Building a teardrop in Maine

[wdwalker]

Hello all,

I was given a utility trailer and wondering what to do with it... About the same time that we realized that sleeping on the ground sucks...

Spending the winter planning, drawing, collecting ideas, learning... By spring I hope to have the base finished and my wall template cut out and ready to go.

Right now the plan is to use a framed/insulated wall construction with plywood skins... we'll see if that's still the plan in the spring!

I'm an experienced woodworker - sheds, furniture, bookcases, old house restoration and I'm especially excited at having an excuse to purchase new and/or updated tools!

David

[dmdc411]

Welcome! Sounds like you're on the way. All kinds of possibilities, variations, you name it. There is no real right or wrong way. Just remember, to take your time, think through each step. Because it will affect another step down the line. Build light weight. Think airplane, not tank! I used 1 x 2's and 1/2" plywood exterior, 5mm luan interior and roof. Still over built!

[Xanthoman]

If a framed insulated wall system is extremely light weight, then this will be fine. My recommendation (as a custom home builder turned mechanical engineer) is to research sandwich composite structures and realize that the inner core need not be very thick. Also, the skins needn't be thick either. Think gypsum board; you can hold a twelve foot panel horizontal and the only thing keeping the tension load is a tiny sheet of paper! 1/8 ply is still overkill; but 1/16" is in the veneer category and is hard to obtain/ work with... just remember that everything is stronger when it is part of a whole; think integral design! Have fun!


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[AZ_Desert_Rat]

Hi David... Welcome to the Forum and to the world of tiny trailers...

There is quite a bit of info on this Forum in the threads and the Design References has a lot of info on the basic style, sizes, and dimensions... A search on Foamy can provide additional information on foam sandwich walls, doors, etc. ...

Good luck on both the design and build...

[wdwalker]

Thanks everyone for your kind welcomes and thoughts.

I totally agree - lightweight is best and I am quite familiar with torsion box construction. Also a RC model airplane builder. I'll be pulling with a small SUV so I'm going to keep the weight as minimal as possible.

Xanthoman - I'm sure the ME degree will come in handy as I'm plugging away... or it will make me get so deep into the design that I'll realize down the road that I never actually built anything! Danger of that background...

Started to prep the donated trailer today, taking measurements, and "building in my head". Fun!

[drgrumpus]

David, have fun with the conceptual design phase. I remember going through that 3 years ago when I built my 5X10. I even built a scale model for my wife's approval. She sent me back to the "drawing board" to achieve a more curvaceous look. I don't think weight is as important as frontal area. My 5X10 is 5 feet high(plus ground clearance) and weighs 1100lb. It tows ok behind my Honda Fit until I get a headwind. Then the tow vehicle struggles to keep up to 65mph. On the Blue Ridge Parkway with lots of climbs, the weight is no problem for the Fit. On I81, with some quartering headwind, the gas mileage drops from 34mpg to 23mpg.

Mike

[AZ_Desert_Rat]

David, have fun with the conceptual design phase. I remember going through that 3 years ago when I built my 5X10. I even built a scale model for my wife's approval. She sent me back to the "drawing board" to achieve a more curvaceous look. I don't think weight is as important as frontal area. My 5X10 is 5 feet high(plus ground clearance) and weighs 1100lb. It tows ok behind my Honda Fit until I get a headwind. Then the tow vehicle struggles to keep up to 65mph. On the Blue Ridge Parkway with lots of climbs, the weight is no problem for the Fit. On I81, with some quartering headwind, the gas mileage drops from 34mpg to 23mpg.
Mike

Hi Mike,
I started calling 60 mph the magic number...
I have towed several trailers back and forth from Phoenix, AZ to Zimmerman, MN (About an hour north and west of Minneapolis. As an average vehicle increases speed above 55 mph, one can watch the fuel mileage start to drop dramatically as speed increases above 60 mph (That's why the Gov set the speed limit at 55 back in the 70's). Anyway, my 6-1/2' box height cargo conversion stood some 30" taller than my old K-5 Blazer outfitted with 33" tires and when driving down the road, when I reached 60-65 mph, I thought someone put the brakes on!!! I made one round trip and when I got back to AZ, I installed a wind deflector and increased my mileage by a solid 3 mpg...

You mentioned trailer height and I am assuming that the trailer stands taller than your TV... If the trailer is within 6' of the back of the TV, a wind deflector on the roof of you TV may help you Take a look at the picd in my gallery... You will notice that I transferred the same wing to my Silverado when I started it to pull both the Cargo Conversion and the FunFinder... And even though the the trailer sets back further than the recommended 6' max, I still get 3 mpg improvement with the wing...
But the mileage goes into the mud above 65... Pulling the 5,000 - 6,000 lb, FunFinder without the wing at 65 mph, I get an average of 7 mpg and with the wing, I get 10-12 mpg... And without the trailer, at 65, I'll get 17-20 mpg... but 10-12 is better than 7... Check it out, I have seen several pick-ups and smaller TV's with a deflector and all say, if they adjust the wing correctly, their mileage is improved...

Oops, I for got to add the graph... It's there now...

[AZ_Desert_Rat]

Thanks everyone for your kind welcomes and thoughts.

I totally agree - lightweight is best and I am quite familiar with torsion box construction. Also a RC model airplane builder. I'll be pulling with a small SUV so I'm going to keep the weight as minimal as possible.

Xanthoman - I'm sure the ME degree will come in handy as I'm plugging away... or it will make me get so deep into the design that I'll realize down the road that I never actually built anything! Danger of that background...

Started to prep the donated trailer today, taking measurements, and "building in my head". Fun!

Check out the post I made to Mike on a deflector and trailer height above TV...


BTW, the ME will help you and I don't think it will make you over-calculate, if anything, it should help you build lighter and safer; because now, you know what needs more strength, what doesn't, and what needs to be looked at a little closer...


Good luck and we hope to see pics of your project take place...