Presenting the Tilt-a-tear!

[navigator]

The idea of a teardrop-size trailer is appealing, but so is the ability to stand up and have indoor plumbing. There have been numerous ideas presented to this end; here is mine. I had a plan figured out pretty well, then came across this thread, that presented several other ideas. My design is similar to Steve T's convertear (http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=10691&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=ttt+winner&start=30), but retains the rounded end (at least on profile) of a teardrop.

No, it is not meant for four people, those are just "placeholders." Moving the hinge point to the end should help keep water out, and the domed roof sheds water better when folded, and provides more headroom when tilted up.

The shower is the basic pop-up trailer type, with hard lower walls and shower curtains for the upper walls. The galley is the green box, and would be based on the Drifta Swing Out, as seen here: http://www.drifta.com.au/setDSO.htm.

I have not worked out all the details, and welcome input from the experts out there. The trailer sits a bit high, as it is meant for dirt road (not off-road) travel. Leaf springs with shocks would be used, mounting 15" wheels.

The body is just under 12', and is 7'wide, which really needs to be reduced by a dozen inches. I have not shown the windows that will be above the queen mattress, nor many other things that need to be included.

My wife saw the plans I had drawn for the Tent Camp Trailer (http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=21053), and said she would rather have something we could sleep in, and skip the huge kitchen. And oh yeah, hard sides would be nice (note the bear in the other post...).

So, here's the debut of the Tiltatear (or maybe the Popatear?).



Fire away!

[angib]

Hmmm, that's a great idea - looks good both up and down. I'm a great fan of the one-box-over-another-box method of doing pop-tops - easy to build and easy to make leak-proof, as long as you design them right.

But.... I think you need to inject a dose of realism into the design, otherwise you'll hit insurmountable problems when you build. A few thoughts:

- You should start including all the real thicknesses and clearances needed by the pop-top. Maybe you just haven't drawn the top in the plan view, but you need four skin thickness (one fixed each side + one pop-top each side) plus two clearances (between pop-top and fixed) between your total exterior width and your usable interior width. Those individual inches stop looking so small when you multiply them up!

- Your curved back deals neatly with the way the bottom of the pop-top arcs back as it lifts. But you show a dotted line that I presume is a flat vertical bulkhead in two parts. Unless you're going to make a humungously-complex hinged rear bulkhead, the top part will smash through the bottom part as it's lowered.

- As you're only standing in the back centre, you could consider a dropped floor to reduce how much headroom you need.

- That door looks quite wide and loses you cabinet space inside. If the cabinet is only part-height, you can let it overlap the door opening - full door width is needed at shoulder level, not lower down.

Andrew

[48Rob]

Hi Navigator,

I'm with Andrew on doing a dropped floor, it really makes a lot of difference.
I did 3.5" in mine, and can't imagine using the trailer without it, plus it allows the overall height to come down for a more symetrical look.

Another thought would be to turn the bed the other way, you'll save a lot of space!

Rob

[grant whipp]

Hi there, Navigator!

I, too, like the design ... though I agree with both Andrew & Rob about including a dropped footwell in the rear.

I was also going to mention keeping the 7' width and turning the bed sidways, but Rob beat me to it ... ...! If you made it one of those folding-type futons, it could double as a couch, a la KampMaster ...

If it were me doing this trailer, I'd be seriosly considering a right-side access door up near the front ... if for no other reason than quick access to the bed for a nap while traveling, without the hassle of raising the roof (also, a la KampMaster)

I hope you go ahead with construction of this design ... it'll be very interesting to watch the whole project come together ... ...!

Good Luck, and as always ...

CHEERS!

Grant

[starleen2]

Good idea. However, One design concern is the back door opening with a curved back. Will this be a two-piece door, a two-piece hinged in the middle to swing up, or a single swing down unit?

[navigator]

Thanks for the input!
----
Andrew,
The wall thicknesses will be calculated, of course, but first I need the overall design, to see what's possible. The back door will be hinged in the middle, and will fold down (forward). Should be easy enough to seal and secure. A dropped floor would add yet more compexity, and make the interior odd. I have plenty of headroom to stand up. The door is 30" wide, could drop to 24".

----

Rob,

I did turn the bed, but the width was a killer. I have put the bed over the wheelwells, which let me cut those 12 inches I needed. It's now 6' wide (exterior).

----

Grant,

Not really enough room for a front door, but there will be windows, and maybe an emergency-exit-sized roof vent. I think I can make the back door openable even with the top down.

----

I have redesigned (AGAIN), and now have the super combo deluxe! The pop up is reversed, and opens to the front. Some sort of deck/step setup will be attached to the tongue. This leaves me with plenty of headroom in the shower, and room in front of it to change. There will be some cabinets inside, not worked out just where, yet.

The rear now has a galley, and not just any galley, but the super-wide U-shape supreme! There's lots more figurin' to do, but this is the direction I want to go. It has more of a classic teardrop profile now, and with the rear galley, I guess it qualifies as a "traditional."

