Flat Back, Square back ,Design

[ibbowhunting]

I was planning on using a benroy type rear hatch but the more i think about it I'm thinking a flat back, or nearly flat back, may fit my uses better, got any rear pictures of your flat back camper door setups

[jondbar628]

Are you talking an angled rear hatch which is straight-line rather than curved, (which is what I assume), or are you talking a square-back vertical flat hatch?..jd

[hospadar]

Put a flat back with a hatch on my trailer:

closed:
https://luxurylandyacht.files.wordpress ... nt_id1.jpg

open:
https://luxurylandyacht.files.wordpress ... nt_id1.jpg
when open, it's just about tall enough to act as an awning, provides some nice shade. The gas lifters hold it up so there's no separate prop needed to hold it open.

pic of it open in yellowstone:
https://luxurylandyacht.files.wordpress ... .jpg?w=640
Our trailer is set up kitchen-in-front, so the back door is mostly for access to luggage and just for a shady place to sit for a roadside lunch.

[ibbowhunting]

cool design

[greygoos]

Put a flat back with a hatch on my trailer:

closed:
https://luxurylandyacht.files.wordpress ... nt_id1.jpg

open:
https://luxurylandyacht.files.wordpress ... nt_id1.jpg
when open, it's just about tall enough to act as an awning, provides some nice shade. The gas lifters hold it up so there's no separate prop needed to hold it open.

pic of it open in yellowstone:
https://luxurylandyacht.files.wordpress ... .jpg?w=640
Our trailer is set up kitchen-in-front, so the back door is mostly for access to luggage and just for a shady place to sit for a roadside lunch.

Do you have a build log anywhere?

[ibbowhunting]

i started on it long ago built the trailer, built the floor, and its been sitting for over a year untouched, trying to get started on it again, no excuses just not dedicating my free time to it, i start a build journal back then but keep changing my design

[Andrew Herrick]

*Shameless self promotion here ...

Check out my following photo album for my "squareback" teardrop build.

URL: https://www.facebook.com/pg/boondockcam ... 1287483125

And here's one I did of a hybrid flat back/fast back.

URL: https://www.facebook.com/pg/boondockcam ... 3776401545

I think both profiles have a lot of potential.

[b.bodemer]

Mine worked out nice.....rounded front, square back.

http://asimplerimple.blogspot.com/

Barb

[working on it]

How to start a simple TTT build, and how to veer off to complexity
• I built a "simple", squareback, square front, totally angular TTT...with no bends, or curves to worry about springing-back, just straight cuts. The idea behind building it was to make it simple, because of my having no previous experience with detailed woodwork, and few woodworking tools. And to make it with heavy-duty hardware, and thick wood for security and strength, and parts readily obtainable from anyone (no major replacement worries, down the road). No insulation (I figured that it wasn't really necessary in Texas), and exposed wiring and hardware inside (for easy access). And, being a life-long shadetree mechanic and tinkerer, I wanted to be able to use the tools I had familiarity with, and basically just be able to bolt it together, using steel bracketry (mostly Simpson Strongties stuff, that I had used for many years, on home projects). KISS- keep it simple and STRONG ! It started out with simple wood cuts, then bolts, brackets, and PL adhesive; later on, came the experimenting, and "special" add-ons, that made it not so simple a TTT.
• I only had to miter two cuts, on my front slope, and I used a router to cut door frame pieces (could've used layered thinner oak pieces, to do the same recessed frame, but my friend had a new router that he wanted to try out), otherwise I could've built the whole thing with just my circular saw, table saw, and a RotoZip (in lieu of my useless jigsaw). I over-complicated my "simple" build, though, and it grew and grew more-so, until it weighed 2k lbs, probably the only 4x8 in that weight range.
• Though totally square-ish, some seemingly non-aerodynamic features were tweaked to reduce drag, without rounding, or bending any wood. I angled the front slope at 45 degrees, to get max airflow over the top, and left the bottom-front square, because the airflow is lessened behind the TV (following closely, with an a v-shaped tongue box redirecting airflow to the sides, on a short 44" tongue).The sides have nothing sticking out past2 inches, to smooth the flow (except for the wheels and fenders), and the roof has a flexible gap seal (over the roof-to-hatch opening) that serves as an airfoil, to diminish drag at the rear (a little; at least it keeps the hatch surface clean). Aero doesn't matter much, anyway, when towed by my 3/4+ ton pickup...it gets the same mpg with or without the trailer!But, I designed it to follow my small HHR, which would've needed the aerodynamic drag reduction; however, the TTT grew too heavy, for the HHR's 1k lb tow rating.

• 

  top deck airfoil.JPG (110.17 KiB) Viewed 2363 times

• I constructed it out of pre-sanded 3/4" plywood, formed with phenolic resin between the plys, and further weatherproofed with 4-6 coats of poly, the "mix", and outdoor tractor & silo paints. All seams were joined with PL adhesive, inside and out. Windows were sealed with the more-flexible OSI Quad, though. Steel brackets and stainless carriage bolts hold the box together, with Spax screws also attaching trim & beefed -up doorframe and shelving components. Tek screws (38 of them) were used to secure the floor to frame (also 8 carriage bolts), with spray-on automotive undercoating (sprayed on after assembly). Anywhere that I could add an extra-strong fastener or adhesive, I would...overkill. For instance >>> my roof is 3/4" plywood, laid directly on top of the 3/4" walls (no spars, not needed), joined with eight? angle braces, and two heavy steel corner braces (and a dozen carriage bolts, and heavily glued with PL). I have gone on top of it many times, and there is no sag at all, even after 6.5 years!
• I used heavy-duty hinges on doors and hatch, using 3, not 2, on each, where 2 would've been more than good enough. Doubled the number of locks needed, and sometimes used security bolts instead of screws, for extra strength/security (I started out building it for my wife to use solo, but kept adding extra, even after it became my trailer. alone). Added thicker inner framing for doors, windows, and shelves than was needed, and added an onboard (inside the galley) generator w/extended run fuel tank, and an A/C with inside-the-galley ducting (just to be able to run it at night with the hatch closed). I was still able to cram Coleman stove and lantern, a second fire extinguisher (needed with the fuel tank & genny there), Aquatainer water dispenser, and a large ice chest within the galley ( only 28 cubic feet). All the above made my "simple" build very complicated. Kids-Don't try this at home!