The Tiny Tillson Teardrop Trailer (T4)

[BLTillson]

Greetings and salutations to you all. My wife and I have done it. With only a couple of months of watching countless DIY teardrop trailer videos and reading and scheming, we have embarked on this journey of building our own tiny teardrop trailer.

The "jumping off the cliff" as we called it happened today when I purchased a used, custom built trailer. The trailer was originally a toy/motorcycle hauler. 6' x 9 1/2' with 15" wheels. I will have to redraw my plans that were for a 5' x 8' but that's some of the fun, right! It has taken me several weeks to locate a trailer to use. I considered the infamous Northern Tool (Ironton) trailer but could not bring myself to go with those 12" wheels and don't really like to buy Chinese made anything.

So, here we go. Lot's of work ahead. Here's to the journey.

[BLTillson]

Got right to work on stripping down the trailer. Gave a tour to my wife and talked about design changes. Even received design support from a neighbor who is going to teach me how to weld.

Stripping the trailer down.

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Neighborly advice!

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Wife inspection and photo op!

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[Bezoar]

That looks like a great frame to build on. Much better to scale up your design in size rather than down!

[BLTillson]

Indeed! We are super happy to get the extra foot in width, especially for the galley. Also having it come with a tongue box and a spare was a gift. I am going to need to focus more on weight conservation now that it's bigger. I just spent the afternoon stripping all the aluminum off of it and dimensioning if for SketchUp.

Down to the frame!

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[BLTillson]

Still working on learning how to use Sketch Up while designing a trailer. So many skills to learn!

I may put this in a separate thread but I thought I would put it here to start. I am trying to figure out the best design for where the walls meet the floor meet the trailer. I am wanting to cover the trailer edges because I enjoy the clean look. I am also trying to come up with something that goes together pretty easy and is not a nightmare to get to fit perfect ( or close to perfect). Check out the image and let me know any pros and cons for this method. The 1/4 skirt of the outer skin of the plywood will cover the trailer. Oh, I'm also pretty set on PMS for the outer sealing layer.

Any constructive input would be appreciated.

Mock up wall meets floor meets trailer.

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[MickinOz]

What is the distance between the wheels? i.e. how wide a mattress will fit between them?

[BLTillson]

Thanks for answering MickinOz, Here is a picture with the bed in place. It's a queen mattress cut down at the head. We are putting the head of the bed between the wheels.

T4 Bed Width Example.png (582.81 KiB) Viewed 4028 times

[Capebuild]

I am trying to figure out the best design for where the walls meet the floor meet the trailer.

While planning for my build I found this image helpful... in case you haven't already seen it. (click on image to get it to be full size)

John

[BLTillson]

Thank you John,

I think I'm pretty sold on the rabbit joint. My only concern has been that I'm only using 1/4" plywood on my outer wall. I will need to make sure the 2" skirt that covers the trailer frame is secured and protected.

[tony.latham]

This is the way I do my wall/floor joint:



Both floor surfaces are coated with PL3. The first line of screws goes along horizontally along the side of the floor. The second line of screws are pocket screws as shown for the inside.

It makes for easy installation.





Tony

[BLTillson]

Thanks Tony. I think I have a good solid idea of how to do this now.

Now, Where did I put that saw!

[BLTillson]

In order to keep a great journal for those who will come after me, I present the following:

I have been making leaps and bounds in SketchUp which is helping my ability to plot, plan and design. Here is results of today's efforts. Shown: Water tank, bedding cubby and the ever-important guitar storage!

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[BLTillson]

Still making slow progress. Had to learn to weld so that I could make changes to the trailer to accommodate our design. Started buying plywood and continue my search for the 3/4 insulation needed for the wall spaces. Seems the planet has run out of Owens Corning insulation, (at least the west coast) Here are a few update pictures.

This is from our recent work on the galley.

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This is where the water tank will go. Future upgrade.

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Trailer almost ready to start building on.

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[BLTillson]

Still working on the drawing and designing parts to come later in the project. I have found that so many parts tie together that it's difficult to proceed until the plans are complete. I know that in many cases the plans will only be a guide and not the absolute gospel truth as to how things fit together. So we press forward.

I am 6'-5" so having a galley hatch that I can stand under is critical.

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[BLTillson]

A couple of progress notes:

After wrestling with the trailer for what seems like many long weeks, oh, wait, it was many long weeks! I have finally started working with wood. Oddly enough, The place I needed to start was with the fenders since several parts all intersect in with the fenders as a central connection. Not for structural support but for angles, construction method and for sealing the trailer. Also, the plans are almost complete. I have redrawn the walls (for the 4th time) and have reworked the doors and added windows and utility doors. I will now finally be able to begin working on the floor.

SketchUp drawing with final wall, doors and windows.

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The first fender comes out of the form. I used 3/4" sanded plywood and kerf bending to get the shape.

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Here is the kerf bending calculator I used: https://www.blocklayer.com/kerf-spacingeng.aspx