by Katie&Craig » Thu May 18, 2006 12:13 am
Riverfront,
To keep the tire tracking of the trailer the same as on our tow vehicle we are going to be building with the wheels inset. The trailer walls will be at 60" (giving us ~ 57 1/2 width for interior at the shoulders), but there will be a box covering the wheels inside, making part of the sleeping area 49". Since our sleeping area is loong (82"), the position of the wheel well is down around our knees.
If you are thinking along those lines I would tape it out on the floor, pile some books for the wheel wells, etc. and lay down in the space. The reduced space sounds uncomfortable to some, but by trying it out we found that the wheel wells were in a position that won't really bother us.
Also, we are going to buy some hideously expensive, but very comfortable foam for the bed. That way we can have the bed go the full width of the teardrop and just cut out the part around the wheel well. The depth of the foam (5 or 6") will cover most of the wheel well and we will pad the top of it also. Since you have the HF you probably will have the 12" tires, which is what makes this work nicely - larger tires makes for a larger wheel well, and not so good a fit.
We considered using the HF trailer and just bolting or welding on metal flanges (don't know what else to call them) that go out to the 5' width to help support the floor. Probably we will go with a home built and will be posting the design soon to the board for feedback.
I wish I had some drawings for you, but we are just back to planning after an unplanned break so I have some drawing to do!
Sorry this is so long, but hope it gives you some ideas.
Katie