Scott B.'s Little Guy Offroad Teardrop Build

Scott B.

SE Expedition Society
That looks fantastic.

-Andy

Very nice transformation. Looks good with the larger tires and flat fenders.

Thanks! I really like the flat fenders.

Looks good! Do you have a shot of the trailer from further away (with the new fenders)?

I will get some this weekend.

That is awesome! I had pretty much decided on a 5 wide rough rider, after convincing Mrs Anonymark that a silver shadow couldn't go off road. Now that she has seen this thread I'm in trouble.


Can you post more interior pictures? When's the maiden voyage?

This weekend!

That's a nice looking teardrop Scott!

Thank you.
 

Scott B.

SE Expedition Society
Man that sure changes the look!!!! Looking good.

Suggestion, Have a piece of flat stock 1/8 inch thick from floor to 1 inch above highest bolt, the length of the fender. Drill like holes through it and attach to inside of trailer wall. You are attaching large steel fenders to plywood, with no runners to keep direct hits away from the fenders. Personally I would do the same on the outside to make the trailer wall less accessible to rocks spun into the wheel wells.

I have been considering this, and think I will add it.

On the outside, I was planning on spraying undercoating on the side of trailer box under the fenders. Not quite as durable as flat stock, but should protect the sidewall.

I think your departure angle is fine, but would beef it up some by adding 2x2 120 wall under existing rear bumper. That will protect it from when dropping off rock ledges. I would consider protecting the front corners, as it appears the trailer will not track within the trucks track, especially on tight corners. The forward leading edge could clip a rock or stump it seems.

This I have been planning to do - with a twist. I plan to add a Bulldog Jack mount at each corner, which I will incorporate into a rear skid. As it sits now, if I dragged it over a rock like you did, I would probably damage the lower trim piece.

I don't like the unprotected fenders (especially the front side) - I haven't figured out to solve that problem yet.

Thank you for the suggestions/feedback. This is my first off-road trailer, so I appreciate learning from your experience.
 

skersfan

Supporting Sponsor
That is what this forum is about. We all can learn from someone trust me. The reason I suggest inner fender steel is due to catching a rock and it spinning into the wheel and between the wall. I wedged a huge one in mine on Kokopelli, I thought it had bent my torsion axle initially. It wedged so hard that the wheel was cocked. I am afraid if it had just been fiberglass and wood it would have went through the wall. My fenders have a steel inner wall. I have seen toy box trailers rip the whole inner fender out from a blow out, after hitting something in the road. I seem to overkill things, but nothing is worse than breaking on the trail with a trailer. Jeeps, FJ's, Ranger's what have you, normally someone has a part, trailers not so much!

I really like the look of it, anxious to see what else you do with it.

These things are so fun to play with, and trust me, you will never regret a tear drop. So nice to just get in and lay down, no tent, no noise, a door to lock for mommy. Building mine was the best thing I ever did for my camping time. The wife just hated the RTT. Just would not go for any reason. Now it is 75/25 and we stay out as much as three weeks at a time. That is a long time for a female with out a warm tub, giant hair dryer and her nails done. I consider it my greatest accomplishment, her roughing it used to be in our 5th wheel.
 
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NetDep

Adventurer
Scott -

Late to the game on this but hopefully better late than never!! Congrats on a gorgeous trailer!!! So glad you like the Little Guy and must confess I love mine as well!! Great pics and instantly sub'd this thread to keep an eye on your adventures!! Now to go back and read all the comments and the great ideas you have for your rig!! Our needs sound similar - and the matching wheels/tires are a nice touch and something I see are common on a lot of expedition trailers.

Happy travels!!!

Tim
 

Scott B.

SE Expedition Society
Scott -

Late to the game on this but hopefully better late than never!! Congrats on a gorgeous trailer!!! So glad you like the Little Guy and must confess I love mine as well!! Great pics and instantly sub'd this thread to keep an eye on your adventures!! Now to go back and read all the comments and the great ideas you have for your rig!! Our needs sound similar - and the matching wheels/tires are a nice touch and something I see are common on a lot of expedition trailers.

Happy travels!!!

Tim


Tim,

I have seen your setup, and must say I always liked it.

Stayed tuned, as I have more ideas to build out the teardrop!
 

GSPup

New member
Your trailer looks great ! I am going to order a Little Guy 5x7 Deuce in the next few weeks and I have a question for you?

I noticed you upgraded the axle for weight reasons...what is the width of your axle ? Just wondering because I want to fit 32's also but I plan on using the standard axle that comes on the trailer.

Mike
 

Scott B.

SE Expedition Society
Your trailer looks great ! I am going to order a Little Guy 5x7 Deuce in the next few weeks and I have a question for you?

I noticed you upgraded the axle for weight reasons...what is the width of your axle ? Just wondering because I want to fit 32's also but I plan on using the standard axle that comes on the trailer.

Mike

I'm pretty sure my axle is the "standard" width LG uses. I upgraded for the brakes, not the weight.

Make sure your wheels don't have more than 3 1/2" of backspacing, and you should be fine.
 

Scott B.

SE Expedition Society
Inaugural Outing

We went up to the local mountains yesterday, and met up with 2 other LGs. Great weather, clear night sky (and a really bright moon.) Good time to try out the teardrop!

Camp1.jpg

Camp2.jpg
 

Scott B.

SE Expedition Society
We got back from camping around lunchtime. After washing the teardrop, I decided to do a little more work on it.

I sprayed undercoating on the sides under the fenders. I may come back later and line the wheelwell with a thin piece of steel (as suggested by skersfan) - it depends where I end up taking this trailer.

Before:
Fender1.jpg

Masked:
Fender2.jpg

Sprayed:
Fender3.jpg

After:
Fender4.jpg
 

Titanpat57

Expedition Leader
looks much better with a little black in there...looks like a Hilldweller sighting in the far right corner of that pic..

good luck with the trailer....nice set up!
 

Scott B.

SE Expedition Society
Yes, Hilldweller was there!

We had 3 teardrops (3 different sizes) - it made for a nice first outing.
 

matthewp

Combat Truck Monkey
Very nice! Now I really can't wait for this deep freeze to be over so I can get back to my build!
 

mmossinger

New member
Love your trailer. If I got a little guy I'm pretty sure I would do the exact same thing as you. Just out of curiosity, about how long does it take them to build a custom trailer like yours?
 

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