Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I have been a member of the site since 2009 when I built my Cider House Teardrop



Now I am back again to covert a Cargo Trailer to better suit my need for guest space, no camp ground toilet, and hauling my motorcyle when I go camping.

I stumbled upon a 2006 Express 7x14 on craig$list for a steal that already had an RV style side door, garage epoxy painted floor, rear ramp, a roof top AC/heat unit, in-floor tie downs, and wheel chock mounts setup for 2 staggered bikes or 1 centered bike . All system seemed to function well. One light had a bad ground and the trailer needs 5 new tires, but none the less a steal. The trailer came out of Florida and the underside looks near new.

This is the layout I am shooting for



The bed will flip up, but sadly I don't think I can quite make it into a true murphy bed do to the the interior ceiling height being a little shy. I have been reading up on insulating these tin cans. I think I will spray the exterior skin and sides with commercial spray foam to "seal" it, apply 3/4" battens to the walls and ceiling, and then add rigid 3/4" between the battens. The battens will also save oodles of time drilling and grommiting the wall tubings for my wiring. I have an A-liner that will be an organ donor for this project. I will be stealing lp tanks, stove, fridge, window or two, power center, etc. to keep costs down. I already stole a window out of it last night that will go patio side of my cargo trailer.



I ordered a Carefree Pioneer Lite manual crank awning that I look forward to receiving and installing. Here is how the trailer was when I picked it up. It had been sitting under some trees for sometime by the looks





And after its first wash with aid of Trailer Bright.





So.....Hello again and progress to come.....


Adam

Good looking trailer that already has a lot of the work done. Looks like good battery/propane space on the trailer tongue too. We love pictures and new ideas!

I stumbled upon a 2006 Express 7x14 on craig$list for a steal that already had an RV style side door, garage epoxy painted floor, rear ramp, a roof top AC/heat unit, in-floor tie downs, and wheel chock mounts setup for 2 staggered bikes or 1 centered bike . All system seemed to function well. One light had a bad ground and the trailer needs 5 new tires, but none the less a steal. The trailer came out of Florida and the underside looks near new.



It's perfectly allright to BRAG about how much you stole the trailer for, it's like a badge of honor here !
Maybe even embellish a little EXTRA !!!

Welcome aboard

Cheers OTTCT

Got some more done tonight. I finished stripping out the 110 wiring that was surface mounted inside and removed the remainder of the interior sheathing. Was pleasantly surprised to find the ceiling was already insulated with rigid polystyrene? (small white ball type foam) and the panels match the shape of the roof. Another perpendicular layer will be going over it, but that was a time saver for sure. AC gasket has/has been leaking probably during wet driving. Going to get a new gasket for it while it is fully open and unattached. I need to frame for 1 window, a fantastic fan in the lav wall, two fridge access/vents, and the hot water unit. After that I can install battens, wiring, and move on to insulating. Hear is the bare trailer ready for opening framing, which is the next step.




I removed the spare tire from the tongue. I checked to see if it would mount on the rear ramp when it is lowered. The clearance is a little close and if there is irregularities in the ground where I may be unloading I do not want the tire to rest on the ground potentially bending the door when the motorcycle rolls off. I decided to mount the spare on the drivers side just behind the wheel well on the exterior. This will give me easy access and it is out of the way.

My teardrop is also coming apart and will also donate some items to this project. I removed the tongue box I had on it tonight and set it on the CT tongue to see if it would work with the twin LP bottle setup on there as well. I will have to slightly relocate the electric brake battery holder, but it looks like it was meant to be.


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I thought the trailer was a steal at $3,200 considering all the things it already had that I was looking for and its exceptional condition. Had a buddy run the VIN to see if it was stolen as well because it seemed to good to be true.

Looking better.....more to come



Adam

Jiffypop207, Howdy;

Truly like the deal you got, sounds like some well thought out ideas, looking forward
to seeing it come together.
About the placement of your spare, had to change a tire once on the edge of I-70
in Il. Was on a TT I used to own, I had to work under the trailer to jack it
up as the white line was only about 12-14 inches away from the side of the TT and
those drivers do NOT move over for you. Had to keep peaking out like a turtle to
see when I had enough space to roll out snatch the tire off and roll it around behind
the TT, ... same for installing the spare ... not a fun experience at all.

hank

Yes very nice deal , most of the time Craig's list is selling over priced or hot junk.

Keep up the good work.

I like it.
I am on my way to PA to meet with my preferred trailer dealer this coming Monday. Hopefully Tuesday I can come back with a story which says my trailer is on order.
Jiffypop207, I will be watching your build for ideas as I do with all the other great projects posted here.

Bob

It better be a CarMate ..... Or else I'm gonna cut you LOL

Suspense is a terrible thing, isn't it. I am in NJ now with family and hope my Monday meeting goes well.

Went over the where my A-liner is stored and started to pillage it for things that need wall cut outs or help in real spacial layout.


Stole the twin LP tanks and holder, 3-way fridge, on demand hot water heater, LP heater, a small window, porta poti, induction cooktop, and all associated doors or hatches.

Went out Saturday and got the base cabinets and an upper cabinet so I could get a feel for the space. Feels like it is going to work out beautifully and be very comfortable and functional. Here are a couple pics from the man door and the ramp





Hard to really see the whole picture but it fits the plan.

Wow, I'm a little shocked that you're parting out that nice little A-liner. Was it damaged, or what's the story?

dustboy wrote:Wow, I'm a little shocked that you're parting out that nice little A-liner. Was it damaged, or what's the story?

Sweet it was, but the side wall had a crease when I bought it and from travel is now a split in the aluminum skin. The frames are notorious to sag on the door side. I tried to repair (cut, bend, weld, and over support the frame) but issue still was apparent. Between a new side wall or a marginal fix at best, what I have into it, what I could sell it for, what I can use out of it vs what I would have to buy new/used it seemed I would make out best this route.

Adam

lrrowe wrote:Suspense is a terrible thing, isn't it. I am in NJ now with family and hope my Monday meeting goes well.

So bob what's UP bro ?
Dish the details it's 8:30 pm east coast time
You had 3 years of planing ..... Now we wanna see results

Jerry, I just walked in the door after my 918 mile trek and am tired.
I will post an update on a new thread tomorrow so as not to hijack this thread.

PS it really has only been about 18 months.

lrrowe wrote:Jerry, I just walked in the door after my 918 mile trek and am tired.

PS it really has only been about 18 months.

You should be able to stay awake 2 weeks from all that excitement.
18 months for trailer selection ...... I can't wait & see what you got .....
I'm expecting a trailer 5 levels up from my model

PS my trip was 6800 miles