Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Joel.brian wrote:Damn I wish I could weld, I love that area you have in front of the trailer


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It's a fun skill to learn, I'm still learning. Thanks, I'm hoping it turns out as well as it's been planned in my head.

Quick update on the landing. Started by trimming the expanded metal to match the front curvature of the trailer..the best one can with expanded metal sheet.









The trimmed the front and sides to match, as well as make some small trim outs to go around part of the new tongue reinforcement so it's sit flush.











Once all the sheet was trimmed, it made sense to take a flap disk and clean up all the burs, to keep them catching clothing and such when leaning up on the landing.











Then weld it down and a quick coat of paint











Jake

jmanscotch, Howdy;

Dang, you do some 'clean' lookin' work. , , !

hank

So jealous lol


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Excellent build and definitely Expedition Portal worthy. I really enjoy the fab work you've got going on.

Appreciate it gents, hoping my build might spur others to give it a go, much like those have before me.

That said, I am in need of some ideas from you folks. How should I mount my fenders?

The fenders I have are 32" long...and my tires are 32" in diameter. I was going to flip the axle under the springs, which would instantly be 4-5 inches of additional fender clearance, then I was going to trim down the vertical ends of the fenders and everything would fit in place. Not so much anymore...after the new tires and leaf springs, my trailer height is ideal as it sits, so now my plan falls apart.

They'll be about 3" off the main body of the trailer. The idea was to weld more 1.5x1.5 tube off the sliders and use those as fender supports, but now I need some help designing some mounts that don't look out of place. I also don't want to flare the fenders and loose their structural stability as to not be able to use them as steps.

Here's some pics:







Anyone have a simple fix? I'm at a dead end at the moment.

Thanks,
Jake

I don't see how they could be used as is, must be lengthened and raised.

Or go back to smaller tires.

Build a mount off the axle and let them move with the tire.

John61CT wrote:I don't see how they could be used as is, must be lengthened and raised.

Or go back to smaller tires.

Just to be clear, they're just set on the tire for the pictures, I had no intentions of running them mounted in that proximity to the tires.

The length doesn't seem to be my biggest problem, the sheer distance between front and rear is. If I raise them to the point they clear the tires adequately, they're essentially not purposeful fenders anymore (at-least not for rear exiting mud/rocks).

Smaller tires aren't ideal, since these match my tow rig and are paid for, but yes always an option.

What about trimming a few inches off the bottom of the fenders and maybe, just maybe, flaring the rear edge out some to gain clearance for a up-and-rearward swinging tire?

Either way, I appreciate the thoughts...I can usual take a day or two and come up with a fix for these problems, but this one I'm just mentally stalled on. I know there should be a way to use these, with my current setup, to achieve a cohesive design with the rest of the trailer...but it eludes me.

Jake

Iconfabul8 wrote:Build a mount off the axle and let them move with the tire.

Now that's a wild thought!

I like the idea, and I sure have enough clearance between the trailer side and the tire to put such a support....my only concerns are building it stout enough to keep the fender strong enough to use as a step...and to still build a little kick out before and aft the tire to deflect trail obstacles.

Let me contemplate this some...

Here is another thought, cut them in half and weld or bolt them to a square tubing that is mounted to the trailer. That would widen them and give you a very husky center mount/brace. And would look good too.

Yep, that's what I meant by length.

Just bending sloped bits upward? Meh.

Following your build both here and on Expo. My first thought was to cut the fenders to mount the bottom of the fender even with the sliders. I'd consider building the rear mount kind of like a nerf bar going back from the fender and bending back in towards the back of the trailer. This would Allow you to use that as a step also. As far as protection from stuff kicking up, you could use some kind of mudflap.

Iconfabul8 wrote:Build a mount off the axle and let them move with the tire.

I like this!

jmanscotch wrote:I am in need of some ideas from you folks. How should I mount my fenders?

If it was me - I’d either widen or get wider fenders to eliminate the gap between the tire and trailer walls. I would think that stuff would be flinging all up the side of the trailer there. Forgive the quick and crude sketches here, not perfect or to scale but hopefully gets the point across. Pull out the interior plywood and weld in some 1” tubing (in green) between the vertical supports. Drill holes in the lip of the fender and bolt-thru the wall to that tubing. Add some 1” tube triangulated at the bottom and top it off with some more plate (in blue).

fenders 1

fenders 2

Ottsville wrote:Following your build both here and on Expo. My first thought was to cut the fenders to mount the bottom of the fender even with the sliders. I'd consider building the rear mount kind of like a nerf bar going back from the fender and bending back in towards the back of the trailer. This would Allow you to use that as a step also. As far as protection from stuff kicking up, you could use some kind of mudflap.

Iconfabul8 wrote:Build a mount off the axle and let them move with the tire.

I like this!

That was my original thought/plan. I still think there'll be a clearance issue on the rear of the fender when the suspension cycles. I do plan on a perpendicular (to the "sliders") fender support with an angled piece before and aft the fender, to provide a smoother slide should I run the wheels up against a tree or rock.

I also thought about trimming the rear where it might be too short, then compensating with a rubber mud flap. That way under good suspension compression, the mud flap could still give way.