Couple of Questions

[jenoconnor]

so , I just ordered my kit and I’m wondering about the base trailer and electrical systems. Have people used the trailer from the website or other aluminum trailers? Also I am clueless about the electrical system and would like to use solar. What are people using for systems? My neighbor is going to help me with electrical stuff. Thanks for sharing ideas

Jen

[JakeM]

Hey Jen,

For the trailer I used this harbor freight trailer: http://www.harborfreight.com/1195-lb-capacity-48-in-x-96-in-heavy-duty-folding-trailer-62648.html

The harbor freight trailer is probably the cheapest option you can find, but the quality of the trailer is not as good as the aluminum one that CLC had designed for the teardrop.  I think the lifespan of the aluminum trailer would be far greater than the harbor freight trailer.  Also, we did some modifications to the trailer to make it work better for us, mostly welding it all together so it would be stronger and shortening it by 10″.

 

As far as electric systems, I used solar to power it.  I bought this solar panel kit and this deep cycle battery and a fantastic fan vent.  I oversized the solar panel and battery, so you could probably get by with a smaller system if you wanted!  Aside from those big things, there are a lot of little things you’ll need for the electrical system.  Switches, fuses, wiring, whatever accessories you want, lights, etc.

Enjoy the project!

[jenoconnor]

Jake … Thanks so much. I guess I’ll go with the clc trailer. I was looking at Northern Utilites 5×8 trailer which was half the price. I’m sure the trailex is very high quality and it may be best to spend the extra money on it. I’m definitely going to go the solar route. Your tear drop looks great! I won’t be able to start mine until end of March or April due to Winter being just around the corner here in Maine. Thanks Again

 

Jen

[tomtnt]

hey Jake, you didnt use one of the vent that CLC sells?  which vent/fan did you end up going with and did you have any problem fitting it into the opening?

[JakeM]

I bought the same fan that CLC sells from amazon, before CLC added the fan to their website.  We didn’t put in the headliner for our teardrop, but we might add it later on.  Without the headliner, we didn’t need the plywood parts that CLC includes with their fan.

 

Any fan can fit onto the teardrop because you cut the opening for the fan out yourself. CLC doesn’t cut guidelines into the top hatch for you.

[tomtnt]

sorry for all the questions! your feedback is extremely useful

any thiughts on what to use for the headliner?  id love to buy the one clc sells but it is pricey.  without the headliner,  how did u run and hide your wires?  and any issues with condensation overnght?

with regards to your tongue box, is that made from wood?

[JakeM]

No problem, ask away.

I think in the summer months, when you would sleep with the fan venting the trailer, there would be no problem with condensation.  However, my parents camped in my teardrop earlier this week and noted that in the morning there was some condensation on the inside.  They were sleeping with the vents open but the fan not engaged, because it was pretty cold outside.

I haven’t come up with a better solution for insulation than the CLC headliner kit.  I thought of maybe buying some cheaper kind of foam and fabricating it myself, but i’m not sure that I could make it look good.  In the end I might buy their headliner kit.

Without the headliner I just hid the wiring as well as I could.  There is one double wire going from the fan directly down the middle of the cieling and then through the bulkhead into the galley.  For lights, I put strip lighting around the door frames and so there is only an 8″ wire going from the forewardmost part of the door frame to under the build in shelf and then up into the galley.  They really don’t catch the eye very much, so that’s not a problem.

 

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