Build or Buy Chassis Frame

[tony.latham]

John:

By the way, if I were to build another one, I'd weld jack mounts on both sides of the frame behind the fenders in case I ever needed to jack it up. Of course, it would only work while hitched.



https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Dutton-Lainson/DL22670.html

Just a thought.

Tony

[swoody126]

h,D, lotta information to be gleaned from your pics

your gusseting appears to be well dunn/positioned ;-)

the tabs w/ predrilled holes make a whole lotta sense

the scissor jack bases

the battery boxes open to the rear(metal protecting the front)

WELL THUNK OUT

sw

[swoody126]

t.l, positioning screw tongue jacks behind the wheels could also negate the need for scissor/stab jacks

and based on personal experience you don't need to be hooked to the TV to lift a wheel assly off the ground

in fact you can raise the whole dern trailer on 3-1k# tongue jacks

if the 2-rear jacks have the option for foot pad or wheel you can raise the trailer and slowly push it sideways in the garage when storing

this negates the knead for a separate trailer jack when changing flats to unflats(spares)

i do like the round pipe weld on jack mounts

sw

[tony.latham]

and based on personal experience you don't need to be hooked to the TV to lift a wheel assly off the ground

Well... my intent for the additional swivel pipes is because you could use the tongue jack to raise the tire off the ground for a flat. So there wouldn't be anything under the tongue if it wasn't hitched.

positioning screw tongue jacks behind the wheels could also negate the need for scissor/stab jacks

I had leveling jacks on my first teardrop. I used them twice. I'm not sure why a lot of folks find them necessary. It could be that short (8' long) trailers don't have the tripod-like stability that a 10" frame has. It could be that spring axles bounce more. And it might be that the HF trailers have the axle too far forward. It's a mystery.

But we don't find that they are needed.



Tony

[Capebuild]

Thanks for your post, HalfDomeDanny. Beautiful trailer! I went to your webpage of your trailer's photos. Really nice.

I had a question about some of the weld-ons. I attached a screen shot with red arrows pointing to them. Not sure what they are for and asking if you can tell me what their purpose is. Thanks!

Also, the method you've welded your frame with the tongue in-line (on the same plane) as the other members.... I wonder if that provides the same strength as having the 3 tongue members
welded under the frame, as I've seen in most other trailers. I was just asking for your thoughts on that. In my mind it looks like it puts more stresses on those welds where the tongue members are welded.
I really don't know, so I'm asking what your thought process was in choosing to do it that way. Again, Thanks!

John

[Ottsville]

Also, the method you've welded your frame with the tongue in-line (on the same plane) as the other members.... I wonder if that provides the same strength as having the 3 tongue members
welded under the frame, as I've seen in most other trailers.
John

His frame is plenty strong enough for a trailer with a fixed load on it and a light one at that. Tongues running underneath trailer members are a good idea for situations like trailers where you load and unload a trailer from the rear- think atv's etc - and create a levering force on the tongue. Remember, many people are not engineers or want to spend the time or money to figure out where forces act on their trailers(or any build) and just go with "more is better" thus overbuilding.

[tony.latham]

and have made the last 5 in my own shop.

Danny:

There you go, setting your high-craftsman bar again.

Is the chassis hot-dipped galvanized?

Tony

[Capebuild]

Thanks for your comment, Ottsville. I keep looking at Danny's frame and it does look good and strong, especially with the welded in supports.

I suppose this brings up another topic (for me, at least). I'm assuming your trailer should ride level, as much as possible. If the hitch on my car is at a certain height off the ground, how does one go about making sure the receiver will sit on the ball, keeping the trailer level? I thought about this when thinking about an inline receiver (as on Danny's build) and how that makes a 2 inch difference if the receiver is placed under the frame (if using 2 inch stock).... and then considering tire size. Maybe I'm starting to overthink this. I guess the question is ....how important is it that your trailer ride level?

Thanks
John

[tony.latham]

I'm assuming your trailer should ride level, as much as possible.

It's just a matter of getting the right height of ball-mount for your tow vehicle.





Tony

[Capebuild]

Thanks, Tony. Just looked up "how to determine hitch drop". https://www.curtmfg.com/towing-accessor ... learn-more.

Getting quite an education here. I can see planning and drawing up plans will probably take more time than actually building the trailer.

John

[swoody126]

Thanks, Tony. Just looked up "how to determine hitch drop". https://www.curtmfg.com/towing-accessor ... learn-more.

Getting quite an education here. I can see planning and drawing up plans will probably take more time than actually building the trailer.

John

PPPPP

sw

[halfdome, Danny]

Thanks for your post, HalfDomeDanny. Beautiful trailer! I went to your webpage of your trailer's photos. Really nice.

I had a question about some of the weld-ons. I attached a screen shot with red arrows pointing to them. Not sure what they are for and asking if you can tell me what their purpose is. Thanks!

Also, the method you've welded your frame with the tongue in-line (on the same plane) as the other members.... I wonder if that provides the same strength as having the 3 tongue members
welded under the frame, as I've seen in most other trailers. I was just asking for your thoughts on that. In my mind it looks like it puts more stresses on those welds where the tongue members are welded.
I really don't know, so I'm asking what your thought process was in choosing to do it that way. Again, Thanks!

John

Hi John, thanks for the kudos, Picturetrail is closing down sometime this month so my albums will disappear.

The 2 weld on attachments on the front of the tongue are some of the attachment points for my rock guard.
The 2 "D" rings are to attach a bungie chord to hold my lantern shepherds hook or if someone wanted to tie up a pet.
The pipes on the 4' hitch receiver are there to protect my tongue pin lock from being tampered with, my tongue extends with a 2" x 2" x24" piece of tubing.

When I was in the process of designing my first teardrop back in 2005 Grant Whipp was quite the respected expert in the teardrop community.
When we visited his shop he had made over 35 teardrops at the time.
I have a friend near by who made something like 47 teardrops and his tongues are in line with the rest of the chassis.
My profile is his Lil Bear profile, a modified Benroy.
I gleaned my chassis information from him and others at the time and the tongue under the chassis just didn't look like something I'd be comfortable with.

The first 3 mounting tabs are for mounting the tongue box, the second (3) tabs are for mounting the floor.
The grade 8, 3/8" bolt in the very front is a second removable tongue attachment point that removes any tongue rattle.
My floor extends about 18" past the first cross member with 9 attachment points.
I'm sure both tongue orientations are safe, just a personal preference.
Danny

[halfdome, Danny]

and have made the last 5 in my own shop.

Danny:

There you go, setting your high-craftsman bar again.

Is the chassis hot-dipped galvanized?

Tony

Thanks Tony.
All that is is rustoleum rattle can hammered silver paint.
Danny

[swoody126]

in my casual perusement of this forum i am surprised to not have seen(doesn't mean they weren't there... i just missed 'em if they were) flag pole mounts/brackets on tongues

Tony, i thought your rock shield mounts might have been a couple ;-)

sw

[tony.latham]

Tony, i thought your rock shield mounts might have been a couple ;-)

Do you mean this rock shield?



Tony