Off-road teardrop wannabe

[jnelson4x4taco]

Okay, after searching high and low for a trailer that will meet my needs I have decided that "to have it done right, you must do it yourself". Im not necessarily saying that I will build it right as much as the design will be "right" for me. I would like to base it off of this one:

http://herebedragonsadventures.org/gallery-4.html

I love the design, style, size, etc. Hopefully the owner doesnt mind me posting the link, I know he is a member on this board. I post other links to trailer builds and if anyone would like me to remove it, I will gladly do so.

My main modification to that is that I want it to still be a functional utility trailer for washers and dryers, sod, dirt bikes, etc. So i am trying to make the camper removable. I have a few ideas about how to make that happen, obviously it will be heavy so it will take a few guys to move.

I am planning on basing the frame off of Box Rocket's build here:
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=23624

I will order a 3500lb axle kit and try and mount 33x9.50 or 33x10.50 on 6 lug wheels to match my truck.

I will then skin the floor of the trailer with 3/4" ply, that will be the base trailer.

Then I will start the camper part. I will lay 1/2" ply down on top of that and then build the frame off of that. I will build the frame out of 2x2 or 2x4 wood, then insulate it with 1.5" foam and then skin the interior with either 1/4" or 1/2" ply. I will (try to) fiberglass all of the exterior seams and coat it with Kilz paint and maybe some type of clear (varathane or polyurathane? maybe just fiberglass resin?) I will run bolts through the floor of the camper into the plywood deck of the trailer floor to secure it. Ill also make the back hatch open for a kitchen area, cut in some windows, doors, jerry cans and battery on front, and all that stuff.

So, from what ive tried to explain, does this sound like a reasonable plan. I would like to hear from those of you who have done this and what you have learned from it. Is a 2x4 frame with 1/2" ply exterior, 1.5" foam and 1/4" interior walls sturdy enough? The trailer frame will probably be 2.5" square.

Thanks for all your help guys, im hoping to get most of the planning done so I can buy my steel this weekend. My buddies and I are trying to plan a long weekend in Moab sometime in the spring and I would love to have this ready by then.

-Jeff

[Titanpat57]

Sounds great...be sure to post progress.

Love the "scratch builds" !!

[05liberty]

Be sure to post photos !
Check out this site
http://www.mikenchell.com/forums/ind...3c6470b8f42c3c
If you havent already ! Loads of good info there !
Here is alittle info and a photo of mine ...http://www.expeditionportal.com/foru...ad.php?t=34573

[1speed]

Okay, after searching high and low for a trailer that will meet my needs I have decided that "to have it done right, you must do it yourself". Im not necessarily saying that I will build it right as much as the design will be "right" for me. I would like to base it off of this one:

http://herebedragonsadventures.org/gallery-4.html

I love the design, style, size, etc. Hopefully the owner doesnt mind me posting the link, I know he is a member on this board. I post other links to trailer builds and if anyone would like me to remove it, I will gladly do so.

My main modification to that is that I want it to still be a functional utility trailer for washers and dryers, sod, dirt bikes, etc. So i am trying to make the camper removable. I have a few ideas about how to make that happen, obviously it will be heavy so it will take a few guys to move.

I am planning on basing the frame off of Box Rocket's build here:
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=23624

I will order a 3500lb axle kit and try and mount 33x9.50 or 33x10.50 on 6 lug wheels to match my truck.

I will then skin the floor of the trailer with 3/4" ply, that will be the base trailer.

Then I will start the camper part. I will lay 1/2" ply down on top of that and then build the frame off of that. I will build the frame out of 2x2 or 2x4 wood, then insulate it with 1.5" foam and then skin the interior with either 1/4" or 1/2" ply. I will (try to) fiberglass all of the exterior seams and coat it with Kilz paint and maybe some type of clear (varathane or polyurathane? maybe just fiberglass resin?) I will run bolts through the floor of the camper into the plywood deck of the trailer floor to secure it. Ill also make the back hatch open for a kitchen area, cut in some windows, doors, jerry cans and battery on front, and all that stuff.

So, from what ive tried to explain, does this sound like a reasonable plan. I would like to hear from those of you who have done this and what you have learned from it. Is a 2x4 frame with 1/2" ply exterior, 1.5" foam and 1/4" interior walls sturdy enough? The trailer frame will probably be 2.5" square.

Thanks for all your help guys, im hoping to get most of the planning done so I can buy my steel this weekend. My buddies and I are trying to plan a long weekend in Moab sometime in the spring and I would love to have this ready by then.

-Jeff

I don't mind the link at all!

I am by no means an expert but I have learned a few things.

