PLANS: To plan or not to plan?

[egjacks]

OK, so I have been putting off my build because I am afraid of screwing it up. I have good mechanical skills and residential construction experience, but I have never tackled a project this big (or one that means this much to me) by myself before. My HF trailer is all laid out in my shop but I haven't quite had the courage to drill the holes for the necessary changes to the frame. In other words, I am afraid to commit myself.

So... I think I need help. I have been considering buying a set of plans off the internet, but I don't know who to buy from or anything like that. I understand that my build will probably differ significantly from any set of plans that I use. But I think it would be comforting to have hard and sure data for all the little details that I get bogged down on, like axle placement and tongue weight and wall thickness and and and etc (all things I can find individually either here on the forum or elsewhere but that it would be really nice to have one place (and in the order I need it hopefully) so that I can ease my mind). the other difficulty is that I don't have internet at my shop and it is several miles from my home, so figuring things out is trickier.

What plans have all of you used? I am immensely impressed by those of you who are able to do this without plans, but I don't think I can go that route, at least not entirely. So I want to know what plans are good? What is a waste of money? I am sure there are those of you out there who have purchased multiple plans, so what was best? and why? The why is perhaps the most important to me, that way I can decide if your reasoning is the same as what I need. Free or inexpensive plans would be nice, but I am willing to pay a bit if it will help me.

I am interested in any type of plans that might be helpful, but for the record, I want to build a fairly traditional Teardrop or benroy, approx 5x9 or 5x10. I think the smaller tears are cuter, but I am over 6 and a half feet tall and need the extra space.

Thanks so much!

[bobhenry]

WE DON'T NEED NO STINKING PLANS



My very 1st post 4 1/2 years ago !

http://www.mikenchell.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=181467&highlight=#181467

Getting a side profile YOU like is the hard part after that it's really very simple. A compass a scale and a ream of paper is really all you need to develope the profile.

Here are a couple pics that helped me. One was Andrews and one was out of an old popular mechanics magazine.

[toypusher]

Have to check the "Generic Benroy" plans at the top of the page? FREE

If you want to buy something I would suggest Steve Frederick's "A Teardrop Builder's Shop Manual" which contains lots of techniques and advise for building http://www.steve-frederick.com/shopman05.html

Specific plans:

"Contertible Teardrop Trailer Construction Guide" http://www.zkaylordesigns.com/ hard to beat the price on this one.

2 great plans here: http://www.kuffelcreek.com/

There are more, but I would be careful of buying just any plans - lots of them are just a plain waste of money. If you find some that you think you might like, then ask here if anyone else has used or at least seen them.

Good Luck.

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Whether you need to move your axle or not, really depends on what design you decide on. If you don't plan on having an elaborate galley (added weight behind the axle), then moving your axle probably isn't necessary.

A lot of people move the axle. A lot of people don't. I am one who didn't. When I go on trips, I have a fully loaded cooler in my galley, and all of my camp chairs, duffelbag, etc in the trailer, and it travels just fine!

Have you thought about having a battery on the trailer? If you put it on the tongue, that will increase your tongue weight.

I'm not trying to stray you from your decision to move the axle, but when I built my trailer, I wasn't comfortable making the decision whether or not to move it, or how far back to move it. So I didn't. When I build my next trailer, I don't plan on moving it.

Anyway, congrats on taking the plunge! Don't be afraid to use the "search" feature and ask questions

[Mightydog]

We bought plans off the interwebs. After reading them, we decided that there were things about the trailer in the plans that we didn't like--like the profile. That was when we went off the reservation.

Our trailer is a combination of internet plans, the generic Benroy, our own ideas, ideas stolen from this site and things that we just wanted in our trailer because it is our trailer and that was what we wanted.

Get started. Just get started.

[S. Heisley]

A set of plans may help you know that you're on the right the right track but the Benroy plans, above, may help you enough without having to purchase anything. Looking through all the build threads will also help you and give you ideas and tips.

[madjack]

DO NOT BUY PLANS OFF THE INTERNET!!!!! ...there are some legitimate plans on the internet BUT, most of them are ripoffs that stole free stuff and bundled it together on a CD and are selling it...almost all, if not all is available for free right here, in the top index under "Vintage Plans" or "Design Library"...the "Generic Benroy" plans above are a complete set of plans and the only plans I could/would recommend for buying(if you just gotta) is Steve Frederich's Builds CD or the plans from Kuffel Creek...almost all of the other offerings are rip offs...with what is available for free, right here, plus all of the wonderful and free advice you can get here, you can build any Tear in any design you desire and that includes Cargo Conversions and Canned Ham/Standys.......................
madjack
p.s. I forgot to include cracker39's Squidget(standy) plans...they are worth the money as well.....mj

[egjacks]

Well, technically I have started... sort of... the trailer is out of the box so that counts for something right?
Its funny, the profile doesn't actually bother me much, although to be honest that might be because it is several steps down the road. When I get to that I will undoubtedly stress over it too.
I will have to give some thought to not moving the axles, from all my reading, that seemed to be a basic "given". I think I still will, because my trailer is 4x8 and I want the tear to be 5 x 9 or 10. But it definitely deserves consideration.

