Trailer

[rpm750]

I'm looking for the owner of this trailer.....

This picture was taken at Winter Jam Weekend, Daytona, Fl. Not sure where, I was not at the event a buddy took the picture.

Please PM me if you are the owner I'd like to know some particulars about it. Really nice setup! I'm wanting to build this....

Or maybe one like yours!

Thanks
Bob
_________________
rpm750

'64 Sunroof "Geek"
'74 SB "Chigger"
'70 Bus

Georgia Dubs

[SOWEGA]

His name is Jerad. He's a really good friend of mine. Its a totally homebuilt teardrop. I think his screen name on here is JERADS3D.

[rpm750]

Thank you so much, I will contact him. I want to build this guy so bad. It is awesome!!!
_________________
rpm750

'64 Sunroof "Geek"
'74 SB "Chigger"
'70 Bus

Georgia Dubs

[mtb7001]

nice trailer, a teardrop typically has a rear opening hatch for the kitchen... he must have some great wheel bearings with those tiny wheels, looks like a great job of building
_________________
63 15 window deluxe Turkis walk through 1500
"comfort the afflicted, afflict the comfortable"

[JERADS3D]

Figured I'd chime in. Thanks Dan for referring this guy to me. As mtb7001 noticed...... It's not a true Teardrop. I really like the look of the larger "Canned Ham Style" campers. I also figured that we always cook on a grill when we hang out with our VDub friends. Why haul around anything more than a cooler and a camp stove? So I looked at some vintage camper photos through a google search and focused on one type that I really liked. Here is a comparison double pic that I put together. I was shocked at how much they do resemble eachother even though the profile shape is different.

The beetle bumper was an add-on during the design that I liked and a had an extra aftermarket bumper to use. The entire trailer was designed and built in Lightwave3D software before I ever touched a saw or welder. Most of the materials I scrounged up from old supplies, RV Salvage and new parts from JD Sanders RV Supply in Alachua,FL. I've had the camper on the road for close to 2 years now and it's a nice place to go to at the end of a long show day. I enjoyed it this past weekend over in Daytona and Port Orange, FL for Winterjam. I met a lot of folks that had lots of questions for me about it.
_________________
........... _╒═══╕_JimDandy.and.EMPI-Titelock.
......__//___][___\\............./˜˜˜"╫▓╫˜˜˜˜˜/__,\
.-==--|''''''''˜|''''"''''-=-........|____╫░╫...___˜˜˜˜˜|
/((Θ))\\____|__/((Θ))\\===\___,╫░╫_/((Θ))\__./J
.............DUSTY..........and.........SCRATCH........

[6076vw]

Its a awsome camper, I saw it at the show last weekend. About how much does it weigh? Does the bug pull it well? I would like to build something similar but my bug has a 1500sp, I don't know how it would be.

[bluesharp]

That is a really good looking camper. It brings back so many memories of my summers in the 70's pulling something similar, but certainly not so cool looking, back and forth and up and down the country with my 71 super then. Had great times, but two cautions with pulling a significant trailer with a bug - headwinds are a bitch and stock brakes are not safe.

[rpm750]

I keep getting grief from the guys over at the Teardrop Trailer site. I keep telling them my car is not stock. There are folks in this world that are going to tell you you can't do this and ya can't do that. Well here's my middle finger!!!

I'm planning to build one and I'll have a Galley in the back
Jerad I'll call tonight hopefully, I got a good list of questions.
Which HF trailer did you use, wall construction and dimensions.

Later
Bob

If you are interested in small campers and Teardrops......
http://www.mikenchell.com/forums/index.php
_________________
rpm750

'64 Sunroof "Geek"
'74 SB "Chigger"
'70 Bus

Georgia Dubs

[JERADS3D]

