Teardrop or ProtoStoga trailer .

Teardrop shaped bicycle travel trailers & related information

Re: Teardrop or ProtoStoga trailer .

Postby droid_ca » Sun Mar 17, 2013 7:24 pm

i I remember correctly it is an art piece there are a few other pictures on the internet, just not sure where I found it, but I believe it has hoops that make the shape to it...sorry I couldn't be any more help
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Re: Teardrop or ProtoStoga trailer .

Postby razzer » Mon Mar 18, 2013 9:41 pm

One of the things I keep working on is a way to get in it . It's going to be real small and low . I don't bend and twist the way I did as a teen . I'm thinking of having one side and part of the top open .Basically half of it will lift up . Also if I use the side and part of the top when it lifts it will keep the rain off when getting in . :thumbsup: The whole cabin is going to be 3 ft or less high and 32 ins or less wide and around 7 ft long . Yep , pretty much a roomy sized coffin shape . Going to have a live" I hope " body in it . Just a few more thoughts . I have to take pictures tomorrow for a newspaper article anyway " not related or professional " so I should start posting some of my wacky ideas again .
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Re: Teardrop or ProtoStoga trailer .

Postby droid_ca » Tue Mar 19, 2013 10:25 am

What about it opening up something like this
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Re: Teardrop or ProtoStoga trailer .

Postby razzer » Wed Mar 20, 2013 8:11 pm

That's pretty much what I'm thinking of except for the drop down part . Just have the side lift up . Really the basic shape is nothing more then a pup-tent . Like one of those prisms they bent light with in high school science class . Three long sides and two triangular end pieces . Then have one of the long sides lift up to get in and out of it . To get artsier fartsier I'll curve the sides and maybe taper it some so there's a bit more room in it . Then cover the foam with paint and cloth . Of course " God is in the details " . :worship:
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Re: Teardrop or ProtoStoga trailer .

Postby mezmo » Fri Mar 22, 2013 2:20 am

deleted double post
Last edited by mezmo on Fri Mar 22, 2013 11:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Teardrop or ProtoStoga trailer .

Postby mezmo » Fri Mar 22, 2013 2:20 am

Hey razzer,

Unless you're a "beanpole", the dimensions you gave of
a 32inch base with a 36inch peak height in a triangle/prism
shape, will give you a Very Tight space. I'd hazard a guess that
you'd hit the "A-Frame" sides every time you move or turn over -
inside the "Toblerone" [it'd be shaped like one of their candy-bars.],
and it'd be extremely hard to sit up comfortably - if at all with
those dimensions and shape.

Consider using a 'gothic arch' shape, or a 'gambrel roof' shape for the
sides to give yourself more actual room if you really want to use
that approach. They'd give usable extra space and wouldn't be near
as confining.

Another approach to use the "Toblerone-ish" profile, would be to use that
profile for travel [but maybe in a more of an '1/2 of a square' triangle - when
the square is halved on the diagonal]. Then open/turn that into a squarish
trapezoidal shape [when viewed on end] when opened up for use/camp. You
would have flip-up end panels to infill on the ends for the 'camp shape' and they'd
also hold the tilted roof/travel-shape in position when it is open. This'd give
you space enough to sit up in and not hit the ceiling and walls and would
also feel much less confining. It'd also probably be at least nominally more
aero than the end of the 'provebial box', especially if you "Vee" the front and
rear somewhat in the travel mode. This'd allow use of flat foam sheeting without
the need and extra work to curve it. Base the opened 'ceiling' height on your
upright sitting height on the mattress you'll use, plus a couple-three inches extra
for comfort/movement. The entry door would be on the fold-up side panel.
You could even make that a bi-fold type wall if you wanted to keep everything
all hinged together. You could use the new plastic 'continuous' hinging if you didn't
want to worry about water leaks. [McMaster-Carr and others carry that.]

'Just some thoughts while you're still in the planning stage...

Cheers,
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Re: Teardrop or ProtoStoga trailer .

Postby razzer » Sat Mar 23, 2013 10:08 am

mezmo you're right about needing more room and the option I was looking at was to build it with short " 10 inch " knee walls and a roof made from gothic arches . GPW made an excellent drawing exactly like what I was envisioning .
FattyAframe.png
Nice job by GPW .
FattyAframe.png (17.75 KiB) Viewed 8320 times

And heres a picture he did for his foam stream , I can't believe I forgot about it . So many different things have inspired me on this quest .
FSnoseribs.png
From GPW's foamstream build .
FSnoseribs.png (15.74 KiB) Viewed 8320 times

Now to put all these ideas together . I think I need to build a form so I can try to heat bend my foam . I have scrap wood for a form and a heat gun and some free 3/4" foam to practice on .
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Re: Teardrop or ProtoStoga trailer .

