Results for a 18+K mile road trip

Anything to do with mechanical, construction etc

Results for a 18+K mile road trip

Postby wysedav » Sun Jun 06, 2021 10:38 am

I thought it might be useful if I posted about the condition of my teardrop after returning from an extended trip. It started out essentially new, only a few local overnights so there were a few things to discover on the road.
The trip involved several hundred miles of dirt road driving so it took some hard hits but handled them well overall.

Since my son was mostly going to be boondocking I needed to make a couple of upgrades to the electrical system. The major change was to add a DC/DC charger to recharge the battery while on the road. This worked great but the first night out he noticed the trailer lights were not on, at some point while installing the charger I removed the ground so none of the lights worked. I could have sworn I checked before he left, but I guess not. My son is not the most inclined so this worked out to be a 3 hour troubleshooting phone call. that was the only electrical problem he had for the entire trip.

The biggest problem experienced was wind blown rain while driving. I have a AC unit installed and the mist made it's way through the ac vent and dripped onto the bed. Also, some of the weather-stripping along the bottom of the doors failed and mist would make it through the cracks and onto the bed. Also I had a leak between my toolbox and the camper where the electrical passed through.

So here is what I found...

IMG_1722.jpg
I used a trailer jack that mounted in the V portion of the frame, it worked OK but required a lot of winding to get it up out of the way so it doesn't hit rocks when on bad trails. As you can see the jack is angled forward because of getting abused.
IMG_1722.jpg (119.76 KiB) Viewed 908 times

IMG_1723.jpg
The jack was fine the hitch mount actually took the damage (it bent a little)
IMG_1723.jpg (105.63 KiB) Viewed 908 times

IMG_1724.jpg
Minor casualty, one of the levelling bubbles died.
IMG_1724.jpg (85.16 KiB) Viewed 908 times
wysedav
Teardrop Advisor
 
Posts: 84
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2017 4:42 pm

Re: Results for a 18+K mile road trip

Postby wysedav » Sun Jun 06, 2021 10:42 am

IMG_1725.jpg
7pin connector jacket pulled out of connector.
IMG_1725.jpg (143.55 KiB) Viewed 902 times

IMG_1726.jpg
This ding was from when my son removed the tool box cover when fixing the electrical issues.
IMG_1726.jpg (55.41 KiB) Viewed 902 times

IMG_1728.jpg
I guess I slipped one Zinc screw in my SS box.
IMG_1728.jpg (53.76 KiB) Viewed 902 times
wysedav
Teardrop Advisor
 
Posts: 84
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2017 4:42 pm

Re: Results for a 18+K mile road trip

Postby wysedav » Sun Jun 06, 2021 10:47 am

IMG_1730.jpg
I made my own fenders from wood and fiberglass, they held up great however the Raptor liner was sand blasted off from driving too fast on the dirt roads.
IMG_1730.jpg (151.53 KiB) Viewed 900 times

IMG_1732.jpg
My doors are really heavy, this hinge is failing. I think it is the result of getting beat to death by potholes in the dirt roads.
IMG_1732.jpg (60.01 KiB) Viewed 900 times

IMG_1733.jpg
I had some minor cracking between the counter and the side walls in the kitchen area. Incidentally the aluminum back splash is great. It cleans up super easy with a scotch brite pad.
IMG_1733.jpg (87.37 KiB) Viewed 900 times
wysedav
Teardrop Advisor
 
Posts: 84
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2017 4:42 pm
Top

Re: Results for a 18+K mile road trip

Postby wysedav » Sun Jun 06, 2021 10:53 am

IMG_1734.jpg
I had some damage to the headliner in the hatch area, It was closed on some tall items that didn't quite fit.
IMG_1734.jpg (83.34 KiB) Viewed 898 times

IMG_1735.jpg
The headliner construction adhesive failed and I have a little separation from the spars.
IMG_1735.jpg (95.1 KiB) Viewed 898 times

IMG_1746.jpg
Some more road rash. Because my aluminum is clear coated it doesn't look too bad but I probably won't fix this. This is before cleaning, looks much better now.
IMG_1746.jpg (96.7 KiB) Viewed 898 times
wysedav
Teardrop Advisor
 
Posts: 84
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2017 4:42 pm
Top

Re: Results for a 18+K mile road trip

Postby wysedav » Sun Jun 06, 2021 10:55 am

Overall, I think for the amount of driving and time in the trailer it survived very well. He camped about 90 of the 120+ days he was on the road.
wysedav
Teardrop Advisor
 
Posts: 84
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2017 4:42 pm
Top

Re: Results for a 18+K mile road trip

Postby gudmund » Sun Jun 06, 2021 11:13 am

to solve your tongue jack hitting/bottoming out - check out the "Ultimate Tongue Jack" brand tongue jack = I like mine.... the crank up/down shaft is 'adjustable', it has 15 inches of crank adjustment and another 12 inches of being able to slide the shaft up/down in 2inch increments for you to decide a starting crank point along with being able to slide the whole shaft up after use for parking it up away from the road when traveling = No more bottoming out!! (also when parked and access is needed into the back of the tow vehicle, you may be able to drop the shaft down to the ground thus gaining room for the opening of your tailgate above it or in my case, dropping my PU tailgate down for more clearance.) It bolts/mounts right into the 3 bolt triangle set-up you have and has a 2000lb weight rating. E-trailer sells them or Tractor Supply carrys them in stock if you would interested in looking at one.(about the same $$ either place)
Last edited by gudmund on Mon Jun 07, 2021 12:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
gudmund
1000 Club
1000 Club
 
Posts: 1010
Images: 39
Joined: Wed Sep 04, 2013 3:58 pm
Location: Camano Island, WN
Top

Re: Results for a 18+K mile road trip

Postby tony.latham » Sun Jun 06, 2021 1:11 pm

I used a trailer jack that mounted in the V portion of the frame...


On my first build, I had a similar jack that I raised up about 3" using longer bolts and 3" pieces of pipe.

:thinking:

Tony
User avatar
tony.latham
Gold Donating Member
 
Posts: 7011
Images: 17
Joined: Mon Jul 08, 2013 4:03 pm
Location: Middle of Idaho on the edge of nowhere
Top

Re: Results for a 18+K mile road trip

Postby jlw » Mon Aug 16, 2021 6:13 pm

thanks for posting your experiences. To me the highest priority is the water (mist) ingress. The rest are just bumps and bruises. A commercially made trailer probably would not have fared ant better.

How do you plan to address the leaks?
jlw
Teardrop Inspector
 
Posts: 10
Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2014 3:59 am
Top


Return to Teardrop Construction Tips & Techniques

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests