Few Questions About Aerodynamics of DIY Travel Trailer

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by slowmover

Pickups and RWD vans are inherently unstable.

Road-going stability won’t be there in the first DIY attempt without pro engineering help. This alone would cause me to find a mechanics special.

Yes Pickups and RWD vans are inherently unstable, but being the owner of both at one time, aerodynamic modification can overcome much of this and the newer trucks are far more stable than the old ones - aero being one of the major reasons why.

The Chinese made tow hitch and stabilization anti-sway hitch a friend used on his very long restored Airstream almost killed him and his wife when they ended up in a ditch. So yes, any repair or replacement of parts with substandard ones come with certain risks.

Recent thread in another forum on a Boler trailer restoration. It's so cute that I cannot imagine a couple of people or small family needing more.
My Fiberglass Camper Restoration - Pelican Parts Forums



I can see a 4-foot semi-conical cavity box being added to the tail of something like this.

If the belly pan part was left out, it could act as a rear porch or semi-sheltered storage area.

Grafting on some foam and fiberglass to a fiberglass camper has got to be one of the easier solutions.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

I have lost the low profile and towing MPG sucks, but oh baby the room this little 20' trailer has! This is my "honey is going camping camper". She wants the soft beds and private potty.

You don't need 20-feet for a potty, but privacy of the unit below is questionable.

Random TRANSPORTATION pictures - Page 2172 - Pelican Parts Forums

Originally Posted by Hersbird

Building stuff can be fun in itself. I even came up with a name for my unbuilt, teardrop/popup, the "Drag-gone".

Drag-gone it, never built it.

[Piotrsko]

Well for starters, it's missing curtain rods. Could be a Frankenstein

[BamZipPow]

Just wear a trench fer privacy! I think the facial expressions would give it away!

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by kach22i

Yes Pickups and RWD vans are inherently unstable, but being the owner of both at one time, aerodynamic modification can overcome much of this and the newer trucks are far more stable than the old ones - aero being one of the major reasons why.

The Chinese made tow hitch and stabilization anti-sway hitch a friend used on his very long restored Airstream almost killed him and his wife when they ended up in a ditch. So yes, any repair or replacement of parts with substandard ones come with certain risks.

Recent thread in another forum on a Boler trailer restoration. It's so cute that I cannot imagine a couple of people or small family needing more.
My Fiberglass Camper Restoration - Pelican Parts Forums



I can see a 4-foot semi-conical cavity box being added to the tail of something like this.

If the belly pan part was left out, it could act as a rear porch or semi-sheltered storage area.

Grafting on some foam and fiberglass to a fiberglass camper has got to be one of the easier solutions.

Aero won’t overcome Center-of-Gravity issues. Tripping hazards. A lowered floor van with fully independent suspension gets most of the way.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

I thought about Trailmanor and there was a used one but I think even if you buy a factory built one you might have to put up with a little leakage.

Obviously my Hi-lo suffered from some leakage as well, probably around the windows which you would think would be easy for a "professional" company to install and seal for life. The leakage there rotted the bottom sill of the top clamshell and most of the side wood. The rear cables pulled from their mounts dropping the top. This all happened before I got it. I wouldn't trust even the repaired cables at that point and always braced the 4 corners up inside with 2x4's if anyone was inside with it up.

I have come to question, "why make everything hard sided?" which both the Trailmanor and Hi-lo limited themselves with IMO. Now I have a "hybrid" camper where it's full height and hard sided but both ends pop out with queen tents. I have lost the low profile and towing MPG sucks, but oh baby the room this little 20' trailer has! This is my "honey is going camping camper". She wants the soft beds and private potty. As far as we will go is about 5 hours to Yellowstone. (That is the one place a single campground requires hard sides, but that campground stinks as it feels like you are in the Walmart parking lot and I wouldn't camp there anyway.) Basically 9mpg only going 1000-2000 miles a year isn't going to break us. Just 3 nights hotels in or around Yellowstone would buy 2000 miles worth of gas. When I retire and we go on longer US tours we will do it differently, hopefully in a diesel high top van.

