small TD

[Aaron Coffee]

weighed the 4 foot long frame it was right around 120 lbs, the lengthened version weighed around 150lbs.

[Aaron Coffee]

Have a question on axle placement, it should be 35-40% of the trailer length from the rear, correct? My question is, is the trailer length considered the entire length of the trailer(from hitch to back) or just the body length(in my case 74 inchs)or I guess the length the finshed floor will be?
Thanks
Aaron

[tinksdad]

My floor is roughly 74 inches like yours; but the overall cabin is closer to 86. That's the figure I used to get axle placement. I used the Excel spreadsheet from here to calculate my tongue weight and adjusted accordingly to give me a tongue weight of roughly 11% initially. I have to re-check the figures now that I have added 50 pounds of battery and tender on the front tongue.

[kennyrayandersen]

Have a question on axle placement, it should be 35-40% of the trailer length from the rear, correct? My question is, is the trailer length considered the entire length of the trailer(from hitch to back) or just the body length(in my case 74 inchs)or I guess the length the finshed floor will be?
Thanks
Aaron

If you haven’t used the spreadsheet, I’d recommend using it. It’s not that hard and depending on how you build it, the CG could vary a fair amount. One thing that you might do, and I haven’t seen it, but I thought it would be no problem, it to build the trailer on blocks, then locate the axles after you are done. That’s about the only way to get it dead on.

[Aaron Coffee]

Originally was planning on building it on blocks, but I have to add a crossmember or two and I need to locate axle first, also need it mobile to get other stuff in and out of garage. When I do get it done I will weigh it and relocate axle if necessary as I am going to retain the spring hangers as bolt on(although I will use grade 8 instead of the grade 5 as came in the kit).

[Aaron Coffee]

Have made some progress, bought plywood, put frame together and painted, I think I am going to go through it and replace all of the nylock nuts, becasue I welded the seams and I know I fried the nylon out of at least one nut.
Here is a pic of my nephew helping paint the frame.

He was sweating in the 90 degree weather but the instructions on the can said 2 light coats are better than one heavy coat.

By the way I thnik I have lost this TD, because he is already calling it his, and is asking me where I will sleep.

[bve]

...
By the way I thnik I have lost this TD, because he is already calling it his, and is asking me where I will sleep.

I guess you get the tent

[Aaron Coffee]

Yep, I'm feeling a tent in my future or pulling tandem. I tried to convince him that he could sleep in the basement.

[teardrop_focus]

I tried to convince him that he could sleep in the basement.

[Aaron Coffee]

got the frame finished

And my first attempt at a profile

Any suggestions, thoughts, other than the door needs moved forward.

Went shopping yesterday, and bought the boards to put between the floor and the frame, got home and realized I had bought oak, oh well. Think I found some 1/8 real wood paneling for roof. Will still look around for 1/8 ply though. And found Cabots Spar Varnish, which leads me to another question, Is Cabot's a good choice, and if so is $35 a gallon good or bad or average?
Thanks

[kennyrayandersen]

got the frame finished

And my first attempt at a profile

Any suggestions, thoughts, other than the door needs moved forward.

Went shopping yesterday, and bought the boards to put between the floor and the frame, got home and realized I had bought oak, oh well. Think I found some 1/8 real wood paneling for roof. Will still look around for 1/8 ply though. And found Cabots Spar Varnish, which leads me to another question, Is Cabot's a good choice, and if so is $35 a gallon good or bad or average?
Thanks

The full return curve in the back (especially the bottom) may complicate your hatch build. You might want to go a little away from the spud shape and make it a little more teardrop shaped in the back -- that would help.

[Aaron Coffee]

The hatch will only be a half hatch coming down to the contertop, the lower portion will be enclosed with acces lids in the countertop. Have one of the engineers at work doing some cub drawings for me with verticle and horizontal point measurements, just tried to freehand a profile. I think it needs more curve in the top, like somebody here said cardboard is cheap, I can get 5x10 sheets of cardboard for free.

[Aaron Coffee]

Here is my second and final(?) profile, I was able to use turbo cad and shorten the cub profile in the design library, it is now 107" long and 43 1/2 tall, was aiming for 108 x 42, but what I came up with is close enough for me. Think the door could move towards the back six inchs or so.

Have to get a router bit to join the plywood then I am ready to start making sawdust!

[kennyrayandersen]

Here is my second and final(?) profile, I was able to use turbo cad and shorten the cub profile in the design library, it is now 107" long and 43 1/2 tall, was aiming for 108 x 42, but what I came up with is close enough for me. Think the door could move towards the back six inchs or so.

Have to get a router bit to join the plywood then I am ready to start making sawdust!

Nice! Much better than the 'spud' above

[Aaron Coffee]

Well I guess it is about time that I do some updates. The floor is done and ready to be bolted down, the walls are epoxied and I just have one left to sand. This leads me to my next question. Do I varnish before putting the walls up or after? Have heard both ways, and can see good reasons for both, am thinking after then it gives me a chance to fix any scratchs or other boo-boos, and seal the screw holes after assembly.
thoughts, comments, etc.?
Will try to get pics in the next week.