This is an incomplete set of plans for a Teardrop style motorcycle camper that you can build at home. The total cost of construction should run to about $300 or less depending on your local supply shops. This trailer is based on the 40”x48” trailer kit found thru Northern Tool or Harbor Freight (about $135 for 8” wheels, or $185 for 12” wheels)

I went with the 12” wheels so I could use motorcycle fenders on the end product and match the paint scheme of my motorcycle.

Disclaimer: At this time I am still in the process of building this trailer and have no idea what the final outcome will be.

Here is a picture of the result I am attempting....

The list of supplies I have used or think I will be using to complete the project

1- 40”x48” trailer kit

2- 4’x8’x1/2” sheets of exterior grade plywood

1-4’x8’x3/8” sheet of exterior grade plywood

18- 1”x2”x40-1/8” pieces of pine

2- 1/8” sheets of interior paneling

1lb. #6x1-5/8” galvanized screws (coarse thread)

6- 3/8”x 2-1/2” bolts

exterior grade wood glue

1 can of marine grade epoxy resin

1 27”x27”x1/4” piece of smoked Plexiglass (plus a smaller piece if you desire a window on the other side)

I will update the list as I go, be warned I procrastinate so this won’t be done before late spring!

Step one: cutting the sides

The first step I completed ( after assembling the trailer kit in my living room - it was cold outside!) was the planning and cutting of the sidepieces from 2 sheets of !/2” plywood. Here is a picture of the idea behind my measurements.

I drew this out on one sheet of plywood and then bolted the 2 sheets together at approximately the center of the rear 12” circle and the 24” circle...figuring that the door and sidemarker lights would be covering those areas. I then proceeded to cut out the pattern with my Jigsaw, cutting both pieces at the same time to save me the trouble of matching them. Afterwards I sanded them together lightly with a belt sander to make all the edges smooth and flowing and hopefully square to the face of the board.

Step two: placing the struts

The next step involves the placing of the 1”x2” struts between the two sides ( after unbolting them of course). I started with the two on the bottom edge that would be attached to the floor of the trailer later. I placed these just inside the lines that were drawn one foot in from each end, orienting them perpendicular to the base. I then put one each on the front at the 12” and 18” marks, the rear 12” mark, and the top 2’ mark all of these parallel to the edge of the plywood and making sure that they didn’t protrude beyond the edges. then I spaced the rest of the boards evenly around the perimeter making sure that there was no more than one foot in-between each strut. the result should appear as it does in Fig.3 . I attached each of these by drilling pilot holes through the plywood and securing them with adhesive and screws. I know Figure 3 isn’t all that good, but I was starting to get tired of drawing with Windows paint by the time I did it. Hopefully it’s good enough to get the idea across. This is also as far as I have proceeded on my own trailer so everything from now on is just what I am planning on doing to finish the job.

 

I decided to put in the floor and cut out the door section before I put on the skin. This way I could bolt it to the frame and make sure everything lined up before I made it permanent. I also had some warping in the sides and was hoping to relax it when I cut the door sections.

Step three: outer skin

The next phase of the project involves wrapping the exterior with the 1/8” paneling, it is my hope that this will be flexible enough to conform to contour of the trailer box going lengthwise with the grain. Otherwise it will be necessary to cut the paneling so that the box can be wrapped with the paneling going against the grain.. Making bending it easier, but sealing it against the elements harder. My plan is to first cut down the sheet into a 8’x41-1/8” length, and to attach it to the front bottom strut, that is to be used for the inside floor, with adhesive and screws. Then with that done to apply adhesive to the edges of the plywood sides and a bead across each strut, and then slowly wrap the paneling around the contour while screwing it to each strut with a screw near each end as it lays flat across it. Hopefully everything will go as planned with that step and I will end up with a nicely shaped exterior. This will take a second sheet to finish the job, and it was my plan to add a strut at the seam between these two sheets and seal the heck out of it with the adhesive, then taking the second piece around the rear end and finishing at the rear floor strut. This would leave a 5’x40-1/8” hole in the bottom of the box. Okay, if you ask me that will be the toughest step, and hopefully I can get a few friends to help me out on that. I also figure that as I “wrap” the box I will have to shift the plywood sides slightly to line up with the edge of the paneling since there is no way that the frame and paneling will be exactly square (Every board I picked up was slightly warped, although I did my best to cut the pieces to be straight)

Step four: door

Now that you have the makings of a good looking trailer box, It’s time to cut the Door and Window(if desired) openings. First I would cut the Plexiglass to the desired size and shape you want. Here is my design for the door.

