as my chassis and it has 13" wheels. I guess the bigger the wheel the less stress on the bearings". I can feel a calculation happening already.

Due to circumstances beyond my control I could not start for 3 months and spent that time drawing and planning. It was worth every minute during the build process. There are some build logs where there has been no planning and had successful results. Horses for courses.

Enjoy the build. I am.

[George Taylor]

If your bearings are greased and set properly you should not have a problem with them. I live in NH and snow mobile trailers have tires that are smaller and they do not have problems. As for your question about the skin. I did try to use a router to cut the skin on our camper. My router does not have a speed control and the bit seemed to get "gummed" up with the aluminum, but it did cut it somewhat.

[bc toys]

welcome to this wonderful site

[PodKiDo]

If you use a router bit, coat it with Boelube.
http://www.yardstore.com/browse.cfm/4,4899.html
It will keep the chips from gumming up the bit and make it easier to clean.