Blood,Sweat & Teardrops...

[working on it]

bigblockbarry- Good looking trailer! I am building mine to tow behind my HHR and my wife's Cobalt, so I am interested in your Cobalts' MPG without trailer, the engine you have in your Cobalt (I can't see which model yours is, but both of mine are 2.2 liter), and your final trailer weight as towed. I have not weighed mine yet, but have an idea of it being a bit heavy when completed. I may even have to end up towing with my Chevelle (BBC), though only a 1/4 mile at a time.

[bigblockbarry]

This is something that I did keep tabs on.
1. 2010 base Cobalt 2.2 automatic - added an aftermarket trans cooler
2. Average MPG to work & back is 27-28
3. Averaged 23.5 over 936 miles through the Ozarks into Missouri and back across the river down the Tennessee side.
4.Weight is unknown but I'm thinking around 800-850.
There is a landfill near here and I thought maybe they would let me drive across with/without the tear so I could figure out exactly but I just haven't made it yet.I will post the weight when I find out.

Barry

[bigblockbarry]

I've been slacking lately. Got caught up in work at the shop. Getting ready to head for Paris Landing State Park this weekend for the Boss Hoss horsepower festival. The weather is supposed to be perfect and I even had Frank Bear talked into driving down the other day. My vacation showed up some of the weak points of the teardrop and I've been going through them one at a time. First up was the PD-4045 box wasn't charging the battery. Frank talked me through that,I had already tracked it down with my meter but wanted to be double sure before shooting the power to it.One down.
Second was the slide out for the cooler. I didn't know why everyone had them until we got to the campground and you had to pull the cooler out every time you got something out of it. Hardest part was finding 14 inch drawer slides that didn't look cheap.

Cost all of $20 for everything and I was very happy with the results.
Third item on the list was the hatch supports. The homemade ones worked but I was always afraid of a strong wind. I had been keeping up with the thread over in construction tips and decided to use the same ones Woodbutcher used. Worked out well on my second attempt.

I got smart and backed the trailer under a rafter in the garage and looped a tie down over it and to the hatch handle. Pulled it up to the perfect height ( for me anyway ) and got busy figuring out where to put them.My first attempt looked good,until I tried closing the hatch and the mounts hit each other.A bunch of cussing and 2 episodes of Family Guy later I tried again.This time it all worked great. I'll probably have a new item on my to-do list after this weekend.We'll see.

[rowerwet]

And you guys didn't warn me about how hard it is to get the stinkin sheets on the bed! That has to be one of the hardest things I've done so far. But it looks good.

I don't have a regular mattress, mine is made of blocks of foam wedged in place, Instead of a fitted sheet I use a sleeping bag liner for a double bed, no tucking in to be done. http://www.amazon.com/TETON-Sports-Slee ... B005EPRN9M of course I spend all my time way outside the "normal" box anyway
great build, enjoyed reading and all the pictures!

[bigblockbarry]

Just got back from the Boss Hoss rally and have a few thoughts. I didn't camp at Paris Landing,I camped out in a yard about 2 miles from the park right on Kentucky Lake. I got to use my easy up for the first time.Now I see why all of you guys carry these things,that was great having instant shade.I forgot about the "honey pot" in the picture.My Dad thought it was funny.

And the led galley lights worked well also.I am thinking about mounting a string in the inside of the hatch and putting a separate switch on it.

It got down to 46 there last night and I fell asleep with the windows open. About 4:00 this morning I was a wee bit chilly.Good thing I took and extra blanket.I was thinking on the way home about putting one of those warming mattress pads under the sheets for nights like that.Has anybody done this? I haven't checked into them yet,they may pull too much power.
Speaking of power,let me share a few pictures of the insanity up there this weekend.Sometimes you just stand there and think " These dudes have way too much time on their hands" .How about a jet powered barstool.Its on sale!


How about a trike with 2 502 Chevy big blocks?

Or my personal favorite,a '57 trike with an LS3 vette engine on it.

There was a bunch of bikes and trikes but not as many as last year.I think the economy has put the hurts on the $40K bike business.

And on a different note, I FINALLY GOT A TAG! Only had the fight with them for 2 hours Friday morning. The DMV wanted me to give them an approximate value on my tear and then they would charge me sales tax on that amount. I pulled out a stack of receipts and told them I have already paid tax on everything.Long story short,we went round and round,they called somebody who called somebody else who faxed some form and then another form.I signed a paper and gave them a check for $27 and boom the tag was in my hand. Now to build a cool tag mount.

Good Roads
Barry

[S. Heisley]

Great Pictures! Thanks for sharing!

Congratulations on a successful camping trip.

[pappaw]

WOW! Looking good Barry, a great job.

Cheers

[pappaw]

WOW! Looking good Barry, a great job.

Cheers

[bigblockbarry]

Thanks guys,
I'm really enjoying this trailer.I had my doubts about halfway through but thought I might as well finish it.I sure am glad I did.

Barry

[bigblockbarry]

I have been wanting to do this for months and things were really slow at the shop today. One advantage of working on race cars is having a complete set of scales to set up the suspension. I only needed 3 of the pads - and someone to pick me back up when I saw what the teardrop weighed.

Right wheel = 500 lbs
Left wheel = 487 lbs
Tongue = 168 lbs
Total as weighed was 1167 lbs.

You could have knocked me over with a feather,in fact I'm still in a state of disbelief. I was thinking it was around 850. Next time around I'll use 1/2 plywood for the floor and countertop. I still can't believe it!

Barry ( taking an aspirin )

[Forrest747]

Same thing oh thouse maybe twelve hundredd. 1600 pounds !!!!!

[bigblockbarry]

I know,right? I've been rolling this sucker around for months thinking it was really light because it rolls around so easy. That's what I get for thinking huh?

[working on it]

So you finally weighed it! Was it loaded as you towed it on the trip you reported your mpg on? If it's 1167 lbs (37% heavier than your guess) not 850 lbs, then maybe my vehicles can tow mine as well? I'm guessing 1250 lbs or more. But, what if I'm underestimating by 37% also? Gulp, 1700+ lbs!!! Who knows? Anyway, if you had no problems with the 168 lb tongue weight, then maybe our Cobalts are more Heavy-Duty than GM lets on. I am still adding weight to mine...I may break a record for heaviest 4x8 if and when I finish it.

[bigblockbarry]

That weight is loaded and ready to go-nothing in the cooler or water jug- EZ Up in the back,all the jacks and tools in the tongue box. One thing that I knew would put me up there was the battery. I told Dave to get me a good one,it barely fit in the biggest box Northern Tool had and has a 170 amp hour reserve.and IS HEAVY. The car doesn't have any problem with it,just got to get a run at the big hills.

[Forrest747]