Scott B.'s Little Guy Offroad Teardrop Build

Continuing with the electrical,

The factory ran a power/ground pair of wires from the fuse block to a 12V port, and spliced those wires for the 2nd port. Since I now have 5 ports, I had to upgrade the wiring harness. Also, as I am adding two 4-switch switch blocks, I needed to add an easy way to add ground wires for the new switch circuits.

I decided to use terminal strips. I felt they would provide the easiest and cleanest installation. In the upper cabinet, LG built an electrical access panel - in my case, there was nothing in it. It was the perfect place to mount the terminal strips. The short one is +12V (supplied by the original circuit) and the large one is ground. Part of the strip is grounded by the original circuit, and the remainder is grounded by an additional feed from the fuse block. Yes, electrically, they are the same, but I wanted to add additional capacity from the fuse block.

Here is a picture of the terminal strips, mounted and wired, in the electrical panel:

t1.jpg


Here, you can see the new panel I built with the components wired in.

t2.jpg


And lastly, the fuse block LG installed. The wires in the black split loom are the ones I added - the ground, and 2 new +12 circuits, one for each switch panel.

t3.jpg
 
I finished the new front panel, including mounting a 12V port and switch panel.

I ended up using a piece of ash - not an exact match to the birch interior, but close. I like the slight difference in appearance.

t4.jpg
 
Kitchen Shelf Organizer

We started on the kitchen shelf organizer today.

The idea is to have easy in/out compartments for the items stored up there. (There's an earlier picture with a proposed layout.)

We started with the backing. 2 layers of duck cloth contain 2 layers of fusible interfacing. Snaps are used to attach the backing to the TD.

The next step is to add loop/straps to form the compartments.

t1.jpg


t2.jpg
 
We went to Great Smokey Mountain National Park for Labor Day weekend.

The awning was built for the truck, which is why it looks like it does not fit. It is on the TD as a temporary solution.

t3.jpg
 
Here are a couple of additions I did on the kitchen right before the last trip.

First, I added handles (knobs ?) to the drawers. These are red oak which I sourced from Lee Valley.

t1.jpg


t2.jpg

Next, I add a barrel bolt to the stove to keep it from rotating by itself. I then drilled two holes in the mounting shelf - one in the closed position, one in the open position.

t3.jpg


t4.jpg
 
We just got back from a 4400 mile, 12 state trip to Wyoming. We slept in the TD a total of 11 nights. Woke up to a layer of ice (on the outside) one morning. All in all, a good trip.

I recently got an RV map of the US, one that shows the states you have visited. Since it is a little too big to mount on the outside (looks out of place), we decided to put it above the kitchen.

Before:

t1.jpg


Bare map:

t2.jpg


With states:

t3.jpg


t4.jpg
 
Appalachian Rendezvous

Last weekend, we attended the first annual Appalachian Rendezvous in North Carolina.

The teardrop was great - one night the temps dipped below freezing, and we were nice and warm.

We made an awning for the TD, and deployed it for the first time. (I will post some close-up pictures at a later date.)

t1.jpg


One night's dinner - pizza!

t2.jpg
 
2014 Summary

I tallied up the usage of the teardrop for the year.

Total nights slept in - 29
Total mileage towed (approximate) - 8658

All in all, we are very happy with it, and all the modifications made so far.

I still have a list of mods to make, and should get back to them now that the holidays have passed.

1st trip for this year is in 2 weeks!
 
As part of the interior light addition, I want to add reading lights on each side of the TD.

I found these Hella lights:

t3.jpg


They are 12" long, on a flexible arm. They also have a red lens.

I will swap the bulb for an LED bulb, to help conserve power.
 
New Tow Vehicle

I haven't spent much time recently improving the teardrop, as most of mine spare has been going into preparing the new tow vehicle.

This upgrade is directly related to the new vehicle - new hubs (bolt pattern) and wheels / tires.

