Thinking of building a teardrop

I have been reading lots of information on the teardrop trailers and I am thinking I can try and build my own. I am thinking of using a Harbor Freight 4 x 10 foot trailer that is DOT approved.

I am thinking of building what is called Kuffel Creek 4' x 8' Cubby plans.

http://www.freewebs.com/kc8jwa/teardroptrailers.htm

Let me know what you think.

thanks-Mr. D

I will probably just build the general shell for now for extra cargo, then as time goes by I will modify it. I will probably not use a galley, because I want to build a bunk bed type thing on one end for my daughter. My thinking is go camping and use this to haul gear and sleep in. All cooking can be done on a campfire or little coleman stove to keep the trailer as light as possible.
http://www.teardrop72.com/product_info.php this sites has lots of good pictures on design.

 

I think it's an excellent idea if you have the time and patience. Those tear drops are really becoming more popular.

Donna

 

Mr D,
I'm currently building a 4' X 8'-6" teardrop to tow behind our '04 S. I'm into it for about 130 hours & still have at least 40 more to go. If you do them right they're a complex little project, but for an experiencd finish carpenter it's a very fun job. You need a dedicated space (shop) with a substantial power tool collection to do the job right. Please feel free to contact me if you have more detailed questions. By the way...there are things you should know about the HF trailer :no:

 

I briefly was looking into it for awhile as a father/son project. The biggest design issue in regards to towing a trailer with a small car is weight. With a 4' width, you're obviously being frugal and with good cause.

Although fully assembled and not a kit, I've been impressed with some of the Little Guy trailers. Good prices, good weight, and fit/finish that seems to improve every year.

If price was no object for a purchased trailer, I'd consider T@B. Although I think their weight is more than I'd feel comfortable with, on the Mini.

Best of luck on the project and keep us updated with your progress!

 

I LOVE the Tab! They are a bit pricey however...

 

Building a trailer of your own can be complex if you've never done it before. And of course the weight of the trailer and tongue weight will be very important if you pull it with a MINI/Mini. The more the trailer weighs, the less you can put in it before you overload the axles.

Not sure what the largest capacity hitch out there is for the MINI/Mini, I would assume a Class I 2k, maybe Class II 3.5K? That is going to be your weakest link, so I would suggest finding that out before you go further. Then you can build your trailer around the hitch. No since getting a 5k axle if you can only pull 3.5k. Might as well save some money.

My 2 cents. Good Luck building!

 

T@B is really out at 1948 pounds dry

 

1948 lbs is way heavy My trailer will come in at about 850lbs gross. I'll be using a 1500lb axle and the tongue weight will be established by where I locate the axle. By balancing the trailer on a fulcrum point you can move the axle forward or backwards to get the tongue weight you want. I'll be using a receiver hitch from MINI DO MORE that is a 1 1/4" Class 1 receiver with 200lbs tongue weight cap. & 1400lbs tow weight capasity. The Mini can tow this size trailer...no problem. Using pre-manufactured trailers like the Harbor Freight trailer really limits your design because the axle is fixed.