NE Wisconsin Generic Benroy 5x8... my first!

[TimC]

In my downtime I decided to refinish the wood sides. I chose satin finish spar varnish. It is glossier than I hoped.





And finally got the courage up to install some hatch lifts. What a difference. No more clean and jerk and stretch and pray it doesn't come down on my head. I chose two 74 pound lifts after Dan Lott's calculator suggested 77 pound. I think something around 80 pounds each might have been better but the 74 pound do the job well enough.

And I am very happy I went with canvas cover under my hatch. Light weight and easy to access for rewiring. I did a little patching of the holes for the previous support sticks.

[Capebuild]

Tim.... see attached. I was curious about the material between the siding and fender. Is it wood or some other material... and I'm assuming it's to bump out the fender?

Thanks
John

[TimC]

Tim.... see attached. I was curious about the material between the siding and fender. Is it wood or some other material... and I'm assuming it's to bump out the fender?

Thanks
John

You're right John. It was to compensate for the wider hub faces on the axle. Had I thought the build through better I would have made the cabin three inches wider and not had to add the spacer. The spacer is laminated 2x6 treated lumber to make 11" wide blocking to mount the fenders. I didn't have any 2x12 laying around. It's worked well and I really don't miss the three interior inches. Inside width is about 57". The spacers look better after the finish is applied. The scratched surface makes it stand out a bit.

It isn't evident in my first build but I used a lot of scrap and recycled lumber in the build. At the time I was following my dad's favorite saying... "You've got more time than money".

[TimC]

John, your question reminded me of something someone mentioned on another user's thread that made me scratch my head and wonder what the response meant. Its not relevant here but thought i would mention it for anyone considering extending their floor beyond the frame.

A builder questioned whether they should extend the floor/cabin over the outer chassis frame member. One answer was that if they did so they would waste a lot of materials. That didn't make sense to me because instead of using 60" of sheets of plywood they would be using maybe 64" of each sheet like we did on my son's teardrop. It actually uses more and wastes less of every piece of 4x8 ply that we used on that project. Could be i misread the question/reply. As long as ply isn't extended more than a couple inches and you provide some support it shouldn't be an issue.

[QueticoBill]

Many use baltic birch which is 5' x 5', not 4' x 8'. But good point and I enjoy your excellent work, and envious of the time you commit to it!

[TimC]

Many use baltic birch which is 5' x 5', not 4' x 8'. But good point and I enjoy your excellent work, and envious of the time you commit to it!

I see now. Yes that would be wasteful if you used 60" wide and had to add to it.

[TimC]

Today I gave up on my gas hatch struts. Removed them and I'm going back to the good old homemade prop rod which served me well for years. Maybe I'll revisit gas lifts again when I can't physically lift the hatch myself.

The hatch was designed with a gap between the wall and hatch for a 3/8" epdm weatherstrip to be lightly but firmly compressed a bit. Months after the installation of the gas struts the hatch seal area has opened up over 3/4" in the center, right where the strut mounts with the top and bottom sitting tight. Also I have noticed my living hinge is stressed when the hatch is closed or open all the way. With the strut removed the hatch has almost settled back into place and the hinge appears to be much happier. I didn't think my hatch was that flexible and never had problems in the past.

So I'm attempting to put a little pressure on the hatch to settle back to where it was.



Maybe I'm giving up too easy but at 75 bucks a set I don't feel motivated to do any more experimenting.

[TimC]

Thought I'd give the hatch gas lifts another try. The first photo is the hatch without gas lifts. It has almost settled back into position sitting on the Seals.



This next photo is with the gas lifts installed. The range of motion is good. A little lift opens the hatch and it takes a little help to get it open completely. Just a fi8nger or two. Closing the hatch requires a light pull and a little help to keep moving then the last foot or so it closes on its own. However, the tension of the gas lift causes it to distort the hinge and open a gap on the Seals.



I've always assumed that these lifts have less tension on them at the extended and retracted shaft position. I took one of the lifts and put one end on a solid surface and retracted the cylinder with my weight. Once the shaft started moving there was no difference in resistance all the way to compressed. And when I let off pressure it extended all the way back.

Did I buy cheap gas lifts? Do the pricey lifts reduce resistance when fully closed?

Lift Depot wants me to mount the lift in a different orientation. I don't see how that would help. Tension would be in another direction but still there.

https://www.liftsupportsdepot.com/tear-drop-trailer/

[Staryder61]

Tim,
I just spent the afternoon reading and going through this complete build log.
It was great from the start to the very end.
Very well documented, a lot of helpful information for others.
Your woody teardrop turned out beautiful.
Anyone that's a newbie to building, could and should benefit a lot from this build journal.

[tony.latham]

Did I buy cheap gas lifts? Do the pricey lifts reduce resistance when fully closed?

