Modified design question

[teardrop_focus]

I just bought a 1976 Fiat 128 sedan. The car can hold the whole family, but can I still tow and build a TD that can hold us all?

Welcome!



A teardrop light enough to tow well (and stop safely) behind a 4-banger is a two-up affair.

Building a tear stretched the other way, larger to accomodate two adults and two children, would dictate the use of a Tow Vehicle with at least a 1500-lb tow capacity. General rule of thumb otherwise would be to keep the fully-loaded teardrop to within one-third the curb weight of the TV.

[Danno]

I'm still around. Still in the planning stages. Car isn't driving, yet, so I still have time, lol. BTW, curb weight as listed online for the 1976 128 is 1653-1697 lbs...

[Danno]

So, I'm still around. I have been deliberating between this design and a "Puffin" standee that could fit us all. I finally have decided to go ahead with this smaller one first and if that build goes well, then I might start to acquire what i need for the larger one.

So, I might start building in the next month, or I might get caught up with other things (I'm in the middle of about 30 projects, lol), but In case I make a trip to the big box store to get supplies for another project I thought I'd at least get a better understanding of what I need for plywood on this thing.

Since I want it to be fairly lightweight and simple to build, would it be appropriate to use 3/4 floor, 1/2 walls and 1/4 roof?

How about 1/2 floor and 1/4 walls/roof?

I want to keep the floor as low as possible because I'm trying to keep overall height low. any bracing or thickness I put between the trailer frame and the floor will reduce headroom.

[Catherine+twins]

I am
looking at a very light canned ham. If you look in the vintage plans area at the Wanderpup and the Wanderbug, you will see they were built with 1/4" walls, 1/2"-5/8" floor, and 1/8"-3/16" roof, single wall construction. I think the Wanderpup estimates the finished weight at 700 pounds, and the Wanderbug says "under 1000 pounds." A tear should be able to be built with those plywood sizes if a canned ham can be.

Catherine

[Danno]

Thanks for that, Catherine. I think maybe I'll do 1/2" floor, 1/4" walls. If I can get by with a single sheet of 1/8" on the roof, that's what I'll do for weight reasons.

I need to make a trip to a couple of places to see what they carry, but I think that should be fairly cheap. I just need to decide how I'm going to finish the wood so I know what grade I need to get on the faces.

[Danno]

ok, next question in the design is how do I attach the roof to the sides?

I want to maximize my interior space, so I was wondering about spars or horizontal bracing for the roof. I've decided on 1/2 floor and 1/4 sides and roof.

Since it's only spanning 40",
1. do I need horizontal bracing?
2. should the roof rest on top of the sides, or between the sides?
3. could I get by with 1x2s for the curve of the side and screw the top into that? if so, can I get 1x2s to bed easily enough?
4. Will 1/4 plywood bend the tight radius you see in the plan above?

I've looked at some other builds, but just am temporarily struggling with this. anyone have any advice?

[classic2cv]

I am buidling #2 on what used to be a 40 x 48 trialer, I stretched the frame out to 80 inchs.

I will also be stretching the tongue an additional 2 foot.

did you finish this trailer ? i like the strippy pattern

Kurt