First Tear Drop Build, 54"x8' Slide on......

[Originalspacerob]

Thank you for the replies and comments. I didn't even think of fastening the legs on the hatch. I was going to make locators for the bottom on the countertop, but now I will combine that with a holding system to keep it from getting flipped up. Do not want the hatch to flip on top. It will ruin my hinge for sure. Hopefully later tonight I can get some updates with the new pictures.

[KCStudly]

That's what the forum is for, sharing information. This little nugget of other people's experience should be shared whenever appropriate. It's an easy thing to not think of and could absolutely ruin an otherwise good camping experience.

Happy to pass it along.

[Originalspacerob]

With the electrical panel installed The fan came next. I was looking at some cheaper fans on Amazon but decided to go with a Fantasic Fan. There have been such good reviews on the fan and parts are available is needed. It also doesn't draw all that many amps when running, and was said to have really good airflow. The fan fit like a glove in the opening and was really easy to install. I was concerned about the wire placement but was able to open the fan up to put the wires inside the fan.

Fan

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The fan sealed up nicely with GE silicone so I did not use the gasket that came with it. I also painted the fan the same color as the outside of the teardrop.

[Originalspacerob]

The next step was to install the electrical plugs for the 12V and 120V. I have all GFCI for the 120V plugs since there are times we can be exposed to moisture and the 12V plugs I got from Amazon. I was not too keen one them when assembling them in the blank covers. The reviews were good but after having issues found others had the same issues. The nut on the back is designed for a half turn to tighten but did not tighten that good. I had to use teflon tape to build the threads a bit to make them tighten. Once tight and in place they did work really well when I tried them out.

inside plugs

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outside plug

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This plug is on the front of the trailer and hooked to a switch on the drivers side. It allows any 12V accessory to plug into it and be switched on and off. I was thinking of making a spot light that can mount on the tongue quickly incase we parked in a remote location we could shed some serious light for setting up camp, or for use as security with motion sensors if needed.

galley plugs

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These are the top galley plugs. There are also a 120V and 12V plug below the counter incase they are ever needed.

[Originalspacerob]

When I made the storage in the floor I was not sure what battery I was going to get. And figured I had enough height at 8.5" to fit any battery. I soon found that most deep cycle batteries the height is 9.25" plus. So I was going to get an AGM style battery so I could lay it down. I instead found the Optima deep cycle battery and that one has a height of 8.25" which fits into the rear storage area nicely. I was able to mount it in the group 27 holder I had. I have enough room that I can add a second one in front of it slightly tucked under the floor at a later date. For now the one will do until we use the camper and see what we need. I installed a shut off switch for the whole system. Tucked behind the batter I have wires coiled up to add and inverter at a later date if needed. The inverter should be able to fit to the right of the batteries and the batteries can be slid to the left if needed. Once the battery was installed I was able to try out the plugs and lights.

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Here is the picture of the fan with the light to the left. They are recessed LED lights and fit really nice into the ceiling. Really easy to install. When we got the lights we thought they would be too white in color, but because we have the wood interior the light is just perfect. Two make it very easy to see and is easy on the eyes.

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The battery was the last part I needed to install before the AC could be installed. I was using the AC in the window in my garage to help keep it cool and dry. It really helped with painting and for me to stay comfortable. Figured it would not hurt putting the AC to use instead of just sitting on the bench, plus it was a good break in trial run for the AC unit. The big thing with having the AC installed in the cabinets was to make sure I could get the moisture out. Most AC's now let the water collect inside the pan of the unit and splash some of the water on the condenser coil for extra cooling. This was a good thing but since the water would stay there i posed a problem when moving the camper. If I drove off and the AC had water inside the back of the unit it can overflow thru the front if we closed up camp and drove off and stopped fast. So I drilled 2 small holes to drain some of the water out when the water reaches a point in the back of the AC. This will drain most water out into the lower AC shelf. To waterproof the inside of the shelf I used sticky flashing for doors and windows. This stuff is super sticky and once adhered to itself does not let go. Instead of having a collection pan, the whole box is the collection pan with the PVC pipe out the side to act as a drain. The air moving the in the box will also help evaporate the water with the content air flow when running.

ac box waterproof

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[Originalspacerob]

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Here is the AC installed inside the trailer. The wire will be shorted but for now is tied up and out of the way. I won't need a GFCi on the cord since I have a GFCI on the wall. A new 90 degree plug will be installed when the wire is cut shorter.

