Teardrop trailer build
- Thread starter Syberia
- Start date
shortykorte
Well-known member
Nice build.
Question about soffit vent on front of battery box. How will you keep water out when towing in the rain? Living in California for 6 years I know it doesn't rain much. A sign magnet could be use to cover vent while towing.
Tent camped at Lake Tahoe in October and June. Froze our asses off. I didn't expect that in June. Your teardrop would have been the ticket.
Question about soffit vent on front of battery box. How will you keep water out when towing in the rain? Living in California for 6 years I know it doesn't rain much. A sign magnet could be use to cover vent while towing.
Tent camped at Lake Tahoe in October and June. Froze our asses off. I didn't expect that in June. Your teardrop would have been the ticket.
That actually never occurred to me, but if water is a problem, a magnet might be the easiest solution. Saying "it doesn't rain much" is a bit of a curse right now, as it's rained more in the last two months than it's supposed to all year. Last weekend, streets had turned into rivers.
shortykorte
Well-known member
Guess I should have mentioned the 5 yr drought that ended as soon as I left. Bad for a lot of homes but good for water supply and ski resorts.
Mounted my propane tank holder to the front of the trailer
Ran some pipe to the back kitchen area
It comes through the floor into these 3 outlets. One for the water heater, one for the stove, and the third for a quick-connect for an oven/bbq which we'll have to use outside the trailer because there's not enough space. Each will have its own shut-off valve but I will order those online because they're much cheaper than at Home Depot.
Ran some pipe to the back kitchen area
It comes through the floor into these 3 outlets. One for the water heater, one for the stove, and the third for a quick-connect for an oven/bbq which we'll have to use outside the trailer because there's not enough space. Each will have its own shut-off valve but I will order those online because they're much cheaper than at Home Depot.
Jacko264
Well-known member
Great trailer build don't you need brakes with that weight trailer ?
I use to build caravans for one of the biggest manufacturers in Briton
[ swifts ] 20 vans a day came out the doors on each line
Graham
I use to build caravans for one of the biggest manufacturers in Briton
[ swifts ] 20 vans a day came out the doors on each line
Graham
Jacko264
Well-known member
Hi Syberia
I have just looked up the weights for Briton and we can only tow a full trailer under 750kg =1653.47 without brakes
I wish we could tow more like you can
all the best keep up the good work
Graham
I have just looked up the weights for Briton and we can only tow a full trailer under 750kg =1653.47 without brakes
I wish we could tow more like you can
all the best keep up the good work
Graham
Spareparts
Well-known member
Is that Galvanized Pipe for the propane, hope that won't be a problem. I was told to not use it and use black pipe. The concern was it would flake off and plug up the orifice, might want to check it out, easier to fix before you get it covered up.
Thats cause you don't want to use galvi for most anything except water. Black pipe for gas and air. But considering it's very little you'll be ok. But if you ever start having intermittent issues you'll know what to look at first.
Looking good bud.
Looking good bud.
The gas to my house is plumbed with galvanized (the outside portion anyways) and has probably been there since it was built in 1940. I've read the same thing, but also read that it's a myth and that doesn't actually happen. I can't imagine black pipe would last very long exposed to dirt, water, and road grime on the bottom of a trailer, even if painted.
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Yarz
Well-known member
Very cool build! Now you've got me thinking I could use something similar... Thanks for that.. 
I'm interested to know if you have a prediction for the final weight?
I'm interested to know if you have a prediction for the final weight?
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Subscribed.
Nice work so far.
Mike.
Nice work so far.
Mike.
Spareparts
Well-known member
Didn't mean to downgrade your build what so ever, actually it is impressive to say the least, quality workmanship. I have wanted to build one but the wife say's if she can't stand up in it it won't happen. Again very nice build.
This was my first thought! If I was going to the effort, time, and money to do a nice build like this, I would have started by fully welding all the frame joints I think. Plus it's an excuse to do some welding!
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georgegj
I built my Harbor Freight trailer in March '97 and so far nothing's came loose with the stock hardware.
I built my Harbor Freight trailer in March '97 and so far nothing's came loose with the stock hardware.
hedgehog
Well-known member
Id love to build a tear drop trailer. We dont have harbor freight in canada , so trailer kits dont really exist. And built 4x8 trailers arnt cheap
How do they charge for the trailer kit?
How do they charge for the trailer kit?
Well you ****... $300 was for the 1100 lb one, I opted for the 1700 lb one, and given how flimsy the tongue of this one was before I reinforced it, I'm glad I did.
