Tom:
Here's my 2 cents, having tried a 24ft. enclosed, an 18 ft. enclosed, a tilt
bed open, and now a 20 ft. enclosed.
1. I overloaded the 24 footer...had too much damn room and I took
everything..even a 55 gal drum of race gas....duh...what was I thinking???
Got rid of it...it was too damn big and too damn heavy, but would haul almost
anything. Needed a 3/4 ton Suburban to even pull it. It was named, "THE
MOTHER SHIP"
2. Downsized to a custom made 18ft. Braco. It was nice...I liked the 18 ft
size with my Locort...left enough room in front for a work/storage area, it
was reasonably light, and still hauled the pit bike and spares just
fine...but also see below comments on the 20 footer.
3. Went for a used tilt-bed (Texas roll back style) open trailer. It was
trick and nice, I refinished/reubuilt it to match my Tahoe and was very
classy. The tilt bed was a pain in the butt on anything but perfectly flat
ground...would bind and not release easily for unloading...also had the car
unhook one time and watched it roll away as I tilted the bed...fortunately,
there was plenty of room behind and nothing to hit. Not enough secure
storage space in the Tahoe and race car. And a pain in the but to
load/unload every race weekend.
4. Now have a nice, but economical 20 footer. 20 ft. is the PERFECT size
for resale. It fits most cars, where a 16 ft. or 18 ft. might be too small.
Has plenty of extra room and not too much extra weight.
Some considerations for your enclosed trailer...
1. Focus on light weight...makes it handle better, get better gas mileage,
performance, speed up hills, etc. Weigh everything you put in, check your
tongue weights, and balance your load. DON"T CARRY MORE THAN YOU NEED! If
you spec one out, DON"T get wood or panelling on the inside. Spend the extra
$$ and get white aluminum sheets (like the outside covering). It insulates
well and is MUCH lighter than wood, especially damp/wet wood.
2. Make sure you have secure hinges, locks, latches. You'll undoubtedly end
up staying at some seedy motel someday and will want your car and tools
protected.
3. Once you have an enclosed trailer to keep your car in, you'll never go
back to the horrible ritual of loading and unloading all that crap every race
weekend. I had forgotten how important this was when I went from enclosed to
open...I've gone back. Just park it Sunday night, go open a beer and crash
in front of the TV!
4. Don't overload it with workbenches and cabinets. Use lightweight
everything inside. Those wire metal white powder coated shelves for closets
make great storage shelves inside your trailer. They're light, secure, and
you can easily tie stuff down on them with bungeee cords. Mount them upside
down with the lip UP to secure plastic containers storing all your STUFF.
5. You can carry a spare, but if you're smart, go for a trailer that uses
the same wheel bolt pattern and roughly the same size as your tow
vehicle....carry some tire plugs, and a 12V compressor, just in
case...better, easier, lighter, cheaper than a spare.
6. Buy a product called a "Trailer Aid". Its a plastic ramp for jacking up
any trailer wheel..just back the good wheel up on it. VERY USEFUL.
7. Carry spare bearings/seals with you.
8. Don't put an awning on your trailer...there are many times when you can't
park it so its useful. Just carry a good EZ Up.
9. If you need extra storage, buy one of those aluminum truck tool storage
boxes and bolt in on the tongue. Don't overload it with heavy stuff, though.
Good place to carry the messy stuff, like the oil drain pan, the extra oil,
jack stands, etc.
10. Depending on your trailer size, weight, and tow vehicle, you might try
going without a load transfer hitch. Had one on the 24 ft. and 18 ft., but
am going without on the 20 ft. They're heavy and a pain in the ass come
hookup/unhook time. I seem to be OK without it.
11. An electric tongue jack is money well spent! But get one with a
mechanical override for when it takes a dump.
12. After you've outfitted your trailer and know where everything goes, then
decide whether you should load the car forwards, or backwards to load
balancing. An electric winch is helpful if you have a closed car and find it
hard to get in and out inside the trailer...or if heaven forbid, the car
breaks at the race track and has no power to drive itself in.
13. The enclosed trailer makes a great driver's lounge, changing area,
hospitality area during the race, when its raining, or extremely hot out.
14. A plastic bucket, some oil dry, and a trash bag inside your trailer can
serve as a port-a-potty when the situation is grim elsewhere!
15. And my wife REQUIRED a mirror in the trailer so she could check her make
up.
Hope you find these hints helpful....;-)
Regards,
Myles H. Kitchen
1965 Lotus Cortina Mk1 #128
/// unsubscribe/change address requests to majordomo@autox.team.net or try
/// http://www.team.net/mailman/listinfo
/// Archives at http://www.team.net/archive/vintage-race
|