I don't think so. When the gas in the strut is compressed, it's compressed and the only way to relieve the pressure is to extend the piston.

Take a look at this detail:



Note that the compressed spring lines up just below the center of the hurricane hinge. I don't know about a living hinge, but if the compressed strut is pointing above a hurricane hinge, it will lift the top of the hatch upwards.

Perhaps that's your issue?

Tony

[Tom&Shelly]

Thought I'd give the hatch gas lifts another try. The first photo is the hatch without gas lifts. ...

Lift Depot wants me to mount the lift in a different orientation. I don't see how that would help. Tension would be in another direction but still there.

https://www.liftsupportsdepot.com/tear-drop-trailer/

Hi Tim,

FWIW, I installed ours the way they did it. But that was because I hadn't fully thought it through when I built the walls and hatch, and by the time I looked at what we had, it just worked out better that way for mounting to the hatch gussets. I know I took several stabs at getting the strut specs correct, partly because when they are extended they are not (nearly) vertical. I had to modify the calculations in Dan Lott's calculator accordingly. (It's a cosine term. I did explain what I did somewhere on TNTT, and can search for it tomorrow if you are interested in the math.) But, iirc, Dan's opinion is that it is better to install the struts the way Tony did, as it is more nearly vertical when open, and so requires struts with less strength to hold a hatch of a given weight up. Less strut strength mean less force against the hatch, galley sides, and hinge.

I convinced myself there is little difference between the two orientations in the force on the hinge when the hatch is closed, for a strut of a given strength. When open though, the forces on the hinge are a little different. We did use a hurricane hinge, and the stress on it hasn't been enough to force the seals open, so far. (Knock wood!)

So I don't think I'd try and fix your issue by re-orienting the struts.

Also, I don't know if it matters, unless the strut fails and the oil leaks out, but the way Tony did it, the strut always has an up side and a down side, and one can install it so the cylinder holds the oil even if it leaks, or the other way around, which is what seems to be recommended by strut manufacturers. The way I have them installed (and lift support depot), the struts will be in one orientation when the hatch is open, and the other when closed.

Tom

[TimC]

Tim,
I just spent the afternoon reading and going through this complete build log.
It was great from the start to the very end.
Very well documented, a lot of helpful information for others.
Your woody teardrop turned out beautiful.
Anyone that's a newbie to building, could and should benefit a lot from this build journal.

Thanks David. I'm pretty proud of my little camper being my first. I made some mistakes and muddled through but as long as I keep it stored under cover I have found the wood keeps looking pretty good over the years. I did refinish and repaint the TD last summer and it really pops now. There's a reason they stopped making woodie cars way back when. There is a definite need for maintenance. Most people wouldn't want to deal with refinishing on a regular basis. It had been six years since I first finished this one so not too bad.

Good luck with your build and look at many other builds on tnttt as you might be able to avoid some of the set backs I experienced. Mostly, enjoy the process. It is almost more fun than the camping and traveling! Almost...

[TimC]

Thanks for your thoughts Tom and Tony. I'm pretty happy with my sticks for now. I still have the gas struts but don't forsee using them.

I did talk to someone at liftsupportdepot and they sent me some drawings to guide me on remounting. However, they are not real clear about why their suggested method is better. It also describes the strut being up-side-down when in open position and flips in the stored (closed) position (preferred orientation for lubing the shaft). I haven't really looked at it closely as I was busy camping last fall and the local temps right now don't make working outside very nice (-20F this morning). My brother installed his successfully and my son did as well. Their hatch designs are similar. I don't know why mine would force the hatch frame so much more.

[tony.latham]

-20F this morning

Ouch. I'll stop whining about my -3º.

Tony

[Staryder61]

Good luck with your build and look at many other builds on tnttt as you might be able to avoid some of the setbacks I experienced. Mostly, enjoy the process. It is almost more fun than the camping and traveling! Almost...

Thanks for the reply, Tim.
Your build was just amazing... Having something you made and can be so proud of for years to come.
Though I won't be building another teardrop. I do enjoy looking and watching others on here build theirs..
Ours took a turn for the worse after 3 years labor and money invested. It became a fatality. Material problems for the most part. And some of mine, I'm sure.
I couldn't fix it all and was to upset to start all over.. Using everything I can to do a small van conversion now. Which is turning out pretty good so far.
What parts I don't use from the teardrop, I will run on here for sale to someone that needs them later.

There's a reason they stopped making woodie cars way back when. There is a definite need for maintenance.

Oh, I remember those, a class of their own... one year my uncle came home and wanted my dad's help picking up a car when I was just a boy. It was a 1948 Buick Estate Woodie wagon. Went into a garage to be worked on, wood was all rotted or missing. 5 years later that wagon rolled out of the garage. Looking perfect in every way. Then my uncle spent one Saturday a month. (I'm sure he missed a few in there) Cleaning and polishing that car and the maintenance on the wood.