Hello from Bavaria - Stainless Micro Airstream

[pan-european]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

Notice who has responded - Rivet Masters and a Moderator - and none of us negatively.

I can't speak for the others... but are you single? NOW do you feel like you are welcome here?

Paula

Thanks Paula and to all the others for the warm welcome.

I'm not single - normally I travel Europe with my wife and two daughters (17 & 14) in our leightweight (2000 lbs) Eriba Troll trailer.

But every year I do a 9-day long distance single tour with my bike and this year I celebrate my 50th birthday with a 16-day tour thru Spain and Portugal.

And for this trip I built this tiny little trailer. I started one year ago.

Tom

[pan-european]

Units and Sizes

For we in Europe use the metric system, I will translate some sizes to you for better understanding.

The trailer is with the tongue 2.56 Meter (8 ft 5 in) long, 100 centimeters (3 ft 3 in)) wide and the platform 200 cm (6 ft 6 in) long.

The rectangular aluminum tube for my frame is 20 x 20 x 2 mm (25/32 x 25/32 inch with 5/64 inch walls)

The stainless(1.4301 - V2A) skin is 0.6 millimeters (1/32 in) thick.

I use watertight 4 millimeter (5/32 in) aluminum rivets with closed ends and stainless pin.

The wheels are standard 8" trailer wheels and the weight of the trailer without sleeping box is 78 kg (172 lb).
Tongue weight is 10 percent of the trailer weight.
The aimed empty weight with sleeping box will be 135 kg (297 lb) and I am allowed to tow 190 kg (418 lb) with my 100 hp Honda ST 1100.

The inside height of the 6.6 x 3.3 ft wide sleeping box is 95 cm (3 ft 1 in) so I can sit inside without touching the roof.

Tom

[pan-european]

And this is my bending machine for the aluminum tubes:

[pan-european]

After finishing the basecamp the next step was to bend the tubes for the sleeping box.



First the bottom frame and then the bows for the cage.

[pan-european]

I began with the arches for the front shell:



And after clecoing together the stern I made my first sitting fitting.



Tom

[SteveSueMac]

You are a genius and a craftsman! Keep the pics coming!!

[Aage]

Originally Posted by pan-european

And after clecoing together the stern I made my first sitting fitting.



Tom

A "sitting fitting"? Now say that out loud fast ten times.

Very nice! This is so that you can type or eat inside out of the elements, I gather? And you now also have a very small emergency exit through the floor!

Beautiful!

[pan-european]

The "emergency exit" in the floor will be closed by a step in well, that I can lower to the ground, when standing still.
It will be connected with tent fabric to the trailer to keep bugs out.

[pan-european]

My first idea was to cleco the cage together and let it weld by a professional, but the offers are above 400 Euro only for the welding.



So I decided, to connect the tubes with stainless angles and rivets.



Tom

[pan-european]

By the way - I am looking for an airstream nameplate for my trailer, but the shipping costs of 15 $ (to Michigan) are higher than the cost for the plate itself at silver trailer supply.



A friend in Michigan can it send to me in Germany via mail. Is there any supplier where I can get one without paying 30 dollars for a small plate including shipping ?

Thank you - Tom

[pan-european]

Next I cut my first 0.6 mm stainless sheet for the rear shell.
I drilled holes every 50 mm (2 inches) all around, deburred all and clamped the sheet to the frame.



Then I drilled thru the holes into the frame and fixed all with clecos.



Tom

[Melody Ranch]

Did you try have the name plate mailed in a postal envelope? Have the seller do that instead of "shipping."

[JimGolden]

Thomas,

I also ride motorcycles, and must say that you are building the best looking motorcycle camper I have ever seen.

A few years ago, I was camping in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and some guys were there with pop up canvas campers behind their motorcycles. That night, a 60-70mph (100-115kph) windstorm came up as it often does. It blew the their trailers away! For real! I saw this. At least, the canvas portion of their trailers blew off and blew out to sea. I talked to them the next morning....one of them came down in a car, and they said they all got scared, and got in the one guy's car. Tents do not do well in the OBX. I always put my awnings up before retiring for the night.

Anyway, your "Mini-Airstream" is Mega-Cool and will survive the wind storms just fine.

Outstanding work!

[pan-european]

Originally Posted by Melody Ranch

Did you try have the name plate mailed in a postal envelope? Have the seller do that instead of "shipping."

I try to ask to send in in an envelope !
Possibly direct to me.

Here inside Germany a box up to 65 lb and max. 2 x 2 x 4 ft big will be shipped via postal service within 3 days for 7 Euros - your US shipping rates are like our gas prices

[pan-european]

Originally Posted by JimGolden

Thomas,

I also ride motorcycles, and must say that you are building the best looking motorcycle camper I have ever seen.

A few years ago, I was camping in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and some guys were there with pop up canvas campers behind their motorcycles. That night, a 60-70mph (100-115kph) windstorm came up as it often does. It blew the their trailers away! For real! I saw this. At least, the canvas portion of their trailers blew off and blew out to sea. I talked to them the next morning....one of them came down in a car, and they said they all got scared, and got in the one guy's car. Tents do not do well in the OBX. I always put my awnings up before retiring for the night.

Anyway, your "Mini-Airstream" is Mega-Cool and will survive the wind storms just fine.

Outstanding work!

Thanks a lot for your compliments, Jim.

Some of my mates in the MotoCampers forum like their tent trailers very much, but in the storm they are only big sails !

I hope to see the outer banks sometime in my life - I do they know only from Nicholas Sparks books and movies.

Tom

[pan-european]

After deburring all drilled holes I cut my first window into the stern.



Tom

[bolerama]

Your trailer is awesome! I hope you realize that you will be giving tours everywhere you go! I really hope I get to see this one day. We will briefly be in Bavaria this summer and I will be scanning every road.

By the way, if you think postage in the US is bad, you should see what we pay in Canada. And now our government is considering stopping door-to-door delivery. Good grief!

Lisa

[pan-european]

Originally Posted by bolerama

Your trailer is awesome! I hope you realize that you will be giving tours everywhere you go! I really hope I get to see this one day. We will briefly be in Bavaria this summer and I will be scanning every road.

By the way, if you think postage in the US is bad, you should see what we pay in Canada. And now our government is considering stopping door-to-door delivery. Good grief!

Lisa

Hi Lisa, thank you

Shipping an envelope with a nameplate costs here only 2 Euro !
Inside Germany from post agency to clients door 4 Euro a box up to 2 kg.
7 Euro up to 32 kg.
And all the webshops normally take 7 Euro from their clients for shipping.

When and where are you in Bavaria this summer?

I noticed, you own a Boler - do you know the "Lander Graziella 300" ?
It's a similar italian tiny 10 ft egg. I made the picture in Croatia 2010.

Tom

[pan-european]

My next task was the right sidewall and the roof segment above.



Tom

[pan-european]

by the way - I didn't show our "fullsize" trailer yet.
It's a 15" Eriba Touring "Troll O" built in 1977.
700 kg empty and 900 kg max. weight.
Steel frame, aluminum skin and fiberglass roof with lifting section.
Photo waiting for the ferry during our tour to the italian island Sardinia last summer.
Tom