Love Shack under construction

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Love Shack under construction

Postby Rick R » Sat Sep 18, 2004 4:19 am

I've been away from the board for a spell, while working on my slide-on TD modual, The Love Shack. But, thanks to Ivan, I have the day off, so I'm posting an update on my project.

Pics of the project so far, along with a scan of the drawing I'm working from, can be found at http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/darknight ... /my_photos .

I did the design myself, using pecil-and-paper. The drawing is rough, but I dont need more than that to work from. Some of my design criteria are: Slide-on modual, so the trailer can be used for other things when not camping; Flat-panel construction, because I didnt want to mess with curves, and wanted a fairly quick way to build it using sheets of plywood; All panels glued-&-screwed to "nailers", as this greatly increases joint strength, compared to edge fastening the panels to each other; 5-Foot width, since my fiancee and I are both bed-hogs; "Standard" 4-foot height and 8-foot length, since the width complicates things enough all by itself; Insulation, wiring, and wood siding will be applied to the outside of the main inner shell, which will be fully weatherproofed, this is so the camper can be used before the outer work is finished (This was a primary requirement for this project, but I dont care to go into why.); And has to have both heating and air conditioning, because my disabilities require me to have them (Breathing trouble and arthritus.).

During the design phase the camper got named The Love Shack, and this effected the design. It was going to be a woody, and sort-of still will be. But the outer wood siding will be left untreated, to naturally age to an old-wood grey color, and it will be given a "tin" roof, possibly using new roofing that will be colored to look old. The idea is to make it look like an old shack in the woods on the outside, to match its name. The doors and windows will also be done as much as possible to match this theme. There will also be two front windows, with a tongue-mounted storage box made to look like a large windowsill planter, complete with fake plants, to complete the look.

This project has posed some interesting problems right from the start. How do you put a 5 foot wide camper on a 4 foot wide trailer, that only had about 4'1" between the fenders, which also stick up a couple inches above the trailer frame? How do you fasten the modual to the trailer, so it doesnt come off while its moving? How can you put heating and AC in a TD, and have them so both are usable at the same time (To warm and dry the air on cool damp days.)? How do you keep the loaded weight down to 1000 pounds or less, so the unbraked trailer can be towed by a 4-cylinder front-wheel-drive sedan? How do you attach wood siding and tin roofing, so that neither will be blown off when going at highway speeds? And, because the modual sits on a trailer bed thats a fair distance above the ground, how do you get in and out of the thing, or use the galley on it? Some of these I have solved, and others I'm still working on. My biggest unsolved problem so far, is simply where do I find usable old tin roofing, or new tin roofing that looks like the old kinds?

I'm hoping that bits of my project will help others with their's, and that others can help me with things I have trouble finding solutions for. So far this group has helped me a lot, or I never would have started on it.
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Postby mikeschn » Sat Sep 18, 2004 4:39 am

Hey Rick,

It's coming along eh? You never did say what thickness the plywood is. Did you have any problems with the plywood warping?

I agree with the nailers for strength. Buford and I already talked, and the Weekender is going to be re-designed around a thinner plywood, and use nailers, like you are using there.

It's looking heavy already... I hope looks are deceiving...

You can do both air and a furnace in a 5'er, like this...
Image

Good luck finding your tin roof!

Mike...
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Postby BufordT » Sat Sep 18, 2004 5:27 am

Nice job Rick,

That's what I like about this board. Ideas. Lots of ideas. Designs. Lots of designs. Nothing wrong with originals but to have people come up with there own designs and ideas is what (IMHO) these teardrop trailers were all about in the begining. Just think there would be no teardrop trailers if someone crushed the idea in the begining by saying hey it's not a chuck wagon.

Keep us posted. I like the idea of the aged wood and the tin roof.

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Love shack

Postby McTeardrops » Sat Sep 18, 2004 8:14 am

Adding heat to the AC isn't that uncommon. Lots of commercial or office installations overchill the supply air, to knock down the humidity, and then reheat with an exchanger or heating coil for temperature. I'm working on a ducted AC system for my 5 x 8... now you've got me thinking about pirating the heating coil from a box heater and adding it to the mix.

