[Anchorman]

Update:



The reason for all of this is that we've registered for a two-day Chin Motorsports DE event at VIR for December 6/7. All crew is invited - and as much beer as can be safely consumed will be made available to non-drivers.



It looks like a trailer deal is about to be done - and this is one heck of a trailer. Two years old, 45' overall length with a gooseneck, black, more details to follow. Since the tow truck is black, and the two cars that will be hauled are black, it's going to look like this was planned. The trailer is near Portland, Maine, so I'll probably drive up in a week or two to pick it up. We're picking up the tow vehicle on Saturday, and I want to put a few miles on it to make sure all is OK before making the drive to get the trailer.



I have to admit - this is pretty exciting. My wife is concerned that what had been two events a year is on the verge of a significant expansion. I'm justifying this with the value of the father/son bonding experience.

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[flash]

make sure you look at and smell the trans fluid before hitching up - change if it's old, dirty, or smelly



does the truck have the trailer brake controller? this is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY - call me for details



when towing this thing for the first time, GO SLOW!!! try a few slow speed short stops - see how she handles - give yourself TONS of room for stopping - stop a couple of times early on and check things out



check the air in the trailer tires too - they heat up just like car tires, so set accordingly - big difference in handling and braking when they are right

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[Anchorman]

All very good, and welcomed, suggestions - thanks.



There's a slight possibility that this deal will not come through, and we've gotten a line on another, but I'm concerned that it might be a little too short. It has 30' of flat bed before the riser for the gooseneck. According to the 968 specs, the 968 is about 14'3". That leaves 15'9" for my son's Maserati plus space between the cars and the car ends and the trailer. I've just asked my son to check the length of his car, but...how much space would you recommend for the three "gaps"? Thanks.

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[flash]

at least 6" for each - this presumes that you have a totally flat bed (no beavertail), and that you can really tighten down the straps - while the car doesn't really move once it's all tied down, the first few miles can sees a bit of shift, requiring a "re-snug" on the straps - if you are bumper to bumper, you're gonna see contact and potentially damage



i prefer to have at least a foot between the car and anything else, just in case a strap comes loose - it gives the other 3 some cushion to still do the job - i've had the car move 6" when a strap tore, even with the brake on and it in gear, 3 other straps in place, and the torn one not completely torn



also, remember that placement determines weight distribution - this will play into how well the trailer tows - the fact that it's a gooseneck helps tremendously, but not having the ability to shift the cars fore and aft to find a good balance limits how well you can make it tow



also, no extra trailer room means no cool gear in the trailer - i just installed cabinets up front to hold tools, a jack, the air tank, coveralls, yada yada - a couple of feet goes a long way, but without it, i'd have stuff piled all over the place



i think i would go at least 34.5'



speaking of straps - load ratings are important - 2" minimum on the straps and they EACH need to be rated AT LEAST twice the weight of the car

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[DiREW0LF]

Have you calculated what the whole rig is going to weigh when fully loaded?

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[flash]

lol - yeah - that'll put the fear of god back into you

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[DiREW0LF]

I wasn't even thinking about that (but it is pretty scary).



I don't think it'll be over, but if you break 25K lbs you'll need a CDL.



truck - 8,000

trailer- 8,000-10,000

cars - 6000

tools-??

misc stuff-???



It adds up pretty quickly.

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[Anchorman]

I was not aware of the overall total weight limitation - and I also didn't think the empty trailer was in that weight range. I'll get into that immediately and make sure we're not going down an unmanageable path - thanks.



The target trailer is an overall 45' length, so having sufficient flat bed for the two cars and more stuff than I can (currently) imagine wouldn't be an issue. Others are smaller and raised the question of space.



More later...thanks much.

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[DiREW0LF]

I just double checked and its anything over 26,001lbs that you need a CDL for.

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[flash]

trailer won't be that heavy - a 36' should be about 5k - two car and junk, another 7k - trunck probably just under 6k - that's good for 18k - well under the 26k for the license

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[Anchorman]

That's pretty much where my estimating is coming out - but I have my son checking weights on his car and the trailer, just to be safe. This would be an unpleasant surprise, so better safe than sorry.



