Metamorphosis

[goldcoop]

Every once in a while they warn me they will be dropped since no one has given them a hit, so, I just go over and look again.

Arne-

Self-induced site hits!?

Cheers,

Coop

[Arne]

I finally registered my teardrop trailer, and looked at my new one which is still in the boxes..... The 1800# trailers are now advertised as 1740# trailers, and are made in Taiwan, not Ukraine.... the design appears to be the same, but I guess even cheap Ukraine labor wasn't cheap enough.... I have not unpacked my new one yet, still waiting for weather to get a bit warmer, but Made in Taiwan was on the boxes... also, the new ones come in cardboard boxes, the other one came in a wooden crate.

[Arne]

I finally made a decision. I'm going to make a semi-frameless tear. I bought an 1800# h/f trailer (using the 20% off coupon). The tongue will be V shaped. Each leg of the V will be made of 2 - 4' h/f outside rails welded end to end, with an 8 inch piece of x-member welded inside to overlap the joint where the 2 4' pieces meet. Those outside rail pieces are pretty sturdy and will give me the equivalent of a 3" x 3" tongue, 1/8" thick. The V will give me a lot more stability for attaching to the floor (no perimeter frame), and a place to mount a tongue box. Unfortunately, I'll go with 3/4 ply instead of my 1/2 ply.. I just think the extra strength of 3/4 is needed ... the extra 50# isn't.

The suspension will be mounted on stub frames 4 feet long on each side. I figure this design should save me 100# and be quite strong.....

So, for $240, I got all my frame steel and my suspension items.... should start in the next 2 weeks... have to redo my kayak deck first, needs new varnish...

[Arne]

Since I don't know where the original notes are, I'll post these pictures here. First is one of those cheap fans altered to fit my vent.... second is the home type striker plate bent for my tear.....

[Arne]

I've been thinking about spud... and I saw this pic and it clicked.. I think i'll borrow this shape, or one close to it....

[Arne]

Or like this, but the rear tuck under will be small because of the way I will build the hatch.

[Arne]

The design has been finalized and approved by you-know-who... I will be starting construction in march, and be ordering parts soon.. hope to have it done for trip to Bluegrass Classic sheep dog trial in mid May..

the slope on the back will be slightly more flat than this design, but very close.

[Micro469]

Three months????

You're retired right?????

[Arne]

yes, I am retired....

my current tear took just under 5 weeks (in it's first configuraton). I started building it 2 weeks after I discovered that teardrops existed, and I wanted to finish it for an already planned 1 month camping trip south. So, I did all the subcontracting, not only ordering, but figuring out what I needed to do, where to go, etc.... I lost 10 pounds during the month.... could not have done it without having discovered this forum...

That why you may have noticed I've been asking a lot of questions... This time, I have everything set in my mind.. the frame will be much more simple but the design is a bit more complex. I already started building it in my head while lying in bed at night.

If I don't hit my deadline, this time I'll have a back up/g/..

[mikeschn]

Complexity? Yea I can relate... check this out. Notice the windows in the trollytop? the Air conditioner? The swivel TV? The compound angles in the tongue box? Oh, lets not forget a place for all the show dogs!



Mike...

[Arne]

Mike, you guys want the kitchen sink model, mine is much simpler.. but I did remember this one will have the front end of the walls curving inward. That will take some time (to get them symetrical)... well, like I said, I have my backup, so I don't have the time crunch I had before..

I'm doing a materials list, and will start orddering soon... and a pet cool will be one of the budget breaking items on the list, along with the usual, windows, latches, hinges, etc.... for me I think the pet cool is going to work out well.