Just getting started in Oregon

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Just getting started in Oregon

Postby csdivine » Sat Apr 07, 2007 5:52 pm

Last Summer, when my wife and I were tent camping at the coast, we did as we traditionally always do and walked around ooo-ing and ahh-ing over what other people had at their campsites. This helps us get ideas for things that would be nice to have with us that we hadn't thought about. We saw this awesome little trailer with a hatch-style back-end and built-in galley, and we both thought "we could probably build something like that". Turns out that awesome little trailer was a teardrop trailer and, as I was soon to discover, is a style that has a HUGE, almost cult-like following across the Internet.

Being the proud owner of a brand new Iron Eagle 3000 5'x10' flatbed trailer, I figured, why not build a teardrop "module" that I can install onto the flatbed trailer when we need to get away for the weekend, and store it in the garage when it's not being used? We can do this!

So, my name is Chris, I live in Beaverton, Oregon, a suburb west of Portland, and I'm a TD newbie. I'm glad to have found this discussion board and look forward both to educating myself here and finding answers to the tricky questions.
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Postby neal b » Sat Apr 07, 2007 6:16 pm

welcome i know you will fine alot of help here enjoy your build the smell of sawdust is great get in and get-r-done :thumbsup:

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Postby WarPony » Sat Apr 07, 2007 6:24 pm

Hello, Chris. If you want to utilize the trailer, you'll have to build lightweight or have a helluva crew to help heave it onto the trailer. Building lightweight doesn't mean flimsy, either. I think you could build a TD with 3/4" ply walls, 1/2" floor and a simple galley but a 5X10 is still going a handfull to load.

Not saying it can't be done but something to think about. That is a REALLY nice trailer so I can understand wanting to use it for something other than a TD/TTT. I was/am a tent camper but a hard roof is really nice when the weather is crappy. Every time I hear the rain on the roof of my TTT I am glad I built it.

Jeff
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Postby Miriam C. » Sat Apr 07, 2007 6:34 pm

Image
Chris that is a very nice trailer. You can build anything you want to go on it. All you really need to do is make a way to load and unload it. Some kind of jacking system should work fine.

You can make it very light but will need to pay attention to you axle location and tongue weight. Oh and the other thing to pay attention to is ImageWe love da pics so---

Enjoy and ask if you have a question
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Postby angib » Sun Apr 08, 2007 5:08 am

I don't think it would be hard to make or install/remove a removable teardrop body, though it would call for some thinking-ahead.

Plan A is that you keep the body on a raised platform (could be on casters) and drag it on and off by lifting it a couple of inches and slipping some pipe underneath as rollers. Here you might want to think of some place at either end that you can fit a crowbar to get the first couple of inches without doing damage.

Plan B is you tip the trailer nose-down and nose-up to lever the body on and off some temporary legs at the back. At the front you'd need to have a cross-beam that fitted onto the body so that the legs holding it up didn't get in the way of the trailer fenders as you pull the trailer away.

Plan C is four lifting hooks on the beams in your garage and some rope and pulleys.

Plan D is a lifting gantry instead of the garage beams, like a smaller version of this one:

Image

Here's a PDF of the gantry idea.

Andrew
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Postby csdivine » Sun Apr 08, 2007 11:51 am

Thank you for the warm welcome everyone. And Andrew, thank you for the ideas.

My initial idea for loading the module onto and off of the trailer is like Andrew's Plan C (a pulley system attached to the garage rafters). Ultimately I'd like to use 4-corner camper jacks attached to beams that temporarily attach to the TD module front and back (making sure the front beam is long enough for the trailer fenders to pass between them when the TD is jacked up).

Looking forward to learning a lot here and I'm already popping with questions that I'll post in appropriate other sections here.
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Postby Et Cetera » Mon Apr 09, 2007 1:41 pm

Welcome! We're in Hillsboro if you should feel the need to get together to trade build notes or just visit for a spell.
~Teri
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Postby bledsoe3 » Tue Apr 10, 2007 4:57 am

Chris, welcome to the forum. Nice to see another Oregonian on board.

Teri has already offered and I will too. If you need to see a tear let me know. I work across from Costco near Nike. I can bring it to work some night if you like. Or PM me and we can set something up.
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hello

Postby Randy G » Tue Apr 10, 2007 8:54 am

Welcome fellow Oregonian, Im Randy and about 75% into my build. Hope to meet you at a gathering sometime or see you out this way. Im at the tillamook cheese factory. The main thing is to have fun.
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Postby jdarkoregon » Sun Apr 15, 2007 1:56 am

Chris, It's nice to have one more from Oregon. You've got a good plan going there with your "modulalized Teardrop" Like people have suggested, go light, it will be stronger then you can imagine. Don't follow my example, I'm way too heavy, I too look forward to meeting you and seeing your creation

John (just East of Salem on the way to Detroit Lake)
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wow lots of oregonians!

Postby Denise » Tue Apr 17, 2007 12:42 am

Welcome! (from a lurker who has actually finally signed up)I'm new too, thats a cool idea, a detachable teardrop. Mine will be too heavy, I am making a large critter.
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