On that note, I did some more work this weekend:
Last night I attached a piece of vinyl to one of the sides. Wanted to give the glue all night to set up before I started cutting on it
Today I started cutting the curve and the opening for the door
Sealing the door with a bead of silicone before installing it
Door and porch light installed
After replacing the fuse I blew hooking the light up because I forgot to remove it first and accidentally touched the two wires together, we have light
However, my walls were too thick and there's a small gap in between the door frame and the trim piece that needs to be covered. Any suggestions? I was thinking a small aluminum or plastic strip, but I'm open to suggestions.
Also installed the countertop. Sink is just there to test fitment
On that note, I did some more work this weekend:
Last night I attached a piece of vinyl to one of the sides. Wanted to give the glue all night to set up before I started cutting on it
Today I started cutting the curve and the opening for the door
Sealing the door with a bead of silicone before installing it
Door and porch light installed
After replacing the fuse I blew hooking the light up because I forgot to remove it first and accidentally touched the two wires together, we have light
However, my walls were too thick and there's a small gap in between the door frame and the trim piece that needs to be covered. Any suggestions? I was thinking a small aluminum or plastic strip, but I'm open to suggestions.
Also installed the countertop. Sink is just there to test fitment
hedgehog
Well-known member
300$ is great, wish we had harbor freight in Canada. we have Princes auto and its just not the same
Covered the counter top with some .040 aluminum. I have some 1/8 x 4" strips for the back splash that I haven't installed yet.
And then I got to re-do the siding I just did the other day. We had our first warm day today and I guess the soft vinyl expanded and made a bunch of ugly bubbles and air pockets that kept coming back after I tried to smooth them down. Luckily I was able to pull off the siding and replace it with a "shower panel" from Home Depot. It's thicker and stronger and I attached it with screws instead of glue so it can move to a degree without coming undone and looking terrible.
It is more textured than the vinyl I removed which is the reason I passed in it in the first place but now that it's installed it doesn't look bad. Of course, that means I have to redo the top too.....
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And then I got to re-do the siding I just did the other day. We had our first warm day today and I guess the soft vinyl expanded and made a bunch of ugly bubbles and air pockets that kept coming back after I tried to smooth them down. Luckily I was able to pull off the siding and replace it with a "shower panel" from Home Depot. It's thicker and stronger and I attached it with screws instead of glue so it can move to a degree without coming undone and looking terrible.
It is more textured than the vinyl I removed which is the reason I passed in it in the first place but now that it's installed it doesn't look bad. Of course, that means I have to redo the top too.....
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Built a frame out of 1x2 above the countertop
Attached a piece of peg board to hang our pots and pans and utensils. I am going to trim the sides with aluminum but I realized I bought the wrong size of aluminum so I couldn't do that today.
Installed another shower panel on the top, replacing the buckling and bubbling piece of vinyl that was there previously. Installed a hurricane hinge for the kitchen door. I had to modify it by cutting part of it off since it was meant to be installed on a 90 degree angle.
Put my fan through the roof
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Attached a piece of peg board to hang our pots and pans and utensils. I am going to trim the sides with aluminum but I realized I bought the wrong size of aluminum so I couldn't do that today.
Installed another shower panel on the top, replacing the buckling and bubbling piece of vinyl that was there previously. Installed a hurricane hinge for the kitchen door. I had to modify it by cutting part of it off since it was meant to be installed on a 90 degree angle.
Put my fan through the roof
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Bought the right size of aluminum and made the trim piece around the pegboard
Ran wiring to the back. #10 wire and 30 amp fuse off of the main panel in front. Will power 2 lights (less than 1 amp each), pump (7.5 amps) and 2 cigarette lighters (20 amps max).
Ran a length of #12 over to a piece of conduit that goes up through the countertop to an electrical box. Meets up with a piece of romex that also goes up the conduit, and 3 #16 wires come back down.
The #12 powers the 3-way switch on the left that controls the lights, pump, and ignition for the water heater (the 3 #16 wires coming back down). The romex goes to the 120 volt outlet. One light will be on each side, but I've only installed one so far.
I also finally installed the second cigarette lighter inside the trailer. This one is mounted under the rear shelf, and will power our TV (12-volt).
Ran wiring to the back. #10 wire and 30 amp fuse off of the main panel in front. Will power 2 lights (less than 1 amp each), pump (7.5 amps) and 2 cigarette lighters (20 amps max).
Ran a length of #12 over to a piece of conduit that goes up through the countertop to an electrical box. Meets up with a piece of romex that also goes up the conduit, and 3 #16 wires come back down.