Flash, maybe you didn't see an email I sent earlier today, so I'll raise the same questions here - in that way, all readers can benefit. What I wrote was: "Hey, Bob, can you tell me a little more about the nose piece and the trim tabs you have on your trailer?



"When I was on the Turnpike earlier today, I saw a rig similar to what we'll have, and they had a wind deflecting wing on top of the truck cab. What's your opinion? I can't imagine that the nose piece and the wing would be needed - one or the other - but does one do a better job than the other?"



Ah - just got your answer, thanks.

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[Anchorman]

OK, I just did some searching on Airtabs. Did you put them on the top and sides of your trailer? (Silly, but I haven't figured out how to buy them - the web sites are not particularly well done. I guess a phone call to the 800 number will be the next step.)

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[flash]

top and sides, yes

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[mikeo]

I loaded the trailer today and took some pictures for posterity. Here is 'ole 52 half way in. This is a one man operation so I winch it and go SLOW. The ramp extensions are from Buffalo Speed



   



This shows the crossed straps in the rear. They are hooked to Autometrics rings that are on the lower shock mount. This provides lateral as well as forward motion restraint. I ordered this trailer with a 3/8 plywood on top of the standard deck. I cut away the 3/8ths and dropped in the logistics track so it is essentially flush with the floor. The shiny material on either side of the track is aluminum sheet used as trim. This is easier to see in the second following picture



   

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[mikeo]

   



   



Up front I used the "Intercity Lines" wheel straps. These strap the tire to the track and easily avoid contact with the lowered car.



   

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[mikeo]

Here's a close-up of the roller at the front of the front tire followed by one of the anchor at the rear of the same tire. All of the crap is from the acorns (not ACORNs). They are all over!



   



   



More shots of the winch out and winch stowed. Notice that the car is all of the way to the back of the trailer and the two sets of tires are all of the way back too. I had to do this to get an acceptable tongue weight with or without the car on board. The chain = suspenders. I had the chain, OK? I might leave the back door open one day <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



   



   







   



And finally, here's the complete rig. I really want to go to VIR, Barber, and some other far away places. I see a diesel in my future. For this weekend its Roebling Road in Savannah.



   

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[Anchorman]

VERY HELPFUL, Mike - thanks. I note that you have D-rings, at least in the rear, but don't use them. Is there a specific reason? The tire straps are interesting, I wasn't aware of that method. The shock mount rings are also a helpful piece of information. I don't know if the trailer we're getting has a winch - I can certainly see that being helpful for a one-man operation. Since it's highly likely that this trailer will always be used by my son and I at the same time, hopefully we can drive the cars in safely.

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[mikeo]

Glad to be able to help. Here's another trailer for you to look at. 45' goose



The D-rings? I used them until I got the track installed.

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[flash]

i almost went with the track, but i didn't want to interrupt the floor - not sure if i went the right way or not, but the d-rings are working - i did have to think that out though, as they sure don't provide the flexibility the track does - i may yet go to track



by the way - nice trailer - all the bells and whistles - love all the floor cubbies and the power tap - nice - i'm still working those out on mine - i thought about a rollaway instead of my cabinets, but doesn't the tool box make the tongue really heavy, or does the v-nose set it back far enough that it offsets that?



what rating did you end up with on the winch?



on that - jim - absolutely get a winch - a scenario that makes this obvious - blown clutch - how do you get the car in the trailer without a clutch or worse without propulsion? if you think it's going to be easy, try pushing the car up into the trailer just once - you'll run right down and buy a winch - get a good one too - i am headed down to buy a new one, having tried and burned up the cheapy from harbor freight



we are such geeks

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[mikeo]

The tongue is HEAVY, that's why the tires are in the back. Being a geek, I had done weight and balance calculations for all of the possible loading conditions and this is the arrangement I liked best. The winch is, I believe, a 1500 lb rating. I only expect it to roll a car on or off. If it can't roll, I'm calling a flatbed (after I have a good cry).



I'm on my way now, be back by Monday.

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