Teardrop Style Questions

[b63215b]

This was an issue I ran into when drawing out my trailer. I found that for me to have the foot room that I wanted I would have to have the counter too high for my wife to comfortably cook off of. It's an uncomfortable height for me, but it's doable. I'm going for the foot room. I can cook from the counter if need be, but I'm planning on installing lift-off table supports on the sides and rear of the trailer at a comfortable working height. I'm making two tables with folding legs to drop onto the supports. The bracket mounting locations will let me set up the cooking/prep area on whichever side is convenient depending on the campsite.

Here's a link to the brackets:
http://www.dyersonline.com/ap-products-table-support.html

And here's an image of them in action (not my trailer)

Thanks for the link to the hardware. That will help for sure.

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[yb0815]

I routed a 3/4" frame and sheathed it with 1/4" luan on both sides. For the roof I used 1/8" Baltic birch inside and out. If I was to do it again I would use 1/8" on the inside on the sides as well. I built my teardrop almost 10 years ago. Over the years I did put some fiberglass on the roof and last year I discovered "poor man's fiberglass". I glued canvas onto the roof and hatch and painted it with about 3 coats of Home Depot Outside Latex paint.

http://www.tnttt.com/gallery/image.php?album_id=1167&image_id=37397&view=no_count
http://www.tnttt.com/gallery/album.php?album_id=1167&sk=t&sd=d&st=0&start=24
http://www.tnttt.com/gallery/album.php?album_id=1167&sk=t&sd=d&st=0&start=0

 

[yb0815]

Size of the teardrop is 5x10. Queen size bed inside and fully loaded around 1100lbs.

I routed a 3/4" frame and sheathed it with 1/4" luan on both sides. For the roof I used 1/8" Baltic birch inside and out. If I was to do it again I would use 1/8" on the inside on the sides as well. I built my teardrop almost 10 years ago. Over the years I did put some fiberglass on the roof and last year I discovered "poor man's fiberglass". I glued canvas onto the roof and hatch and painted it with about 3 coats of Home Depot Outside Latex paint.

http://www.tnttt.com/gallery/image.php?album_id=1167&image_id=37397&view=no_count
http://www.tnttt.com/gallery/album.php?album_id=1167&sk=t&sd=d&st=0&start=24
http://www.tnttt.com/gallery/album.php?album_id=1167&sk=t&sd=d&st=0&start=0

 

[b63215b]

I routed a 3/4" frame and sheathed it with 1/4" luan on both sides. For the roof I used 1/8" Baltic birch inside and out. If I was to do it again I would use 1/8" on the inside on the sides as well. I built my teardrop almost 10 years ago. Over the years I did put some fiberglass on the roof and last year I discovered "poor man's fiberglass". I glued canvas onto the roof and hatch and painted it with about 3 coats of Home Depot Outside Latex paint.

http://www.tnttt.com/gallery/image.php?album_id=1167&image_id=37397&view=no_count
http://www.tnttt.com/gallery/album.php?album_id=1167&sk=t&sd=d&st=0&start=24
http://www.tnttt.com/gallery/album.php?album_id=1167&sk=t&sd=d&st=0&start=0

Thanks that seems to be the common thing I'm seeing and people are wishing they did. Having had your teardrop for so long do you feel the insulation was necessary?

 

[Louisd75]

Thanks that seems to be the common thing I'm seeing and people are wishing they did. Having had your teardrop for so long do you feel the insulation was necessary?

I recall reading a TNTTT thread where they were discussing cold weather camping. One of the guys mentioned that he could tell which parts of his walls were insulated after a really cold night; they were the parts that didn't have frost. I also remember reading that plywood has an R value of about 1 per inch, so it's warmer than nothing. I'm still in the process of building my trailer. My walls are 1/8" on the inside with a 3/4" piece routed completely through for the insulation with a 1/2" piece on the outside. The outside piece has 1/4" routed out of sections that match up with the openings in the 3/4" piece to allow me to use 1" rigid foam insulation. For some reason, 3/4" was impossible for me to find without either custom ordering it or driving a long ways to get it. The roof is 1/4" outer skin, 1/8" inner skin with 1" foam. I shouldn't have any issues winter camping :REOutCampFire03:

Having the thicker layers also made it possible for me to make wiring runs with the router:

On the curved front of the trailer I used two layers of 1/8" flexible plywood with a layer of 1" foam on the lower half with a single layer of 1/8" flexible plywood on the inside. The upper half is going to be the same method after I figure out how exactly I can do that and still trim in the curved windows:

The "shelf" looking thing halfway up the wall supports the curve of the all and will also hold the upper bunk for the kiddos (there will be another bed underneath).