I ordered a set of six-lug Dexter hub/drums from eTrailer.

t1.jpg


The studs are threaded 1/2 x 20. Since I am towing with a Toyota, I wanted M12 x 1.50 studs, to match the truck. (I thought about using SAE studs on the trailer, but with the Toyota wheels I used, the only available lugs nuts are M12.)

I found 2 options - new studs from Dorman, or wheel spacers with M12 studs. The wheels I am using have a fair amount of backspacing, and rough measurement showed the inside of the tire would probably make contact with the side of the teardrop. Spacers it is.

I ordered a set of heavy duty spacers from WheelAdapter.com. While I was at it, I picked up some Timken bearings and National seals for the new hubs. The ones that came with the Dexter were of lesser quality - and I don't want a failure in the middle of the desert.

t2.jpg


The studs on the hubs were too long to use with spacers:

t3.jpg


A few minutes with a cutting wheel and die fixed that problem.

t4.jpg


Here's a view of the spindle/brake without the drum installed.

t5.jpg


And finally, with the new wheels.

t6.jpg
 
Tongue Box Mount

The teardrop as built had a flat rack/tray across the front of the frame. While moderately useful, a better use of the space would be a locking box with fuel and/or water storage.

I found a nice box by Better Built, and borrowed the fuel can mounts off my other truck. I designed a simple rack using 2 x 2 square tubing, and welded it to the trailer frame.

While we were at it, we polished the front facing aluminum diamond plate.

Side note: this was my first welding project!

The teardrop as delivered:

t1.jpg


With the rack removed:

t2.jpg


The not quite finished new rack:

t3.jpg


And welded to the trailer frame:

t4.jpg


A little primer and paint:

t5.jpg


The finished product:

t6.jpg


Here we see the box and fuel can mounts installed:

t7.jpg


t8.jpg
 
Last edited:
Map Update

We just back from DE V, a 4600 mile, 11 state trip to Parashant.

Here is our destination map at the start of the trip:

t1.jpg


And now, after the trip:

t2.jpg



This little trailer is making the rounds!
 
2015 Summary

Another year of camping in the teardrop.

No problems to mention, but I have not added the additional lighting yet. I did change the brake drums to match the new tow rig, and added new wheels, tires and wheel bearings.

Total nights slept in - 27
Total mileage towed (approximate) - 6579
 
Scott B. said:
2015 Summary

Another year of camping in the teardrop.

No problems to mention, but I have not added the additional lighting yet. I did change the brake drums to match the new tow rig, and added new wheels, tires and wheel bearings.

Total nights slept in - 27
Total mileage towed (approximate) - 6579
Click to expand...

2015?
 
Shore Power

In our travels, we sometimes stay in established campgrounds. Not by choice of destination, rather on the way to said destination. We much prefer staying in the teardrop as opposed to a hotel while on the road.

In most established campgrounds, we can't park on the tent sites, since we have wheels on the trailer. (The tenters have wheels on their cars, too, but I digress...) The spots we end up in have power. So I got to thinking...

While I do not have a separate battery on the trailer to power the lights and fan (the refrigerator stays in the truck) I am able to power the trailer off the truck's power when parked. Running some lights for while is fine, but I do not to run the fan all night off the battery.

I decided to take advantage of the opportunity presented - power the trailer from camp!

By using a 110V to 12V power converter, I can take external (shore) power, convert to 12V, and feed it into the trailer. Simple.

The tongue box seemed to be the perfect place to mount the power input and converter. I also decided to add a receptacle (110V) to the circuit, to allow for charging of devices and whatnot, in the security (dry and lockable) of the box.

I collected the parts:

t1.jpg


I built a panel to mount all the components to.

t2.jpg


The panel mounted to the inside of the tongue box.

t3.jpg


The end result.

t4.jpg


With this setup, I now have 3 ways to get 12V power to the trailer - the 7-pin connector, the external power connector, and a 110V source.
 
2016 Summary

Another year of camping in the teardrop.

No problems to mention, but I still have not added the additional lighting yet.

Total nights slept in - 30
Total mileage towed (approximate) - 8280
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom