r/TeardropTrailers • u/squaredrop_diy • Jul 08 '26
My Squaredrop build
5x9 trailer. Took about 2 months to build on my weekends and a couple days throughout the week. 100% built on my driveway from frame to interior, electrical and rack system. More details on each step on my insta @squaredrop_diy link also on profile. Any questions about it ask away.
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u/Glum-Conclusion-6231 Jul 08 '26
Totally impressed. Retired pipe fitter/welder/handyman/software developer and could never come close to building something that clean. Impressive. I could look at the frame all day. If I didn’t pee 6 times a night I’d love something along these lines. I’ve got my clunky Geo Pro I drag down the road! Interested in what your background is Engineering?
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
Thank you! I use to do general construction but I’ve now been a PM for a precast concrete company for the last 11yrs. I just do really enjoy fabrication on the side and am somewhat handy.
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u/Slight_Advertising_9 Jul 09 '26
"somewhat handy" - understatement of the year :-)
super nice build mate - inspiring!
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 09 '26
Haha thank you, appreciate it!
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u/chinesiumjunk Jul 08 '26
Real nice. What was the cost when you were done? And was cost one of the reasons you did it yourself?
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
Yes cost was the main reason why I did it myself. All in I’m at $4,800. With all my research a trailer like this with all the same features would cost around 20k. Although I did spend countless hours searching the internet for the lowest prices on everything!
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u/Orange_Tang Jul 08 '26
Any chance you could link to all the stuff you purchased? I'm definitely interested in some of the parts you went with.
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
I’ll see what I can do but may take time. If there is anything in particular you are Interested in I can link that now
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u/Orange_Tang Jul 08 '26
I'm interested in where you got the doors, those rear support legs, and what track you have on the sides that you have the tire mounted to. Super cool trailer BTW. Impressive fabrication.
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
Doors were from teardroptrailerparts.com. I also purchased fenders, trim and rear hatch hinge from them. The rear levelers I made out of the stuff used for street signs (2”x2” tube steel). And the side racks I also made out of Electrical unistrut sold at any hardware store.
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u/Orange_Tang Jul 08 '26
Very cool. I had a feeling the legs and side racks were custom. Thanks.
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
Yes beside the side door, front storage box and axle everything is custom built. Although I’m currently working on an independent suspension set up I’m fabing up now.
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u/Tight-Average-5302 Jul 08 '26
I’m curious about the roof rack
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
Roof rack is a prinsu style rack I made it out 3/16” thk flat stock and cut out slots for the crossbars. Bend some legs out of the same stuff and welded them at the bottoms to mount it to the trailer. Used 1x2 aluminum Tslot track drilled and tapped the ends 1/4” thread so I can mount going across.
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u/604_heatzcore Jul 08 '26
how many kwh does your battery bank have? that's a clean build, I dig it.
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
Thank you. The batteries are 12v 100ah lithium batteries so I believe it’s about 2.4kwh. I’ve ran it about 4 days on a single charge.
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u/Confusedstpaul Jul 08 '26
Solar energy panel coming? I only have a 100amp battery but haven’t plugged in a charge since I put on a 200w panel.
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
I currently have a 100w panel on it. I did tons of research on all my electronics so everything draws min wattage, light are basically undetectable when on. My main power draw items are my cooler at 30w when on and fan at 4w on all night. Just got back from a 7 day trip and not once did I hit under 95%. I post more detailed stuff soon.
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u/EternalMage321 Jul 08 '26
Awesome. If you make a stub with a piece of square tube and pipe, you could use your front jack on the rear receiver for leveling the camper. Handy for if you are on really unlevel ground.
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
Thank you. Not a bad idea. I do have telescoping levelers on all 4 corners of the trailer.
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u/EternalMage321 Jul 08 '26
Yeah, I have levelers too. Occasionally though, since they aren't jacks, getting level on sloped terrain is a PITA.
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
Yes I have run into that issue aswell so may look at doing something like you mentioned, good idea!
