Fall 2023 update
09/27/23
The tilt up trailer build has stalled for a number of reasons. I was overly optimistic about how long things would take. We decided to make some changes here and there. The big one was a change to bring the wheels inside the body. Instead of external fenders, there are now internal wheel houses. Think how a pick up truck has the wheel houses inside the bed. That was a lot of work, but really improved much about the trailer, while taking up not very much interior space. The build was pushed into summer and the extreme heat in Texas this summer made it impossible to work on it for quite a while.
We regret that this project has not proceeded faster. The plan was to have it on the road last Spring. With the further delay caused by finding a way to legally sell the trailer while building them in Texas, it will be a few more months before we can take it out for testing.
Testing needs to be thorough with this build. It is radical enough by camping trailer standards that it needs to be proven. Then Drew and his family need to live in it long enough to make his famous lists of things he likes and things that need to be improved.
To those of you hoping to have this trailer available soon, we are sorry. It will be late 2024 before production can start.
At some point this prototype will be for sale.
On becoming a manufacturer in the US
07/14/23
When I was a business consultant in the auto collision industry, I spent a lot of time helping owners learn that being really good at fixing cars had nothing to do with running a business.
It turns out I need some of my own advice. Designing a trailer is one skill. Managing the build of a trailer is another skill set. Running the business of producing trailers seems to be a whole other set of skills and knowledge.
The last trailers I built I registered as home built in Texas. A few receipts for big parts and suspension and they issued me a title for the fees. Not any more.
When I went to the tax office, they explained it has all changed. A recent law, intended to curtail car theft, chop shops, and foreign sales, changed the process. There was a trickle down effect on home built trailers. They now need to be inspected by a law enforcement officer. The law is confusing enough that fewer and fewer agencies are willing to do that. One hot rod buddy told me he thinks there are only three people in all of Texas who will perform that inspection. He exaggerates sometimes, but I could find no one close by to do so. I also could not find a way to get a permit to take the trailer to them legally. Also the whole “no frame” thing is a no-go. The law stipulates a chassis, which the agencies and managers I spoke with interpreted as a steel frame. Frustrating.
After days of research and interview with a Texas DMV manager, I gave up. That manager told me to become a US manufacturer. He said Texas does not regulate vehicle manufacturing. Yes, trailers are part of motor vehicle law.
I started doing research on how to become a trailer manufacturer. I have sizable files of Texas and US documents now. There are a lot of false paths, even in government documents. For instance, I spoke to one agency director who is quite irritated that they are cited as experts on this subject. They have only a small side issue area of authority. He was nice but could not really help me.
Finally, I found the path. It is not very complicated once you know it. Like building guitars. It is either easy because you know how, or magic!
As of early July 2023, Teardrop Lite LLC is able to issue VINs, Vehicle Identification Number, for our trailers. That is because we applied for a WMI from SAE. WMI is World Manufacturer Identifier. SAE is the Society of Automotive Engineers. They are a contractor to NHTSA, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Those are the folks we know for crash testing and those crash test dummies. But they do a lot more, including keeping track of vehicle recalls and accident rates and issuing WMIs.
Some of the 17 digits in a VIN indicate what country and company you are. When I was in the collision repair business, I could tell you who made the car, in what country, and in what year by the VIN.
Having the ability to issue a VIN is only the first step. We must be approved by NHSTA and I think get a manufacturing license in Texas. That part is not yet clear. Different answers from different sites and waiting on a call back from TXDMV. It all goes slow.
If you are still reading, I have more. 23 states have laws stating vehicle manufacturers, including trailer manufacturers, may not sell directly to customers. Only dealers may sell to customers. So 1950s. But I figured if Tesla can get around that, so can we. Stay tuned for news on that front.
July 2023 Update
07/09/23
It is way past time for an update on the trailer build progress. A little recent history first.
Early in 2022 Drew and I started talking about the trailer as seen in the two videos on Youtube Playing With Sticks channel. In mid-June 2022 I had the first drawing of the exterior finished.
The actual build started a month later. It went slowly. We shared the ideas and build process to see what the folks thought. The response was a little overwhelming to me.
A year after the build started it is very close to ready to pull. We will do some test pulling before finish work starts. Better to see any problems that might exist. Then a lot of smoothing and painting. Many significant changes since the last video. Nice curved line on the roof tilt up. Wheels moved inboard so no fenders. All for the good.
Then I went to get it registered. It had been a few years since I registered a trailer in Texas andthe rules have changed. Bottom line is that I cannot register this trailer as a home built or “hobbybuilt” in Texas. That was my plan for the first trailers.
The only alternative is to become a manufacturer. That is a multistage process which we are part way through. It means more delays on when we can take the trailer out for testing and camping.
It will be well into next year before we can possibly be in production. Anyone watching the economy knows prices are going up. Fortunately only some of our material costs are changing much. So we are still looking at keeping this trailer relatively affordable. And as a side note, we
think the classic 5 x 10 kit will be under 5K.
I apologize for taking so long to get back to you all.
The site is up, but there is not much there. So go have a look at the artwork we had made for it. And please send us comments if you like or hate it. Then bookmark the site so you can keep informed. We will send announcements when there is anything big happening.
Charles
Teardrop trailer kits.Conventional size teardrop camping trailers as kits.
Assembled by the camper.
Why?
07/14/23
Teardrop Lite began with a mission to create kits to be assembled into camping trailers by the campers who will use them.
Many generations ago, a majority of people could use, fix, and often make almost anything. The world has changed. Today it is a shrinking minority of people who have such skills. In an increasing digital age, the ability to make things with our hands is fading away.
But we do put things together. Too often with very poor instructions! IKEA furniture and thousands of other things sold with “some assembly required” have changed how we shop. I happen to think this is a good thing.
In the experimental aviation industry, things changed rapidly in the past couple of decades also. From a time when people designed and built their own planes from raw materials, to following plans using raw materials, and today when people mostly assemble a large collection of pre-formed parts.
From a simple table to a high performance aircraft, the satisfaction of the “builder” is enormous. As someone who can make things from raw materials, I was surprised by this at first. But it is clear that having any part in creating a new thing is a satisfying experience.
Teardrop trailers are a special niche of camping. Classic design lines from almost 100 years ago now. But the cost has gone so high many would be trailer campers are priced out of owning one. Home built trailers are more affordable, but they require a certain level of skill and lots of tools to build.
A kit of 20 to 40 parts that can be assembled by anyone who can manage to assemble furniture that comes flat in a box will, hopefully, reduce the cost and open the market to new campers who can buy a kit, assemble it, paint it, and go camping.