The #12 powers the 3-way switch on the left that controls the lights, pump, and ignition for the water heater (the 3 #16 wires coming back down). The romex goes to the 120 volt outlet. One light will be on each side, but I've only installed one so far.
I also finally installed the second cigarette lighter inside the trailer. This one is mounted under the rear shelf, and will power our TV (12-volt).
Started working on the water tank. I found a 34 gallon RV tank that fits perfectly under the frame of the trailer, above the axle.
Of course, it didn't come with any holes in it. So I had to order an access hole cover online, wait for it to come, realized I didn't have the right size hole saw, ordered that too, waited for it to come, and finally put the access hole in so I could get my hand inside to screw in some bulkhead fittings.
Now I needed a way to hang the tank under the frame of the trailer. I took some 3/16 x 1.5" steel bars, heated them up in my foundry (because I haven't built a forge yet, but it worked just fine for the purpose), and hammered them into shape to fit around the tank.
Welded in some supports across the bottom, painted it with some truck bed liner, and bolted it up to the trailer. I'll be supporting the bottom with a sheet of plywood as soon as the roofing tar I sealed it with dries.
I made a bracket out of a piece of angle iron and attached a third power port under the sink in the back. Since it's behind the 2x4 frame, it will sit behind the cabinet doors when they close.
Also hooked up the second light for the kitchen. They're a pair of 12v 10 watt led flood lights, and they're really bright. This picture was taken in the garage with the lights off.
Of course, it didn't come with any holes in it. So I had to order an access hole cover online, wait for it to come, realized I didn't have the right size hole saw, ordered that too, waited for it to come, and finally put the access hole in so I could get my hand inside to screw in some bulkhead fittings.
Now I needed a way to hang the tank under the frame of the trailer. I took some 3/16 x 1.5" steel bars, heated them up in my foundry (because I haven't built a forge yet, but it worked just fine for the purpose), and hammered them into shape to fit around the tank.
Welded in some supports across the bottom, painted it with some truck bed liner, and bolted it up to the trailer. I'll be supporting the bottom with a sheet of plywood as soon as the roofing tar I sealed it with dries.
I made a bracket out of a piece of angle iron and attached a third power port under the sink in the back. Since it's behind the 2x4 frame, it will sit behind the cabinet doors when they close.
Also hooked up the second light for the kitchen. They're a pair of 12v 10 watt led flood lights, and they're really bright. This picture was taken in the garage with the lights off.
HOTFR8
Banned
Great progress. Admiring the detail.
vette-kid
Well-known member
Get some of the fancy colored stuff. Would look pretty cool with blue or red back there.
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vette-kid
Well-known member
Ya, they make it in other colors. Amazon had tons of it.
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Bighead38
Well-known member
If your siding is the material I think it's super easy to clean. That's why it's used in showers and kitchens.
Finished my propane manifold last night. The flare fittings will be for the water heater and stove, the quick connect will be for an oven or BBQ that we'll have to use outside of the trailer due to space constraints.
Also installed the water pump. On the intake side, I used a male and female garden hose adapter in place of a union so that I could put a filter washer inside to prevent any type of crud from getting sucked into the pump
The output side is just a bunch of PVC fittings put together so that I get 3 1/2" NPT threads to screw supply hoses onto. The two facing forwards will supply cold water to the sink and shower; the one facing back will supply the water heater.
Finally time to install the sink. Because of the placement of the 2x4s under the countertop and extremely limited space, I could not use the provided clips, so I just smeared silicone all over the bottom of the mounting lip, drilled a few holes, and held it in place with screws.
Used an s-trap to route the drain pipe away from the pump. I'll transition to PVC under the trailer and finally to a garden hose fitting so we can route drain water away from the trailer, or into a bucket if necessary.
Also installed the water pump. On the intake side, I used a male and female garden hose adapter in place of a union so that I could put a filter washer inside to prevent any type of crud from getting sucked into the pump
The output side is just a bunch of PVC fittings put together so that I get 3 1/2" NPT threads to screw supply hoses onto. The two facing forwards will supply cold water to the sink and shower; the one facing back will supply the water heater.
Finally time to install the sink. Because of the placement of the 2x4s under the countertop and extremely limited space, I could not use the provided clips, so I just smeared silicone all over the bottom of the mounting lip, drilled a few holes, and held it in place with screws.
Used an s-trap to route the drain pipe away from the pump. I'll transition to PVC under the trailer and finally to a garden hose fitting so we can route drain water away from the trailer, or into a bucket if necessary.
