Rolling Home

  A  landmark occasion this week, a moment which I anticipated happening several weeks ago, however due to work commitments, lack of spare time, value of the pound to the euro etc I only just managed to complete the fist part of the build. Yes, the trailer on the trailer is my Tear on it’s way to the galvanizers.

  A benchmark this week, a moment which I anticipated happening several weeks ago, however due to work commitments, lack of spare time, value of the pound to the euro etc I only just managed to complete the fist part of the build. Yes, the trailer on the trailer is my Tear on it’s way to the galvanizers.

 It seems like an enormous step from when I first started building even if a long overdue one. You may notice the doors and the hatch are missing from the photo. Concern over thr weld on  hinges has lead me to believe they would be as well being electro zinc plated as opposed to hot dip galvanizing. I will also wait until the chassis comes back before putting the door and hatch into the electroplaters. That way any  adjustments can be made prior to finishing.

 In the meantime I got my hands on a sweet looking solar vent. They are used in marine applications and  aesthetically suit teardrops perfectly due to their low profile and stainless steel construction.

  Not something I had been looking forward to, I hadn’t really given this a lot of thought when I was sketching designs for the build. I had purchased two steel guards to suit my 10″ mini wheels previously, and had welded a 6mm screw underneath to fasten to my eventual bracket, the rest of the guard would be bonded to the bracket. This was as far as I had got and had already powder coated them a deep red for that retro look.

 I rolled a piece of 30 x 10 flat bar to the radius required after marking in chalk around one of the mudguards. I would drill a 8mm hole in the centre to fasten to. I then bent some 25 x 6 bar to clear the underside of the guard to weld to the 30 x 10 and to side of the trailer chassis.

  I got a bit lucky here, as the legs that were welded to the chassis worked out just the right height once the mudguard was fixed, and there was very little room to move either up or down.

 You know what they say about luck evening itself out though. Well it turns out that the two mudgaurds I had weren’t identical in the terms of radius. One is smaller than the other and it isn’t the one I used as a template and therefore just kisses the leg on the inside.

 I hope that once they are ready for final fitting I can shim it up a little enough to rectify the error. I will prbably use a VHB tape to bond it on and will go for as thick as I can find.

 

A few words about UK towing law.

  I thought it was about time that I took some responsibility for my content in these pages. As many reading this may well be looking to build their own trailer and most other Teardrop sites on the web are US based, maybe we should look at some of the legal issues to consider before planning a build.

 First of all if you are a motorcyclist planning to build an 8′ x 4′ tear to put behind your bike, forget it. YOU CAN’T PUT AN 8′ X 4′ TRAILER BEHIND A MOTORCYCLE. This has been bugging me for some time and the law is quite firm and clear on this. I have seen adverts selling mini caravans and teardrop trailers on ebay with a pitch stating that you can tow behind a large motorcycle, this is simply not true.

 The trailer for motorcycles must not be wider than 1m and the distance between the rear axle of the motorcycle and the rear most part of the trailer must not exceed 2.5m. The laden weight of the trailer must not exceed 150kg or two-thirds of the kerbside weight of the motorcycle, which ever is the less. The unladen weight of the trailer must not exceed 254kg. See link below for more info.

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/vehicles/vssafety/factsheettrailers.pdf

 The regulations for cars are more straight forward and information easier obtained. It is your respnsibility to make sure you are towing within you vehicles capacity by checking your manual or your VIN plate. Ask your dealer for a spec sheet if you have to.

 As most Teardrops are pretty light it is fair to assume that most new builds will be built on an unbraked axle. The maximum weight for unbraked trailers on UK roads is 750kg or no greater than 50% the weight of the towing vehicle whichever is less. The maximum width is 2.3m overall and the maximum length (excluding coupling and drawbar) 7m, and a ‘recommended’ maximum height of 3m or 1.7  times the wheel track based on the towing vehicle being no heavier than 3500kg.

Un-Braked Trailers up to 750kg  must be fitted with:

Mudguards
Legal number plate
Lighting
Suspension
High speed tyres 
Secondary Coupling -  An un-braked trailer is required by law to have a secondary coupling attaching the trailer to the vehicle ie. breakaway chain/cable.