Postby razzer » Sat Mar 23, 2013 10:14 am

Geez , everyone has been so helpful , the next thing you know I'm going to ask you folks to come and build it for me . :lol: No way that's the really fun part . I'm doing that myself . 8)
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Re: Teardrop or ProtoStoga trailer .

Postby razzer » Sat Mar 23, 2013 3:32 pm

Argh ! I've finally committed myself to making the trailer . I went out and spent some real money on it . I spent a whopping $10 on a used hollow-core door at Habitat for Humanities Restore Store . Honestly everything else is probably on hand from a free bike trailer to foam , paint and cloth . I would say it's mostly dumpster diving , but really people just say to me before they throw stuff out " Hey Ray can you make something cool out of this ? " . Reuse , restore , recycle .

Anyway the door I picked for a base to my bicycle trailer is 28" x 78" x 1 5/8 " thick . I realize that some of you would find that to be too narrow , but it should work for me " 5' 10" 190 lbs " . It's simply a bed on wheels and some room to toss in clothes and some food . I'm going to start by putting the knee walls on it to make sure I fit . The reason for using the door is it would be far more expensiveve to buy foam , 1/8" ply and get it home in my Honda Civic coupe . The door was a challenge to fit . :?

How low priced will this build be ? so far $10 . :roll:
Last edited by razzer on Sun Mar 24, 2013 9:21 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Teardrop or ProtoStoga trailer .

Postby mezmo » Sun Mar 24, 2013 3:43 am

You could angle out the little knee walls some to gain a bit
of width [say 6-8inches additional total width if the tops are angled
out 3-4inches on each side]. 28in does seem a bit Narrow - very
'coffin-like'. A little extra 'Elbow room' is very handy.
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Re: Teardrop or ProtoStoga trailer .

Postby razzer » Sun Mar 24, 2013 9:56 am

This is just a little place to sleep at night . While small for some it would be big for others and about right for me . " The Goldilocks zone " :) Saying that ... I am also going to play around with the design as I build it . :thinking: After all I have the item to be packaged " me " and I can build around me . I got an aluminum hinge from a RV destroyed in Sandy . But after thinking about it I've decided it's not needed and too heavy .I'm going use a section of fire hose as the long hinge and I have a number of lengths of tie-down straps to use as reinforcing and to hold it closed .
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Re: Teardrop or ProtoStoga trailer .

Postby razzer » Thu Mar 28, 2013 9:50 pm

Geez , I wish I were building this for a car then I could do my favorite design . My tiny version of the foam-stream that GPW is building ... sigh . But for these old legs to pull a bicycle trailer I probably need a lower wind profile . So I'm going to try a jack knife design folder something like this one from Sakuholma
2201746791_5a18e3e194.jpg
2201746791_5a18e3e194.jpg (78.55 KiB) Viewed 8262 times
I'll try up load a sketch of my idea tomorrow . But even that will be very tentative as I will just be using the free foam I have . It will look much like GPW's very thrifty design I think , much much simpler though .
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Re: Teardrop or ProtoStoga trailer .

Postby razzer » Sat Mar 30, 2013 3:06 pm

I at least know what kind of interior design I'm going to use for the trailer . I'm going to try that paper-bag style flooring as I have a bunch of colored construction paper I can use . I'm also experimenting with some of the curved foam friends have rescued from the trash for me . Unlike the blue stuff for houses from the big box stores it's an open cell foam . It seems just as strong but , it does have a surface that seems easier to damage . On the other hand the open cells give a much better " tooth " for glue to grip . I'm using GG at this point . " updates at ten o'clock "
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Re: Teardrop or ProtoStoga trailer .

Postby mezmo » Wed Apr 10, 2013 9:01 pm

Hi razzer,

I came across these today and thought you may be interested.

An aluminum bike mini-canned ham.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cowyTKRMvqc

Vardoish bike wagon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Jjy28W6axw

Some of its build info.
http://www.ridetoride.net/shelter/Bicyc ... elter.html
http://www.ridetoride.net/shelter/Photos.html

This uses a similar technique, but with a different lattice material.
http://gaboats.com/

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo
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Re: Teardrop or ProtoStoga trailer .

Postby razzer » Wed Apr 10, 2013 9:53 pm

Thanks so much for those links Norm . While I've seen most of the stuff , not on You-tube and hopefully others reading this will find them useful too . IT is very helpful seeing the motion pictures to get an idea of sizes and how things work . I really wish he had gotten a picture of the inside of that canned ham . My ideas are evolving further because I'm planning to move now and need to get rid of or use up stuff in my work shop . :cry:
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