SoCal Noob

[ginpiston]

Hey All,

My Northern Tool trailer is on the way, and should be here any day now. I'm excited to do this build! I turn my neck around like an owl every time I pass a tear on the road.


Greg

[Roly Nelson]

Hi Greg, I for one, would like to welcome you to the best small trailer forum on the net. Building is fun, attending gatherings is fun, camping and enjoying the campfires is fun. So, come join the fun. By the way, what part of Calif do you hail from? Love to hear more of your plans, dreams and what size, shape, length and style you plan to build. Good luck, ask questions and have fun.
Roly, the li'l ol' woody TD guy in So Calif.

[Vedette]

You have just heard from the best woodworker in your State.
He will answer a lot of questions you have and be a great help with your build.
Good Luck and Good Roads
Brian & Sandi

[bc toys]

Welcome Greg to the best trailer site there is on line

[Graniterich]

Welcome, where are you located? What are you going to build?

[ginpiston]

Thanks for the welcome! I live in San Marcos, CA North San Diego County.


I'm looking at a Benroy profile, wit a little slant to the roof.I like things on the simple side, so not too many bells and whistles. My family owns a steel / machine shop, so I'm going to try cutting the profile on the water jet. Looking forward to getting on the road and saying hello!

[Graniterich]

I live in mission viejo, orange County, and work right down the road in Carlsbad! I started my build about two months ago and I am having a blast. There is so much information on this site. I hope to see you soon

[Roly Nelson]

Hi Greg, Roly here. If you want to take a short drive up I-15, I live in Wildomar (Just north of Temecula) and am always anxious to talk teardrops with anyone that will listen. I have 3 of them ready to roll at a moments notice. Swing on by, the coffee is always on, and no, my sweet pomeranians won't bite. Looking forward to meeting you, just PM me.
Roly, the li'l ol' woody TD guy ~~

[ginpiston]

Roly, Thank you so much... I may take you up on that! Your not far at all... I have a little rock and roll band that plays in Temecula quite a bit

Graniterich, likewise! I'd love to hear about your build.

[MojaveSidecar]

Hi Greg

Nice to see another person getting ready to build on an NT trailer. I plan to start on mine after the holidays.
I have no specialized shop skills but am planning on building the 5X8 kit from http://www.theteardroppers.com/
I live in Wrightwood CA, gateway to the San Gabriel National Monument and the Mojave Desert.
Looking forward to reading about your build.

Randy from Wrightwood

[ginpiston]

That's great Randy. I ordered a hurricane hinge from The Teardroppers ... Did you order the full kit?

[Esteban]

Welcome!
frosthardwood.com might be like a candy store for a San Diego area teardrop builder. Hardwood supply
companies often carry Baltic birch and other species of plywood useful to a teardrop trailer builder.

Roly, I drove by your hometown on the way to, and from, Thanksgiving at my nieces house in Murrieta. Was tempted to visit.

[MojaveSidecar]

That's great Randy. I ordered a hurricane hinge from The Teardroppers ... Did you order the full kit?

For my first trailer I am planning to order the full kit minus the aluminum siding, including the prefabbed doors and hatch kit with hinge.
I am not sure yet what the benefit of the aluminum siding is. I live close enough to the vendor that I will probably pick up the kit factory direct.

I am hoping to get started with assembly in the Feb/March time frame. Hopefully my new "carport" will be completed by then... depends on how much it snows up here in the coming weeks.

Randy from Wrightwood

[Esteban]

Randy, I think you will be happy with the Northern Tool 5' x 8' trailer.

If you have a powered impact wrench it will save you considerable time assembling the trailer frame. A second person is a very helpful to easily assemble the trailer.

My best tip is to measure the diagonals to be sure they are equal. When I got them within 1/8" of each other I figured that's as good as the tape(s) could accurately measure. Using a framing square on the outside corners was a big waste of time. Loosely snug but don't fully tighten the bolts on inside cross pieces until you are satisfied with the outside diagonal measurements.

By diagonals I mean measure from the front left to rear right of the trailer frame AND also measure from front right to rear left of the trailer frame. Once the diagonals are equal then begin fully tightening the bolts at the corners. Then move on to tightening the cross pieces.