Thread: Teardrop camper
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Old 05-02-2016, 12:11 AM   #7 (permalink)
freebeard
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No.

To improve on the 'teardrop' you'd need to tear it down to the deck and start over. Good thing you have a 'virtually limitless' supply of wood.

The reason I say this is the metric is radius equal to 4% of the gross width. 0.04 X 48" is about 2". And that's a minimum. Consider the 'shepherd's trailer', it's all radius:



Here's my own thread from 2013: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ted-26565.html



This follows the template to a low resolution. Details are in the thread. It ran three pages.

Lately I've been thinking about converting my Westfalia utility trailer to a teardrop. It's a square tube T-frame under a 3x4' plywood and angle iron box. I could replace the box with a deck and go from there. It has a single swingarm suspension. Since it's only 3' wide it would have 6" wheelwell boxes like a shepherd's trailer. What a Westfalia might look like (not mine):



Edit: Here's another thread:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ion-23333.html



If the stream-lines are parallel do square edges not matter?

This is about shapes that are not produced by rotation, but it's worth pointing out a 4' half-body would have 24" headroom—in the middle. A full rotation would result in zero floor so cutting at about 3/4 height would be a good compromise. Your 4' deck would produce maybe 5' width at mid-height.

2nd Edit: Sorry for going on; I think you've pushed a button. I was looking for this (Wally Byam's first proto-Airstream [Basecamp]):



and found this:



A shepherd's trailer plan from a 1930/40s magazine.These are all scattered through my user albums. I'd like to sort Trailers into their own category.

3rd Edit: !!!!

Look at the details. That thing is built like a railroad caboose.

If the side board were angled outward, you'd get a nice bubble shape and a good backrest angle in the inside.

Last edited by freebeard; 05-02-2016 at 12:59 AM..
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