The Paskett Case is 7 this month

[wannabefree]

After a long absence, I'm back. Our teardrop turns 7 this month and I'm yearning for some nostalgia. Building a tear was definitely one of the best things I have done, somewhat behind marrying my beloved wife (who even supported this project) and having kids, but not that far behind. We have learned some things along the way that I want to share after 7 years and maybe 6000 miles.

1. Don't use the HF trailer frame. There are lots of reasons, but they all boil down to one for me: you get what you pay for. Now, if all I had was $250 for a frame, I would use it. But I could afford better. On one of our first trips we bent a spindle, so we bought a new Dexter axle. We've replace tires, wheels, lengthened the tongue... pretty soon we had spent enough on it that we could have bought a custom frame.

2. Since I mentioned tires, try to buy a trailer tire that isn't made in China. If you have a source, let me know.

3. Emtek is amazing stuff. This is the UV coating Boeing uses on their composite parts, and is the topcoat on my tear. I highly recommend it. It does not brush well, even with their brushing reducer, but sprays well and holds up very well. I have not had to do a recoat.

4. Check your tires every day on the road. We have had tread separation with every tire. Did I say China?

5. Replace your tires every 2 years. They're cheaper than a new tear and all that body work your car will need when the trailer jackknifes. Did I mention China?

6. Crack open the windows/roof vent at night. No matter how cold it is. There is not enough air in a well sealed tear to last 2 adults a night. Waking up dead is not an option, at least not for me. I made a related post several years ago where I went through the math. We have a little 200W heater we use on cold nights if we have electric. It kept the inside at 52 degrees in February in SLC, Utah. That morning we had 3 inches of snow on the roof. We were toasty under 4 blankets.

7, Solder all your electrical connections. Nothing (well, nearly nothing) bugs me as much as a trailer bouncing down the road with the lights cutting out. It's so unnecessary. Crimp connections, unless you spend $200 or more on a crimper, will not last. Solder, conformal tape, and heatshrink every connection.

8. Do your very best work. Every gas stop, every camp you pull into, your work will be on display. Gas stops take us 1/2 hour on average, and it's not because we take up a stall in the restroom and "sit and think."

9. Build your doors and side walls perfectly flat. A warped door is really hard to seal.

A few years ago we pulled into the Flagstaff KOA between 2 53 foot behemoths. One of them was just pulling in next to us. They had walkie-talkies and the wife was saying "You've got to move 2 inches to the left. No, I said LEFT!!" We set up our camp, which consisted of pulling out the lawn chairs and table. An hour or so later the hubby stopped by, having by then parked and leveled his motor home. He asked how we liked our trailer. We talked about building it and how much fun it was to take on the road. He said "Every time we go on the road it's a $1000 bill just to get it out of the driveway. Now my gray water tank leaks. And I have to park the d*** thing every noght." Well, not every time we go on the road, but every 2 years or so, we splurge on a new set of Chinese trailer tires for $100. Did I say China?

Thanks for listening,
WBF

[Camp4Life]

Great post!

[3GKnight]

Good stuff. Thanks!

[aggie79]

3. Emtek is amazing stuff. This is the UV coating Boeing uses on their composite parts, and is the topcoat on my tear. I highly recommend it. It does not brush well, even with their brushing reducer, but sprays well and holds up very well. I have not had to do a recoat.,
WBF

WBF,

You steered me to the Emtech. I used it on my tongue box and it is still going strong after many years. Here is a link to the product:

https://www.targetcoatings.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/TC_TechDataSheet_EM9300_R31.pdf

Take care,
Tom