common rear hatch radius for Benroy type td?

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common rear hatch radius for Benroy type td?

Postby belay70 » Fri Aug 09, 2013 3:16 pm

Building a Benroy type on a HF 4x8 frame, and settled on a 24 inch radius curve for the front, but unsure about the back. Anyone have pics with their radius angle?
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Re: common rear hatch radius for Benroy type td?

Postby Oldragbaggers » Fri Aug 09, 2013 6:48 pm

The radii are given in the free Benroy plans on this site. I also changed my front radius to 24" but did the rear radii (there are two - page 17) exactly as shown in the plans and I am very happy with my profile.
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Re: common rear hatch radius for Benroy type td?

Postby belay70 » Sat Aug 10, 2013 9:28 am

Actually, Becky, I love your camper and its curves.. That sounds odd, but you know what I mean. I actually saved a few pics of yours as inspiration for my second build-up, but I dont know how to extend it to 9-10 feet as you did. Not sure I want to complicate things by doing that. So Im wondering if that rear radii would look ok with an 8ft length. I think it might cut too much off the end? As you can see, my first TD was a 'fastback' kind of design, not by choice, but in the interest of time. I had less than 2 weeks to build it at the time, and I thought Id need the storage space afforded by a squared off rear end. Now I can take my time on the second one and go for a true hatch design.

I did adopt your 24 inch front radius, however. And I found those Benroy plans after I posted this up....looks like they incorporate a 19" radius into the lower portion of the hatch, then continue on to the top with the 48"? Does that mean if you changed the front radius to 24", the lower portion of the rear radius should also be changed from 19 to 24"?

Anyone know what the front and rear radius of the Moby1 XTR or XC might be, either by looking at the pics or having communicated with the staff there?

http://moby1trailers.com/moby1-xtr/
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Re: common rear hatch radius for Benroy type td?

Postby Oldragbaggers » Sat Aug 10, 2013 10:01 am

Thanks for the nice compliments on my teardrop. I appreciate that very much. Actually the radii given in the generic Benroy plans are intended for an 8' long tear so I don't think the length really makes any difference. My tear length was determined by the length of the trailer frame I was using. It was an old pop up frame. I had the width of it modified but left the length as it was and we are very happy with the size. It is only 4-1/2' wide, but that accommodates a standard double bed and it is very comfortable for us. Good luck with your build. Being able to take your time building while still having a camper to play with will be a huge advantage. I would have probably done a few things differently if I wasn't so anxious to get it done and get camping.
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Re: common rear hatch radius for Benroy type td?

Postby belay70 » Sat Aug 10, 2013 5:44 pm

OK, I think I want a tighter radius in the back. Like this...any idea how to guess that radius from the pic?

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Re: common rear hatch radius for Benroy type td?

Postby eamarquardt » Sat Aug 10, 2013 11:06 pm

You might want to mock up your curve. You don't have to limit yourself to a specific radius but can get any curve you like with thin wall pvc pipe. Many curves in nature are not based upon a single radius but a changing radius based upon a ratio known as phi.

http://io9.com/5985588/15-uncanny-examp ... -in-nature

See example #6.

Here is my current mock up which I may tweak a bit more.

106507

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

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Re: common rear hatch radius for Benroy type td?

Postby belay70 » Sun Aug 11, 2013 8:59 am

Im having trouble visualizing how I would use pvc pipe to give me such a broad curve....is there a commonly known trick for turning some pvc pipe into a tool for drawing the radius?
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Re: common rear hatch radius for Benroy type td?

Postby mikeschn » Sun Aug 11, 2013 12:23 pm

Gus,

How many screws do you have in that pvc pipe to mockup your profile?

Mike...
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Re: common rear hatch radius for Benroy type td?

Postby belay70 » Sun Aug 11, 2013 12:56 pm

OK, I couldnt see it at first, but now I understand the pvc pipe mockup. Your using a 1/2 or 1" pipe and screwing it in place for the desired curve.

