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Hello! just curious do any members pull teardrop trailers with their rides, I enjoy camping, and fishing a lot! would love to see some pic do not see many in the photos ?
I am curious about this, also. My London Roadster came with a trailer hitch when I bought it. I immediately thought of a small trailer like the tear drop ones you’re referring to. I’d like to hear anyone’s experiences,too.
Amor Conquista Todo
I would imagine you would have to keep the trailer well balanced to keep the tongue weight low. Otherwise, the weight transfer might lighten the front end enough that it would have a detrimental effect on the front wheel’s contact with the road.
There is an entire discussion thread on how to post photos. There are multiple steps, but not that hard to figure out.
Bill Ascheman
Fiberfab Ford
Modified 5.0, 5sp., 4:11
Autocross & Hillclimb
"Drive Happy"Tear drop trailers like these
https://www.theteardroptrailer.com/David B Dixon
Port Perry ON CA
SabineI assume that you intend to do some traveling (vs around the block). IMHO hooking this trailer up would be very risky and unwise. It’s not only the tongue weight that you should be concerned with. I wouldn’t want to be in your TDr when an 18 wheeler passes or if there are any gusty crosswinds. I wouldn’t even consider unless I had disc brakes at least on the front and then limit speed to ~45mph. I think you are rightly concerned about this idea else you wouldn’t have asked. I think I can promise you that your insurance company will tell you that you’re NOT covered.
If all things are perfect, then you might be ok, but what if you get a flat on the trailer (or on the TDr). Or, …or…or?
Yes, I’m old and conservative. Guess how I got this way.
Toller, yes that is the trailers I am referring to. I think you can view the pic of mine if you click on my participant picture. It only weighs 820 lbs loaded for camping.
That is a very nice looking little unit!
I don’t know why your rig would not be any problem. These types of trailers are made to be pulled by small vehicles. You don’t mention what type of hitch you have; if it’s a frame type or not. As long as you know the TONGUE weight of the trailer; so you know how it will effect steering and handling, the AXLE weight of the trailer; to safely start and stop (the momentum of car itself; occupants and luggage, PLUS the trailer and everything in it), the towing capacity of your car; so you know how it will safely cope, you should be ok. Remember, too, the overall effect of the added stress on the engine and transmission. As far as interstate speeds and semis, I agree, it’s not something I like to contend with, but if you avoid interstates and take other routes, keeping in the 45-55mph range I would not worry.
Amor Conquista Todo
(EDIT: I wrote the whole post below before I looked up to find urhonor’s car is a front-engined vehicle. With a Chevette or Ford-based TDr none of what I wrote is relevant. Tow away, I say…but be careful; Roy’s still very right about the main issues with towing light.)
Sadly, reluctantly, I’m with Roy on this one. I say “sadly” because I, to, have long had a fantasy about traveling about in the TDr and camping, having a grand old time with some kind of tiny trailer and my honey. I have long daydreamed about building a wicked-cool retro teardrop rig like those above, equipping it with TD-appropriate wheels and other styling cues.
I’ve also daydreamed about building one like this (because at 10 large, buying one is out of my price range). These Go units are light, compact, ultra-versatile and look like they’d be the perfect thing to tow with something like Bridget…
IF Bridget’s engine were located anywhere on her chassis other than behind the blessed rear wheels.
There’s the rub. You need tongue weight—at least 10 percent of the trailer’s weight. as I recall—in order for the trailer to track. Too light and the thing will buck and wander.
But 10 percent of an 800 pound camping rig is 80 more pounds pushing down behind your rear bumper. Among the VW folks in this group, only Schu’s car could handle that, and that’s just because he’s got coil helpers installed already.
But that’s static weight.
Once you’re underway, assuming the car can pull the weight (which it probably can…at least until you get to a big enough hill), things go just fine until you need to stop.
Then two things happen:
- 800 pounds of inertial mass is pushing you mostly forward. That’s 50 percent of the weight of your car. Because you have an ultralight trailer you don’t have electric brakes back there…who would ever need them? (uhhh…you. Us.)
- Depending on how hurriedly you would like to stop, that 80 pounds of tongue weight is multiplying by some formula I can’t explain here, pushing down with significantly more than 80 pounds of force on that spot just behind your rear bumper. The harder you’re braking, the more it’s pushing down, which also means it’s simultaneously trying to lever up your front wheels, see-saw-like, which are the exact wheels you need to stop good in a motor car.
So in a VW-based TDr, the trailer is always working against you in ways that are much more scary, and much more significant, from a safety standpoint, than would be the case in a front-engined car.
There is a reason you so seldom saw Bugs dragging campers back in the day. There’s also a reason the tailer design for Beetles looked like this.
My bad! I too, thought we were talking VW power. Sorry.
There still may be a valid insurance question worth asking.
Thanks to all of you for your input on the subject it is very helpful! Yes my car is a Classic Roadster Ltd. Duchess, MG TD, it is Chevette powered, Auto, 1981, Third Owner, 4526 registered miles, Built in Placerville CA. Like I posted earlier if you click on my urhonor photo you will see my home built teardrop trailer I built this last summer. Have tried to post pics but to no avail.
My TD is a Dutchess which I have upengined to a Chevy S-10 2.2 L engine with 5 speed trany. (see my build on the ‘my projects’ Forum “Chevy 2.2L Dutchess)
I’m building a TearDrop to tow.
I’ve towed a couple of “Motorcycle-type ” trailers with no problems.
No trees were injured in the making of this message, but some electrons were inconvenienced.
I’m hoping to have a tiny boat trailer with a small Classic Dinghy from West marine. Its very light weight and I’d only be towing it to the local boat launches with The Penny Marie. She’s powered by VW but I think she’ll be okay. I won’t be driving any faster than about 40 mph on flat roads…I think she’d turn even more heads than she does now.
I’ve seen tiny teardrop trailers being towed behind motorcycles. I imagine they’d do well behind our toys also. I think the company is Little Guy trailers and they’re based out of San Diego, CA. It looks like they will tow behind a smart car.
Great information — Now I know why fate “forced” me into buying a front engine, Ford-based TDr — so I can build a teardrop trailer and tow it to the beach with my TDr — I’m sure it would be a real head turner, as you all have said —
Ed, you mentioned that these little trailers do not have trailer brakes — why not add them to the trailer and add a trailer brake controller to the car? The brakes and controller are not that expensive and it would add a margin of safety. Maybe even allowing the VW-based cars to tow a teardrop???? (provided the terrain is flat enough and/or the engine is beefy enough, I suppose????)
…Ah, but I guess I need to finish putting my TDr kit together before I worry about building a Teardrop trailer…..so much fun potential — almost as much fun as Ed and Bill are having building their ultimate project cars.
Happy Jack
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