Is 5ft wide worth the extra cost

Anything to do with mechanical, construction etc

Postby stbuch » Wed Nov 12, 2008 6:45 pm

Five wide definitely!! You must remember that 4 wide is only a little wider than a twin bed and like someone else said-it's fine for sleeping alone but if you plan to have a "buddy" you'll need the five! :SH

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Postby cdfnchico » Wed Nov 12, 2008 6:58 pm

We aren't quite done yet...but are building a five wide after taking the advice of those in the know to try things on for size. Our hallway is just shy of 4' so we laid down in it...side by side, turned our heads, and together said "Five wide!"
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Postby cuyeda » Wed Nov 12, 2008 7:00 pm

Make a cabin out of a cardboard box 4' wide, and possible ceiling height and crawl into it. You can judge for yourself what to do next. ;)
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Postby hiker chick » Wed Nov 12, 2008 9:11 pm

Mine's 6' wide and I love the space. 5-wide would be fine.

4'-wide, no way.

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Postby 2bits » Wed Nov 12, 2008 10:32 pm

jimqpublic wrote:Follow up question-
Once you're at 5', why stop there? I would think 61" or 62" inside width would be best for a store-bought 60" queen mattress.


First off you see all the replies with the simple YES? This is unusual for this group. People usually post every reason they can think of why it is a good choice. When they say "YES". It comes with a resounding thump

Now if it is just you and no one else and plan to stay that way? 4 foot wide is actually fine.

Regarding the quote, I disagree only because of my personal experience... I did 61" inside so I could do a queen size mattress, and that extra 2 1/2" on the outside has cost alot of $$$ in materials and left over cut offs. I would not go over 60" wide on the outside width again (unless sleeping sideways).
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Postby jdarkoregon » Wed Nov 12, 2008 11:01 pm

Sure its worth it, but its your money and it will cost you

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Postby zlamb0002 » Wed Nov 12, 2008 11:14 pm

Does anyone have a rough estimate of how much extra it will cost to go 5 ft
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Postby packerz4 » Wed Nov 12, 2008 11:20 pm

yep, just do it. don't worry 'bout the cost. you are already spending money to build... do it right the 1st time.
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Postby 2bits » Thu Nov 13, 2008 12:02 am

zlamb0002 wrote:Does anyone have a rough estimate of how much extra it will cost to go 5 ft


Sorry, but once you get into it , you will realize that's a really big question with way to many variables.
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Postby Esteban » Thu Nov 13, 2008 1:51 am

:thumbsup: Another vote for yes.

:) I'm building my trailer 5' 3" wide on the outside. Inside it'll be 5' 3/4" wide. Have a queen size foam mattress from Ikea to sleep on.

8) I'm fiberglassing the outside. So, going a little over 5" wide is not as difficult as it might be using aluminum. Plan to cut 1/8" plywood 64" long for the roof sheathing. That leaves a 32" cut off. Can use two of the 32" cut offs end to end for the first layer of the roof. During construction it'll run 1/2" long on each side so the first and second layers can be clamped together when I glue the top (full 64" long) sheet on. I'll cut off the overlap and round over the roof edge before fiberglassing.

:thinking: :thumbdown: I did not anticipate the additional DOT lighting requirement for a trailer over 80" wide. Fender to fender mine will be about 85-86" wide. I'll be adding a horizontal red light bar high up in the middle of the hatch and clearance lights to the front and back of the fenders.
Steve - SLO, CA
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Postby Wimperdink » Thu Nov 13, 2008 2:11 am

Gotta weigh the options. I wouldnt mind the extra space, but its also not entirely neccesary. I agree with others... find a 4' wide space like a hallway or closet floor and sleep there a night and decide then if you can handle it or not. My wazat is 4' wide and I have no problems with it. The extra 1 foot would be nice but isn't killing us to not have it.

The biggest benefits to 5 wide is resale and rollover space and storage. If your not worried about those issues then there's nothing wrong with 4' wide.

You decide if its worth the extra cost or not.
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Postby asianflava » Thu Nov 13, 2008 4:45 am

zlamb0002 wrote:Does anyone have a rough estimate of how much extra it will cost to go 5 ft


It's hard to say because it depends on how it is built, and if it is a woody or aluminum.
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Postby zlamb0002 » Thu Nov 13, 2008 3:29 pm

I already have a 4x8 harbor freight trailer. How do I put a 5x8 floor on it, I would like some pictures see so I can make for sure I understand how to do it.
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Postby goldcoop » Thu Nov 13, 2008 5:48 pm

6' Wide Traverse!

Cheers,

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Postby 2bits » Thu Nov 13, 2008 11:54 pm

zlamb0002 wrote:I already have a 4x8 harbor freight trailer. How do I put a 5x8 floor on it, I would like some pictures see so I can make for sure I understand how to do it.


Over the wheel you go! Not too bad to do. This may be close:

http://www.angib.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/teardrop/tear47.htm

But scroll to the top of this page and check out the Design Library link, there are alot of designs there. One thing about building your own Teardrop, alot of questions can be answered with "what do you want to do?" That's how open the world is to you.
Thomas

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