Yes Steve, You are right. I was about to order a Diamond in the Rough from you, when a virtually new one turned up on the internet. At the top of the list of things that were to be on my order was Electric Brakes. The used trailer didn't have them but the price was right and i could start using it right away. I was managing without the brakes, but i must say, one drives with much more confidence with the brakes. It saves wear on the car brakes also. So if you are ordering a new Teardrop, and are not towing it with a truck, it is worth having Steve build it with brakes. Cheers Jim

So true! Just ask somebody who has been on the back seat of a school bus, on a bumpy road.. One is air born at times.

@Richard Ludvigh Hi Richard, Having a little trouble using this site. I did post some photos and description of the spare tire mounting, but they seem to have disappeared. It may be easier to send you the photos directly. Simply the tire is mounted directly under the bulkhead between the galley and the sleeping quarters. It is suspended by a galvanized 1/2 inch carriage bolt. instead of just using a washer between the bolt and the floor, I passed it through a short piece of angle iron that is attached both to the floor and the bulkhead, to better distribute the load. There is 11 inches road clearance with 14 inch tires The tire is very easy to remove with this method, but more hassle to put back, however you are more likely to wait until it is repaired before putting it back, and the guys at the repair shop may do that for you. One important thing I didn't mention is, be sure to check for screws protruding through the floor, and grind them off smooth, or your tire will be damaged.

Forgot to mention that with this method of mounting a bike rack, the rear door of the tow vehicle, the lid on the storage box, and the Galley door can be opened with no obstruction.

@Richard Ludvigh Hi Richard For some reason I am having trouble loading photos today. The photo in the parking lot was at the Florida border, and it shows the bike rack with 2 adult size bikes. the rack was angled back slightly to keep the bikes as close to the box as possible, and still allowing the lid to open. I hung the spare directly under the partition between the cooking and sleeping quarters. It is suspended by a 1/2 inch galvanized carriage bolt. the floor above is strengthened with a piece of angle iron, which is also attached to the partition to further distribute the load. I should keep some grease on those threads. They are 14 inch tires including the spare and on a level surface there is 11 inches road clearance. The bins you see in front of the axle are removed for travel but are very handy for shoes etc as you are getting in and out of the trailer. They are cheap cement mixing bins from Home Depot. I have many more modifications that I will be pleased to share. A number of them in the works right now. These are great trailers, and good value. There are teardrops selling for 3 times the price and more, with some nice features, but better to buy one of these and add a few things for a fraction of the price. One of my new additions is an induction cooktop. No flame and cool surface so very safe and efficient in confined spaces. Boils water in about half the time as gas, but of course it can only be used with shore power. The inverter would drain the battery very quickly. Cost was $40 for the cooktop at Costco and $16 for 3 pots at Ikea.

@Richard Ludvigh My Mazda CX5 is rated at 200 lbs tongue weight and 2000 lbs trailer weight, and this works very well. I wouldn't consider using a hitch extension. Changes in the kitchen area and the relocated spare tire, added weight behind the axle, also helping with weight distribution. This method has been well tested with 2 trips South, and many shorter trips here.

The bike rack is an Erickson, purchased at Princess Auto and it is mounted on the tongue of the trailer. It is intended for a 2 inch receiver on the back of the car, but is very easy to modify for the trailer tongue. 2 bikes are very secure on it.

You really should have an isolator between batteries. Batteries in parallel seem to kill each other. Had a 1979 0ldsmobile Diesel with 2 big batteries in parallel. they didn't last long and GM changed to a single battery. I dont have an isolator between my car and trailer so I disconnect when parked for a significant length of time. You can get marine switches that can choose either battery or both.

Spare tire mounted underneath at the back. Better weight distribution, more road clearance and absolutely no fishtailing. Left Wakefield Quebec at 4:00 AM March 1 and was in Raleigh NC (1450 KM) same day, but tired. Tampa Florida next afternoon. No sway, all the way.