Off-road Teardrop Design/Build

[Dirtclod]

The latches are at McMaster-Carr. https://www.mcmaster.com/#draw-latches/=18uodss

If that link doesn't work, search on their website under draw latches for adjustable padlockable, or something like that. I'm really pleased with them. I should have ordered a 3rd one for the tongue box lid.

Thanks for the link. Man do they have lots of latches !!

Would you be so kind as to take a picture of yours and post it up? Its hard to tell from the photos which one you have.

My new TD "may not" be at Harrison Bay. All depends on if I get it done in time. Only a month left to get it campable.

[kokomoto]

The latches are at McMaster-Carr. https://www.mcmaster.com/#draw-latches/=18uodss

If that link doesn't work, search on their website under draw latches for adjustable padlockable, or something like that. I'm really pleased with them. I should have ordered a 3rd one for the tongue box lid.

Thanks for the link. Man do they have lots of latches !!

Would you be so kind as to take a picture of yours and post it up? Its hard to tell from the photos which one you have.

My new TD "may not" be at Harrison Bay. All depends on if I get it done in time. Only a month left to get it campable.

Here's a picture of Tony's. I have the same latch, but no pictures yet.

Stainless Draw latch

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1807A62 is the McMaster part number

[kokomoto]

Chipping away at the final touches on the TD. I found some black dye for epoxy in the model section of hobby lobby. I used to make some black RAKA epoxy for the door opening. I figure it will hide dirt and stains as well as seal the wood from any water that might get past the outer door seal.

The Morningstar Sunsaver 10A charge controller just arrived. I'll be installing it later this week.

I came up a little short on my aluminum trim order, and had to order a couple more pieces of edge trim to finish out the door opening. The gas springs for the hatch that I ordered from the local Napa store required a 13mm ball mount which they didn't stock so I ordered those on eBay. Have to figure out the best way to install them without drilling too many unnecessary holes in my galley. The gas springs are 28" long and rated at 100 lbs each.

I was looking up the best way to polish all the stains off the aluminum without "polishing" away the mill finish. I stumbled upon some stuff called Walbernize, and ordered a bottle of that. Apparently the folks at Camp Inn use it with great success.

I also wanted a couple of storage boxes to keep all of the camper supplies in one place, permanently, and ready to go. I found a product called Wolf Pack storage boxes at Front Runner outfitters. They are stackable, weather resistant, stout enough to stand on, and not expensive. I figure they could also do double duty as steps or tables when needed. I picked up a smaller version called the Cub Pack that will fit well in the galley. The 2 bigger ones will fit nicely in the back of the Jeep.

We decided that an awning permanently attached to the TD that could be set up quickly would be a good investment in camping comfort. So I'm installing a Thule roof rack system to secure the awning to. I didn't want to put any additional holes in the roof, so I bought a set of feet that will install on the stainless steel mounting bracket sold by SoCal that mount to the top of the side walls. ARB makes a nice awning in 6.5' x 8' that has optional walls, wind breaks/shades, or a fully enclosed room with screen windows. I'm really not thrilled to put a roof rack on the TD, but the advantages of having an easy to setup awning that is always there, is a good thing. Besides, it will make Mrs Kokomoto very happy.

[kokomoto]

I mounted the gas springs tonight with some help from Mrs Kokomoto. The hatch opens on it's own. In fact, I have to hold it down and secure the latches to keep it closed. Not exactly what I was hoping for. I tried to come up with a way to mount it over-center so that the springs would hold it closed, but couldn't get the geometry right without causing some other problem. It doesn't take much force to hold it closed with one hand while securing the draw latch with the other. We'll go with that for now.

You'll notice a couple of extra holes in the starboard side of the hatch in the gusset. That was accomplished by carefully and painstakingly measuring, plotting, and marking all the necessary lines and arcs required to properly install gas springs on a teardrop galley hatch. Countless hours of studying this forum and devising the best plan to proceed preceded all of this effort. I then proceeded to place the bracket on the wrong green Sharpie mark, and drill two holes in the wrong location before detecting my grave error. Not an easy thing to do.

Add plugging two holes on the hatch gusset to my project completion checklist.