I like your stance to display the middle finger at those that oppose. I have a much older friend that inspired me to build my trailer. I had at first thought about buying his. When he told me $700.00 I thought to myself....... I can build one for less than that. The need for a trailer came about by me trying to dodge the cost of hotel lodging before shows. I usually crash in my trailer and use the facilities of the room that my friends get. Sure I pitch them a couple dollars for the use of a room key at night and it all works out cheaper and a bit more fun. So..... several years ago there was a show in Jacksonville, Florida. The night before a group of guys that calls their shop "67 South" (I hope that's correct!) offered those with camper buses to camp out after the party to save some dough and not worry about a designated driver. I thought to myself..... I don't have a camper but I could build one like Arnolds and it would serve the same purpose. That's where the ball started rolling. Arnold is a much older fellow that has been a tinkering kind of guy from the get go. His trailer is very spartan. It's a one man deal and the skin you see on the outside is what you see from the inside. The only window is the one on the single door. It is very light and he pulls it with his Geo Metro trike or VW trike. From the time I decided to build this I started looking at original hitches for my 66 Beetle. There are several types out there and I ended up buying all three. The one I thought was correct ended up not being the right one. The day I was to leave to a show with my camper I ended up having to leave it home. All due to the wrong hitch. It had placed the trailer ball like 1/4 inch from the bumper blade which would have caused all kinds of problems. Well I ended up copying that same hitch and making it into a reciever type hitch with a step up ball mount. It is very sturdy. I'm 200 plus and I can stand on the hitch and it just moves the car... not the hitch. So onto gathering materials. I tore down an old single wide mobile home my boss had towed up from Miami in the early 80's that they had new aluminum trailer skins put on. Well I saved them all knowing I would use them one day. Windows were picked up from a guy that scraps aluminum and did not want to deal with the glass so he gave me the complete windows. Most all of them I had to cut down and modify the aluminum extrusions so I could mount them into the camper. LOTS of work and customizing. A lot of steel tubing stock and some purchased aluminum and galvanized sheeting came from a local metal shop. Most everything else came from my local ACE, LOWES, Home Depot, Harbor Freight, Mattress Store..... and some give me's from friends and family. There is some serious thought that has had to go into making certain items. I didn't just buy doors. They are lower compartment doors for luggage storage on the bottom of a huge 70's or 80's motorhome. I turned them sideways and cut them down and added windows. I also had to cut grooves into the hinges and add small custom made aluminum blocks that "simulate" the hinges so the long rolled aluminum hinge wouldn't allow the doors to slide to the ground. Hope you followed that. I tried to focus on lightness although I think I could put this same design on a stricter diet. I have no idea of the weight. If I had to guess I'd guess heavy and say 700 to 800 pounds but I could be way off. My friends and I always cook on grills or buy food and I can put one of my vintage coolers inside the camper while towing it. No need to haul an entire kitchen around with you. If you can't get away with a coleman cook stove, a cooler and a jug of water you may be looking for too much creature comforts for a VW sized Teardrop. I will say that I ditched the kitchen in favor of a 5200 BTU Air Conditioner. My girlfriend loves me for that idea.... in a good way. That's why there is a vent on the back behind the license plate. Back to the basics of my build though. I wanted the camper no wider than my Beetle and no taller than my roof rack. Then length was determined basically by my height... me laying down.... plus a small cabinet at my feet. The 8 inch tire size is what I had expected to use all along. If I were to use taller wheels there would be wheel wells popping up into my bed and I didn't want that. Yes I know the wheels are turning much faster than the car tires but I packed them full of grease myself. These sized tires have been used for years and years and are approved for highway use. Despite several advances into the 70mph range most of the time thay spend at 55mph or slower. I also carry a spare. Power unit is a converter from a Pop-Up Camper and was gifted to me from my girlfriends father. The axle and leaf springs came from the smallest 4' x 4' Harbor Freight Kit. The axle is the lightest you can get as it is made from a simple "C" channel. I still had to narrow it to fit inside my 4' wide outside trailer dimensions. So yes... my car is stock but my trailer has a "narrowed beam". The tounge length was determined simply by the fact that I wanted to be able to jack-knife the car and trailer up to 90 degrees without having anything hit. This is a real bonus when trying not to take up too many paking places when you cannot pull straight through in a parking lot. I have located but can not yet afford the tool for pushing out my passenger side top hinge pin. I need one but I don't have a mirror on that side, so I have had to drive strategically the last 2 years. Also I know your wondering what I yank this around with. All I have is a 1600 Single Port and I think I have 67 spec gearing for the transaxle. When I have to get going I do have to wind up 3rd to 50mph and pickup is crap until I get beween 55 and 60. If the weather is cooler I can cruise at 60 to 65. I usually like to keep it between 55 and 60 but I have cruised for 5 or 6 miles on I-75 at about 72 to 73 mph on my way down to Kips Party before our Bug Jam in Dade City. The weather was cold and the bug was digging it. I know I would like to add an external oil cooler but I've just kept an eye on my temp guage so far and been realistic about pulling expectations. The faster I go the better the trailer pulls. Go figure. I adjusted and bled my brakes this past week and had no problem stopping this camper this weekend. I even tried to almost lock up my tires and I was able to stop quickly and in a straight line without fishtailing from the camper trying to push me. Switching back to stock pea-shooter from an EMPI 2 Tip Exhaust got me more torque and lowered my engine bay temps at least 20 degrees. That Empi Exhaust fills up the entire area under the rear apron which gives heat easier transfer to the apron and engine tins. If you know your car well with an aftermarket exhaust you should try a stock pea-shooter. The picture in the comparison shot is actually a poto my friend Jon took when we were on the campers maiden voyage to the VW Lakeland Classic. It was a hit. Bluesharp mentioned headwinds. I will agree with that one. I have caught a few windstorms before that had me downshifting. I hit a horrendous headwind another time that had me downshifting and slowing down to 2nd gear. I'm planning on trying to get a 1776 to see how that helps. For the most part it does well. A little bit more hp for the hills and acceleration would be welcome but I am happy for the meantime. Wow I just got longwinded!
_________________
........... _╒═══╕_JimDandy.and.EMPI-Titelock.
......__//___][___\\............./˜˜˜"╫▓╫˜˜˜˜˜/__,\
.-==--|''''''''˜|''''"''''-=-........|____╫░╫...___˜˜˜˜˜|
/((Θ))\\____|__/((Θ))\\===\___,╫░╫_/((Θ))\__./J
.............DUSTY..........and.........SCRATCH........

