*Steel Built Tiny Travel Trailer from the NW- UD 5-30-2011*

[pete42]

Nice comes to mind.

[BillZ]

Very cool! I wish I had your welding skills.

[fastway40]

Well, the skeleton is basically done except that it is all only tacked together.

Next, of course is to fully weld the skeleton, then I will start building the rear door of the galley.


The skeleton is surprisingly strong and rigid, and for only being tacked together.






Plus I still need to frame in the door and window, but I need to get em' first!

[sly1990]

Very cool! I wish I had your welding skills.

Yeah.... me too....


Very nice frame...

[teardrop_focus]

Hey, Chase!

We have our tow vehicles in common... although I'm bulding a teardrop-shaped trailer...

Good to see another Focus owner! Your fabrication skills appear to be excellent!

[fastway40]

Thank you all for the comments.

teardrop_focus, indeed it is nice to see another focus with plans to haul around a camper trailer.

Have you towed at all with your focus? I still wonder if our cars can manage towing 1000lbs?? I havent really come across anyone with a hatchback that regularly tows 1000lbs.

The most, I have towed is 600lbs and, like I said earlier, the focus handled it quite well. Now of course, I have put on large brakes, stiff springs and engine improvements, So I have high hopes for that 1000lb mark!!

[fastway40]

Got quite a bit more done today although it doesnt look like it.


I have finished fully welding the skeleton, and made the window framing.

I also added small pieces of tube at the corners to fasten plywood to.

The next step is to plywood the interior walls!!! so exciting

[teardrop_focus]

^ ^ ^ Windows!

fastway40

teardrop_focus, indeed it is nice to see another focus with plans to haul around a camper trailer.

Have you towed at all with your focus? I still wonder if our cars can manage towing 1000lbs?? I havent really come across anyone with a hatchback that regularly tows 1000lbs.

The most, I have towed is 600lbs and, like I said earlier, the focus handled it quite well. Now of course, I have put on large brakes, stiff springs and engine improvements, So I have high hopes for that 1000lb mark!!

There's a couple here who tow the lightweight Lil' Guy teardrop (w/ no galley) using a Focus sedan.

[Although I tow all types of trailers for a living...] I haven't yet towed w/ my 2003 Focus, but it's tow capacity is 1200 lbs (as of 2005 w/ it's larger front discs but just 2.0 liter Duratec). I have the 2.3 Duratec Mountain Of Torque and SVT brakes, H&R Sport springs, and KYB AGX adjustable dampers, so, I'm good to go all... day... long... towing 1200 lbs. I am putting a cap, however, on my towed static weight at 1100 lbs (80 or 90 lbs of which is unsprung wheel and tire weight).

Say you have the smaller displacement 2.0, with mods... and which brakes upgrade? I'm guessing SVT as well... you'll be good to go for tugging 1000 lbs no problem.

Both of us, however, should be thinking about adding electric brakes to our trailers, if only as a stability measure if faced w/ hard braking panic stop in mid-corner somewhere... I have half the parts needed; I have the backing plates and shoes, magnet and electrics... all I need now are the drum/hubs.




A long-standing acquaintance of mine used to tow an 1100 lb Benroy behind his old 1500 cc Honda Civic! He's an accomplished driver (the same car today is his track car) and says he hardly ever felt the trailer, except when starting from a stop on an incline.

[fastway40]

HELLOOO!! I am still here lol, but a long time update here. Things got busy at my truck shop since I last updated here, like opening and running our showroom and business has picked up for us considerably. But I have been able to pick back up on my trailer and plan to get it done asap!

Im not the best with a camera so there is a big gap in what I have been doing. But since the last update, way back in last July I had put in 1/4" Lauane plywood on the interior side and then sealed all the joints and cracks, then the next weekend I took it out for a camping trip to see how well it towed and tracked, and it was perfect! It wasnt pretty though, since it was just the steel skeleton and plywood interior, a box lol.

After that is when production got put to halt up until now. First thing was to fix my rear door, as the piano hinge was just to light duty, so I went with weld on hinges and is far better. Then i ordered my side door and roof vent so that i could finish fabrication and paint the frame.

Next was building the interior dividing wall to make the galley and front room, using 2X2 studs, and 1/8" cosmetic paneling. I also added a nice laminate counter top. And what you dont see pictured here is down in the left corner of the galley i framed out my electrical box area where the breaker box, inverter, and 12V fuse block will all be.





After that i got all my 110V and 12V wiring run through the walls so that i could do the R-4 3/4" FoamBoard Insulation.

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Next on the list is to sheet the exterior with .050 aluminum and finish the interior wiring.

In the mean time I will try to get some better pics than these pathetic one i have here lol

[fastway40]

Oh yeah, and i also got a new to me Jeep Cherokee. It just may be the new tow rig. I absolutely love it, and it is exactly what i was looking for.

It runs perfect with great compression across all cylinders and a fresh tuneup. I bought it bone stock,


Before-




And since have added a 3.5" Lift Kit, 31" tires and aluminum wheels, removed the faded side moulding and painted the flares.

After-