Oregon Trail'R LLC is born!

[oregonguy]

Hi Everybody. I am pleased to announce that my brother Sawyer and I have decided to start a business together building teardrops. Technically our name is Oregon Trailer LLC, but we are going to "do business as" Oregon Trail'R - which we think is a more fun name. We are starting small and slow, with a single trailer. We are trying to work smart though, every time we build an important component, we build a jig or a template to easily reproduce the same thing next time, only far faster. The next production run will be three trailers. We are building this first one with lots of options/features so that we have a record on our site of what we can do and what our trailer can be. We will happily build them at any level though, including relatively bare bones options to fit various budget requirements. We are also offering frames, and kits for the DIY'ers among us.

We've learned a lot of valuable lessons on this forum, and will continue to do so I'm sure. We have been influenced by many of the great ideas people here on the forum have shared, and I'm sure many of you will see elements of the their own designs that we have "borrowed" . We have been working on our first production model trailer for a few months now. We have been calling it "Streeter" so far, but we would really like feedback regarding the name... we have some other ideas for the name... but that will be another post. We are feeling really positive with everything so far with the build, which is most of the way completed. In an upcoming post I will be asking for some help from you all with some of the business aspects of this kind of undertaking, I've got lots of Questions.

We do have a website that we update very frequently. It is still a bit rough, and will likely get a professional remodel/upgrade in the future, but we'd like to share it with you all. You can find it here: http://www.oregontrailer.net We are keeping a running build journal in the form of pictures, under the "Streeter Build" link. We update it weekly, so check back often. Also we had decided to offer, for sale, some of the products that we have created for this build. We are still working on the pricing a bit, so bear with us there, but check out our "accessories" link for some of the stuff we'll be offering very soon. We're look forward to hearing your thoughts on the site as well as the trailer.

We've already received some valuable help and advice from some key people, and we are grateful for it. Some of the folks that have been very helpful are: Cary at Camp-inn, Frank at Vintek, the Teardrop Fixit Shop, and several others.

Thanks all

[DLFLHT]

I'm going to follow your progress with great interest. I'm just up the road in Portland and have been exploring every option I can find. I think I went through your entire website and it's quite good for a new site.

In looking through your build pictures, it looks like the Streeter is a 5x8, but it appears the 8' probably includes the storage compartment in the front. I'll look forward to seeing the specs, particularily what it weighs. Do you think you'll offer a longer version at some point - say 9 or 10 feet? I'll also be interested in the kit options.

I'll be really interested to see how you position and price your product with respect to the competitors that you're surrounded by down there - Cosy Cruiser in Oakridge, American Teardrop/Three Feathers in Salem and the only Little Guy dealer in the Northwest in Eugene. I hope you pull it off - it's always good to have choices. From the pictures, it looks like you won't have any problem competing on quality.

[oregonguy]

DLFLHT, thanks for the kind words. You are correct in that It is a 5x8, but that does not include the tongue box. Main body is 8 feet, with 6'6" long sleeping area. We may offer longer versions down the road, but we really like the look of the 8' platform.

We are aiming for the quality niche. We are trying to price the unit as competitively as possible. We'll have a better idea once we are completely finished with this first unit and have all the cost info. Our goal is to have the highest possible build quality, while still remaining in an appropriate price range for our market.

If you're ever down in the Eugene area you should stop by and check it out in person. We love showing it off.

[cherokeegeorge]

Congrats on your venture guys. I've seen both of your trailers and they were both rally well done. here's hoping you guys are very succesfull.

And your dad can sweep up all the shavings behind you

[TheBizMan]

I have always been for the small businessman. My hope and prayers are with you for your success.

[oregonguy]

Thanks George and Lee. We really excited with the prospects, and hope that building these things well will translate into them selling well. Thanks for posting. May I ask your opinions on the name Streeter? We're kind of on the fence about it. If you have any inspired ideas for a name, we'd love to hear suggestions. Sawyers wife, Mina, had a nice idea about naming the different trailer models after famous locations along the "Oregon Trail" - in reference to our name Oregon Trail'R.

[cherokeegeorge]

I like Mina's idea Streeter not so much but hey, their your trailers and you should call them what you want.

[oregonguy]

Ok. That's one for Minas idea, or rather just against "streeter" I guess. One of the Oregon Trail name ideas was "south Pass" I think that's kinda nice. Also "independence" was a possibility- that one I thinks sounds a little too fifth-wheel'ish.

[halfdome, Danny]

Nice website and build progress journal .
I'm somewhat concerned with a rear hitch tube not connecting to the next cross member.
I do all my dadoes on the table saw before I manually route out the profile so why not use that CNC to do the dadoes before it comes off the machine?
That's quite the chassis jig you've made.
Looks like you've done your homework, keep up the good work,:D Danny

[oregonguy]

Thanks Danny. As for the hitch not connecting to the next cross member, there are a couple reasons we chose not to. First, our water tank lives right there where it would have to traverse through. Second, the next cross support is pretty far away, like about 40 inches. And lastley, after experimenting with it, it's actually quite strong! Definitely strong enough for some bikes, which is really what it's meant for.

We love how easy the dados make assembly. We actually don't own that CNC machine. We just had our profile template made on it so that we could route perfect sides. Once we can afford a CNC of our own, we'll surely use it for everything on the walls including the dados.

About the chassis jig- we are very pleased with the way it turned out. It sure helps make perfect frame, everything just pops in and is ready to weld. The other part of the process that I didn't really show is our cutting jig setup. We have two Dewalt cut-off saws permanently mounted: 1 at 90 degrees & 1 at 45 degrees. The feed table has an adjustable stop system with presets for all the different lengths we need to build the frame. You get the right cut every time...works great.

Thanks for looking, and for posting.

[The Teardrop Nanny]

Gents, Keeping it in the familly....
You will ROCK the teardrop world, for sure! You have teardrop genes in every fiber of your body, don't 'cha?..... and the merchandise and pictures to prove it. Best wishes and bring down a model to share/sell at the IRG 4.0--I'm certain there will be much interest generated by your design capabilities.

Joanie
TDN

[oregonguy]

8) Gents, Keeping it in the familly....
You will ROCK the teardrop world, for sure! You have teardrop genes in every fiber of your body, don't 'cha?..... and the merchandise and pictures to prove it. Best wishes and bring down a model to share/sell at the IRG 4.0--I'm certain there will be much interest generated by your design capabilities.

Joanie
TDN

Thanks Joanie! We wouldn't miss the IRG for anything. What a great event. Good idea about bringing down a new trailer to show off, we'll keep that in mind!

[Visionsbydarrah]

Good luck you guy’s….and remember there is always room for more Teardrop manufactures out there.

[ElectronGuru]

Wow, you guys are right down the street. Definitely making time for a visit!

[oregonguy]

We'd be more than happy to have you stop by. We have several teardrops in progress right now...one of which is nearly complete! That one is set to deliver at the end of this month, or start of the next!