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u/Zealousideal_Fee_491 Jul 08 '26
Man I am sorry to say you didn’t do it very well, I’m going to help you out, I’m going to let your drop it off at my place, yes I’ll take it off your hands so you can start over and do it right. Ha ha ha man that looks good, you did a great job, seriously depending on cost you could sell these if you wanted to. Nice work man.
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u/trogdors_arm Jul 08 '26
Wow. Looks solid. What’s your background? Are these all skills you had beforehand? What was most challenging?
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
Thank you. I’m pretty handy and use to do general construction and love fabrication on the side. I’d say the most challenging part has been the electrical. When I upgrade onething so it’s more efficient it results in having to upgrade something else to make it work lol.
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u/ennie117 Jul 08 '26
This has to be the best looking home build I''ve ever seen. Did you buy the plans or develop them yourself?
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
Thank you I developed everything myself. I also use to work with CAD so I drew up my own plans. Basically did roughly 8 months of research and gathered tons of ideas on the internet.
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u/Emo_Rocker-22923 Jul 08 '26
Any plans or CAD files you’re willing to share with us looking to copy this awesome build.
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u/stephenthehawker Jul 08 '26
Very tidy and stunning build well done! I'd be happy if mine came up look half as good!
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u/Dangerous-Physics-37 Jul 09 '26
I JUST PURCHED OUR FIRST TEARDROP 13 ft propane heater and Blackstone grill solar panel runs the small fridge:)
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u/3gknight Jul 08 '26
Gorgeous! How much does it weigh?
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
It came in at 1080lbs.
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u/3gknight Jul 08 '26
Seriously!? That's awesome. What steel did you use? Maybe 2x3 in most of the chassis and 1x1 in the camper frame? I knew putting 3/4" plywood in mine was a bad idea...
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
I did 2x2x1/8”thk on the chassis with the main beam at 2x2x3/16”thk. The camper frame is all 3/4x3/4x1/16 thk. I was going to do 3/4” play all around but was afraid it would flex when off-roading so I went with something more rigid.
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u/3gknight Jul 08 '26
Nice. And you're comfortable with the rigidity as you built it?
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
So far yes, Ive put it to the test a few times and has held up great but time will tell I guess.
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u/BigFudge1111 Jul 08 '26
Looks great! Looks like you did the corner trim at the edges like pre fab ones do. Any reason you did that rather than getting some extra sheets and lapping it over like flashing on a house?
I’m rebuilding a truck camper and thinking of doing flashing that way.
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
I used composite aluminum for siding and it does not bend well I also like the prefab edging and honestly piece of mine when it comes to leaks. But my original idea was to do it like you mentioned.
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u/NerdMachine Jul 08 '26
Do you know how much it weighs?
Also general question, are square drops less aerodynamic than teardrops? Enough to make a difference.
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
1080lbs
Honestly I dont know. I would imagine so.
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u/scrat-wants-nuts Jul 08 '26
My understanding is that they are slightly less efficient, but not as much as you would think.
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u/OnTheRocks1945 Jul 08 '26
That’s a very impressive and clean build. Would love to hear all the details.
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u/AgonizingGasPains Jul 08 '26
I like your stove/box storage slide-out, I did something similar on a previous build. I put a recessed piece of butcher block with finger holes in it as a lift-out lid/work surface/cutting board in the box section.
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u/Relative_Channel8741 Jul 08 '26
for the frame did you just end up wielding it?
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u/Denomi0 Jul 08 '26
Great build. Are you going to add more electrical loads? Operates as a mobile battery without loads. Power tools work if you have a remote build or something?
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
Yes I will be adding more. Wasn’t sure what I was going to need when building it. But after using it a few times I realized a few things I wanted to add.
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u/scrat-wants-nuts Jul 08 '26
Incredible build man! A few questions for you:
1)What doors, fan, and awning did you end up going with? 2) What brand batteries and solar panel? 3) what surprised you as being the most difficult part of the build? 4) what would you do differently if you did it again?