One of my wife's buddies has a real flair for antiquing anything. She applies a paint base coat to new or unfinished items, then uses various acid washes and wiping glazes to create objects that have the patina and appearance of years of exposure. Bet she could really do a job on a tear.
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Postby Larry Messaros » Sun Sep 19, 2004 4:59 am

How about something like this for AC/Heater/Dehumidifier?

http://store.yahoo.com/comfort1st/anporairconm.html

Here's a search of a few more.

http://www.bizrate.com/buy/products__ca ... oners.html

This would solve a few problems in that it if you don't need it, it can't stay stored. The down side is that you do have to pull it out to use it.
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Postby Arne » Sun Sep 19, 2004 6:06 am

Downsides are weight, inside installation and pricey.

I still think the petcool is a good alternative. It mounts outside (and is made to be outside)... it too is a bit weighty (and pricey), but less than these... I also think the 2,000 btu of the petcool is better suited to a small volume of a tear drop trailer.... plus the motor noise is outside....

re the petcool, I'm thinking two pipes across the back of the trailer attached to the frame with an inner pipe in each one. When parked, the inner pipes slide out and the petcool sits off the ground on the extended pipes. When traveling, the inner pipes slide back in and are through-bolted to the larger diameter pipes and the petcool rides inside my van or the trailer..... right now, the trailer is so light, I think it would go in the trailer...... (this is all wishful thinking right now).
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Postby TAILGATINGnNUT » Sun Sep 19, 2004 7:29 am

I noticed that you built on a 4x8 trailer and you trailer is 5x8
Is that safe to extend the sides by 6 inches on both sides? anyone else care to answer that. I think that is a great solution to my pronblem. I dont want ot spend 800 on a 5x8 trailer when i can just build up the 4x8
Looking to build the ultimate tailgating machine, anyone help me?
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Postby Chip » Sun Sep 19, 2004 7:49 am

Tailgate,,it can be done and safely or it can be a disaster wainting to happen,,look at Mikes Baja Benroy frame build pictures,,he added steel outriggers welded to the basic frame,,,or ya could do a lot of serious leg work finding a synpothetic welder and a deal on materials and get a frame welded to your size and you would probably have less that 800 in it and it would be the size ya wanted,,,

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Postby TAILGATINGnNUT » Sun Sep 19, 2004 11:01 am

thats the thing im dtruggling with
I would think 6 inches on each side wouldnt harm the structural integrity. If your flooring frame is strong enough , i dont see how it would be a prolem. since this is my first trialer i dont wnat it to be a 4'8 cause i know ill want it bigger, at the smae time i dontto purchase a 5;8 trialer becasue of the costs. the guy who is buildign the trailer on this thread looks as if he jsut built the frame out
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Postby Arne » Sun Sep 19, 2004 12:22 pm

Go to my new web site/g/..

www.freewebs.com/arnereil/

and you will see the trailer itself was widened by 14.5 inches... the pic shows it cut down the middle, with angle iron welded in the space.

Any overhang needs support. I did overhang front and rea 4" each, but the sidewalls give incredible support in that direction.

You would need a very strong floor system to overhang sides, and you would have wheel interference...
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Re: Love shack

Postby Rick R » Mon Sep 20, 2004 7:59 pm

McTeardrops wrote:Adding heat to the AC isn't that uncommon. Lots of commercial or office installations overchill the supply air, to knock down the humidity, and then reheat with an exchanger or heating coil for temperature. I'm working on a ducted AC system for my 5 x 8... now you've got me thinking about pirating the heating coil from a box heater and adding it to the mix.

One of my wife's buddies has a real flair for antiquing anything. She applies a paint base coat to new or unfinished items, then uses various acid washes and wiping glazes to create objects that have the patina and appearance of years of exposure. Bet she could really do a job on a tear.


I'm thinking along the lines of a small window AC unit, and a small propane heater, together in a small sound-deadening box to be put under the camper. The AC would be open flow, taking outside air only, so no return duct is needed. And the duct would go from there to the heater, and then from the heater a length of ducting would connect the box to a port on the side of the camper modual. This way the heat and AC dont need to take up permanent space in the camper, and the drone of the AC would be muffled some by the box so it doesnt disturb the neighbors, like some units I have heard while camping.

