Happy thread :)
- Thread starter Jimdamick
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printer
Well-Known Member
I was building one last year but did not know where it will come in for weight. Got to the sides and estimated the rest, about 900 lbs. Car capacity is 910 lbs. Then add a couple of people, stuff, water, decided to start over and really trim down the weight. But doing that takes a lot more work. I bought a trailer then modified it, 10 lbs here, another 10 there, it all starts to add up. I would be fine if I did not have to bring along a generator and air conditioning but I can not take any hot weather.
Fogdog
Well-Known Member
Looks good, Printer. some mad skills there. I admire your work and hope it comes together for you.I was building one last year but did not know where it will come in for weight. Got to the sides and estimated the rest, about 900 lbs. Car capacity is 910 lbs. Then add a couple of people, stuff, water, decided to start over and really trim down the weight. But doing that takes a lot more work. I bought a trailer then modified it, 10 lbs here, another 10 there, it all starts to add up. I would be fine if I did not have to bring along a generator and air conditioning but I can not take any hot weather.
The little teardrops are too hot for summer camping but AC on a little teardrop seems to me to defeat the reason for having such a small and light trailer. I'd get real trailer if I needed AC. So I went with the mini-popup for warm weather and the teardrop for spring/fall camping. Both are low tech beds on wheels and taken together are not even close to the cost of larger trailers.
These little trailers are great for road trips. When I set up a stationary camp, I bring a large canopy for a cover when the weather comes up. The whole idea for me is to have dry, comfortable sleeping quarters while still camping outside.
printer
Well-Known Member
I know the idea of taking AC along does not make too much sense but I have a four year old car with under 20k km and the only way for me to go to a larger trailer is to sell it and I will get half of what I paid for it and it is basically a one year driven car. Otherwise I like the car. The AC constraint is important, I can not be outside above 25 C (77 F) for any length of time. So on some days I will be out in the morning and the holed up until evening. It sucks but that is my life. I was hoping to use it as a mobile hotel room, or as a sleeper trucks have. The teardrop sized camper will get less attention in places than popping up a tent on wheels.
What I want to do is not that far from a popup in nature, made out of foam (more than the above) and covered with what is called a poor man's fiberglass. Glued on canvas which is then painted. I have some coil-over shocks that probably originated from a motorcycle. As just a regular teardrop which is just a bed on wheels I could do it easily. But with the thought of being trapped inside for a while during the day I am inclined to make a living space where I can sit around with a person or two. The walking around on a floor is an issue. Need to find the right balance between floor loading and floor thickness to weight.
Also want to keep it lower to the ground to keep less sticking up over the car roof-line to lower drag. It did come with small rims and tires but they are only rated to 65 mph, I picked up the larger rims and tires in the picture, but they each come with a 20 lb weight penalty (two tires and a spare, 60 lbs) and I gain a couple inches in height. The added un-sprung weight means that the inside of the trailer will bounce around more. But the bearings spin slower, the tires not as inflated as the smaller ones. I could live with going 60 mph but I have been on some American highways where that would be frowned upon.
So I need to give it some more thought. I may have to pare the size down to a minimum.
Fogdog
Well-Known Member
Sounds like a hell of a project. Beyond my skill set but that's not saying much. Have fun with it.
printer
Well-Known Member
Used to make radio controlled planes, ended up working in an aerospace manufacturing plant. Got a little mechanical engineering mixed in with my trade. Did something stupid when I was younger, was making a kit car without the kit. Learned a lot, abandoned it when I lost my job and went back to school. It really is not that hard, just a lot of little tasks. Knowing which one fits best in a particular place it the trick though.
rkymtnman
Well-Known Member
i found a cheap slide in truck camper and haul it on a 5x10 trailer.
but yes for sure on the A/C. and i'm not under your constraints. that little sucker will get hot AF in the sun and luckily the people that i bought it from installed a small window unit AC on the back wall.
maybe i missed it but do you have a weight limit?
rkymtnman
Well-Known Member
that's funny as hell. love it!!!
printer
Well-Known Member
You will laugh, lower than I recalled.
