Just bought one and I'm officially part of the club!

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Just bought one and I'm officially part of the club!

Postby trevize1138 » Mon Nov 04, 2019 7:42 am

Edit: hello from MN, by the way!

Found a real steal on Craig's List for $750. I've been obsessively researching building my own for only a month all the while haunting my local Craig's List for people selling. Knowing what I know about the cost of the trailer and the RV door alone I knew I could not pass this one up and made an offer two hours after the guy posted the ad.

Turns out the inside is in pretty good shape: nice dark hardwood. There's a little evidence of a leak near the driver's-side window but nothing some silicone sealant won't fix based on the gap in that same spot outside. I was worried my wife would think it's ugly but she likes how "kitchy" it is. No back galley and no cabinetry inside which is also great because it's such a blank slate. My mind has been abuzz with modification ideas:

* Take off the ribbed steel on the front and back and skin the whole roofline from bumper-to-bumper with aluminum. Currently the ribbed steel front and back only goes up to where the roof curves and then that's got black roofing tar on it.

* Add a rear hatch hinged at the bottom. I saw where I can order a custom-made one with frame out of aluminum 2'X3.5' for about $200.

* Add a dividing wall for the back 1.5ft with shelving for the new galley accessible by the hatch.

* Build a classic RV dinette style bed with smaller table so in a pinch my wife, 7yo and 11yo could all sit inside on rainy days and play The Farming Game.

* Add an awning for the rear to cover the galley.

* Buy or make a screened in attached porch.

* Wire up for electricity. The camper does come with two fans powered by 4 size D batteries each and one little light powered by 4 AA batteries. One of the fans is connected up to the roof vent with chains! The solution the PO came up with there is pretty awesome and hilarious at the same time.

Our main tow vehicle will be our Outback and the hitch reciever for that arrives today. I also want to get a hitch receiver for our Tesla Model 3 if only so I can finally use a hitch-mounted bike rack for that car but also because I'm curious what the range hit would be for me towing this with the EV.

Overall I'm just too excited for something that's got dried liquid rust running down one side and and evidence of a careless roofing tar job all over. This past spring we sold the 31ft motorhome I inherited from my grandparents and went back to tent camping because the kids are older now. Our decision to get a teardrop came down to how we kept forgetting random things for our camping trips. My wife and I started brainstorming solutions like a rooftop cargo box that would always be stocked with camping supplies. We noticed some Boy Scouts at a neighboring campsite last time out who had a cargo trailer and thought that might be an even better solution.

Well, if we're going to tow a trailer why not tow one that has a bed, too? And here we are!
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trevize1138
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Re: Just bought one and I'm officially part of the club!

Postby tony.latham » Mon Nov 04, 2019 9:47 am

One of the fans is connected up to the roof vent with chains! The solution the PO came up with there is pretty awesome and hilarious at the same time.


That does sound extra goofy. Can you entertain us with a photo?

:shock:

Tony

p.s. Polyurethane sealants are much better than silicone. I quit using silicone since nothing -including silicone- sticks to a previously siliconed surfaced.
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Re: Just bought one and I'm officially part of the club!

Postby trevize1138 » Mon Nov 04, 2019 9:54 am

tony.latham wrote:That does sound extra goofy. Can you entertain us with a photo?


Here you go! https://i.imgur.com/he1goaX.jpg

tony.latham wrote:p.s. Polyurethane sealants are much better than silicone. I quit using silicone since nothing -including silicone- sticks to a previously siliconed surfaced.


Thanks for the tip! I'll try that.
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Re: Just bought one and I'm officially part of the club!

Postby tony.latham » Mon Nov 04, 2019 10:02 am

Here you go! https://i.imgur.com/he1goaX.jpg


Teardrops do need a fan...

T
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Re: Just bought one and I'm officially part of the club!

Postby trevize1138 » Mon Nov 04, 2019 10:13 am

tony.latham wrote:Teardrops do need a fan...


Indeed! No ripping on the PO at all. They obviously chose between wiring up the whole thing just to have a vent with integrated fan or just do something simple and cheap. I'd be throwing stones inside my own glass house if I acted all superior about that. If anything I'm going to work on wiring the camper first because I know early enthusiasm tends to wane so I need to strike while that iron is hot or I'll be investing big time in D batteries myself.
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Re: Just bought one and I'm officially part of the club!

Postby edgeau » Mon Nov 04, 2019 9:38 pm

Quite a score for only $750! Did you say hatch to be hinged at the bottom? How does that work?

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Re: Just bought one and I'm officially part of the club!

Postby trevize1138 » Tue Nov 05, 2019 8:28 am

edgeau wrote: Did you say hatch to be hinged at the bottom? How does that work?


I'm not doing a full rear hatch just going to add a rear cargo door maybe 3.5'x2'. So, with that hinged at the bottom and positioned right with chain stops that'll make about a 2' deep shelf for food prep. I've also seen some decent rear-mounted awnings I can add to that.
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Re: Just bought one and I'm officially part of the club!

Postby exminnesotaboy » Fri Nov 08, 2019 9:18 pm

Congrats on the purchase! From another Minnesota camper - Welcome!
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Re: Just bought one and I'm officially part of the club!

Postby ae6black » Wed Nov 13, 2019 2:42 pm

I do one of those fans held up against my vent with parachute cord. Might be hilarious, but it actually makes the teardrop like a wind tunnel! sorry never took a picture. But there's a million different ways of tackling these issues in a teardrop.

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