Jeremy from Janesville, WI Build Journal

[5speedsoffury]

Hi all!
I am excited to say that I have made the first initial purchase to my teardrop camper creation. I have not named the trailer yet. I am sure the better half will have that covered. I purchase a 5 x 8 Ironton trailer from Northern Tool on sale for $449-$50 keycode + tax for a grand total of $421.99. I have been wanting to get this build going for right around two years now and am so happy to have made the first step. The 5 x 8 trailer may not be of the shelf perfect but my dad is very handy with anything metal craft and I am sure that he will assist me with any modifications I want to do. I am also in the final stage of restoring a 1950's Shopsmith Greenie and plan to use that for the many woodworking tasks I will run into.

Since joining the forum I have read many build forums, tips and advice this forum has. I know I have only skimmed the surface. I really reading this forum so bravo to all you that have let it all out and created such a wonderful go to resource and community for all the builders and fans

So here I sit wondering what I want the final project to look like. Even after looking at the many pictures and build journals I still have only the faintest of ideas. I first need to describe the inhabitants this creation must house. I am 6'5" and tip the scales over 200. The wife is 5'8" and is very fine... I still wonder how I was lucky enough to marry her. But enough of the mushy stuff. We both love our bikes and they will go along for the ride most every time we go camp. I am would really like to have them under shelter but there is limitations to this build and I need to be reasonable. As for other details the teardrop must house a queen bed and have a fair amount of convenient storage space. The wife is not fussy over the galley as long as it is functional and works for her ergonomically(not the wrong working height).

As for the tow vehicle I have a 2014 Subaru Forester. It's expensive to pay for and I am not sure I will have it long enough to pull the finished project. I made the decision to buy it and love it for the most part. Its comfortable, good on gas and loves to GO! As for the bad side it can only tow 1500 lbs max and anything over a 1000 needs trailer brakes. <<< This makes me wish I had researched the vehicle more as I would have never purchased it knowing that. But the good part is I work 1.3 miles from home at a car dealership so I can easily get out of the Forester once I get out from under the payments to value ratio. I will most likely find a older vehicle that I can get into shape for towing and everyday driving. But enough on the TV for now.

Back to the design! I am looking for input on a few different topics.
1: Drop floors and cool things such as pop up tables/ interior seating.
2: Stick framed walls or plywood cutouts. I have the advantage of access to a wealth of lumber so stick framed is looking favorable. (dad has a sawmill and a lot of dry lumber)
3: Trailer frame stretch and tongue reinforcement.
4: Trailer brakes
5: Cold storage for food. The debate of coolers and ice vs ac/dc compatible refrigeration units.
6: Cabin height.. is 5 high really that much more? I have really tossed around the idea of a sub cabin storage stucture that would allow me to build around a queen bed.
7: Cabin width... is wall to wall bed ok or were you glad you built the cabin a little wider so there was room beside the mattress?
8: Skinning/sealing.. what are the top options besides Woodie and Aluminum? Canvas...sounds interesting

For now that is most of my thoughts. I would very much so welcome some input and encouragement. I know this is going to be a lengthy project and look forward to keeping you all in the loop.

I await your responses with eager enthusiasm!

Jeremy

[5speedsoffury]

I did start and finally save a file in Sketchup. Hint the file name is 120 x 70 Benroy! As soon as I get a decent sketch I will do my best to post it. I'm sure the plans will change but I would like some input. Current dimensions are 120" L x 70" W x 60" T. I know this plan is looking to be heavy but like I said plans can change and so can the TV but I would really like to only build one of these and be happy for at least 5 years!

Alright that's enough for tonight! Over ten hours on the computer this lazy Sunday sketching and reading forum posts!

Till next post!

Jeremy

[NatchezPhotography]

I have many of the same questions for my future build. I am looking to see the forums responses.

[pohukai]

I drew mine up in google sketchup and glad I did. I made a lot of mistakes before cutting any wood (saving $$) and it went together almost as designed.

My cabin area is wide enough to accommodate a queen mattress (6" inflatable) and it goes wall to wall. No problems except when we go up to to the mountains and the change in air pressure causes it to inflate a bit more. The bed is a little bit more firm (nice), but getting to the floor storage is a little more difficult. (probably not something you need to worry about in WI).

[KCStudly]

Have you seen the Desert Moose build? It's very much like what you have described with really well thought out under floor storage and canvas over wood.

[5speedsoffury]

Have you seen the Desert Moose build? It's very much like what you have described with really well thought out under floor storage and canvas over wood.

KC

I have seen that build journal and overall am very impressed with that build! I guess I would need to learn more about the canvas covering. I am interested to hear about durability and ease of install.

Jeremy

[KCStudly]

Welcome to the foamie forum.

[5speedsoffury]

Welcome to the foamie forum.

KC,

You got me interested. I like the idea of foam since it is so much lighter and not too pricey. I am normally one to pick wood since I am a well learned woodworker. Do you have any builds that you would recommend looking at? I have a 5x8 Ironton trailer shipping in this week. I would really like to hammer out a plan or at least some direction by next week of what I am going to build. only requirement is room enough for a queen size bed.... Hence why i plan to make the length ten feet. How about overhanging the frame building a foamie. Is this similar to a standard tear?