 All the above is correct at the time of writing and is essential, but by no means exhaustive. There are other issues to take into account such as lighting and the placement there of. The information isn’t that difficult to find on the net for example http://www.ntta.co.uk/law/trailers/lights.htm has lots of legal information. What I have included here is what you will need to know BEFORE you begin your build.

 Whilst there is no MOT test currently required for trailers, or any form of registration, it is likely that some time in the near future in order to bring into line with European law there will be. It is worth bearing this in mind when spending all your spare time and money on something you intend to keep for years to come, that you build within the guidelines required. 

 

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/CaravansTrailersCommercialVehicles/DG_10013073

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/CaravansTrailersCommercialVehicles/DG_4022564

 At long last, the first book in the UK on Teardrop Trailers arrived on these shores in late 2008. The book itself much like it’s subject is compact, managable and has a hard cover. A 1937 Gypsy caravan with red spoke wheels sits proudly on the cover in all it’s glory. Almost appearing as a canvas painting rather than a photograph.

 Keister by all accounts is a photographer by trade and it certainly shows throughout this book. Some of the images in this his 7th publication are simply stunning. Vintage, modern, retro and production manufacture Teardrops are all featured here. Canned Ham, Glasshouses, Airstreams and Horsedrawns are also covered to a lesser extent.

 Informative and descriptive text accompany the photos and most comforting is the void of pretence that can often be engaged when covering an enthusiastic clique. As far as overtures go this is hardly going to tempt the reader to take an audacious leap into the world of micro caravanning but may well provide a genial nudge to many who wouldn’t previously have considered such a pursuit.

 Emerging almost humble in his wisdom Keister manages to present a well written introduction into the small world of tiny trailers and should this publication ever reach the shelves of the UKs high street stores I am sure any punter browsing is likely to be allured.

See a preview on you tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7Ia1NZnXis

 Temporarily at least. Torsion units and wheels were bolted together to form a rolling chassis. This was done so space in the workshop could be freed up easily by wheeling the frame out and also the wheels needed to be on so the brackets for the mudguards could be made.

  The decision was made to go for steel mudguards to compliment the retro look. They weren’t as easy to find as you might think, local trailer part suppliers and Batesons only did plastic.  I remember when the farmers market was in town all the trailers had steel mudguards (well the ones that had mudguards at all), not so now it seems. Unless you want them shaped like a ‘thrupenny bit’ and that just wouldn’t be right, not for this project.

 Good old ebay threw up a couple of results though and a pair were promptly snapped up. Self coloured mild steel with a nice safety lip on the edge. They are 6″ wide, which is as wide as they go for 10″ wheels I was told, which is a shame as the tyres are also 6″ wide. Therefore they will have to be set off from the body an inch or so which isn’t ideal. I would have prefered them to sit flush, but overall I am very pleased with them and they didn’t cost the earth either.

 A door each side with a sliding window in each was one of the pre requisites when putting things down on paper. The Horsebox Window Centre in Leeds do a nice aluminium framed horizontal slider, 19.5″ x 11″ with radius corners that come with the option of a black tint for a small charge.

 With the carriage and the tint, they come in at just shy of a ton for the pair. Although it didn’t feel it at the time as I handed over £100 with a heavy heart and a tear in either eye, but once they arrived I couldn’t help think they were good value for money such was the quality. Very robust and the ally frame looks like it will polish up a treat to match the ally sheeting.

The Berkeley Caravette

  Once rolled and tacked to a a box section base to bolt to the flatbed, box section was placed at point where fastening was required. This is where the cabinets and interior plyboard will be fixed and also the door.
 It was easier to do this whilst  on a flat surface. Lines were pre marked onto the same sheet that had the outline of the profile and the sections were tacked place.
 
 The chassis was then placed on he 8′ x 8′ steel bench  and the sides were tacked on flush with the outside. More 25 x 25 section was cut into 6no. 1200mm long lengths to use as roof spars.

 Once the sides had been squared up the spars were clamped in place at equal spaces along where the roof would be using a sash clamp, and were tack welded into place. The whole thing suddenly appears to take a familiar shape, and at last it feels as though some progress is actually being made.