New guy from North East Wisconsin

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Hey everyone,

My name is Mike and I have a problem. I have become TD obsessed.

I love cars, especially old Fords (I have a 1954 Ford Customline mild custom). I saw a teardrop at a car show last fall with my dad and both of us were in lust. But life got in the way and both of us stopped obsessing for awhile. But then a couple weeks back I saw one on the road and it brought back all the crazy thoughts from last fall. I have been lurking here and reading ever since.

By the way, each year I take my "Annual Random Road Trip Across America (tm)". This is where I pick someplace on the map of the US to begin my trip from drive there as fast as I can and then spend the next 8 to 9 days literally driving randomly on 2 lane highways and back roads. I don't eat at any chain restaraunts, and I don't have any hotel reservations in advance. Because I sometimes can't find a room I end up camping a lot on these trips. A teardrop would be perfect for these trips and I will no longer have a sore back when I am on the road from sleeping on the ground.

I am leaving work now to go pick up my HF 4x8 trailer. And will probably spend this next Sunday assembling it. Things will probably progress slowly because I work about 60 hours a week and have a girlfriend that I would like to keep. Therefore, time will be at a premium to work on the tear drop, but I am making a commitment to have it campable by next April. I am thinking about a GenBen mixed with a Kenskils. Is that a GenBenKen? I think it already has a name. "The Stack'em Shack". Because I think to get two people in this thing, I am going to have to stack them up. Weight will be an issue as I currently don't have a true TV. That will change sometime this summer/winter as I sell my convertible mustang and invest those funds into a TV capable and reliable vehicle.

Thanks for listening to me... can't wait to start a build thread!
Mike

[parnold]

I love the "Annual Random Road Trip Across America (tm)" idea. Good luck on the build, and good luck on sharing build time with quality time with gf. Maybe you can show her some pics of the more tastefully decorated tears, and get her involved with the design and build. Nothing sexier than a woman with a hammer in her hand!

[Betsey]

Hi Mike!

Welcome to the madness! We are glad you have decided to join us. We have quite an active group of teardrop campers in Wisconsin, most of whom belong to the St. Croix Chapter of Tearjerkers, a teardrop camping group covering Minnesota & Wisconsin. There are several weekends throughout the year when we get together. We would love to have you join us! Check out the list of teardropping events in Wisconsin at http://www.tearjerkers.net/new_forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=1301

Also, we have a variety of teardrops - everything from original ones, to home built & manufactured. So, if you want ideas or would like to see some in person, just let us know! I'm sure one of our group would be happy to show you theirs. Our weekend gatherings are also a great place to see a variety of teardrops & talk to the owners.

Hope to camp with you this summer!

Betsey

[tearhead]

Definitely keep the girlfriend! Priority one! Maybe she can help you with your build. And then you can take her to a gathering Check on Tearjerkers.net for the Tears across the UP gathering that was planned by the Great Lakes group (which I think is mainly Michigan)--maybe our trajectory will come close enough to you so that you and the gf could come check out some teardrops and see how it's done in the wild!

Betsey's right--this is a super group and we enjoy our friends from the neighboring states (and they enjoy us and come to our gatherings, too. You'll find a lot of help here.

[Vedette]

Hi Mike
Welcome to the Forum
Looks like you already have the perfect TV. Most people would kill to have a 54 Ford to tow their special teardrop.
We plan to be travelling across WI and MI the week of July 23-28 with our 46 Studebaker PU and "Special handbuilt custom teardrop.
Think outside of the box!
And do get the girlfriend invoved in the build!
My wife has been one of my best sources of encouragement throughout our build.
Good Roads
Brian & Sandi

[topdeadcenter]

Thanks everyone. My GF likes to learn new things and is NOT afraid of getting dirty so I know that she will be helping when she can, but we both have those kind of jobs so we only see each other a couple days per week (18 months now) so those days we usually try to do something fun that we can involve her son in (who couldn't care less about building a trailer).

I picked up the trailer IN my convertible mustang last night. Put the top down and it is just a pickup bed with seats, right? The guys at HF thought I was nuts. But it made it the 30 miles home just fine. I may have to put a hitch on this car to tow the TD temporarily. As for towing with the '54, it isn't the most mechanically reliable car and it has the original Borg Warner Overdrive Transmission in it (3 on the tree) so I am nervous about putting any additional stress on that component. And my 3rd car (yes I am single with 3 cars) is a 2011 Ford Fiesta with the new computer control Auto-stick transmission. Unfortunately I think that Ford is going to have some reliability issues with that transmission based on its performance for me in the last 38,000 miles, so I wouldn't want to try to drag anything behind that little car either. I used to own a Subaru Forester and I LOVED that car and will probably be dumping the mustang and the fiesta for a newer Forester again.

I will have to see where/when/if we will be able to swing by the gatherings that were mentioned. It would be nice to see them in person and steal, I mean borrow, ideas from others that have "been there, done that, wouldn't do it again".

Thanks again for the encouragement! I hope to be joining you all soon.

BTW Vedette I too have a soft spot (in my head?) for "Stupidbakers". I like the 50s trucks the best, but they are all cool in their own way. Why be normal? right?

[Roly Nelson]

Hi Mike, welcome aboard and I hope you enjoy the friends you are about to meet. As a builder of teardrops that must be towed with my 1.4 liter, 4 banger, Chevy Cruze, I try to build them as light as possible. If you are concerned about overstressing your hauler, I suggest you do the same. Right off of the bat, your HF trailer probably weighs in at about 150 to 175 lbs, and that is about as light as you can get, with a pre-fabricated trailer frame. It is up to you regarding what you plan to bolt onto it. There are many light weight building materials available, so you might want to check on some of the light-weight hints that this forum has in it's archives. Be sure to get involved with the TearJerkers in your area, and if possible, swing by Necedah, WI and check out the Camp-Inn selection of TDs and say hello to Betsey, she is a wealth of information.

Good luck on your build, and remember, ask, ask, ask.
Roly, the li'l ol' SoCal woodie guy

[Tabazooron]

Welcome, Mike.
As already mentioned, The Tear Jerkers also have a lot of info and have gatherings. The chapter that covers Wisconsin is very active and you can get lots of info from them.
I'm a member of the Michigan (Great Lakes) Chapter and we're meeting up with some from Wisconson, North Carolina, Virginia and who knows where else on a crawl across the U.P.
Try to get to any gathering and I'm sure you'll not regret it. At our gatherings, we've had people camping in tents and 24' travel trailers just to share the fun.

[Cary Winch]

Mike,

Nice to see Seymour properly represented here.

Like Betsey said, make sure to attend some of the gatherings in the area. For sure the Camp-Inn Camp-Outt at the end of Sept. You will fit in marvelously there I suspect.

Don't be a stranger. Stop on down some time and visit the shop. Lots to see, and I bet there are some parts here we could help you out with.

Cary