Hi I'm Roger Wilhelm

[mary and bob]

Bob, We've seen only one of those little Starcrafts. It was for sale several years ago at a car show, and while we wandered around debating about buying it for our daughter it got sold. Price may have been around $650, but can't exactly remember. We have a 1973 Starcraft popup that sleeps 8, put new canvas on it several years ago, it's in nice shape but we haven't used it in a few years, Mary wants to sell it, I don't. I'd like to find a Higgins popup like we used to go to South Dakota in when I was a kid, borrowed it from "Uncle Milty".

[Bob Miller]

I have only seen 3 like this one in SoCal in the past several years, the other two needed new canvas, but this one's was still decent. I actually bought it from a National Recreation Area Ranger, who had owned it for about 10 years, but it was a bit worn when it came home with me.

BTW: The single ended one is called a "14", the double ended version a "16" and an even rarer version with no pull out beds (sleeps 2) is a "12". Only seen pics of one of the 12's.

[rwilhelm]

I have made contact with the place in Washington that has the American Outback cabins. He says that he has four shells with doors and hatches. There are no frames, windows and not much of the other hardware. Apparently when the auction took place 23 years ago, they auction each piece separately. He mentioned 2 other purchasers one of whom he sure has no parts and pieces. He said that he would email pictures of what he has. He also has one complete trailer that he bought to use as a pattern for restoring the others. Never got around to it. The price for a cabin, doors and hatch is $500. I will report more as I find out details. For me, I think it would be a fun project to build one using a modern trailer. AND, I can do it as budget and time allows. Thanks to Bob Miller for the lead on this one.

[Roger C H]

Roger,

Welcome to FGRV!

Roger

[Roger C H]

You have to know my sense of humor. This is one aspect:

While driving through Fortuna, CA recently, I stopped at the Safeway there and bought a can of tuna because:

I always wanted to be able to say that I went to Fortuna for tuna.

[rwilhelm]

I appreciate your humor. I'm a limerick man myself. Also am VERY fond of shaggy dog stories.

Good for you, Roger One of my favorite old jokes ends up "Roger dodger you ol' codger, I'm a major too!"

[Bob Miller]

Originally Posted by rwilhelm

I have made contact with the place in Washington that has the American Outback cabins. He says that he has four shells with doors and hatches. There are no frames, windows and not much of the other hardware. Apparently when the auction took place 23 years ago, they auction each piece separately. He mentioned 2 other purchasers one of whom he sure has no parts and pieces. He said that he would email pictures of what he has. He also has one complete trailer that he bought to use as a pattern for restoring the others. Never got around to it. The price for a cabin, doors and hatch is $500. I will report more as I find out details. For me, I think it would be a fun project to build one using a modern trailer. AND, I can do it as budget and time allows. Thanks to Bob Miller for the lead on this one.

Happy to hear you were able to make contact. That was about the same story and exactly the same price that I heard 2 years ago. I suspect that a smaller hand full of Ben Franklins will get you what you want.

Next week the tourist season at Lake Chelan ends and it's a much nicer place to visit, but don't wait much past Halloween.

Good Luck and keep us informed about what you are doing with this.

[rwilhelm]

Originally Posted by Roger C H

You have to know my sense of humor. This is one aspect:

While driving through Fortuna, CA recently, I stopped at the Safeway there and bought a can of tuna because:

I always wanted to be able to say that I went to Fortuna for tuna.

Come to think of it, I am a newbie. And I was raised in Dinuba Calif. Sooo (wait for it) ......... I'm a newbie from Dinubie (groan) Good thing I'm not a girl, then I would er ah be a newbie with ........ guess I had better leave that alone!

[mary and bob]

The teardrop American is still for sale on tnttt, it was just posted again today.

[rwilhelm]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

The teardrop American is still for sale on tnttt, it was just posted again today.

Thank you much. Fired off an Email. So we will see. MAYBE I won't have to put one together from parts.

Thank you again Mary and Bob. Much appreciated

[rwilhelm]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

Happy to hear you were able to make contact. That was about the same story and exactly the same price that I heard 2 years ago. I suspect that a smaller hand full of Ben Franklins will get you what you want.

Next week the tourist season at Lake Chelan ends and it's a much nicer place to visit, but don't wait much past Halloween.

Good Luck and keep us informed about what you are doing with this.

I have done some research and I now know how the cabin body is attached to an Outbacker. I am convinced that I can modify a Harbor Freight/ Northern Tool trailer to work. Using this method, I may be able to have a functioning teardrop trailer for less than $1500. BUT, I need two measurements so that I can begin the trailer build. I need the outside dimensions of the frame upon which the cabin is mounted and the distance from either or both ends of the frame to the axle. I need these dimensions so that I can prepare the trailer before I make the 14 hr trek to buy the cabin, doors and hatches. HELP PLEASE

[Bob Miller]

Did you ever find someone that actually had a live one of there, either for sale or not????? The guy in Chelan suggested that it would fit better on a double wide snowmobile trailer than one of the Cheeso Deluxe trailers from HF.

