1st build, cargotear

[meach4x4]

...
Mmm, visualize whirled peas. Long live the 70's

Did you say "Visualize Hurled Peas"?

(Sorry, couldn't resist that one!)

Gil

[regis101]

Oh. My bad. Must be the paint fumes. That'd be, world peace

IIRC, our choices back then were avocado green, harvest gold and some type of orange. Whew, that was a long decade.

[Ageless]

Burnt orange

[regis101]

We went from acid rock to the Bee Gee's to punk rock.

Wasn't there also chestnut brown?

The cargo tear looks better live than in the photos. It'll look decent when towed behind the Bus.

[regis101]

The painted shell comes in at 183# with out hardware. 15# of paint. Yikes. Paint is heavy.
I'm gonna call it at 190# when finished with hardware.

This makes for a 423# trailer weight including the swing away jack and a spare tire. Necessary essentials.

How much would aluminum skins weigh for a typical 4 x 8 of avg thickness.

* update. Found this using the search.

I've been searching on the Internet in vain for .040 5'x12' aluminum for the roof of my next build. I found one place locally that carries .050 5'x12' sheets for $135.66 each. They weigh in at 42# each so it would add about 63# including the hatch. I know we are talking of .010 of an inch over .040 but has anyone used .050 on a radius and how small of one. I had to struggle to bend .040 on my rear roll pan but it worked. Danny *

If I'm doing the match correctly, this equates to 1.42# per sq ft.

[Ageless]

Whith I never worked with the alloys used with TDs; you won't need to worry about bend radius. Even 2024 -t3 wil bend to 0.200 inch without cracking

[regis101]

These will probably be that last of the pic's. It took two tries to get the hatch supports useable. If ya try for 100% and 10% falls through the cracks, that's still a 90. I did the best I could with the now four tools in my possession. It was fun to do and it will get lots of use. 59# tongue weight with the spare placed at the rear under the hatch. That's 13% with a trailer weight of 425#. Need to devise a continental kit for the spare. Ooo la la

Happy Trails, Regis







It was important to me for the hatch to be level when open. Close enuff









My trailer queen

[regis101]

OK, So it's not the last of the pic's. Couple of more for data. I threw in what I'd take for a weekend. This came to 319#. It was 72# TW. GTW was 744#. Need to add 200# for food , ice, and misc items. But I'm well on my way to making this happen. And yes, the hatch closes.

Even the best of 'em had to pull out of the driveway for the first time. My biggest concern is proper tongue weight vs GTW. After a few outings, it should become second nature.

[meach4x4]

Awesome job, Regis.

It is great to see a project that meets the goals!

Gil

[regis101]

Thanks. This is going to be a work in progress as the necessities come up.

I'm already thinking of adding a removable shelf that would be just above the ice chests. Coupla 2 x 2's on the horiz and build a shelf with pins long enough to go through the 2 x's. Maybe use 1/4-20 bolts with wing nuts.
This will allow me to pack it in and still slide out the ice chest for filling. The two adult bikes can be installed through the two largeish side doors. Adding a rear shelf will also help stiffen it up. And so on...

[regis101]

Added a 24 x 47 shelf. Added a piece of 2x as a stop to keep the ice chests fro crashing into the hatch. Both items are easily removed.



And, it's reverseable.



It looks like there is a lot of wasted space between the ice chest and the back of the tear. But in reality when the hatch is closed it is very little. Nothing to worry about. The rear floor is level. The camera pic makes it look like it sags in the middle.

[regis101]

Here a couple of pic's from the first roll out to the local campground. GTW was ~1k lbs. Tongue weight was at 110. It tracked well and functioned as designed. Thanks for all of the tips, replies and the sticky's for a wealth of info and to make this build possible.

[meach4x4]

Regis,

Love your "porch lights"!

Gil

[regis101]

A return to basics , I suppose. The camping group that I hang with has been on an anti Coleman lantern kick. If ya think about it, they are kinda noisy and way too bright. Your neighbor's neighbor will think the second coming is upon us when you fire up one of them bad boyz. A trip to the restroom swinging one of 'em appears to be the light from a gigantic prehistoric firefly.

No need to wear sunglasses at night with oil lanterns.
The kerosene lanterns are pretty nice when you get used to their mannerism. I now have seven of them. Still have the Coleman twin mantle as back up. But a good campfire and a couple of oil lanterns sure seems to set a relaxing mood.

[regis101]

Couple more action pic's. Gonna have to start a gallery. last of the pictures here.

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x33/ ... 0_1575.jpg