1)Use marine grade plywood. I had trouble where water wicked in past screws I thought were sealed and caused some delamination.
2) Use a 3500 lb axle for sure. I bent my 2000 lb axle with very little off road use. Also, the spindles on a 2000 lb axle are not up to the task for a 33" tire.
3) Skip the Kilz and paint route, been there done that, not sufficient. I would use CPES http://www.rotdoctor.com/products/cpes.html next time, then auto paint. Since it's proving to be a nightmare to strip mine all down to bare wood, at the suggestion of a trailer builder with a lot of experience I'm going to shoot mine with bedliner this time. Your biggest issue is sealing any srews etc. that punture the finish coat.
4) "2x4 frame with 1/2" ply exterior, 1.5" foam and 1/4" interior walls" is way overkill. I used 3/4" plywood "skeletonized" for the frame with 3/4" rigid foam insulation, 1/2" outside skin and 1/4" inside skin. My wife and I had to crack a window in 34 degree temps because we got hot. Structurally the outside skin could easily be 1/4" if you epoxy it to help against puntures. I still like the plywood framing route I used for torsional stiffness.

Like I said, I'm by no means an expert but I'm happy to help if I can. Unfortunately most of the pictures were lost from my build thread due to an Expo datbase issue, but the text is still there. Here is a post where I gave a few details of the build process http://expeditionportal.com/forum/sh...&postcount=137 and a link to my photobucket account with a some build photos. I wasn't a member of any forums when I started my build so I didn't document real well at the begining. http://s417.photobucket.com/albums/p...view=slideshow

[Martyn]

I don't mind the link at all!

I am by no means an expert but I have learned a few things.

Jim you are being way too modest.

You are the expert.

[1speed]

Jim you are being way too modest.

You are the expert.

I'm honored!

[18seeds]

My needs are similiar to your. I need something that is removeable. My idea initially was to make a camper that fit on one side of a snowmobile trailer. That way I could have a snowmobile on one side and the camper on the other. This was very limiting because the width would only be around 4ft and 5 ft is more ideal.

http://www.microlitetrailer.com/ makes a teardrop that is removeable.

I have followed 1 speeds design and it's one of the best i've seen.

Have you considered outfitting a small 5x8 enclosed trailer? In the end you may end up with something lighter.

I see you are from Colorado. My biggest concern right now is towing capacity for my Taco. I know the truck is completely capable of towing a small camper but the loss of HP at high altitude is pushing me to keep it simple.

If you are looking for a professional to build it for you I have the number of a guy who made pop up truck campers for over 20 years. He built my drawer/storage platform. His hourly rate is cheap but it takes him more hours than you would think. Quality is top notch and he has great ideas. Example my drawer slides are made out of steel L channel and garage door rollers. pm me if you want his contact info

good luck

[jnelson4x4taco]

1speed- How did you attach the 3/4" ply skeleton? Is it all put together with pockethole screws? I was only trying to do the 1/2" ply-foam-1/4"ply walls to cut down on costs a bit, when i looked the other night, a 4x8 sheet of 19/32" Aruaco ACX ply was $35. 1/2" went down to $25 and then the 5mm birch skin was $11. I am definately going with a 3500lb axle, i found a kit at ABCTrailer that would be just over $200 shipped to my door. I am also working on a set of matching Tacoma wheels for $100 nearby.

18seeds- those microlite trailers are really neat, probably a pretty penny for those guys. I thought about a 5x8 trailer but really enjoy the building process and I also want to try and keep the height of the trailer, and the budget, relatively low. I too, am concerned with power but I just figure it will be slow going through the mountains and such. My buddy tows a 22' Mastercraft with his Taco and although its slow, it gets the job done. I might look at some performance mods in the future to boost power, like a Cummins 4BT

Has anyone looked at any products like Varathane for a coating? I used this stuff on some outdoor patio furniture and it created what appeared to be a very thick, weatherproof coating, it takes a few coats but the stuff is around $35 a gallon. Anyone know how much epoxy resin I would need for a project this size? I assume that stuff is pretty pricey. Thanks again for all your help guys, im hoping to get my sliders welded on this weekend and then get started on the trailer, just need to finalize my design.....although is any build design ever "finalized"? I didnt think so.

[1speed]

1speed- How did you attach the 3/4" ply skeleton? Is it all put together with pockethole screws? I was only trying to do the 1/2" ply-foam-1/4"ply walls to cut down on costs a bit, when i looked the other night, a 4x8 sheet of 19/32" Aruaco ACX ply was $35. 1/2" went down to $25 and then the 5mm birch skin was $11. I am definately going with a 3500lb axle, i found a kit at ABCTrailer that would be just over $200 shipped to my door. I am also working on a set of matching Tacoma wheels for $100 nearby.

I used Gorilla glue and deck screws for the structure. If you look on the teardrop forum, www.mikenchell.com most people frame with 1x4's and pocket srews. That should be plenty sturdy if you glue everything together. 1/4" skin on both sides glued and srewed to 1x4's with rigid foam glued on both sides in between should be make a good "SIP" (structural insulated panel). I thought the plywood "frame" I used would be the ultimate insurance against "racking".

I would still recommend the CPES, it penetrates deeply into the plywood rather than just laying on the surface, I don't think it's all that expensive.

[jnelson4x4taco]

Where did you guys source your windows and what was the cost? I founf some flushmount windows with sliders and screen here that seemed pretty good for around $25 a piece.

Ill look into that CPES stuff, any idea about how much I would need?