by George T. » Fri Jun 04, 2004 7:52 am
Greetings from Colorado!
I thought about building a teardrop with an "extendable" frame for hauling my TW200. And I agree, there would be quite a bit of added tongue weight. The answer would to be able to move the axle forward, but what a logistical nightmare! Right off the bat, you would encounter door clearance issues. Gull wing or sliding/pocket doors? The fenders could be mounted to move with the axle, so that could easily be overcome...
If you are going to comtemplate carrying a heavy load, I would go back and redesign the tear so that the axle would be in the correct position to provide for the correct balance/tongue weight when the trailer was loaded. Of course, then you have the problem of not enough tongue weight when you are not carrying a load...
Hmmmm... Let's see. How about having the teardrop mounted on a "floating" sub frame with the "carrier floor/deck" hinged to fold up against the front of the body when not needed. The main frame with axles/fenders would be independent. When you wanted to carry your "stuff", the trailer could be extended/lengthened. Maybe utilizing a geared crank system to lengthen/shorten. This would, in effect, change the effective balance/tongue weight for the appropriate use/configuration. The deck could then be folded down and locked into place. Or, the deck could simply remain down and stored under the teardrop when the frame was in the "short" mode.
Of course, this would change the appearance of the teardrop. With the wheels/fenders in a different location, you wouldn't have the visual balance that makes a teardrop so pleasing to look at...
As a thought, if you were traveling without your toys, and you find a bargain "not to be passed", you would still have a place to carry it....
Lots of room for ideas! Talk about your non-tradional teardrop....
George
