South Florida Family Looking To Travel

[amandastevenisbet]

I sold my car today Now I have the money to finance my project.
I already mocked up a Benroy design with my 4 year old son today on some old 4x8 plywood. I have pictures that I will upload later today. Once I did all the measurements and outlining I realized that it will actually be very roomy. My wife and I are only 5'4. I will be ordering a 5x8 redtrailer before the weekend is over. I have decided not to build a child bunk. And go with cabinets. I was searching the photos on this site and found a tent hooked up to one of the doors to the teardrop. This seems like a great idea. That way the children can sleep next to us in the tent. If it were raining and they had to sleep with us they could pile in. They both crawl into bed with us now and we only have a queen size bed. Plus with the tent we will have a nice standing area to get changed in.
I am headed out to the hardware store to check out some power tools. And price some wood that I will be needing. I am also going to the Campworld store near us to check out pricing on tents.

One more question. If I buy a 5x8 trailer does that mean the floor of the trailer will be 5x8? Probably a stupid question. Just wondering if that included the wheels.
steven

[asianflava]

One more question. If I buy a 5x8 trailer does that mean the floor of the trailer will be 5x8? Probably a stupid question. Just wondering if that included the wheels.

My 5X10 trailer is built on a 5X9 frame. Some of the extra length comes from the arc in the front and rear.

That's what is cool about building your own, you can make it any size you want. You can make it wider but you'll have to build over the wheels, I wouldn't recommend going much wider than 6ft though.

You should commit to a design before getting the trailer. That way you can get the trailer that works best with what you are after. Yes, you can MAKE any trailer work but having the right one from the onset makes life easier.

[stjohn]

Just a quick word on tool purchases check your local pawn shops there are some great deals to be found thier some good quality too.just my 2 cents

[amandastevenisbet]

If I go with a 5x8 benroy where could I get sheets of plywood that are 5 foot wide?

[madjack]

Steven, the short answer is that you make 'em...you can shop for 5wide ply but it is a tough find, try cabinet shops, most commonly you will find 5x5...you can also take 4x8 cut 3 ' off them to make 5x4...you can also take 2, 4x8 and glue them up offset by 1' then glue in 1'x8' strips to make up the difference...odds are, you won't find a 5x8 sheet of ply and if you do it will be very pricey...so...make your own....
madjack

[Ira]

Hi, Steven. South Florida here--Coral Springs.

Do yourself a favor:

Buy the 5 by 8 trailer, and build over it like others have done to make it a bit larger. You won't regret it being larger, but you may regret it being smaller, like I have. Also, TWO DOORS!!!

In answer to your question, if the trailer is 5 by 8 (without building over to make it larger), your floor space in your cabin will only be 6 feet long--since you need around 2 feet of galley depth. (I should actually call it "ass" space, since you're sure not standing up in there.)

See how small these things really are?

You can increase your width on a 5 by 8 trailer by at least a foot by building over the tires. Now a foot might not seem like much, but it is. And you can hang your frame a foot over the front and back to make it 10 feet long.

If you were pulling with a VW bug, this extra size might be a problem, but with your vehicle, the REAL experts on this site can tell you. Also depends on how you construct.

[amandastevenisbet]

I ordered a 5x8 trailer from redtrailers today. I have a question about the generic benroy plans. The first steps in the plan is to modify the redtailer. Is this necessary? I don't mind seeing the trailer.

[mikeschn]

Steve,

No it's not necessary to modify the trailer. We just did it that way cause we took a vote and more people voted to have the trailer hidden.

If you want to build on top of the trailer, just assemble the trailer as per the directions. (You'll want to change your axle location though.)

The start building up from the trailer... subfloor, floor, walls, etc

Mike...

[Miriam C.]

Steve,
Welcome and congratulations on the purchase of a great trailer. Do yourself a favor and don't build over the wheels. If you or your wife were really tall large people I wouldn't give that advice. The kids will love the tent and you will be quite comfortable.

Most of all~enjoy