"Kia Optima: Vehicle load limit - 410 kg (904 lbs.) Vehicle capacity weight is the maximum combined weight of occupants and cargo"
DIY-HP-LED
Well-Known Member
I imagine ya made them from sticks and stuff, I fly FPV foamies, when I'm not flying FPV drones, don't care for LOS flying much. I need to get out more flying this year and I haven't had a plane out yet this season, I've got a wing that I need to do some LOS flying with before I set it up with FPV and a flight control computer.
Here is a thread that covers the modern RC hobby, specifically FPV planes and quads.
FPV Flying, Where gamers go to die, reality. | Rollitup
printer
Well-Known Member
Did foamies myself. Shame my radio's are out of date and it is not legal to use them. It has been a long time. I did spend most of my time with gliders or electrics though. The VR stuff has interested me though. Got to build a simulator chair to sit in that will give you some body english back. Bookmarked the link.
DIY-HP-LED
Well-Known Member
Everything has gotten way cheaper, a good radio costs around a hundred bucks these days and you can upgrade it from 2.4 GHZ with a module to run on 930 MHZ for really long range. You can FPV anything with an AIO camera and xmitter running 5.8ghz for $25 CDN, order direct from China, everything is cheap as dirt these days.
injinji
Well-Known Member
30 years ago I was riding a bike as my main form of transport. Really missed being able to put a boat in the water, so I designed a folding boat that pulled behind my bike. My buddy was taking welding class at the local jr college and he got his instructor to help him put it together. Basically it was two halves that folded like a suitcase. You could store all your fishing gear in the boat. We started with a V hull but had to cut that out and go flat. My buddy has two girls who were kids at the time. He would take the halves apart and put a kid in each one. As far as I know, he still have it. And I still have the V bottoms we cut out.We own one of these and love it. 250 pounds by itself. Made for towing by a motorcycle. We tow it with a small SUV.
When we bought ours, it was a British Columbia company. Easy to set up and as you say, gets our old bones off the ground. We put our kid's tent and bags in the carry pod up front and our sleeping gear stows in the trailer. The tongue can be removed and some stands are attached so that it can be stored standing on-end in the garage during winter.
The manufacturer-made mattress is worth the extra cost and weight. The awning is not (terrible if the wind comes up).
edit: seems that they are still in BC, this company says they are the manufacturers:
Leesure Lite | SunLite Trailers Inc. | Osoyoos British Columbia
SunLite Trailers Inc. is a Trailer dealer in Kaleden, BC, featuring Horse, Stock, Cargo, Dump, Flatdeck, consign and more trailers from Exiss, sooner, big 10 cargo trailers, Maverick, Royal T, Mirage, and Sirius. We offer parts, service and financing and we are conveniently located near...www.sunlitetrailers.com
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they list this dealer for Southern Ontario Ontario and Eastern Canada.
Old Vintage Cranks | Motorcycle | 59 Willow Street North, Acton, ON, Canada
Old Vintage Cranks is Ontario's largest URAL and Royal Enfield Motorcycle Dealership.www.oldvintagecranks.ca
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Not my car (soft top in Oregon? no thank you)
when it fell out of his mouth- i can't stop laughing.
printer
Well-Known Member
I had to play that back twice as I didn't catch it the first time.
i figured the accordian would come out of the podium and when it came out of his mouth; i was properly high and it hit me just the right way.
A 2-year-old from California is the youngest American to become a member of Mensa | CNN
A Los Angeles toddler has become the youngest American member of Mensa, where membership is strictly limited to those who score at the highest levels in IQ tests.
i want to get VR but i don't know which starter pack. i was looking at this.
Amazon.com: Oculus Quest 2 — Advanced All-In-One Virtual Reality Headset — 64 GB: Video Games
Amazon.com: Oculus Quest 2 — Advanced All-In-One Virtual Reality Headset — 64 GB: Video Games
www.amazon.com
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