Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Having celebrated the completetion of the first TD , and after the thrill and feeling of accomplishment wore off , I found myself wanting for a second TD project ...The #1 is large and motel like ... Perfect for it's intended purpose... But I feel a smaller ,boxy but streamlined trailer in a standard size would be perfect for all those other FUN things like riding to Lake Bisteneau (did I spell that right ???)...a simple project built on the other frame I have lying around....
Experience has taught me to begin with the trailer .... get all that stuff worked out in advance , while you can get to it ....EASILY ...this one has smaller wheels than the others 14"... simple mod will allow the building of an 8'LongX 4"highX 54" wide TD/box...
Some of the changes from the last one are: a rear door instead of a hatch (no fancy or expensive hinges, bending wood ,ribs ... etc.) An overhang over the rear door will provide a "porch " area and eliminate the need for any waterproofing of the rear door area, and provide a nice place to stand in a quick shower... rear overhang will have a roll out awning , and places to hang lanterns...(hahahah)
The front will be rounded with a generous curve/radius to streamline the TD whilst' towing down the highway burning expensive gas...
The inside will have a removeable shelf in the rear , some side shelves to store essentials , a pegboard wall area to hang the "handy
" stuff , and a cargo net in the front ...AC , of course , and GFI extension cord as the electrical system ... TV/Radio /CD combo will entertain ...
Floorspace will be long(almost 8 feet ) for us tall guys plus room for the ice chest ... Perfect for a weekend ride to a friendly place , and a bit of camping ...

I design and fly Model planes , and this would be perfect for attending their Fly-ins... hence it will be painted on the outside like a nose of a Jetliner... Just for FUN !!!
I'll post pics of the progress..This one should go pretty quick , and cheaply , due to experience and alotta' leftovers.....

Glen, I hope you are planning to come up to Lake Bistineau the end of Oct for our little gathering and show off some of that "fancy" work ya been doin......
madjack

Sounds good.
I'll be watching since I still have to make something normal to drag around to distant places.

Miriam

and there's always the faux rivets and panels paint job!


http://www.forgottenclassics.com/index. ... _photo.php

and "Nose Art !!!!
Actually , I'm trying to make the simplest and most practical trailer as possible ...It may not have the cool lines of a TD , but a novel paint job makes up for even the plainest box....This one is being built on a 54" wide boat trailer ...there's thousands of them around here for dirt cheap , since the boats blew away and the insurance companies haven't paid up yet ... Got mine (this one ) for $50.00 Its a "Dilly" ....
Long3"x3" nose beam will be shortened about 4 feet ... That's all for the mods as everything will work out fine ... and it's galvanized so I won't have anything to do other than keep it clean ... Cool ...Easy !!!

Bearings and wheels appear in good shape , shackles , brackets , U bolts are a little rusted , but not awful ... perhaps some wire brushing will reveal the faults ... if none found , will be undercoated ...Lighting is wired and working , so will be checked and left as is , if acceptable...
Axle is adjustable fore and aft , but appears to be in the correct position for my needs/design (Luck !!!)...This was a good deal for $50.00 and aside from getting a nose job and a new coupler ..looks almost ready to build ..... I learned from last time to do ALL the trailer stuff BEFORE building the cabin ...

Next will be the frame ... the last lap joint frame was a PIA to make with hand tools ( too many laps , too old hahaha)... I might get my friend at the guitar shop to cut this stuff for me (router)...This time I'm going to use "treated Pine ... will select the best boards for the job ...used it on quite a few outdoor projects and it has held up well ... a little on the heavy side though , but reasonably priced.....Did I mention I'm CHEAP (read : "Thrifty")

Here's a little sketch which might help us to visualize how SIMPLE this one's gonna' be ...

when the "box" sits on the frame, will the rear - uh... "spoiler" for lack of a better name- be over the tenant's head for rain protection or at eyebrow level...? inquiring minds wanna know!

Actually I put it there to break up that "boxy" look , but it would really act like an awning and afford some protection from the elements , help waterproof the rear area, and not waste the cutoffs from the front ... and I figure under it I could roll up a small awning on a pole/bracket arrangement ... just to hang my lanterns from, of course ... Trying to keep it dirt simple , but practical ,and not wastefull of materials . like #1 was... with 33% materials left over...and we need a smaller box for lesser activities than evacuations , plus as Mike says ...I got the "bug" ....or "bugout" in this case ....hahahahahaha

I really appreciate the beauty and craftsmanship that goes into some of these TD 's , but gotta' keep it "plain " for around here... Do you guys even care for the "simple trailers"??????

the more simple the more better.

i like the lego avatar!

Occam's Razor =

http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/G ... occam.html

very nice profile a strange fealing to see i have telephatique powers. look at my album!!!

Lulu... Love to see the album ....but where ????

Taking pics this am of used boat trailer ... be back later...
looks like we dodged the bullet again , with Ernesto ... still packed , ready to leave ....Good to have a TD !!!!!

Mike /the Boss ... How are the messages always "way" wider than my screen .. have to scroll back and forth to see the whole thing ... PIA... Just so ya' know ...

Glen, the only time the messages should be wider than you screen are if there is a long URL link in a message or a picture that is WAY wide, which is why recommend resizing pics to 640x480...click the album button at the bottom of LULU post to see the album...
madjack

MJ , It should be , but ALL my text is WIDER than my screen ...One of those Mac guys ya' know ...But only on this site ...???? I dunno' ??????

Didn't get the trailer pic done yet (charge batteries) , but did a side view plan of the Airliner...but unfortunately , my scanner finally decided to go South for the last time .... it was on it's way to the trash can anyway , but couldn't get the new one running cause I can't find mac OS X 10.2 ... duh !!!! What a mess !!!

We also have a Mac without the new/improved firewire guts. You're looking to upgrade to OSX.2 and I think I might have software to do so. Drop a PM this way and let's see what we can do to get you up and running again?

MightyDog ... You are a gentleman and a scholar .....I googled my butt off trying to find software .... either they have the new stuff ,or even newer stuff all requiring a later OS than I have ...(I never can keep UP...)