Tactical Teardrop build

On our last trip in April.


I added a 19” lcd tv with built in DVD player on the back wall. That was the best addition since it was pretty windy and chilly on the last trip we could just chill and watch movies.

I guess I should get more pics of it in action. It also has under mount multicolor led lights. More storage units in place now too.

 

Nice work @MachRanger!

How's it working out with the heat with it painted black?

 

That is awesome!

 

I’m right up the road in rolla! Nice setup!

 

Got real good with my jig saw, lol. And just a circular saw. Picked up a portable Kobalt tablesaw when I was done with the camper. Wish I had it to start with.

 

At about 1200# it’s close to maxing out the axle. I check the wheel bearings before each trip. If I start having trouble it’d be easy to upgrade to a little heavier duty. My first priority will be to strengthen the tongue since it’s just a single 2x4 steel tube. The tongue weight is really low but I’d feel better having something beefier.

 

Gets pretty warm on summer trips. It has a lot of opening windows and a vent fan in the ceiling so we can cool it off quickly. It stayed warm in April during the day but we had to fire up the heater at night.

 

Nice work OP, sub'd for developments.

 

@MachRanger are you willing to share how much you have in the basic build, including batteries?

 

No solar, no batteries. Not planning any off grid trips yet. All the task lighting is AA led. The tv, heater, fans and outlets are powered by 120V cord at the campsite. There’s always the option to add solar later if we decide to keep it. I lost track of everything I spent but I’d have to ballpark around $2500-3000. Could have bought one for that but that’s no fun. I liked building it more than using it.

 

Low tongue weight is a great thing. I wish that would catch on in the US TT industry.

Crap! You did really good.

From the teaser pics in the other thread, I would have guessed that you welded it together from aluminum sheet. Just stellar work. It looks factory.

 

Thank you!

 

Thanks for sharing your build, it really came out great! I'm curious; with all the angles and curves, did you model/sketch this at all before you started production or did you just eyeball it?

 

Thank you! After browsing the internet for quite a while I found a style I liked. I think it was called a Sawtooth. Then I sketched a scale drawing on graph paper. From that I could use a little math to determine all the angles and dimensions. Then I just transferred it to plywood and started cutting. Had to make a few adjustments along the way but it turned out pretty close to my sketches.

 

Awesome work, just came across your build thread, and see you’re in St. Robert. I’m Local to the FLW area, hope to see your trailer around sometime.

 

Thanks! I don’t get it out very often except when we’re heading out of town. But I’d be happy to show it to anybody who wants to build their own.

 

I just came back across your build here again. What a great job! I didn't have the energy to build the whole thing and started with a micro we could go ahead and start caming in but have been building ever since it seems. Happy trails !

 

This is inspiring. Nice build.

 

Incredible work @MachRanger - better than factory-

 

Thanks all. Greatly appreciate the feedback. Buying a mass produced model you’re going to get something that is more basic and marketed toward the most common user. Custom building your own naturally you can go as wild as you want not to mention it’ll be a perfect fit for your needs. I’ve got lots of ideas for mods to this camper or if I build another someday.