Starboard hatch

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Port hatch

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[working on it]

I mounted the gas springs tonight with some help from Mrs Kokomoto. The hatch opens on it's own. In fact, I have to hold it down and secure the latches to keep it closed. Not exactly what I was hoping for. I tried to come up with a way to mount it over-center so that the springs would hold it closed, but couldn't get the geometry right without causing some other problem. It doesn't take much force to hold it closed with one hand while securing the draw latch with the other. We'll go with that for now.

You'll notice a couple of extra holes in the starboard side of the hatch in the gusset. That was accomplished by carefully and painstakingly measuring, plotting, and marking all the necessary lines and arcs required to properly install gas springs on a teardrop galley hatch. Countless hours of studying this forum and devising the best plan to proceed preceded all of this effort. I then proceeded to place the bracket on the wrong green Sharpie mark, and drill two holes in the wrong location before detecting my grave error. Not an easy thing to do.

Add plugging two holes on the hatch gusset to my project completion checklist.

....

• You're not the first to have drilled a hole or two in the wrong place for your hatch lifting device, nor the last to do so. Though my hatch hangs straight down, a simple flat piece of 3/4" plywood, I had the same experience with my gas spring install (though without the help of the Mrs). Despite my best calculations, my first attempt didn't achieve the results I wanted, which was just a "assisted opening" hatch. I wanted mine to "open on its' own", whereupon I could easily raise it up to facilitate mounting the support rods at a chosen height, but without straining to hold all the weight overhead for long, as I retrieved, inserted, and locked-in-place the supports on both sides (I have a bad shoulder...can't lift over my head for long).
• The first attempt lifted the hatch, but wouldn't let me close it fully, nor did it close using a different bracket; so, I had to drill a second hole in the hatch (I use a single, slightly off-center gas spring), and that worked perfectly.

  from a previous thread...I proceeded (with great trepidation) to drill the mounting holes in the hatch (I had already mounted the shelf bracket, in the optimal position, as the only spot Plan 2 would work at!). After raising the hatch up to the stars (it seemed), I finally snapped the spring onto its mounts, and slowly started to close it. It closed with moderate hand force, as expected, until it was about 30% open. Wouldn't close any further. I figured that was due to using the curved bracket, that bent from the force of the spring (I thought the curved bracket would enable me to gain more lift/angle, but it wasn't to be).Then I used the standard ball mount, in the same spot I had tried to use the curved; better, but only closing to 15% open. Did a frantic re-calculation (wow, did I screw this one up?) with my smartphone calculator, thinking that I needed to move the hatch bracket to my originally calculated spot, but using my latest set of measurements. I calculated 7.625 inches from the hinge. Angrily, fearfully, drilled the second set of holes (dadgum it!), and barely missing disabling my high-mounted tail light system, I bolted on the standard -heavy duty- bracket. Snapped the gas spring in place again, and voila!, success.

• Except, I had to seal the first hole (using PL Premium), and disguise my mistake. I used a "no trespassing" sign to cover the inside hole (visible when the hatch is locked-in the raised position), and reflective tape covering the outside proof of error. The signage is compatible with other "humorous" signage around the trailer, and the reflective tape goes with the reflective "conspicuity" theme at the rear of the trailer.
• no trespassing sign seen under raised hatch
• interocitor (generator) sign; seen hanging on genny in first pic
• my first sign, "air raid shelter", as seen on trailer front

[tony.latham]

hat was accomplished by carefully and painstakingly measuring, plotting, and marking all the

Anybody that didn't get a headache from figuring gas springs is probably lying. But they sure beat a stick.

Tony

[kokomoto]

....

[list][*]You're not the first to have drilled a hole or two in the wrong place for your hatch lifting device, nor the last to do so[/quote]


Sounds like I'm in good company.

I really like the air raid shelter sign!

[kokomoto]

hat was accomplished by carefully and painstakingly measuring, plotting, and marking all the

Anybody that didn't get a headache from figuring gas springs is probably lying. But they sure beat a stick.

Tony

That's for sure. I'm happy to retire the stick, and my head feels much better. The extra holes do make the TD a little lighter.

[kokomoto]

I finally decided on some weatherstripping for the doors and hatch.

Wxstripping

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Door seals

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Hatch seal

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[kokomoto]

Been chipping away at the tongue box. It's turned out to be a more challenging project than I had anticipated. I'm not thrilled with how it's turned out. I may build a whole new one of the winter.