I suppose I am being overly cautious, but I don't want to do something stupid or irrevocable. the thought of modifying plans, even greatly modifying, doesn't bother me at all, as well as incorporating my own ideas, you all might kick me off the forum if I didn't show SOME originality. The scary part for me is that I might ignore something that is taken for granted by most people, ie the spacing for a galley hinge, or something. The what doesn't really matter except that I might not know it, and have a leaky, or unsafe, or inconvenient, etc, trailer because of it. That is why I want some plans, more to have a direction to travel in rather than a destination. if that makes sense.

On a side note, the only downsides to this forum (few) is that there are so many ideas, none wrong but many mutually exclusive of each other. I look at someone's trailer and think "that is awesome", then I see another one and it is awesome too, but if I do that I can't do the first thing I saw! The other problem is that I see so many amazing builds that I know mine won't be as good. (doesn't mean I won't try to make mine the best, just need to get past my roadblocks):D

ok, I am off to peruse those generic benroy plans again

[egjacks]

By the way, I truly appreciate all the advice and help on this forum,

THANK YOU ALL

[jdaan]

Ditto on Steve Frederick's guide and the Kuffel Creek plans. I bought both, even though I built to my own plans. There were a great reference to have on hand. I probably found Steve Frederick's more valuable.

Another great tool is Google Sketchup. It allows you to design in 3d and create plans accurate enough to build off of. I spent an entire winter designing my teardrop before even going out to the shop. Best thing is - it's free.


I agonized quite a bit about axle placement and a few other things. After researching this forum and looking at plans, I came up with a placement, had it welded, and haven't thought about it since. Haven't towed it yet, but it looks right, and I'm sure it will be fine.

I found planning to be almost as fun as building. Even though many changes were made along the way, it was nice to have an accurate plan I could refer back to. It made things a little less scary. Giving up on perfection right away also helped. It makes the goofs along the way matter a little less, like the scratches I put in the aluminum yesterday.

Have fun!

Justin

[Aaron Coffee]

I'm not an expert by any means, but on the first build, I would recommend plans, I used a set of plans(won't mention the name, mediocre plans) on #1(my avatar). Since then I have picked up a set of Kuffle Creek plans, plus the free plans here. On #2 I am not using any one set of plans, but when I run into a question I check the three plans and if that doesn't answer it, I ask here.
Aaron

[pawp]

If you have time draw your own. You will find everything you need here PLUS in drawing your own most all the anxiety of the build will go away because you will have thought through everything before the build begins. Then your building skills will take over and you will probably modify them anyway. Good luck --go for it.

[kentucky bryan]

Eric

If you've been in the trades for anytime at all you've heard that the difference between a good tradesman and a great tradesman, ( Pick any trade, it doesn't matter ) is that a great tradesman is better at hiding his mistakes.

You will make mistakes.

There that didn't hurt much.

Sometimes they will be easy to fix, Sometimes they will set you back in time and money.

As far as axle placement, we just finished our first build, a 5 x 9, and the dolly weight of a bare frame was 60 lb. I was afraid this was going to be to light. We put the finished teardrop on the UPS scale and it went over 75 lb. I'm guessing it's some where near 100 and it pulls fine at 65mph.

When you get done and some one asks you can say, "I built it"

It's a great feeling.

Bryan

[dh]

The big set backs are when you start adding things later on in the build. I looked at the gen ben plans, changed things I wanted changed, explored some profiles, went with a benroy because of the increased floordspace, and dug in. I printed the plans and some stuff off the net, dug through it al and put everrything in a notebook. My plans are in the notebook, Plumbing, electric, structural... One god thing is to make up a list of parts you want/need, so you have time to search for deals. I got my water pump 6 months ago on sale, but won't need it for a while...

[jdarkoregon]

I used a drawing on a napkin as the start for my trailer, I looked at several plans and took as much information as I could remember.

I would suggest getting some plans, NOT to follow them to the letter, but to use them as an educated, or experienced reference.

By having plans, your build will go faster. Mine took forever because I had to think, dream and get materials for each step individually.

Whatever you do, you will end up with a totally custom trailer that looks like several others that are out there.

Have a fun time

John