I actually played around with making a few radius tools, drew a few curves and happened to like one. So I cut the sides and bolted them up. Im good. Thanks everyone!
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Re: common rear hatch radius for Benroy type td?

Postby belay70 » Sun Aug 11, 2013 12:58 pm

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1376243920.263081.jpg
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1376243920.263081.jpg (54.72 KiB) Viewed 5698 times
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Re: common rear hatch radius for Benroy type td?

Postby eamarquardt » Sun Aug 11, 2013 1:03 pm

HI,

There are about 16 places where the pvc is held in place. I used a combination of conduit clamps to hold the pvc in place and just screws on the inside of the curve to push the pvc out a bit in some places. The pipe itself is 1/2" and the thinnest wall I could find (they used to call it schedule 125 as I recall but they call it something else now). It's really easy to get just about any curve you want.

Cheers,

Gus
The opinions in this post are my own. My comments are directed to those that might like an alternative approach to those already espoused.There is the right way,the wrong way,the USMC way, your way, my way, and the highway.
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Re: common rear hatch radius for Benroy type td?

Postby Esteban » Thu Sep 05, 2013 3:27 pm

The radius of the Benroy rear hatch is shown on page 6 and page 17 of the Generic Benroy plans http://www.mikenchell.com/images/GenericBenroyPlans.pdf. The main radius is 48". That alone oversimplifies it leaving out two other details to make it look better and easier to construct.

The hatch has three different (I'll call them) "surfaces." The first surface is the flat rear end of the hatch which is straight up and down about 18.25" tall (this could vary with your plan). The second surface is a 19" radius (again this could vary). The third surface is a 48" radius started 41-9/16" forward from the end/rear. The second 19" radius smooths and softens (what could be an abrupt transition without it) the transition from the flat area blending it into the larger 48" radius. It's easier to understand by looking at the plans.

To experiment with something else you can use a water hose to mock up alternatives. Lay the hose down on your mockup design for the hatch and roof line. It is easy to change around. Or use colored painters tape for your mockup. Painters tape is especially good for visualizing things like counter tops, bulkheads, shelves, doors, etc. Once you have a curve you like you may then use pvc pipe to lay it out more accurately if the curve is not an exact circumference.

I really like the look of the front 24" radius of Becky's beautiful teardrop. I've come to appreciate that the Benroy is a simpler teardrop plan to build and It provides good interior space. Becky's Benroy teardrop proves it can be a simply elegant design when done as skillfully as hers.

Three more reasons I like the Benroy teardrop plan:

1. It can be stretched easily from 8' to 10' long or whatever length best fits your needs/budget.

2. It's longer flat roof may be an easy one to mount a solar collector onto, like U-L Solars http://www.ul-solar.com/ 12 volt panels. With solar you can boondock more easily, and possibly use a 12 volt/120AC powered fridge/freezer like a TruckFridge http://www.truckfridge.com/tf31.html for you "soda pop" or whatever.

3. The flat front area makes adding a tongue box for more storage easy, blending well into its front shape and maybe becoming more aerodynamic.

4. Extra Bonus Points for an Easier Design to Build.
Steve - SLO, CA
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Re: common rear hatch radius for Benroy type td?

Postby ctstaas » Sat Mar 22, 2014 2:57 pm

Hi Becky, I don't care for the boxy look at the rear. I used a 3 1/2 foot radius in the rear and I am very pleased with the shape.
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Re: common rear hatch radius for Benroy type td?

Postby Tommy2tone_1999 » Wed Apr 02, 2014 11:10 am

I just finished cutting my profiles last night. I went with an 18"radius in the front, and a 36" radius that is 12" up from the bottom for the rear.
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Re: common rear hatch radius for Benroy type td?

Postby rowerwet » Thu Apr 03, 2014 5:42 am

I never measured the rear radius, I used my kids plastic rocking horse bottom to make a shape I liked, it works...
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