[Trackstriper]

Navigator,

Have a question, 'cause I'm not sure I'm following your lift-up plan with the upper section. In the latest version with the door in the front, does the upper section - that lifts - have an upper roof skin that continues down the front of the trailer, as in a conventional teardrop? If so, where does that front roof skin go when you want to enter the front of the trailer through the doorway, with the upper section raised? It would block the upper half of your door. Or is the front of the trailer simply the vertical panel that contains the lower section of the door....and the sides of the trailer only maintain a teardrop profile, but with an inset flat slab front? This might be pretty draggy going down the road. Am I missing something here?

I think that your rear entry version would work, kind of like the Winter Warrior series, but reversing the layout might create problems. Also, trying to seal that door from rain at 60mph might be a trial. The dropped floor that the other guys suggested wouldn't be too big a deal to make. Things to ponder.

I wish you well with your design, it's great to see new solutions.

J.B.

[signs]

Trackstriper,

I don't think the front is that big of a problem, the upper section meets thetop of the door area at the upper end of the curve. The rest of the front profile could be a hinged section that acts as a porch roof when open, and seal the front of the trailer when closed.

Jay

[Trackstriper]

Jay wrote:

"I don't think the front is that big of a problem, the upper section meets the top of the door area at the upper end of the curve. The rest of the front profile could be a hinged section that acts as a porch roof when open, and seal the front of the trailer when closed."

That would probably work out...sort of a hinged hatch on the front side of the upper section, concealing and double weatherproofing the vertical wall containing the lower door half, that would swing up and act as a porch roof. Yeah....

Hope that will be useful for Navigator. As for me, I'm a little slow today. Thanks.

J.B.

[navigator]

In the latest version with the door in the front, does the upper section - that lifts - have an upper roof skin that continues down the front of the trailer, as in a conventional teardrop?

Yes

The rest of the front profile could be a hinged section that acts as a porch roof when open, and seal the front of the trailer when closed.

That's the plan. I like it reversed like this so I can keep the galley in the rear, where it is most useful. The first plan was short on kitchen space...

[navigator]

Some of the one-lane dirt roads we like have numerous switchbacks, and trailers are limited (by the USFS) to 12', so I would like to stay within that length, which includes the tongue. Currently it is 14.5', so more trimming needs to be done, like a full bed instead of a queen...

I turned the bed sideways to make the trailer shorter, but then it gets too wide; I would like to stay at 6'. I have seen a couple of slide outs here, but they seem to be problematic. I thought maybe a tip-out would work better, being easier to seal and support. The most logical design is a curve top, the curve being the roof when open. This has the problem of the curve being solid, which requires a chopped-up mattress (see drawing).

The second option is a lift-up lid with tip-out walls and floor, which looks like it should work OK. The top of the tip-out is under the lifting top when everything is closed, so should stay sealed quite well. This also keeps the dirt/wet outside when closing up.

I have not worked this out in detail, just seeing what's possible. The tip-out may seem larger than needed, but to get sufficient height for toe room results in a deeper tip-out. The space at the head of the bed would be filled with cabinets, so it's a useful tradeoff.

All observations and suggestions are welcome!

[signs]

S I thought maybe a tip-out would work better, being easier to seal and support. The most logical design is a curve top, the curve being the roof when open.

Have you thought about a tip out with the top and sides out of canvas (tent)?


Jay

[navigator]

Yes, but want to stick with hard sides. I have redesigned the tip-out to have more toe-space (height).

The trailer is down to 12.5', which is acceptable. The closed profile is less than 6' high, which with the 15" wheels and "off-road" clearance is pretty good. It will be no higher or wider than the truck (Tahoe).

Trying to locate the propane tank now, as the swing-up on the front kills that location...

[navigator]

Been workin' on a plan, still, and it looks like soft sides will make things much easier (and lighter). Found a trailer to model after, a 1949 Wessex. It's similar to the Kampmaster, but instead of a taper has a higher, blunt end.





I took that idea and reversed it, so the typical TD galley can still be in the rear. Moving the door to the side means I can keep the propane tank on the tongue, and can also make the door operable with the top down. There will be a dropped floor inside (between the tongue A-arms), which will serve as a shower pan. The bed will be above the wheel wells, which provides a place for the water tank.



The rear wall will be solid, and will operate like an Esterel; the bottom if the top section hinges to the top of the bottom section, the top of the top has rollers that run in a track attached to the roof, and hydraulic cylinders assist in lifting the roof by pushing on the upper wall section.



The soft sides will slide into an awning rail at the top, and snap (or ?) at the bottom. The door will be solid, and can operate as dutch door.

Questions or suggestions?

[H@nk]

Look at this one.
It is very heavy, heavyer than a normal trailer.
http://www.campersandleisure.co.uk/p-detail.asp?pid=533
http://www.camperinterior.co.uk/html/ma ... iture.html