Another European TTT (FEB 25th)

[minirailz]

Hey there,

As mentioned in the newbie board, I'm about to start building my very first TD/TTT.

Since I live in Belgium, supplies (and measurements ) are a bit different here.
But I'll try to explain and make it easy to follow why I made certain choices.

I made a 3D design of what I think the trailer must have.
The following things made the design look what it is today:

• Trailer: It is actually no longer allowed by law to build a trailer here, since many people made crappy trailers that let to accidents.
  Therefor I purchased an old tenttrailer chassis that was build before 2013 when that law became active. (I hope that should be enough to avoid crazy fines).
  Down side is that it is rather small and that the wheels will be inside the construction.
• Weight: Trailers above 750kg (1600lb) are required to have brakes, insurance and a lot of other things I don't want. The load limit of my current chassis is 550kg (1200lb).
  My trailer does have brakes for some reason, and since I'll be towing it with a small convertible I think that's a plus.
• Size: We wanted to fit a full bed (one size smaller than queen) so the width will be just under 5ft (150cm).
  Length is about 9ft (270cm) and height (inside) around 4.5ft (140cm) so I can sit on the edge of the bed.
• Galley: Not there. I'm afraid of getting that fancy hatch not to be watertight, so I left that out. I made a small counter on the inside with a sink for small things.
  Cooking, and gas in general is not something I want in such small space so we'll do that on the outside.
• Electrics: Fully wired in 12V with option to hook up at 230V. It will be full LED lighted so I'll probably just try to drain the vehicle's battery instead of adding a battery when we're off-grid
• Lights: on the back there's a lot to see. Triangulair reflectors(law), fog light(law), license plate lights and running light units is what you can see.

Last week the plywood was delivered. The floor will be 15mm (0,6"), the sides 10mm (0,4") and the roof 3.6mm (0.15"), walls and roof isolated with 2cm (0.8") styrodur.
The floor seems fine, but the walls are slightly bend and the thin plates are rubish (delaminated) and will be changed for other plates.
I tried to go for Okoume plating, but it is just not available in larger sheets or thinner plates, so it's just regular WBP now.
If it's finished I'll cover it up in epoxy.

A lot of things like cabinets are still things i have to start thinking about...

Regards,
Dennis

[guymi]

Beau projet

[KCStudly]

Welcome to the forums. I'm looking forward to following along on your project.

[edgeau]

Ate you going to have access to under the bed for storage?

Sent from my ZTE T84 using Tapatalk

[minirailz]

Yes, the idea is to put simple plastic boxes under the bed for food and equipment.

For clothing (and maybe some entertainment) I want to make cabinets.

Dennis

[Ned]

Looks good good luck!

[minirailz]

Construction started last weekend.



Just a floorplate cut-out and drilling of the mounting holes.
This plate will be attached using 8 M10 screws.
(dont know what M10 is in US measurements, but those are screws with 10mm diameter)

To be continued

Dennis

[OP827]

Welcome and good luck with the build. Metric is fine around here, as long as there are pictures . I believe I am not alone who can convert 1"=25.4mm.
Looking at your model picture above I wonder if the bed orientation is going to be OK with not much of a headspace there.. or are you still working on the design? Sometimes putting a person in 3D model helps to understand some potential issues.

[minirailz]

Yeah, the 3D design is already changed in real life to give more headspace.

But it's pain to change the wall design in my drawing program
So I kept it like this...

Dennis

[minirailz]

Last week i continued a little bit again.
I started at the wheel arches en made the cut-out for de side walls.





I just got a notice that my windows have arrived at the post office, as soon as I have time I will pick them up.

To be continued

Dennis

[minirailz]

It's been quiet here for some days.
Work and bad weather is causing some delays.
But there's been some progress

Cutting out the holes for the windows and door.


Dry fitting the window.




Dry fitting walls on the floor





Reinforcing the sidewalls







Coating the floor in liquid rubber



Sanding and repainting chassis





So far I'm quite happy with the progress.
But I've had some issues.

The liquid rubber remains quite sticky, so when you put the floorplate somewhere, you need to use plastic bags or something to avoid rubber pieces to stick to the floor.
Another issue is the axle. It's worn-out, so I need a replacement axle that fits the strange french measurements of my chassis.
As soon as the axle is replaced I'll start putting the floor in and raising the walls.

Cheers,
Dennis

[noseoil]

Welcome & it looks like a nice build you have going there. Want to see it on the first trip & a night out in the woods!

[daveesl77]

Hi, welcome and nice work! It is coming along fast.

While our trailer is just a bit larger than yours, it is of a similar design, with raised bed. We made our galley to fit under the bed and come out the back. By doing this we eliminated the potential problem of the large hatch and instead have a recessed door.

Having a raised bed is great, as well as having floor space.

Enjoy

dave

[minirailz]

The back part is now wasted space in my case.
I think I'll drop the spare tire there and some stuff I dont need too often.

I'm thinking of making the bed liftable so the storage under the bed is easier to reach.

My next build will be more efficient

Dennis

[minirailz]

It's been pretty quiet here the past 8 months.
But don't worry, it was for a good case.

*spoiler alert*
The teardrop has already more the 6000km travelled.
Now I'm trying to get my story together and posting it here.

To be continued...