Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I've about decided that I want to build a modified Gruman/Ultralight profile on my HF 1800#. I want it to be 60X114" & 56" high, outside measure. Been assembling materials, parts, etc. Have the profile drawn out, modified the tongue on my trailer, & ordered some stabilizer jacks. Gonna wait 'til the jacks arrive before I turn the trailer upside down to 'fit' the jacks & paint the new parts of the tongue, brackets, etc. I'm gonna build partially over the wheels so that'll entail some shallow 'wheel wells' inside the cabin. I can live with that. I've been in a quandry about what kind of skin to put on the TD. I have some woodworking skills so joining pieces for the slight oversize dimensons wouldn't be a big problem, I think . I do like the looks of the aluminum skinned TD's tho so today I began a search for a local source of material. I've done business before with Liberty Trailer, a tractor/trailer repair facility in North Little Rock so I started there. Talked to Donnie & he said they could order any size I needed but it'd probably be pricey, nothing I didn't already know . The trailer roofing they have in stock is .040" thickness, 103" wide & any length I want (or can afford to pay for ). If I buy enough for the roof/hatch (approx 16') & both sides (another 20'), I'm looking at about $700 ($19.15 per linear ft) for seamless sides/top, with considerable waste . The 103" width only lacks 11" being enough for the sides so if I bought 11' for the sides (cut 2 pcs 56" plus enough for 2 11" add ons) & another 11' for the top (2 pcs 66"X103"), I'm lookin' at around $420 or so plus tax . Only thing is I'd have a seam/joint on each side & at least one on the roof besides the hatch hinge .

Thus my question - has anyone skinned their TD using metal that didn't cover the entire top/sides in a single piece? Where's the best place for a vertical joint on the sides, front or rear; & on the roof, lower front or up someplace? Do you use a lap joint & screws/pop rivets, etc., or a butt joint (at a reinforced location) with some kind of trim piece over it?

Haven't found any other source locally (haven't looked everywhere yet ) but I've always found Liberty to be very competitive pricewise. Anyone know of any place online I could order pieces (or single roll) that would be less money (including shipping)?

Nobody, I haven't built a tear yet, and when I do it will probably be a woody. If I was going to cover in AL, and had to seam it I would put the seam in the least noticeable spot ..I.E. the smallest area. Above the door maybe? To keep it symetrical put a seam on each side of the door along the edge so you would only see it at the top and bottom. Even then, the drip rail would cover a fair bit. Just a suggestion.....

...the only other source I could give ya for the wide AL is Lufkin Trailers in Shreveport La....you might wanna talk to Lenny(aka Mcteardrops) whom you met at Beaver's Bend, he got his Al from them...I wouldn't worry to much about a seam...all 5" CampInns are seamed across the top and on our Alligator Tear we had a seam where the skin from the front box and the side panel met the skin covering the rest of the tear...we overlapped 1 inch, laid a heavy bead of automotive urethane windshield adhesive/sealant(as does Camp Inn on their seams) and put a screw every couple of inches...in the pic below, the seam is hidden by the awning rail but the rail has nothing to do with actually sealing the seam...


madjack

Hi Nobody, I skinned my tiny trailer over the top with 4ft sections. I overlapped about 2'', sealier inbetween everything, and used stainless screws. and shingle it the right way. I also had a wider roof stringer in those positions. If you see any old camping trailers like BolesAero, or Comet they were built that way. and on the sides a good looking seam adds to the craftsmanship, you don't need to cover it up. ...............Bob

Hi Nobody,
I ordered mine from SAF If you get over 200lbs shipping is free. I ordered 1 pc 60" x 12' , 2 pc 48" x 12' and 1 pc 48" x 8' it came to about $550 shipping included. But that is also anodized. So I don't have to worry about it getting dull. Mill is about 20% less. I also ordered my long extrusions from them also since the shipping was free. They shipped them in 18' sections. It was delivered 4 days after I ordered it.

I redesigned my tear to be less than 103" long so I could use the width of the trailer roof material for the length of the tear. The length of my top is a little over 14', including the hatch. That way I will use two 5' sections for the sides and have 15' for the top. I just picked up a 25' roll of trailer roof for $348 from a local truck repair facility. No delivery charge because it was in stock, they just cut it off their roll. Picked it up in the mini van, 4 miles round trip.
Brwbier

This company has 5'x10' mill finish at their SE Missouri distribution facility. It may be to far from your location to be practical. Hope it helps.

http://www.loxcreen.com/

Missouri
LOXCREEN METALSOURCE®

800 S. Pemisot St.
Hayti, MO 63851
(573) 359-2811
Fax: (573) 359-2814

Good luck,
Clancy