Compact cars pulling shop built tears.

[gudmund]

what I find interesting about the 1000 lb and having trailer brakes or not comment is - how many teardrop owners out there that "really" know what the weight of their trailer really is?? - I have talked to a lot of people over the years about their teardrops and 'very-very' few actually even know what their trailer weight is, being they have "never' actually ever weighed theirs - most of what I get is - it's probably 'this' or so'n-sos weights this much, so mine must be 'that'. (Nor do they even know how much they carry 'over and above' the weight of the trailer when camping.) I knew one who had the same brand of trailer as was my 4x8 yet his is a 5x8 using 2x3 frame tubing - same frame builder as mine but mine with 2x2 frame tubing, yet he tells me his trailer is at 8-900 lbs when towing fully loaded, yet mine always weighted in per the scale at 900 lb empty and 11-1200 lbs when loaded (one time it weighed in at 1400 lbs loaded) This is why I like to tell everyone to check out you state's weight scales after hours - I find that 'after' hours usually if you see the digital lites still lit up on their scale screen as you drive by (will usually show '0000') they are still on and this is when I stop and use them here in Wash/Oregon. As far as the question as to what weight to have trailer brakes?? - every vehicle is different along with your state law requirements - which so many states say they are needed when over 1500 lb. (most owners manuals I have read so far say 'needed at more than 1000 lb') And of course - weight is weight, no matter where it is being carried - whether in the vehicle or the trailer - it all, when 'totaled up' has an overall effect on the brakes ------------

[daveesl77]

Conch Fritter's weight was 1,340 loaded (normally). It towed great behind my F150 and my Sedona minivan. While it is technically still in bounds for the new Kia Soul, and I did pull it around my neighborhood to see, I would not even consider pulling it. I now live in a very mountainous region of West Virginia and I would not put the Soul in harms way mechanically by towing the Fritter, even if I added brakes. Not only is the weight a possible problem, but the height of the trailer is about 1 foot above the car, so there would be a lot of windage. I think the car has 140 hp. Two of the three roads leaving town are 9% grades for several miles, followed by more 8 and 9% grades.

So I stripped out the fritter's reusable parts, am selling the shell/frame/box and will build a smaller, lighter and more aero foamie.

dave

[PKCSPT]

before my beetle was rear ended. 4 wide and never knew the trailer was back there.

[John61CT]

Yes, besides taking care of safety issues - which just slowing down helps enormously,

obviously there is a lot of additional wear & tear on the drivetrain. How flat / hilly the terrain is a big factor no matter what.

Frequency of use is a huge one there, fulltiming cross-country, as opposed to a few weekends a year within a few hours.

This wear & tear can be called "damage", not a black and white boundary there, all grey scale judgment calls.

Transmission is the weakest point, adding a dedicated temp gauge and maybe a separate cooler will go a long way to mitigating the risk.

But wit these extreme-tiny cars, an extreme-light trailer sure is the way to go, and of course that means actually weighing things. Bit like long-distance backpacking but counting each pound rather than ounces.

[friz]

Camping with an ultralight tear being compared to backpacking is a good analogy. The lighter you pack, the better the experience. My wife and I are not the typical campers. Our camper is more of a crash pad. We are active and spend our days hiking, cycling or exploring. We just need a place to sleep, make a quick breakfast, pack a lunch, make dinner. We seldom even build a fire.

Before the camper, we found ourselves buying expensive rooms in resort hotels and never used the resorts. Campgrounds put us closer to the action at a much cheaper rate. The first couple seasons using our camper paid for it.

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