Pleasant Valley Teardrop has been picked up!

[bfraley]

All,

I picked up my new Lil' Silver 5x8 from Pleasant Valley Teardrops this past weekend. Joe Mullet did a great job on the custom work that I requested and the trailer is very well built. I'm really glad I went with him as a builder. I have some pics but need to figure out how to post them here.

[BillandMarijo]

bfraley,
Nice looking Tear.
Enjoy,
Bill and Marijo

[bfraley]

All,

I picked up my new Lil' Silver 5x8 from Pleasant Valley Teardrops this past weekend. Joe Mullet did a great job on the custom work that I requested and the trailer is very well built. I'm really glad I went with him as a builder. I have some pics but need to figure out how to post them here.

OK....pics are loaded in my album now.

[tddriver]

bfraley...Are you really towing then new trailer with a Honda Civic? If so, how is that working? I ask because I have a Civic, as well. By the way, nice teardrop! I have a Yoder Toter 5 x 10 in fiberglass.

[bfraley]

bfraley...Are you really towing then new trailer with a Honda Civic? If so, how is that working? I ask because I have a Civic, as well. By the way, nice teardrop! I have a Yoder Toter 5 x 10 in fiberglass.

First I want to say the reason I am towing with my Civic is because I drive 120miles a day for work and I don't want to spend the $$$ on driving a SUV everyday. I also don't want to spend the $$$ on having an SUV sitting in the driveway 95% of the time until I'm ready to use it to tow.

I did some research and found data suggesting that European Civics had tow ratings of 2000/200. Since all Civic unibodies are the same I deducted that even though the US models do not have a tow rating in the vehicle manual I can safely tow at class I level. That coupled with the fact that class I hitch assemblies are widely available for the Honda Civic made me feel pretty safe. Remember, I installed an Acura Integra engine in my 97 DX hatchback which increased hp to 145. I've also been towing a Thule 4x7 galvanized trailer loaded with sound equipment for a year now with no ill effects whatsoever. I get about 23mpg towing the teardrop and that's pushing speeds at 70mph. I also have electric brakes on the teardrop as that is less expensive than upgrading the Civic brakes.

Negatives to look out for are: I wouldn't tow with a Civic that has an automatic transmission. I highly recommend power steering. I highly recommend an EX level civic as it has extra hp. Please inspect the rear bumper beam and replace it if needed. Mine was rusted pretty badly as are most of these on older Civics. I highly suggest electric brakes on any trailer being towed that's over 800lbs. Civic brakes are not designed to stop big loads behind. I have a brake controller installed in my Civic and it worked great towing my teardrop back from Ohio.

[S. Heisley]

Hi, bfraley:

Congratulations on your new teardrop! It must have been exciting fun, watching the build in progress and it is great that you could get pictures of all that! Enjoy camping in it!

[bfraley]

Hi, bfraley:

Congratulations on your new teardrop! It must have been exciting fun, watching the build in progress and it is great that you could get pictures of all that! Enjoy camping in it!

I wish I had the time to build my own but pleasant valley trailers did a great job for me.

Your camper in progress looks very interesting. Is it a teardrop? The workmanship looks very good!

[asianflava]

Remember, I installed an Acura Integra engine in my 97 DX hatchback which increased hp to 145.

B18? A brake swap wouldn't hurt either.

[S. Heisley]

bfraley wrote:

Your camper in progress looks very interesting. Is it a teardrop?

Thanks! Mine is a half-standy TTT. Don't want to hijack your posting so, you can follow the build under the Non-traditional section, MyAway Build.
Please post pictures of your first camping trip and of how you personalize your new trailer to make it truly your own. We eat that stuff up as if it were candy!

[tddriver]

bfraley: Thank you for the reply. You've confirmed everything I believed about towing with the Civic. I have a 2008 Civic EX 5-speed and considered using it to tow the teardrop around locally...but our Yoder Toter does not have brakes. So, I guess I'll stick with our Dodge Ram truck as a tow vehicle until something better turns up.

[bfraley]

Remember, I installed an Acura Integra engine in my 97 DX hatchback which increased hp to 145.

B18? A brake swap wouldn't hurt either.

yes, a JDM B18b1 from Nagasaki Motors in Canada. I picked up a rear suspension from a 98 Integra on my way back from OH for $60! Both sides plus the sway bar and all hardware. I'm going to go through it all and replace what needs to be replaced and then swap out the drums for the discs in the rear. I'm starting to wonder why I didn't just buy an integra!

[bfraley]

bfraley: Thank you for the reply. You've confirmed everything I believed about towing with the Civic. I have a 2008 Civic EX 5-speed and considered using it to tow the teardrop around locally...but our Yoder Toter does not have brakes. So, I guess I'll stick with our Dodge Ram truck as a tow vehicle until something better turns up.

That's a nice Civic for sure. Ya know, it's not that hard to add electric brakes to a trailer axle. It was a $100 option when I bought the teardrop.

[asianflava]

yes, a JDM B18b1 from Nagasaki Motors in Canada. I picked up a rear suspension from a 98 Integra on my way back from OH for $60! Both sides plus the sway bar and all hardware. I'm going to go through it all and replace what needs to be replaced and then swap out the drums for the discs in the rear. I'm starting to wonder why I didn't just buy an integra!

$60! What a steal! I think I paid 4X that for my EF. I've had them for several years and just started going thru them and gathering parts. I'm replacing everything with new parts. It's a good time to replace those trailing arm bushings.

I did a ZC swap in my EF about 5 years ago, drove it for about a year before the clutch screwed up. I was too lazy to pull the trans so it sat in the garage for 4 years. Then my wife got a relo package and they would only move the cars if they were running. Got my neighbor to help me swap the clutch out one evening. Once I got it running, I found that one of the rear brake cylinders was leaking, which is what prompted me to revisit the brake swap.

[bfraley]

$60! What a steal! I think I paid 4X that for my EF. I've had them for several years and just started going thru them and gathering parts. I'm replacing everything with new parts. It's a good time to replace those trailing arm bushings.

I did a ZC swap in my EF about 5 years ago, drove it for about a year before the clutch screwed up. I was too lazy to pull the trans so it sat in the garage for 4 years. Then my wife got a relo package and they would only move the cars if they were running. Got my neighbor to help me swap the clutch out one evening. Once I got it running, I found that one of the rear brake cylinders was leaking, which is what prompted me to revisit the brake swap.

I'm not in a rush to get the rear disc suspensions overhauled but they are on my to do list. I bet the ZC swap runs good. You ever tow with it?

[asianflava]

Naw the EF is strictly a toy. I don't have a hitch on it. I used to tow with my wife's 4-cyl Highlander but now I tow with my truck. The HL gets around 24MPG and 19MPG towing the tear. The Tundra gets 17-18 with or without the teardrop, not much difference mileae wise, but the truck has more room.

Congrats on the teardrop!