It's so small that you could just tie the shell on your cars roof Okie style (meaning with a thin mattress between the shell and the roof) or on a pair of decent roof rack bars (again see C/L) and take it home to work on there.

Look on C/L for Wenatchee and the NW areas for snowmobile trailers for sale.

[rwilhelm]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

Did you ever find someone that actually had a live one of there, either for sale or not????? The guy in Chelan suggested that it would fit better on a double wide snowmobile trailer than one of the Cheeso Deluxe trailers from HF.

It's so small that you could just tie the shell on your cars roof Okie style (meaning with a thin mattress between the shell and the roof) or on a pair of decent roof rack bars (again see C/L) and take it home to work on there.

Look on C/L for Wenatchee and the NW areas for snowmobile trailers for sale.

Thanks Bob. A quick browse of C/L for Wenatchee showed no trailers less than $700, one of which was a 4x8 utility with 4' walls. A brand new trailer 4x8 built by me can be easily under $500. The Outbacker has a molded bottom which fits over the frame rails. This is the "island" inside the cabin. The width is approximated 4 feet and not a problem The distance front to back of this molded area is the real measurement I need. The distance from axle to front or back is the other measurement I need to make sure the wheels fit in the molded fender of the cabin.

If I lived in Wa, the logistics would not be a problem. I'd just go over and look. However, to get the body and pieces regardless of trailer is, for me, a 4-5 day trip. There was/is a good looking Outbacker in Utah for $1600, negotiable! However, I think I'm a bit too late. Many attempts at contact have yielded no results. ZIP!

They are indeed small. There is a fellow in Washington who just bought one and he loves it. He is 6' 8". Good enough for me. I'm only 6' 5".

Thanks
Roger

[mary and bob]

Bring it home on a Uhaul rental trailer, that way you only have to drag a trailer one way. Their open trailer or car hauler trailer should work with sufficient number of ratchet straps to tie it down.

[rwilhelm]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

Bring it home on a Uhaul rental trailer, that way you only have to drag a trailer one way. Their open trailer or car hauler trailer should work with sufficient number of ratchet straps to tie it down.

I appreciate your suggestion. You are right, that would minimize towing and maybe 1 night on the road. I haven't priced a U-Haul, but I would still have to buy a trailer to mount the cabin structure. Mounting the cabin is not something I can do by myself, so I would have to haul it to my favorite shop and have them hoist it onto the trailer after modifying the trailer to fit. If I can modify the trailer before getting the cabin, I can drop it in place up there. I will strap it down for hauling home and then complete the mounting and restoration in my garage.

So, my thought was that I could kill two birds with one stone by modifying the trailer to fit first. This would also minimize shop time.

Thanks
Roger

[mary and bob]

I think it will be easier to modify a trailer if you have the cabin right there with you. No trees in your yard to hang a chain fall or come along on? Engine hoist rental or mini excavator rental available? This is why I keep my old Case loader/backhoe, it gets used more for moving things around than it does digging! Get some 4X4's or pipe and build a tripod ?

[tractors1]

One can also raise a big awkward load with a small floor jack and a bunch of cinder blocks; just bring up each end one block high at a time and keep stacking blocks. I raised my 1000 gallon oil tank that way in order to build a stand under it, and it is truly round!

Charlie Y

[Bob Miller]

I believe that the cabin is in two parts, upper and lower, and can't weigh more than 200 lbs empty. And should be easy to slide on and off a trailer, or you could rent an engine puller crane for the day and pick it up with that.

[rwilhelm]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

I think it will be easier to modify a trailer if you have the cabin right there with you. No trees in your yard to hang a chain fall or come along on? Engine hoist rental or mini excavator rental available? This is why I keep my old Case loader/backhoe, it gets used more for moving things around than it does digging! Get some 4X4's or pipe and build a tripod ?

Well, certainly easier to take measurements. You are right though. I hadn't considered some lifting device. Considering the light weight of the body shell, a simple block and tackle hung from a ceiling joist in my garage would probably work just fine. I think a bare body shell will probably not weigh much (if any) more than I do. If the trusses in the garage won't carry my weight (I AM on a diet!) then they are not much good anyway.

The kit trailers have a length of 9' 3''. The Teardrop American has a length of 9'4'', so it would seem to be a pretty good match. The trailers are all bolted with predrilled holes and moving cross beams or axle hangers around is pretty much a matter of drilling additional holes as necessary. I am an old codger but I should be able to handle that. Only stickers are if the trailer is long in the wrong places or if its too wide to fit the mounting area. Then some cutting might be required and could be done by my not so local shop.

I have collected a whole bunch of pictures from various sources including this website and TTNTT. I could try posting some to illustrate the situation as long as I don't have to have permission (copyrights).

Thanks again
Roger