I did get the charge controller, battery disconnect, and main fuse all wired up. Still have to make a connector for the exterior of the box to coo next to the solar panel without opening the box.

The tongue box

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I designed it to fit a Weber grill and charcoal along with the battery.

TB wiring

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TB

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[kokomoto]

It started raining one day while working on the TD, and my wife informed me that the raining was getting into the galley. We pushed it into the garage, and started looking for the leak. It turned out that the rain was falling down the hatch, and penetrating through the hurricane hinge through the back. I remembered reading about this on the forum, and knew that some weatherstripping on the back of the hatch should be the solution. I had some extra laying around, so I stuck it on the rear of the hinge. I haven't tested it yet, but hope it stops the leak.

Hatch seal closed

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Hatch seal open

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[lrrowe]

What do you not like about your tongue box? Building one is on my list to do for my CT. I would like to consider moving my batteries from inside the trailer to the tongue. I must first find out what my tongue weight is to see if I can afford moving that much weight forward. I have two 6 volt golf cart batteries. But regardless, I want a storage box upfront.

Oh, by the way, your current box looks great.

[kokomoto]

What do you not like about your tongue box? Building one is on my list to do for my CT. I would like to consider moving my batteries from inside the trailer to the tongue. I must first find out what my tongue weight is to see if I can afford moving that much weight forward. I have two 6 volt golf cart batteries. But regardless, I want a storage box upfront.

Oh, by the way, your current box looks great.

Thanks, just don't look too closely. There's a reason I didn't take any close up shots yet. Just to clarify, I think a tongue box is a very useful addition to my TD. I simply am not satisfied with the workmanship that I put into mine. I'm most frustrated with the lid. I tried using T molding thinking it would help to keep the elements out of the box. The radius at the back of the lid cutout is too small, and I couldn't get the trim to bend that tight without disfiguring it. I've learned some things from building this one though.

My tongue weight was 175 lbs before installing the battery and galley hatch. I haven't weighed it recently, but it's safe to say it's over 200 lbs with the addition of a Group 27 battery. It could be as much as 250 lbs. When I hook it up to my Jeep, it squats more than I would like, but it tows and rides fine. I intend to replace the Jeep leaf springs with a stiffer set that were installed with a factory tow package to improve the ride.

[kokomoto]

What do you not like about your tongue box? Building one is on my list to do for my CT. I would like to consider moving my batteries from inside the trailer to the tongue. I must first find out what my tongue weight is to see if I can afford moving that much weight forward. I have two 6 volt golf cart batteries. But regardless, I want a storage box upfront.

Oh, by the way, your current box looks great.

BTW, I just made a reservation at a campground somewhere NE of Damascus, VA this Fall. I'll be doing a section hike on the AT.

[kokomoto]

We spent 3 1/2 nights in our teardrop.

We towed it to our friend's airfield in Indiana for the holiday weekend. The TD towed nicely behind the Jeep. Straight as an arrow she pulled. The springs are a little too stiff for my liking, but removing one of the leafs should tune them up nicely. The mattress was very comfortable. The fan worked great once we figured out that at least one window has to be opened to get any airflow. The teardrop received a 5 Star Rating from Mrs Kokomoto.

I should have built one of these years ago!

I also installed the GT Power monitor over the weekend, and hooked up a 30ish watt solar panel to it. It charged slower than I thought it would, so The new plan is to buy two 40w panels. I have ordered all of the components for the roof rack. I will be ordering an ARB awning with a tent attachment later this week. I will be putting draw slides in the galley for the cooler.

IMPORTANT LESSON LEARNED - We woke up Saturday morning and couldn't find the keys to the Jeep. Mrs. Kokomoto thought she might have left them lock in the back the night before, and I had left my spare in the console (so as not to lose it ) So I went into the hangar and found a hanger to pop the lock on my Jeep. Haven't had to do that in years, but found the magic spot and got it unlocked. We later found the key under the foot of the mattress in the cabin. So I'll add some kind of key hook thing to the cabin, a spare key hidden somewhere on the Jeep, and hide another one somewhere on the teardrop. They're easier to hide than hangers in hangars. Overkill you say? Yep! Absolutely!

I even got to fly a few laps around the farm in the Luscombe! What a fine weekend.

At Indian Hills Flying Field

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Cold morning at Glenndale

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Glenndale Airport

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