Wooden teardrop (no steel frame)

[SteveH]

Arne,

I like your idea of the triagulated tongue going back to the axel. Nothing stronger than a triangle and that would be light weight also. You could use smaller lighter material than what would be required with a single tongue. I think Andrew has a drawing of a frame like that.

Edit: Yes he does, and here it is:http://www.angib.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/teardrop/tear32.htm

[McTeardrops]

Arne

You're going to have to use some kind of spacer to compensate for the camber of the axle; to my way of thinking, the best choice would be thin-wall steel tube. I don't like the idea of welding the axle on. A bolted connection to those spacer tubes would allow adjustment, if the weight doesn't end up quite where you calculate, or if the trailer doesn't track as straight as you'd hoped. Remember things move when you weld, particlarly when magnified by eight or nine feet of tongue length. For a ten pound weight penalty, I'd run the tongue all the way to the rear, if not for support under the hatch, or for attaching a bumper or light bar, as a conduit for the wiring.

[asianflava]

I have some West Epoxy literature that says that some penetrating epoxies are simpily thinned epoxy. They say that to penetrate wood you can thin it but they prefer you to heat the area proir to applying the expoy.

[Arne]

The heating makes sense in that the pores will open up and allow better saturation.

Steve, I took a look at the site and bookmarked it... very nice drawings..

---- as far as welding, that could go either way, meaning, I might or might not. I think I would bolt it simply for getting the axle repaired. If welded, that would make any torsion fixes very difficult.

My thinking, with no solid info, is that the torsion axle can be drilled/bolted as long as the actual torsion part is not affected.. and from the stubs, I'm guessing going one foot in would get me to an unemcumbered part ot the axle which is just empty tubing.

With careful measuring, the two tongue parts could be attached by bolts, configuration to be determined.... The pads on the axle could have spacers the correct height to through-bolt to the tear body.

I'll go look at some torsion axles to get a better idea. Need to know what the drop is from pad to axle.

[DANL]

While I was at Crystal Welding last summer, I saw a trailer chassis welded up just like the triangular one for the Super Leggara. When I asked the folks there if it could really be strong enough, they said it was all triangles and strong as could be. Apparently so because it was designed to carry a very large bass boat.

[Guy]

Dear Arne,

I would prefer doing it with a 200 watt lamp. The heat from a dryer is not too even.