[bluesharp]

JERADS3D, yes, your brakes will perform reasonably well - in Florida. If you ever want to pull your trailer across the Rocky's, or any other mountain range for that matter, I strongly suggest you put disc brakes on your car because the stock shoes will fade out in no time going down some of those 10 mile long inclines. At least invest in a set of metalic lined shoes - even for Florida.

[JERADS3D]

Ah yes.... I did in fact forget that I was in the land of everflowing "flatness". I've ventured into Georgia with the camper once but not into any mountainous regions. At the point I think I may explore those BIG hills I think I'll look into some trailer brakes as well as disc brakes all around.
_________________
........... _╒═══╕_JimDandy.and.EMPI-Titelock.
......__//___][___\\............./˜˜˜"╫▓╫˜˜˜˜˜/__,\
.-==--|''''''''˜|''''"''''-=-........|____╫░╫...___˜˜˜˜˜|
/((Θ))\\____|__/((Θ))\\===\___,╫░╫_/((Θ))\__./J
.............DUSTY..........and.........SCRATCH........

[rpm750]

Jerad I'm thinking of surge brakes. I'm in Ga and even here south of Atlanta we have some good hills. I have disk brakes on my '66 but last year my wife and I went to Bugapalusa in Chat, Tn. We had a lot of stuff in the bug, it was packed and I hated going over the bridges it would really bottom out and I could notice the extra weight. Stopping was ok from what I remember but we are talking about an extra 700#s.

Surge brakes would be the way to go, I hate adding anything electric to the bug. Never know when it will cause other problems.

rpm
_________________
rpm750

'64 Sunroof "Geek"
'74 SB "Chigger"
'70 Bus

Georgia Dubs

[6076vw]

Could one be built using the typical 4x8 utility trailer from harbor freight? I figured I could save time by getting one of those.

[JERADS3D]

Sure you can start with the 4 x 8 kit. I wanted a little more control of the design of my frame as well as the weight. I used lighter guage framing than what would be provided with the harbor freight kit. Just work to keep the weight of the other materials down to compensate. Try to imagine you are designing it to pull with a motorcycle and that should give you the right mindset. Here is an inspirational photo that got me stoked before my build. It's German at that! The name was Vagabund...... I need to buy an old german motorcycle and build one of these!

http://www.oldiecaravan.de/Hersteller_A_-_Z/Vagabund/body_vagabund.html

I have some vintage tent poles and I've been wanting to build a similar awning that I can attach to either side depending on how I had to park. Heck double awnings would be even cooler!
_________________
........... _╒═══╕_JimDandy.and.EMPI-Titelock.
......__//___][___\\............./˜˜˜"╫▓╫˜˜˜˜˜/__,\
.-==--|''''''''˜|''''"''''-=-........|____╫░╫...___˜˜˜˜˜|
/((Θ))\\____|__/((Θ))\\===\___,╫░╫_/((Θ))\__./J
.............DUSTY..........and.........SCRATCH........

