Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Padilen wrote:Seems like the industry or dealers could use a "standard" measurement. In my thread I think️ I mentioned looking at trailers that said 12' v nose. And it was a 9' with 3' v. Beck's, "mega dealer" here in Michigan is known for that. There the salespeople claim that's the right way. Yet all other little dealers say it's 12' + v.
Anyway, looking forward to your build. I'm slow and broke so my trailer isn't going to be done soon. I have a used awning rails and wondered if you could tell me if the vertical arms are drilled into trailer frame or how they are mounted.
Thanks

In my search for a trailer, I came across one or two places that did the same but the standard seems to that a 12' trailer is 12' full-width plus the length of the V-nose. When a dealer listed a trailer as 12' and it turned out to be 10' plus V, that really turned me off and I kept looking.

Padilen wrote:Seems like the industry or dealers could use a "standard" measurement. In my thread I think️ I mentioned looking at trailers that said 12' v nose. And it was a 9' with 3' v. Beck's, "mega dealer" here in Michigan is known for that. There the salespeople claim that's the right way. Yet all other little dealers say it's 12' + v.
Anyway, looking forward to your build. I'm slow and broke so my trailer isn't going to be done soon. I have a used awning rails and wondered if you could tell me if the vertical arms are drilled into trailer frame or how they are mounted.
Thanks

Looks like they are drilled into and mounted into the trailer skeleton... the vertical aluminum studs inside the wall.

I always ponder the ideas of others. Feel free to chime in. I have a specific plan in mind from experiences with my other camper but sometimes the forum comments make me reconsider after pondering your comments.

Well, yesterday was the day I got started. Just finished a large deck for my sister. One project at a time please.

I managed to get off some of the interior skin to see what was underneath and how the wiring was done as I'd have to tap into it. Since the ProLine Company only put minimal screws into the interior skin as I requested, the panels came off pretty easily. I'm glad to see they are actually plywood not fiberboard. I guess I'll be able to leave them as they are. The wiring from the tongue to the lights (interior and exterior) and ceiling fan looks straightforward and easily tapped. There is a channel at the top edges of the ceiling where they run with room for more.






8 sheets of 1" R5 insulation. For heat but also to keep heat out.

My plan is to have two circuits. One for 110 Volts for the heater and the other 110 volts to power other appliances and generate 12 volts. The first 110 volt circuit will have an outside plug to tap into the campgrounds 15 amp circuit. I have a circuit breaker box with two 15 amp breakers in it. This breaker will only run the baseboard heater (I'll rarely ever actually plug this into the campground) I've purchased a baseboard heater and thermostat. But the heater is 110 volts instead of 240 volts. It's 500 watts so it should easily do the job.

The other circuit will also have a 15 amp from an outside plug to tap into the campground's power. Who two cords and two separate circuits you ask? Well, I've never seen a campground that has power to not have multiple 15 amp sockets. I've been to some that don't have a 30 amp one though. Yes, I'll have two outside connections on the trailer, but one is just for the heater. It may hardly ever be used. Anyway, moving on. The second 15 amp circuit will be for the meager counter that will have a small microwave and coffeepot. the circuit will also power the battery charger.

In my old camper... Little guy teardrop... I only had 12 volts. The battery did a good job and if plugged in the charger easily kept up with the power I was using. I also had a small inverter to convert to 110 volts for my laptop. It worked well, but if I didn't have power for the charger it sopped up enough energy that it drained the battery in a few hours. This time no 110 volts converted from the battery... no inverter. Mine used to send out a whistle when the battery voltage dropped below a certain threshold. I hated it. This time around all is from the battery or a battery that is charging.

My charger is one of those green boat battery chargers from the sports stores. It will charge two batteries at once and is compact and works really well. I've had it for a long time. So, the battery will run
Lights,12 volt TV, 2 USB port wall sockets for charging ipad, and bluetooth radio.
That's it. That's all we need. Been there, Done that... nothing more needed for us.

All of this stuff is either picked up or has been ordered from Amazon and is on the way:


Two exterior sockets for two 110 volt 15 amp circuits.
100 amp battery, AGM, dry cell, sealed metal case. Can be used in any orientation.
Interesting little panel with 12 volt socket, charge meter, and two powered USB ports for charging.
Plates for Coax out to campground cable or to antenna. RCA ports to plug TV into external amp/speakers.
Naxa 12 volt 22" TV with built in DVD, and smart USB connection (plays movies loaded onto a thumb drive). Supposedly had lousy sound, hence the external speakers.
Battery cutoff switch (I have a 30 amp breaker for the battery too and a fuse box for the peripheral circuits
110 volt 500 watt baseboard heater with thermostat
Coleman triton stove

Really looking good. You have all your ducks in a row! This is going to be alot better for the two of you, especially the standing up getting dressed, trust me! (I am 6'2" and Love it) Really like that step too.




Bob

Sorry if I missed it, but what's the name of the company ?
Do they have a website ?

ProLine trailer company link is

http://www.nhtrailers.com

They are based in NH. Family run. Started long ago with Dad making snowmobile trailers. Now the family runs it with a series of hanger sized buildings and a bunch of employees. Internet puts them at 1-2 million a year. They told me they make about 350 trailers/yr. Well made and you sit down with them to tell them exactly how you want it. They don't 'make' a camper for you but have several camper options they'll build into it. I chose the camper door with window and screen door and retractable awning, along with the maxxfan. I also added diamond plating on the side and chrome plated wheels. In particular I wanted to be able to stand up to put my pants on with a little headroom. They made it 6'1" for me. The interior width needed to be 6'+ for a bed to cross from side to side. I chose the 6'6" interior option.

