DIY Construction techniques

[Numbchux]

I'm in the early planning phase of building my own Teardrop/grasshopper style camper trailer. It will see some occasional fire or minimum-maintenance road, so it needs to be built sturdily to withstand vibration. But, of course, weight is a concern as well. I'm on a DIY Teardrop page on Facebook and they're typically wood construction on a steel frame, but they seem to be built for almost exclusively pavement. In my head, it seems like more of a unibody design would work well, using an angle steel frame around the entire 3D shape and then attach the walls to that, but I've never seen anything like that. But picking through individual build threads is tedious at best.....

I'd love to see some mid-build pictures and a quick description of how your trailer is built.

 

[The Artisan]

Basically how my panel kits work
Kevin

 

[Louisd75]

I'm in the early planning phase of building my own Teardrop/grasshopper style camper trailer. It will see some occasional fire or minimum-maintenance road, so it needs to be built sturdily to withstand vibration. But, of course, weight is a concern as well. I'm on a DIY Teardrop page on Facebook and they're typically wood construction on a steel frame, but they seem to be built for almost exclusively pavement. In my head, it seems like more of a unibody design would work well, using an angle steel frame around the entire 3D shape and then attach the walls to that, but I've never seen anything like that. But picking through individual build threads is tedious at best.....

I'd love to see some mid-build pictures and a quick description of how your trailer is built.

Wood construction on a steel frame is popular because it's pretty easy to do and it's effective. A lot is going to depend upon what construction methods you're capable, comfortable with, or can afford to do. There's nothing inherently wrong with wood on steel frame. Vibration can be an issue regardless of which construction method you use for the body, your suspension and tire pressure will make a bigger difference in the outcome. Two of the trailers that really influenced my construction were @Teardropper on this forum (he's on his fourth trailer) and Dave & Louise and they're both wood body on steel frames. Their trailers have probably seen more dirt road than most of the other trailers on here combined.

Here's Dave & Louise: https://td.roughwheelers.com/

Here's my build, in case you're viewing on a mobile device and my sig line doesn't show up: http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=68563

Also note that their builds haven't been problem free. Dave & Louise have broken a tongue and also sheared leaf spring hangers. I think that's more to do with abilities of the person who built their trailer frame for them.

FWIW, I did briefly look at the construction method you described, but I figured that there wasn't much benefit for the extra work involved. It's pretty easy to cut one sheet of plywood exactly as you want it and then follow that shape with a router to transfer the shape to another sheet of plywood, it's a little more work getting two halves of a metal frame exactly the same.

 

[Teardropper]

on Facebook and they're typically wood construction on a steel frame, but they seem to be built for almost exclusively pavement.

Pavement? Yep. Pavement until it turns into gravel and dirt and finally a two-track.

?

 

[OverlandNA]

Checkout http://www.tnttt.com/viewforum.php?f=39 & http://www.tnttt.com/viewforum.php?f=55

 

[opp]

have you look at https://www.expeditionportal.com/fo...mited-off-road-pop-top-camper-trailer.183743/
Wood and metal. As my littlest one says so last century

 

[ROADRUNNER33]

Here is my build on a 5x8 carson trailer.
https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/the-zoebear-off-road-teardrop-in-so-cal.187954/