I personally love going out with out wall tent. I just got back from a "breakout of winter trip" with my daughter and 4 boys of a friend, and used the wall tent (which is kind of a frameless circus tent design 12x15' and a good 10' high in the center. I do wish I had a small kitchen trailer as it's hard to fit 6-7 people along with all the gear even in a Suburban and then setup and teardown takes an hour or more depending on how much those boys pitch in. We have gotten in to "bushcrafting" as well and you need some raw land for that normal trailers will have trouble getting in to. I know, the wall tent doesn't qualify but in my defense it was 20 degrees and there are still patches of snow 2' deep all over.

I'm blessed to live here in Western Montana and there are still a 100+ places I want to camp within 4 hours. I would like to do things as economically as possible, or with clever designs just because they are cool. Some designs like the Cricket trailer seem to be cool but not necessarily clever or better. I kind of have that opinion of Airstream, but their design is cool and better executed but they have size issues. An expandable Airstream or why not a hi-lo Airstream, or at least a slide out. Then there is the price already. I know they are built well but really that well? Even if my camper was complete garbage after 10 years it would work out to a better value. My buddy has a Jumping Jack which is also a pretty dynomite setup especially if you had a ATV to bring along.

Building stuff can be fun in itself. I even came up with a name for my unbuilt, teardrop/popup, the "Drag-gone".

Slide-outs are a bad idea. Don’t work.

The issue is “living space”. That’s OUTSIDE. Awnings all the way around make this easier to understand.

HB, I bought my TT (sig) for $7500. Had plumbing freeze damage. Are there any roof or wall leaks? (“Huh, what’d you say?”). This fall it will be 30-years old. Understand I knew EXACTLY what it was. Few others do.

A 28’ of any of these brands is a ideal size for full-time travel. And no more difficult to tow than a 23’ (Tandem axle always easier).

Was looking at a 1973 Streamline on CL earlier today. In Louisiana. Final year of production. Aluminum cabinetry (lighter weight & greater wall structure integrity). I’d buy it in a heartbeat. What would it need? Age-related: pull windows and re-seal, etc. SL had foam insulation. Well suited to your locale.

Point is that bargains are out there.

Suspension and aerodynamic sophistication of this type means get the best family vehicle. A minivan or sedan trumps any pickup. A pickup creates more work to get it down the road. No benefit by itself.

It can take a few years to go through one when working full-time. Nights and weekends. Sounds like you’re in an ideal spot.

There are those who will inspect a trailer for you as a courtesy. The average distance to buy used is a 1,200-mile radius.

As to FE, use the EPA combined average.

.

[kach22i]

I did a quick search, there are quite a few camper threads in the forum.

Prius Camper

[freebeard]

Late to the thread. Thanks for asking the question.

The only thing I'm perplexed about is that slowmover hasn't mentioned Dexter axles. ???

My residence is a 35ft R-license park model. I don't like 'tiny houses'. They tend to have bad proportions of the trim to the overall size. I once had a 1951 Silver Streak Clipper like this one:



The half-rounded top and ends is a good compromise for interior space vs aerodynamics. The limit for interior space would be as a U-Haul trailer. The limit for aerodynamics would be the Bolus



For ease of construction I would minimize the interior framing and go with a stressed skin pod:




Turn the Bolus around and follow the Aerodynamic Template and you get this:




Else the traditional shepherd's trailer



Just add a retractable boat tail:



I agree that Watt's four-bar linkage is magical, but I'd follow this:



A roof and three walls four-barred off a floor with three walls and a roof with a fold-down floor section.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Turn the Bolus around and follow the Aerodynamic Template and you get this:

I really do love that paper study of yours, but wonder about the usefulness of the interior.

Have you tested any interior layouts to this internal volume?

[freebeard]

I didn't, but it was designed as a 4x12ft teardrop that you'd basically crawl through the door and onto the foot of the bed. Maybe a few shelves and lights.

If I'd taken it further, I'd have combined it with the shepherd's trailer chassis and that would open up the width and length to whatever you choose. With the rear entrance you're coming in on the sort side of the space, but a fold-down porch and awning are possible combining the retractable boat tail.



This is a superellipse, anywhere halfway between a square and a circle. Better than a box section for crosswind performance and shell strength.

For the material consider Polymetal. I've only worked with samples, but these were sheared braked and rolled by handle (18" lever arm). More expensive than plywood but just as strong and it's pre-finished. To me that's a big deal compared to (for example) fiberglass over foam. It comes in 4x12 and 5x10 sheets.