Thanks for your input KC! It will not take much to convince me of the foamie way. I like the economics of it. More money for the nice things like coolers and a new bed!

Jeremy

[KCStudly]

Really I just intended to steer you there because there is a lot of discussion and examples of how to cover with canvas, which can be done over ply.

If you want to spend too much time learning how I am doing it... how to work steadily for 3-1/2 years and still not be done yet, then check out The Poet Creek Express build in my signature line, but don't say I didn't warn you. It's not your standard foamie build.

Other good examples are Mike's Mad Dash that is currently under construction, and The Big Pink, which was started by Mike and finished by Tac422. Both of these are larger standies, yet still reasonably compact and light. The build techniques are the same for smaller more traditional TD's, so still worth the read.

I highly recommend that you spend more time reading the stickies and as many build threads as you can in the Build Threads forum, the foamie forum, and the construction techniques forum. Many of the questions you pose have been asked and answered many times over, and you will be better situated to make some of these decisions after looking around a lot more.

It seems daunting at first and there are so many different ways to do everything, but you are the only one who can decide which of the build methods will best suit your goals and capabilities. The best advice I can give you is to immerse yourself in the forums here and read, read, read.

If you decide that there are too many decisions to make and just want someone to give you step by step instructions, you might consider looking at the "generic Benroy plans" or Steve Fredrick's build manual. You can still adapt those ideas to meet your needs, but they are proven build methods and are spelled out clearly.

[5speedsoffury]

IMAG1085.png (245.89 KiB) Viewed 7120 times

Trailer assembly nearing completion! Going to have to put a claim in for one fender bracket but all the rest went together good. Now to create a longer tongue and looking to stretch the trailer out for a ten foot design.

Jeremy

[5speedsoffury]

Here is a Sketchup model I have been working on. I am just learning the program so I know there is probably some faults but the purpose of this drawing is for a rough layout and making for a sturdy structure.

[KCStudly]

I think it would be better to have the lower edge of the hatch close against the back edge of the floor. That way water will shed down and away with less chance of pooling on the edge of the floor.

[5speedsoffury]

I think it would be better to have the lower edge of the hatch close against the back edge of the floor. That way water will shed down and away with less chance of pooling on the edge of the floor.

KC,

I agree. In my defense I had not progressed that far as to correct that flaw in the drawing. I just wanted to show some progress and get some opinions on my design so far. I am really leaning towards canvassing the exterior and going with a high build percentage of foam. Is there some design tips I should work in for making the canvas process more seamless?

*Edit*

I will try to get to reading the stickies in the forums as much as I can as you suggested in an earlier post.

Jeremy

[KCStudly]

In my defense...

No need for that, we're all friendly here.

The biggest trick to a seamless canvas job is buying a big enough piece of canvas so seams aren't needed (bah-dump-bump). But seriously, some, including Desert Moose, have bought canvas drop cloths from the big box stores only to find that the advertised size has a big stitched seam running down the middle. Go to Big Duck Canvas and pick out 10 oz duck cloth in the width you need.

The price difference is negligible, but the quality is much better, and it comes on a roll (when buying 10 or more yds) so no creases to iron out.

There are lots of little tricks and techniques that have been used successfully. Radius your corners. Jamb out your inside corners and anywhere that a slit or dart may be needed first, so that when your main piece of canvas goes down there are no uncovered areas. You can use bed sheet for the jambs and it will look less patchy this way, rather than trying to cover up after. Allow for the thickness of the canvas (sometimes multiple layers) at your hatch seal and door jambs; the pleated folds can add a bit of thickness, so be prepared for that.

Did I mention the white glue trick to avoid fraying at cut lines?

[5speedsoffury]

Today is a day off for me so I plan on doing some planning on sketchup!

I am still a little stumped on the whole trailer stretch thing. I am looking at stretching the trailer out 2 feet or very close.
Option 1:
I have thought long and hard about whether or not I should cut the side rails before the leaf spring mounts and stretch the trailer using one or two of the cross beams and then replace the utilized cross beam(s) with 2x4 studs.
Option 2:
The other idea I have had is to build a 5x2 structure from 2x4 studs and attach it to the rear of the trailer and then move the axle back by drilling 4 new holes in the bottom of the frame rail. I am not too concerned about the idea of moving the axle but as I am typing this I feel as if option 1 is a better choice.

For reference I plan to flip the hitch mount and run a 2x2x 3/16" square tube as a tongue and to sturdy up the A frame. Also I am pretty stuck on the idea of building a foamie or mostly foamie. I really want to have the rig max out some where just under or at 82" tall and 70" wide and 120" long. I am either going to use 2 inch foam or laminate two 3/4 panels and construct a 3/4 skeleton for strength.

Ok thats my thoughts for now! Off to Sketchup to get some plans down! As always please comment and leave feedback!

Thanks!

Jeremy