The AC intake and exhaust vent is also mounted on the side of the trailer and is sealed with weather stripping. The bolts used to fasten it have brass inserts that go in the plywood so the threads won't wear out if they had just been mounted into the wood. The reason it needs to be removed is a AC filter was installed on the back of the vent to filter the incoming air. Otherwise dirt and debris would be sucked into the AC compartment and cause a pretty big mess over time. The filter can be washed and reused in just a few minutes whenever needed. I will add some pictures once I get the bungie filter holders on it. For now I taped the filter to the back to see how it would work. A cover will also be made to cover the duct when traveling and when not using the trailer to prevent and driving rain from getting in while on the road. The rain should not effect anything, but it would not hurt to have it covered.

Duct

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[Originalspacerob]

This pretty much finalizes the electrical items on the trailer. There are still a few more things before I can slide it on the trailer. Need to install the windows and weather stripping, D rings on the side of the trailer and paint the graphics on the side and top.

The windows were a very simple design. But it take take a bit for me to figure out what to use to prop the windows open. IN the end I just decided on a scissor mechanism to hold the window open and adjust it. And to latch the windows I used some pulling latches from Lowes that are use to pull windows in tight. This proved to work very well. Because I used 1/4" Optix Acrylic it was sturdy enough i did not need a frame around the window. I could also drill thru it and install the hinge right to the top of the window. Use the hinge There is a piece of neoprene to waterproof the hing and prevent water from coming thru the hing when the window is open. With having the latch in the middle on the side of the window it helps pull the window in nice and tights to the seals with even pressure all around.
I did not make a screen yet, but will be making one for the windows. I will probably do that after the trailer is pretty much done and on the trailer.

window closed

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window side

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window open

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[Originalspacerob]

While instilling the electrical items and windows I was thinking about some graphics to paint on the side and top. Since I have the raised roof that covers the seam on the roof it seemed like it would be nice to make that a stripe that came down the center I also had done some sketches with some designs on the side and finally came up with what you see below. They were original space evenly at a 45 degree angle to each other but starting the lines by 8" seems to break up the pattern nicely. In the end they will be pinstriped black. I tried vinyl pin strip but it was not sticking real good to the latex paint mostly because of the texture on the fabric. Even using a heat gun on the vinyl did not help it to stay. So I decided to paint them by hand using a Mack 00 pinstripe brush and One shot paint. I never pinstriped before by hand but did a few practice lines and went for it. It didn't come out too bad, and would never come put perfectly smooth because of the texture on the trailer. Its easier to pinstripe on a smooth surface than one with nooks and crannies.

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[Mushin]

Really cool build! All the little details are making this an amazing trailer!

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[KCStudly]

Very, very nice. Your window details and paint scheme really show your dedication to the details.

[Originalspacerob]

At this point the camper was ready to put on the trailer for the first time. The only time any part of the camper was put on the trailer was when the bottom storage area was build just to check for clearance. While I was finishing up and getting ready to have my wife help me get the trailer from the back yard I was telling her "wouldn't it be something if it didn't slide on and was too wide?" Both of us were hoping that was not so. If that was the case the teardrop would need to sit until I could get a trailer for the base.
I didn't get any pictures of the loading of the teardrop on the trailer but here was the process
1) Jack up center of front of tear drop and remove two dollies from front.
2) back trailer up so 1' or so of teardrop was over the back of the trailer.
3) Hook trailer up to car hitch
4) Lower teardrop on trailer and move jack to back to teardrop
5) Raise back of teardrop until about level and remove rear dollies
6) My wife and I on either side of galley pushing it in the trailer and me steering the jack with one hand. It slid right in easier than expected.

Both of us were really happy with the fit, .25" to spare on either side and the aluminum slides on the side worked great to protect the teardrop. We left the teardrop in the back of the trailer with no straps attached yet. I later installed Boat Buckles for easy hook up to the camper. Each are rates for 850lbs and a break strength of 2500lbs. I have four holding the teardrop to the trailer.

