Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

by **swoody126** » Wed Mar 02, 2022 7:29 am

plastique tool boxes and UV are not friends

the plastique gets wonky before too long

just an observation

sw

by **working on it** » Wed Mar 02, 2022 9:26 am

Gulfcoast wrote:If you were going to buy a new tongue box.... where would you buy it? Aluminum or plastic? Thanks

* Since my trailer is only 4' wide (122cm), I shopped for a smaller, narrower tongue box than most at 29 inches wide (73cm), but still aluminum and triangular. I bought mine from Amazon in 2014? and it's been very durable, despite the thin gauge. No dents, nor problems with it. Here's a similar box, chosen because it's shipped from Amazon, and already in country.

: Amazon tongue box.JPG (102.88 KiB) Viewed 398 times

by **Gulfcoast** » Wed Mar 02, 2022 6:02 pm

Nice box... I will order one but I have to extend my short trailer tongue first. Can't believe any company would build a new cargo trailer with just a 2' tongue. How long is your trailer tongue from the body to the hitch ball? Thanks

by **swoody126** » Wed Mar 02, 2022 6:21 pm

unobstructed tongue length on all trailers i've built has exceeded 1/2 the width of my widest tow vehicle

that way if i jackknife the trailer i don't hit either the trailer or vehicle body with the other

and for trailers expect to be towed by the Pick up the tongue is long enuff that i can lower the tailgate w/o hitting the tongue jack when it is in the vertical position

SO ,,, only you can provide the answer after you measure the width of YOUR TV

sw

by **working on it** » Thu Mar 03, 2022 11:08 am

Gulfcoast wrote:... How long is your trailer tongue from the body to the hitch ball?

* 47.25" I made my trailer frame a total length of 12' (144") so I could store it in a single bay of my garage. There is a workbench and shelves behind it, after it is backed-in (that area is now covered with junk & spare parts, so not as usable back when I planned the trailer), with room in-between to walk around and also open the hatch.

* I actually wanted an extra 2 feet of tongue length, but I would've needed to clear space in the bay, weld A-frame supports onto the single-beam tongue (it's 3" square tube, .188 wall thickness, connected to three crossmembers). As-is, the tongue uses lightweight slotted angle stock (duobled-up) as an A-frame-like stabilizing support for the sliding platform the tongue box rests upon. The angle stock is just bolted on, not structural, and is marked as "no step" to keep people from stepping-on and breaking them.

* My tongue box is very similar to the one I suggested, perhaps identical. I bolted it to the 3/4" waterproofed plywood platform using 3/8" bolts thru to the sliders. The sliders themselves are mounted to the single-beam tongue using treated lumber attached to the slotted angle stock; there are wheels that slide over the wooden "outriggers", while the main weight is supprted on the tongue beam. When locked in place (using a hasp), there is very little play, and the box is stable during road travel.

* Since my 4x8 trailer is so heavy for its' size, and difficult for me to move into my garage (downhill, backwards, after a 90 degree turn, on sand & gravel), I use a combination of two jacks, to make the transition from facing one direction to the other, so I can push the trailer inside the garage, using my front hitch. Takes me about ten minutes, but it used to take three people even longer to lift, turn, drag, & guide the trailer by hand. I just barely had enough tongue length in front of the box to attach both jacks.

: tongue box on slider details.jpg (325.74 KiB) Viewed 331 times

by **Gulfcoast** » Thu Mar 03, 2022 11:38 am

I'm going to start with 5 ft for the tongue and see how that looks. I can cut it down some if I need too.

by **MickinOz** » Thu Mar 03, 2022 12:56 pm

swoody126 wrote:plastique tool boxes and UV are not friends

the plastique gets wonky before too long

just an observation

sw

Depends how much money you spend.
For me it comes down to aesthetics. I think shiny propeller or diamond plate looks great on an off-road square drop with scrub bars and jerry cans and stuff, but not so appealing on a woody Benroy or some such. There I think a softer, rounded, more muted and unobtrusive box looks nicer to me and that gives plastic a bit of a way in.