Anyone here build their own hunting/camping trailer..

[ironglow]

 
    I have built 2 of them..a 4X8 teardrop and a 4X10 "grasshopper" styled teardrop.

[d_hiker]

Those look good.  Is that of your own design?  How do they sleep?

[ironglow]

  Both are of my own design, although i had great help and advice from the forums over on   www.mikenchell.com/  

  The first one, more teardrop shape, I gave to my Marine grandson & wife. When he returns from his second deployment to Iraq in 2-3 months, they expect to make much use of it !

  I started with the base, $299 trailer from Tractor Supply Co. (they are American made w/Dexter axles) 4X8 without a floor.

  I extended the second one by 1'8" in front of the axle & 4" behind the axle, to keep good weight dist.
 
   The white one is registered at 780# empty and the cream&orange one at 880#  empty..they pull very easily, no mirror extensions needed..and affect the mileage very little..being within the "slipstream' of the tow vehicle.
  
  They are good as hunting camp and can be taken back in the woods with an ATV..

[d_hiker]

 Both are of my own design, although i had great help and advice from the forums over on   www.mikenchell.com/  
 

That is a dangerous website.  I just spent an hour there browsing around.  Yours look good and I will keep this in mind when I get a little (lot) of free time.  I remember back when I was little, about 50 years ago :-) and we lived out west.  My great grandparents were having a 50th wedding celebration in Missouri.  My dad borrowed a friend's tear drop trailer for the trip.  My brother and I slept in the car while my parents slept in the trailer.  I don't think they could have gotten away with that now.

[ironglow]

   Yes, the teardrops are making a comeback !

  There are manufacturers (perhaps 25 in the US & Canada) that build campers that usually run from $4500 to $11,000..

   My trailiers each cost me about $1500 for materials.
 
  I pull them with my 5-speed, 4 cyl Ranger and the only danger is that one could forget the trailer is back there.

  I have taken them to some distant demos that I do yearly and two round trips to NC (about 1700 miles) to visit our grandson & his wife.

   The Ranger usually garners about 28 mpg during highway travel...with the trailer in tow, it only drops to 25.5 mpg..

      Here is another link, when you get to it you will find interesting sites by scrolling down the left side.

  www.tinytears.cc/links.html                 

[JGREG]

Great looking trailers  what do you have inside and what is the dimensions?  Is that what it cost to build with todays prices thanks Jims

[ironglow]

JGREGG;

  those are fairly current prices..I did the larger one last year and the smaller one the year before. I'll try to post some pics..but some are "too large' to place here and i am not skilled enough with my 'puter to shrink 'em.

  Those websites I listed will show much of what they are made of.
   
  In both cases I started with the Tractor Supply Co. base 4X8 trailer..the one that even expects the buyer to put his own plywood down for the floor..as I recall they were $279 one year and $289 the next..

  Here are some "bild pics"..

  First one is from front to back..just starting..poplar (no knots) stringers, floor in with little storage box just in front of where bunk will be built

  second  pic from back to front with bunk platform installed 10" above floor. You can see the curve of the front and the 3/4" foam insulation that is installed throughout the walls.