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Here is a picture of the teardrop on the trailer that I took early morning after sleeping in it for the first time in the back yard.We both were really comfortable and did not wake up sore at all. The AC worked great and cycles on and off as needed hooked up to house power. All lights worked great, but my inside 12V plugs did not work. I later found out I didn't tie my supply 12V to them in the outlet box. I forgot I have the outside front plug on the same circuit as those. Once fixed those worked fine also. We slept in total 2 nights so far in the backyard to try it out and find it very comfortable. The entry is a little higher because of the storage below but is manageable for both of us. \

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After sleeping the 2 nights I decided the following week I would Take it to work and bring it to the mulch yard just down the road to get it weighed. The trailer with teardrop, battery, bedding, AC, and spare tire weigh in at 1100lbs. About 200lbs more than I thought it would weight. I am going to have a second weight done just to confirm at a different scale. The teardrop tows fantastic as it is and the tongue weight is only about 35-40 lbs. Here is a picture of it closer on the trailer parked in the driveway after getting home from work.

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[Mushin]

Very nicely done!

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[Originalspacerob]

An small update on the teardrop.

I don't think this teardrop will ever be completely finished for awhile, not until we actually get some camping time in with it. Which is exactly what we wanted, we didn't want too much build in as far as drawers and such, we will see if those are needed as we use it.
One thing I had to deal with this weekend was the leak in the hatch. I have a 1/16 piece of neoprene under the piano hinge on the galley hatch and I had to replace it twice due to it leaking just on a garden hose test. The neoprene I purchased in a roll form off Amazon that is 1.5" wide. What I soon found out is that the neoprene did not like to stretch when the hatch was open and would split. The hatch would not leak when it was closed but once you opened it the split would open and any of the water going down the roof would slowly leak in the galley.
The solution was to use a motorcycle tube. I had read many people using a bicycle tube and I should have done that to start. I happened to have a dirt bike inner tube I and cut that and put everything back in place. The tube material was much more stretchy and we now have no more leaks. It conforms nicely when open and it is super tough and even hard to cut with the razor knife when trimming after it was installed. The material is a little thicker than a bike tube since it was a heavy duty dirt bike tube. We got a good test with the rain we had last night and no leaks even when open.
With the galley hinge fixed I was able to test out my platform in the back yard for parking the teardrop when I need to use my trailer. The platform is slightly wider than the teardrop and has composite decking just like the bottom of the camper body. I simply back up the trailer to the platform, hook up the hand crank winch mounted to the back of the platform and winch it off. The taking off of the trailer takes and 60 seconds since that winch is a hand crank. The one mounted to the trailer is a ratchet type 900 lb winch and that one takes about 2-3 minutes since I have to ratchet the winch to get it to pull. Everything seems to work really well. The trailer is easy to move into place without using the car to align it with the platform.
Below is a picture of the platform. It hasn't been painted yet and I need to put some mulch or stone under it to finish the base off. In a few weeks I will add support on all four corners and build a simple roof over the platform to protect the teardrop from tree droppings and the weather. The sides will have simple roll up fabric to protect it from the sun but provide ventilation around the teardrop when inside.

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We are gearing up to hopefully do our first real camping in the teardrop this weekend. I have a few more things to add before we leave. We did sleep in the backyard again last night this time with the dog inside with us. We had plenty of room with the three of us inside. Our dog is a English Springer Spaniel so he isn't too big. He was a bit nervous with the fireworks going off and it being a new place to sleep even though it was just in our back yard. After 2 hours we put him in the house and will try it again another night. After the third night of sleeping inside we found two things we need to deal with so far with getting inside it, best place to put shoes when getting in and out, how to get the dog in without getting the side all dirty. It was raining last night so we put the shoes inside, the first two times sleeping we kept them outside on the fenders, but it wasn't raining.

Here is a picture of Chief our Springer in the sidecar for his first time to see how he would do. We only went down the street slow to see how he would like it. It gives you an idea of his size.

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[tony.latham]

SWEEEET drop!

Tony

[Mushin]

Said it before, say it again, great job!

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