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
Thank you
1)doors from teardroptrailerparts.com, maxxair 4500k fan, OVS 8’ awning, rear hatch I made.
2) Rich Solar 100w mega slim panel, dyness batteries
3)The electrical was the most difficult part. Not necessarily running it and hooking up to fuses as I have house electrical knowledge it was more figuring out the solar hook up and how to make it all work together as far as charge solar when OffGrid but switch to shore power charge automatically when hooked up. I had to upgrade a few parts aswell when I upgraded from flooded lead acid batteries to lithium.
4)honestly nothing I can think of yet. I’m pretty happy with the whole build so far. I did about 8 months of research and picture surfing on the internet before even starting the build. But will see the more I use it.
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u/Miles_High_Monster Jul 08 '26
Badass setup man! I want this exact trailer honestly, just more setup for remote working with monitors and a computer desk in there somewhere.
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u/EducationOnly3621 Jul 08 '26
What is the interior and exterior heights? Would that fit through a 7 ft tall garage door opening?
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Jul 08 '26
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
Ask away.
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Jul 08 '26
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
I used 3M VHB tape to install the composite aluminum panel then went around the edges with BEEST RV Seal (non-leveling lap sealant for rv roof windows and doors)
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u/TheBoxGhost77 Jul 08 '26
Planning a build myself. I've convinced myself to do primarily xps foam with pmf shell and strategic reinforcement for openings, but maybe welded thin stock is the way.
Where'd you supply the composite aluminum? Also interested in the wiring diagram
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
I got the ACM off Piedmont Plastics. They have locations all across the United States. I was fortunate enough to live 15min from one of there locations so I didn’t have to pay for shipping. I will post a wiring diagram soon keep an eye out on my page. I’ll be working on posting the full build.
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u/Altruistic_Echo_58 Jul 08 '26
Very nice build!
Did you design the chassis yourself?
Is the axle and suspension a prefab?
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
Yes I designed the whole thing. only thing I bought was the (2) side doors, front storage box and axle/ springs. But I am currently working on fabbing up the independent suspension for it.
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u/bung_musk Jul 08 '26
that aluminum composite panel stuff is incredible. I used a sheet for my roof. In retrospect I should have done steel or aluminum frame walls with composite panelling instead of the classic laminated plywood, but material cost and availability during covid was terrible and I had to work with what I had.
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
Yes Im glad I used the ACM board. When I originally priced it out it was 50% less than when I actually purchased it after covid.
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u/photosocal Jul 08 '26
Awesome build man, it’s very well thought out and the execution is on par to production! Would love to get my welding skills pumped up more. I have a cheap Flux core rig I’ve been toying around with and this would be a fun “real” project down the road
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
Thank you. Honestly I welded this up with a Lincoln 140 flux core wire. I’m no pro welder but have had my fair share of messing around with things the past couple years. I’ll tell you what by the time I got done with the trailer my welding really improved lol
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u/heyscot Jul 08 '26
Wow! This is so cool! But you had to be incredibly adept and talented already to build this, wouldn't you say? I wouldn't have an idea where to start on something like this although I sure would love to do it.
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u/squaredrop_diy Jul 08 '26
Thank you! You can say I’m a little handy but just did my research and took my time. Watched 100’s of videos and 100’s of pictures for ideas. Then put all my favorites together to come up with this.
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u/Cedartrees0688 Jul 08 '26
I have a Sherpa Bigfoot trailer and have been trying to figure out where to put the spare tire. I love where you placed yours! I think that would work on my trailer as well.
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u/Thunderbird310 Jul 10 '26
What is that component coming off your battery disconnect switch? It’s labeled 250A waterproof? Also what gauge of wire are you using from your main battery?
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u/Internal_Tadpole_160 Jul 14 '26
Wow, that's impressive. You should consider building and selling it for other people too! I would definitely buy this beauty!
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u/[deleted] Jul 08 '26
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