On the website you can pull down the 'aluminum trailers' menu item and choose 'cargo trailer'. They used to have dealers. Now you have to go to NH to get one. They've pulled back to keep the company manageable and quality control under control. They were probably tired of splitting profits with third party sellers too I'd imagine.

Today I nearly finished insulating. I'm short one sheet. Right now, barring waste and scraps, there are eight 4x8 sheets in this trailer in walls and ceiling. In a few places I will put plywood. One instance shown below is where the mount for the Naxa TV will be on the upper wall at the foot of the bed. The battery came in today. It will be mounted on the floor in the V nose where cabinetry will be. I will be building a base enclosure for it but will also build a second one above it (battery bunkbeds) in case I should decide to add a second battery. Tapping the main cable will be easy as it's right in the nose. I'll be needing some hefty cable as the battery switch will be in the upper cabinets along with the charger and circuit breakers. I've ordered #4 cable but that's overkill as I'll be running a tv, led lights, and fan. The main 12V wire running through the trailer looks like #12 or #10. All parts aren't in yet so I guess I'll start framing up the platform bed/drawers unit in the shop tomorrow.

Very nice start.

RandomAbstract wrote:Very nice start.

+1 ! Very nice job on the insulation.

Your trailer really looks like a quality build. You don't see many cargo trailers being built like that.

Good thing that Proline factory isn't closer to me or I'd probably be all over one just because I could. Looks quality in every way, light weight aluminum, and the base prices on the website seemed very reasonable too. Definite winner with the trailer and how you're setting it up.

The past couple of days I've managed to finish the insulating and I've gotten in most of the electrics

These two pictures show the switches for the outside and inside lights. The remote is for the maxxfan. I must admit it's pretty nice. One button opens the vent cover and starts the fan at the last setting. You can speed it up with 10 speeds and reverse direction. Seems well made. Pricey.
I also added an outside LED light. It's not super bright but will be good for getting around under the canopy at night.




The next pictures mostly show the electric setup. I have 110 volts only for a plug that will be on the front counter, to run a 110 volt 500 watt baseboard heater, and to run the battery charger. All the rest of the electrics are 12 volts. Fan, lights, TV, ipad charger, etc. I've found from my 18,000 miles on the road with a teardrop that when we stop at a campground, and we like to frequent public municipal, state, and national parks, we almost never are without at least a 15 amp hookup. So, we either run off the battery or plug in and charge as we use it. I'm done with inverters.

In the picture with the closeup, on the left is a breaker box with two 15 amp 110 volt breakers. Next to it is my old reliable Cabella 20 amp battery charger. To the right is a 12 volt fuse box and the red thing next to it is a battery cutoff switch. The large white cable is coax to the TV. The bottom picture shows the beginning of the cabinetry. The top will be a small two door cabinet that will open the the electrics. The bottom will be a countertop with a top drawer and two cabinet doors below that. Here it is framed in. The facing will be maple.

I had two outside plugs, one for the heater circuit and another for everything else but one came through with a broken lug and is being sent back. Of the three exterior plugs the top one is for the coax.

The front cabinetry is framed up and has the maple facing on it awaiting the doors, countertop, and drawer. The drawer poses it's own challenges as it's triangular shaped so will have drawer slides on the bottom instead of the sides. The counter will have a large drawer at the top (see it's profile on my bench), Two large cabinet doors on the bottom, and two small doors for the top cabinet. The countertop will also be maple. I chose maple because it works nicely with nice sharp edges and won't clash with the light rest of the camper interior.
I also have the bed framed up. Here it's on it's side to make room in my shop. It will have two large personal clothes drawer (two bottom squares) for my wife and I, and the back half will be accessible from the rear cargo doors of the trailer to carry the outdoor rug, folding chairs and for now the spare until I can figure what else to do with it. The tongue is short and not a good place to mount it. I'm working up plans to mount it beneath the rear of the trailer. Since the trailer is all Aluminum I need to be mindful of any electrolytic oxidation by using any other metal into contact with it. The bed will also be faced in maple and will look a lot like a platform bed. I already have an 8" miracle foam mattress that we kept from our previous trailer.

The Bed fits across the camper nicely as the interior is about six and a half feet across. The wall at the foot of the bed will have the LED tv.

deceiver, Howdy;

You can use primers and paint to separate the different types of metals. When I was
doing corrosion control on Navy aircraft we even utilized a spray on sealant that we
applied between the primer and the top coats. Just a suggestion...

hank

The front counter is pretty much finished. The pictures show how it looks, with lots of building junk on it. The upper left door isn't on as I bought one set of hinges the wrong size. Got to exchange them for new ones. Above the wiring is complete. Two 110 volt 15 amp breakers. One for the baseboard heater, the other for the battery charger and counter plug (microwave, coffee pot, etc). The back has a plug for those and the thermostat for the heater. No picture of it but I've got the platform bed finished with drawers. It's made of maple along the same lines as the counter.

Remember, after the teardrop I had, I'm into camping. A bed, light, maybe heat, and being able to stand up to put my pants on. After that I'd rather be outside with the fire.

Looks good...what kind of hinges did you use for the cabinet doors? Any pics of them?