I know about aging things as well, tho never tried it on such a large scale. I am into model railroading, and have aged a number of things to make them appear more realistic, and possibly old. That same things could be done to a TD, or almost anything else, but it would be a much larger project than I have ever tried to do. I'm hoping to get some suitable recycled materials to use, so I wont need to try that. But in the event I cant find them, I can go with new, and "age" them. :)
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Postby Rick R » Mon Sep 20, 2004 8:30 pm

TAILGATINGnNUT wrote:thats the thing im dtruggling with
I would think 6 inches on each side wouldnt harm the structural integrity. If your flooring frame is strong enough , i dont see how it would be a prolem. since this is my first trialer i dont wnat it to be a 4'8 cause i know ill want it bigger, at the smae time i dontto purchase a 5;8 trialer becasue of the costs. the guy who is buildign the trailer on this thread looks as if he jsut built the frame out


Since I'm building a slide-on modual, I had to build a separate underframe for it anyway. So I simply increased the size of the frame pieces to 2 by 4s, and laid them on their sides for the frame. But for increased strength in the side rails, I made the cross members full width, and notched them to hold the 2 by 2 outer facing rails. the plywood floor is then not only screwed and glued to the sides, but also to the base frame, making the whole thing incredibly strong. The underframe then rests on 3 2x2 runners, with the outer two mounted so they will be just 1 1/2 inches in from the outer edge of the trailer. This let me run bolts thru the camper frame, to T-nuts mounted in a pair of 2x4s that form part of the cushioning frame for the trailer ( I need a cushioning frame on the trailer, because I intend to do firewood hauling with it, and dont want the frame getting bent and losing strength from getting hit with heavy chunks of firewood. ).

To answer someone else's questions, I am using half-inch plywood for the main shell, I may use something thinner for cabinets and such, and--thanks to the delivery truck being involved in a fatal accident just a few blocks away from me on his first delivery attempt, and the truck then being towed away and left sitting outside in the pouring rain--my plywood was delivered soaking wet, and badly warped. Drying the wood out took some time, and reduced the warpage, But I still need to deal with some warpage as I am puting things together. Those with sensitive ears should not be within a hundred feet of me when I'm trying to get the parts lined up straight so I can screw them together, as the air gets quite blue at times! But I'm on TD time, and can afford to take my time to get things straight before making them permanent. Overall things have been going better than expected tho. (Oh, and the delivery driver was not hurt in the accident, just badly shook up. The same cannot be said of the person trying to pass him in the wrong lane while doing 80 miles per hour. May he rest in peace.)
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Postby Rick R » Mon Sep 20, 2004 9:08 pm

arnereil wrote:Go to my new web site/g/..

www.freewebs.com/arnereil/

and you will see the trailer itself was widened by 14.5 inches... the pic shows it cut down the middle, with angle iron welded in the space.

Any overhang needs support. I did overhang front and rea 4" each, but the sidewalls give incredible support in that direction.

You would need a very strong floor system to overhang sides, and you would have wheel interference...


Great way to widen an HF trailer! Sadly tho, here in PA you would have a devil of a time getting the trailer registered if you do that. Just with the basic kitbuilt trailer, I may well be finished with the camper, before the registration goes thru.

I was worried about clearing the tires and fenders too, but by having a 2by cushioning frame under the trailer bed, and having the modual mounted on 2x2 runners, the camper frame is able to clear the fenders. But if someone is mounting a camper directly to the trailer, and does not plan to use the trailer for anything else, then they may want to find some other way of doing it, as my way is less than pretty looking (Tho I do intend to attach some kind of skirting to hide the underframe, and maybe the trailer too while its parked.). My way also has the camper far higher off the ground, so I will need to make wooden "porches" to make it possible to use the doors and galley without problems.

Oh, and I dont know yet what the trailer and camper weights are, but I had to raise the front slightly yesterday, and the tongue weight was about 30 pounds. Thats with all the shell pieces, but without the galley, doors, and windows. My estimate of the total weight so far, is roughly 500 pounds. Considering the size, and all the extra framing I have, I dont think thats too bad. Tho I am starting to wonder about my plan to use real wood siding on it. I need to keep the trailer's total weight to 1000 pounds or less, and I'd like to keep it under 750. And real wood siding may just push me over those limits.
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