Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

After buiding a 4x8 woody, I down-sized to a little 40" by 72 inch tiny tear that I can stack up on end in the garage. Then, since it was so light and easy to pull up the mountain grades, I did the carboard scale model job on a 3x3 single-wheel TD trailer, with a tip out to make room for my feet. I built the thing, hoping to aquire a new swivel wheel, but no manufaturer was willing to sell me one, stating that their liability would be too great in the event the thing failed on my flimsy little rig.

So.....back to the drawing board, and I decided to bolt a 3x3 angle iron straight out from the trailer ball and the hitch reciever. I stood on the end of it, and the car suspension handled it just fine. Now, since the 3x3 only weighs 80 lbs, I bolted it to the angle iron, added some non-tip devices to keep it from falling over and a support strut from my trunk lid to the td roof, for added support to eliminate back and forth movement. It works great! Hey, I don't need no stinkin' wheels!

The Highway Patrol says no lights of any kind are required, no registration, no license plates either, as long as it is less than 4 ft from the back of the car. I can drive at legal highway speeds, in any lane I chose and I get 30 mpg in my 4 banger Camry while it is in "tow". Here is a link to some pics that Eddie Miller took at a local mountain campout:
https://picasaweb.google.com/1084203149 ... directlink
Roly, the So Cal, out of the box TDer..... :-)

That looks like a lot of fun.

How is it sleeping in that small space?

oops

Eric and Geenie, the length works out fine and the width of the tip-out along with the drawer-style pull out gives me a bed over 6 ft long. I had to enter the rig at night by crawling in backwards, then rolling over on my back once inside. This was a bit of a problem, so I have made some revisions to my revised revisions. I added a hinged "tip-up" section right by my right shoulder, complete with added mattress section, which gives me 8 more inches of room from the hips to my shoulders and it makes all the difference in the world. I can now enter head first, spin around and crawl into the sleeping bag, no problem. I like "pulling" this rig so well, I may take it back to the midwest in the fall to check out the fall colors.....which we have little of here in So Calif.
Roly ~~

That's very clever.

Enjoy the colors. I've noticed it's pretty much just brown here in SoCal, not like the Autumns I grew up with in Virginia

Roly, glad to finally see pictures of your creation. You have mastered the art of using small spaces. That one is not for the clausterphobic types for sure. What will you do next? Make the whole thing fold into the trunk?

Bill

Good to see the pictures of this inventive 'trailer'. Were you tempted to ask that big lady to be the 'test case' for the strength of the frame?

Hey Bill, you must be reading my mind. I have an older S-10 Blazer that measures 37 inches between the wheel wells in the storage area behind the fold-down rear seat. The distance from the floor to the roof is also 37 inches and from the closed tail-gate to the back of the front seats, measures 6 ft 2 inches. I've been kicking around an idea of making a sinple 36inch wide by 36 inch high teardrop that is 6 ft 2 inches long, that will slide right inside the Blazer and still be able to close the tailgate. It would have a sliding door on the driver's side, which lines up with the back door of the car, so I can access it in the event that I have to park it inside when it is raining.

My plan would be to be able to slide it out and set it on some hidden fold-up supports, and have tip-down sides with fake fenders and wheels that stow below the floor when not in use. Ta Da, a complete teardrop, not even having to be pulled behind the hauler or suspended on the hitch.

Oh, I've even got it's name all picked out.......it will be "The Slipper-Inn". Kind of goofy, but is still on the sketch pad, and may not ever make it into production, but if so, I figure it will weigh less than 50 lbs.
Roly~~

Roly, I love the concept and the name! Best bring it up to the IRG....you'll "slip in" unnoticed for sure.

xoxo TDN

Very cool designs and craftsmanship. Do you have a build documentary on the 3x3? How did you seal the top(s) of the fold/pull out from rain?

I would think a "gurney type" set up on your "Slip-Inn" would be the way to go. And you could just paint the tires and wheel wells on, with some shadow, to make people have to get right up to you to see there ain't really no wheels.
:-)
You might even get a real gurney and cut it up and attach it to the sides and bottom, so it would be solid and fully functional. (I think I envy you most for the brilliance of never having to struggle with a trailer hitch or lights!

:-)