Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I am wanting to build a modification of the Cubby and was wondering if anyone has a plan allowing for a raised roof, allowing for extra height over the center? Thanks for any tips!

Just discovered the TDs and they seem to be the perfect solution for my wife and me in retirement. We have a Kia minivan but would have to add a tow package.

Rebel

Rebel wrote:I am wanting to build a modification of the Cubby and was wondering if anyone has a plan allowing for a raised roof, allowing for extra height over the center? Thanks for any tips!

Rebel

Hi Rebel,

Check out Sumner's website.

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... epage.html

His whole roof lifts up and it is a really interesting tear.

It is an awesome trailer. Sumner comes across like an 'aww shucks' kinda guy, but I pretty sure he is a certified genius! He built that thing without plans, just did it as he went. I hope I do half as well.

I took a look at his TD and it looks great! Thanks.

Yep, Sum has a very nice pop-up teardrop. He disappeared right after he got married. That's too bad, he was always an active participant in discussions.

But I think you have to have a good reason to build a popup tear. For many folks, a pop-up tear doesn't make sense. For example, if you are building a 4x8 tear, mainly for sleeping, why would you want a pop-up? To get dressed in the morning? Nah. Why add the complexity and the weight, for 30 seconds of convenience once in the morning?

Sum, if you recall, built a lower tear so that he could pull it behind his hotrod. Then to make it usable, he raised it just a little bit... and certainly not enough to stand in.

So when would you want a pop-up tear so that you could stand up in it? How about when you cook in it, as in the Wild Goose? How about when everything is inside, as in the T@B? I'm sure there are more examples...

But adding a pop-up roof adds a lot of weight and complexity, plus the potential to leak. An option that you might want to consider is a dropped floor, such as this design that I mocked up before I built the Baja Benroy.

This design ended up being too long, too wide, and too heavy for my liking. Plus I saw the potential to cook myself right out of my trailer.

Hey Rebel, welcome to the maddness,,,,good to have another southerner involved in tears,,,

as to raised top ( just my 2 cents worth) I would look at adding a little more room on width rather than height,,,however both could be nice,,Mikes baja has a little of both,,,just consider its a 4x8 world and any deviation from that is more time for construction,, more materials and less actual plans or dimentions that are actually available,,

in the process of building a 53" x 102" tear,,there has been a lot of head scratching and scrounging to find materials that will fit etc,,,,do a lot of realistic thinking and come up with what you feel is right for you and jump on in,,there are no right or wrong sizes to build,,,its gonna be an experience, just enjoy it,,ya'll keep em straight

chip

Most conventional 4x8 tears can fit a small dinette/sitting area if planned carefully. But hey if you want a popup for whatever reason then go for it! The only person you have to please with your tear is you.

I'm just east of Nashville, would love to see your Cubby when it's done, popup or not. I get up to the Smokies on a pretty regular basis.

I wanted to compliment you all for an excellent site. The info is good, prompt, and shows respect for one another.

I'll keep you posted on the cubby - and will be asking lots of questions I suspect.

Rebel

mikeschn how tall is your tear? I was wouldering about building a tall tear maybe 6 feet tall. Does this sound ok? I am kinda scared it wount look right. Maybe if I make it 6 wide, 6 tall, and 12 or 15 feet long it would look ok, thanks for the info.

Hey Ryan,

Something 6' tall and 15' long is not a teardrop. It is a travel trailer. To get an idea how that would look do a search on Serro Scotty or Shasta.

Mike...

What is the biggest you can make a teardrop? My designs are 6x12 tear that is 5 feet tall.

In my opinion that would be 5x10 (and maybe 5 high)
It is looking like mine will end up at 5x8x4

You folks have convinced me the pop-top roof might not be such a good idea on my first Teardrop. I do like the idea of the wider TD, however. I was noting the post further down about enclosing the wheels to maintain not too wide overall but more floor room at the same time.

Now for some questions:

1) Is rolled aluminum available in colors and in 5 ft widths, assuming my TD is 5 ft wide in the cabin?

2) I located a utility manufacturer locally. His main ones (that I was interested in) were 4 x 8 and 5 x 8. I suppose he could add extra support initally for the sidewalls. What has been the experience of any of you with the harbor freight 4 x 8?

3) There should be no problem adjusting for the wider TD as far as plywood is concerned?

That'll do for starters! Thanks.

Rebel

1) I buy sheet aluminum from saf.com You can get colors in 4x8 sheets, and mill finish in 5x10. Shipping is free.

2) The harbor freight trailer was fine, albeit slightly heavy for a 4x8 teardrop. I would rather build a bolt together trailer before I would modify the harbor freight trailer.

3) There is no problem with a wider tear. You just have to hide the joints. And there's many ways to do that!

Mike...

Mike, what thickness and type do you recommend in the aluminum? It talks about sides (1 or 2), thickness, and anodize as opposed to paint...

Rebel