 

[Mushin_Noshin]

I recall reading a TNTTT thread where they were discussing cold weather camping. One of the guys mentioned that he could tell which parts of his walls were insulated after a really cold night; they were the parts that didn't have frost. I also remember reading that plywood has an R value of about 1 per inch, so it's warmer than nothing. I'm still in the process of building my trailer. My walls are 1/8" on the inside with a 3/4" piece routed completely through for the insulation with a 1/2" piece on the outside. The outside piece has 1/4" routed out of sections that match up with the openings in the 3/4" piece to allow me to use 1" rigid foam insulation. For some reason, 3/4" was impossible for me to find without either custom ordering it or driving a long ways to get it. The roof is 1/4" outer skin, 1/8" inner skin with 1" foam. I shouldn't have any issues winter camping :REOutCampFire03:

Having the thicker layers also made it possible for me to make wiring runs with the router:

On the curved front of the trailer I used two layers of 1/8" flexible plywood with a layer of 1" foam on the lower half with a single layer of 1/8" flexible plywood on the inside. The upper half is going to be the same method after I figure out how exactly I can do that and still trim in the curved windows:

The "shelf" looking thing halfway up the wall supports the curve of the all and will also hold the upper bunk for the kiddos (there will be another bed underneath).

Do you have a build thread? Great looking teardrop!

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[yb0815]

We only use the teardrop during summer months. And no, never felt the need for insulation. More important are two doors with windows and our fantastic vent. Most nights windows and vent are just open (not running) to provide ventilation.

 

[Sb_Moto]

To me it all depends on how you plan to use it. For light dirt roads and minimal weight 2x2 would be fine. If you get big and heavy (2000k lbs) or want to take it down some trails then I would go 2x3 1/8".

I used 1" square 1/8" for my walls and skinning the outside with aluminum and the inside with 1/8" wood. If I did it again I would go 14 gauge square and use aluminum on the outside and 1/8" inside. I think 14 gauge would be plenty strong unless you put a heck of a roof load on.

I am going with metal walls due to strength and lack of rot. The only wood in my trailer was the floor because I would have needed a grand in aluminum otherwise.

 

[Sb_Moto]

Ohhh and if you go Timbren and use 2"x3" frame you will need to drill bigger holes and put pipe in the frame to brace it. Otherwise you will crush the frame before you get the correct TQ. I made some backing plates out of 1/4" steel, and it actually bend the outside Timbren mount into the frame. Essentially sleeving the holes drilled into the frame are required to keep it from collapsing.

 

[Louisd75]

Do you have a build thread? Great looking teardrop!

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No build thread. I may do one down the road but my progress has been so slow that I think most would have lost interest. I'm just over two years into the project :smilies27

Essentially I was looking for a TD that would sleep two adults and two kids comfortably inside. My wife and I originally planned on ordering a Camp Inn model 560 (they call it the Raindrop since it's not a traditional teardrop shape). Unfortunately, though they do offer some options, they aren't really set up for things such as matching wheel size to the TV. I also wanted the wheels recessed into the trailer body in order to match the track width to the TV and a multi-axis hitch. They outsource their trailer frames and didn't seem to be very interested in making the changes that I was looking for. I asked about licensing the plans for their trailer body but they didn't want to do that either. Honestly, I don't blame them in this day in age. They were very polite and friendly, but I realized that I had two options, one was to buy their trailer and drop a bunch of money making it into what I wanted or build a trailer from scratch. When I presented my wife with these possibilities she asked what tools that I'd need to buy to build it. Financially, it made more sense to build and free up the extra money to make improvements to the house. Looking back, it would have been much faster to buy the trailer and make do. It would be very difficult to put a price on the afternoons spent with my 3 y/o daughter. I work on the trailer while she makes it into whatever she wants. So far it's subbed for a helicopter, coffee stand, boat, castle and reading nook. I've done my best to keep it a fun project knowing that it'll be on the road sooner or later.

 

[Mushin_Noshin]

That's awesome, and their is no price on daddy daughter time!

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[b63215b]

No build thread. I may do one down the road but my progress has been so slow that I think most would have lost interest. I'm just over two years into the project :smilies27

Essentially I was looking for a TD that would sleep two adults and two kids comfortably inside. My wife and I originally planned on ordering a Camp Inn model 560 (they call it the Raindrop since it's not a traditional teardrop shape). Unfortunately, though they do offer some options, they aren't really set up for things such as matching wheel size to the TV. I also wanted the wheels recessed into the trailer body in order to match the track width to the TV and a multi-axis hitch. They outsource their trailer frames and didn't seem to be very interested in making the changes that I was looking for. I asked about licensing the plans for their trailer body but they didn't want to do that either. Honestly, I don't blame them in this day in age. They were very polite and friendly, but I realized that I had two options, one was to buy their trailer and drop a bunch of money making it into what I wanted or build a trailer from scratch. When I presented my wife with these possibilities she asked what tools that I'd need to buy to build it. Financially, it made more sense to build and free up the extra money to make improvements to the house. Looking back, it would have been much faster to buy the trailer and make do. It would be very difficult to put a price on the afternoons spent with my 3 y/o daughter. I work on the trailer while she makes it into whatever she wants. So far it's subbed for a helicopter, coffee stand, boat, castle and reading nook. I've done my best to keep it a fun project knowing that it'll be on the road sooner or later.

Awesome, familt time is great

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[FredSB]

This is really how i want my offload tear drop to be like

 

[old_man]

This is my steel framed offroad teardrop. I am about two days of labor from getting done.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/77927-quot-Old-Man-s-Toy-quot-offroad-teardrop-trailer

 

[b63215b]

What size axle should I use 72" hub to hub? Any particular brand better than another.
I wanted to use timbren but cost and issue I've seen people have scares me.

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