[twotires]

Do any of you know who made this little 5th wheel beauty?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56XL0TysIn0

[83_WabbitGTI]

Man... I want to build one of these to tow behind my Baja. Great inspiration!
_________________
2013-2014 Vice President of SOVW www.sovw.org

"No matter how a VW breaks down.... You can always make it home on Zipties, Ducktape, and JB Weld...."
-Doug Christen, VW Owner

83 Rabbit GTI - 83 Rabbit LS Custom - 63 Westy - 65 Bug - 64 Baja (Herbie's Studly Cousin) - 91 Audi 90 Quattro 20v - 85 Vw Cabby - 84 VW Scirocco - 69 Beetle (Phantasm Bug) - 78 Cabriolet

Need a VW website built? PM me.

[JERADS3D]

Okay. Here is what I've spotted and captured about this type of camper.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fasty 5th Wheel Camper

Found in an article in the Chicago Tribune, but stolen for VW history here @ the samba
Custom car-top
(Tribune archive photo)
Have trouble backing up your trailer? It was a snap with a the new car-top trailer on the market in 1972, designed by Harmon Industries Company of Warrensburg, Mo.
The 18-foot long prototype trailer for small cars was on display for the first time at the Midwest Open Trails Camping Show at the Arena in St. Louis. The trailer attached to the roof of the car, like a luggage rack. The car could pull and push the trailer for easy parking and turn around under the trailer 360 degrees without unhooking or striking the trailer.

From what I can tell myself... it looks like a logo on the backside that resembles "Shadow". That makes since in a way that it would shadow the car or be like the cars shadow... whatever. This also looks to me if built by the same people of the YouTube video that they were trying to make it a little more aerodynamic. The 2 trailers are so similar that I must be the same manufacturer.

Overall I think this thing is neat but I can only imagine the wind resistance compared to my "Mini Canned Ham Trailer". I'm not a fan of the mounting system. I'm not sure I would want the stopping weight force to be dependant on my beetle rain drip gutters. It looks like (depending on if they are the same manufacturer) that the later model had more length in front of the axle of the trailer. I imagine that Type3 trailer was cumbersome to prop up when not in use. Again this is just my observations. I'd still be totally down with recreating this thing. Not hard in my opinion.... it's just scaled bigger than my trailer. I also noticed the YouTube Trailer hails from Indiana and the other from Missouri.... maybe production moved.
_________________
........... _╒═══╕_JimDandy.and.EMPI-Titelock.
......__//___][___\\............./˜˜˜"╫▓╫˜˜˜˜˜/__,\
.-==--|''''''''˜|''''"''''-=-........|____╫░╫...___˜˜˜˜˜|
/((Θ))\\____|__/((Θ))\\===\___,╫░╫_/((Θ))\__./J
.............DUSTY..........and.........SCRATCH........

[allihjelm]

JERAD3D, the 5th wheel camper can be seen in action here.

Anyone here who owns one of these?

Regards,
Al
_________________
1967 European 6V Volkswagen 1300 Beetle

[JERADS3D]

Hi Al ... Twotires already posted a link to the video several posts above. I've seen the video a while back already... that's where the photo collage came from I created. I've been able to dig up some detailed information and diagrams of this setup... pretty interesting. Seems they also made much larger versions for domestic cars as well. Again I'm going to guess that the strength of the roof hitch was the weak link here and probably why we don't see these types of campers today.
_________________
........... _╒═══╕_JimDandy.and.EMPI-Titelock.
......__//___][___\\............./˜˜˜"╫▓╫˜˜˜˜˜/__,\
.-==--|''''''''˜|''''"''''-=-........|____╫░╫...___˜˜˜˜˜|
/((Θ))\\____|__/((Θ))\\===\___,╫░╫_/((Θ))\__./J
.............DUSTY..........and.........SCRATCH........

[mtb7001]

hey Jerad, thanks for taking my post in the way it was meant. You built a really cool trailer and the story was very informative. I just have a small utility trailer I was thinking about teardropping but yours is way more stylish. thanks for the inspiration.
_________________
63 15 window deluxe Turkis walk through 1500
"comfort the afflicted, afflict the comfortable"