I would then draw a line horizontal 4” from the bottom on the right side of the trailer box and another vertical 6” from the front on the same side allowing you to line the door up like this......

...this gives you a good looking door in my opinion. once you have the door centered, mark around the edges with a pencil. Now you can remove the door and cut out the opening in the side making sure that you cut to the outside of the pencil mark you made, this will give the door enough clearance to open and close freely and still be flush with the door.

Important: My plan calls for a flush mounted door which I think looks better. In order to do this I will have to build a Door jamb on the inside intruding about 1/2” into the door opening. If this sounds like too much work and you don’t mind a door mounted outside the plywood you can simply cut the door hole smaller than the door itself, although I am not sure how well it will seal.

Since I haven’t got that far yet I don’t know exactly how I am going to build the inner door frame. I am planning at this point on piecing it together from some of the scrap plywood left over from cutting out the sides. Then gluing and screwing it to the interior of the box like so...

This gives me a great place to put a 3/8”x1/2” strip of 3M weather-striping around the inside edge, which should allow the door to seal wonderfully. At this time I would not attach the door, since the next step involves putting in the floor.

Step five: the floor

Take the last piece of !/2” plywood and cut a section 72”x 40” this will be the floor. Now, tip the box onto its side and work the floor into a position inside and above the floor struts as seen in figure 3. Then put the box back into the upright position and adjust the floor to bring the forward edge right up to the front of the box, leaving only a very small gap. Now drill pilot holes and run screws into the front strut through the plywood floor. Tip the box up a little and put a few supports under the floorboard so that when you crawl in you will not flex it out of position. Crawl in! I can’t wait to get to this point since it will be my first experience on whether I sized this right. Work yourself down to where the rear floor strut is and screw the plywood to that strut too. Now for the exciting part, crawl back out, pick up the entire thing, and place it on the Trailer kit you assembled before you started. Does it fit? The plan was to have the front floor strut be butted up against the trailer frame in the front. This should put the door slightly in front of the wheels so that they don’t interfere with it’s operation, if that isn’t the case this is the time to note how far you need to move it forward to do that... moving it as little as possible forward, since you will soon run out of tongue. Assuming that everything up to this point has worked we can add the last floor strut at the rear of the trailer frame and drill the trailer box mounting holes. To mount the box to the trailer I am planning on drilling 3/8” holes, 3 on each side (one on each end and one in the middle), through the plywood sides and the trailer frame and attaching with 3/8” bolts. Once this is done we can go on to the next step.

Step six: weatherproofing

Take the box back off the trailer frame and set it on a tarp. This would be a good time to do some light sanding and clean up the adhesive that has pressed out from the joints. Once you have the whole thing looking nice I propose that we screw it up totally with my next idea.

It is my intent to seal the entire thing with Marine grade Fiberglass epoxy resin. I have worked a little with this stuff in the past and have found it to be fairly easy to work with and it dries to a hard but slightly flexible coating. I am hoping that when brushed on it will soak into the wood that we used and make a good weather-proof surface before we even get to painting the thing. I plan to coat the entire thing with resin and then to sand it lightly to a nice even surface...If I am nuts for thinking this send me an E-mail...fast. I then plan on letting it set for several days to thoroughly dry before I apply any paint. Sometime during the curing phase I would suggest tipping the box on its side again and using some silicone sealant on all the seams underneath the box....then when that dries adding a coat or two of underbody rubberized spray.

Step seven: final assembly

Well if you got this far you are a better man/woman than I am, although I expect to make it here sooner or later. Basically all that’s left to do, as far as I know, is to paint and clear coat the box to your liking, add the door weather-striping and hang the door with a couple of small hinges and some kind of latch. Then simply place it back on the frame, bolt it down, do whatever you are going to do for fenders ( I am still thinking of used motorcycle fenders) add the lights required by your state, and take the silly thing out for a test drive!

Copyright © 2003 Fuzzybeard All rights reserved