Transportating airplanes

[James Mills]

I'm thinking of picking up a small trailer for towing the planes and gear for contest, anyone else doing this?  I was at Harbor Freight yesterday and they have a couple of trailer kits and I think the smaller would do well.

Thanks,

James

[John Miller]

If I may, I would suggest taking a hard and close look at the cheaper Harbor Freight unit. On the surface, they should be fine, depending on the distances towed. Consider the unit with the largest wheels.

I was with Walter Umland when his unit broke a tow bar and flipped the rest of the trailer and the model box across two lanes of trafic a few years ago.

[Paul Taylor]

I know one of the guys with the NWFireballs has a nice trailer. But it is not a cheap one. Stick with one that has bigger wheels for sure. I think the small wheel tires are OK for short trips but no long hauls. That is just me and I have no data to back it up.

[Richard Grogan]

I agree with Paul. And the bigger tires will help on that stiff, leaf springed, suspension that will shake your motor mount bolts loose- with the harder small tires! I think the smaller wheel versions are for utility use, like working on a large lot /small farm kinda thing. I remember the pixs from Walter's mishap...

My .02 worth

[john e. holliday]

Ditto on the larger wheels.  I built a box for my little utility trailer to take planes to Dallas one year.  By the time I got home the covering was in shreads on all the built up planes.  Have fun,  DOC Holliday

[Rudy Taube]

Hi James,

In IMAC many of us use trailers to haul around our larger planes. With the smaller planes in CL I would think that making them "take-apart", at least the wing coming off, would be enough to fit a few of them into most cars, along with all the gear needed.

If they are not "take-apart" then a trailer is a good idea. The advice given here by others is excellent. If you are going to drive to contests you need a trailer made for highway speeds. There are many large new ones available for around $3,000 . You can go to one of the RC forums and find them for sale at less than this. You do need to be sure that any trailer you use has very light springs. Like Doc said, a normal trailer is built to carry several hundred+ pounds and will shake our small light CL models to death.

If you want to save $$, I would suggest you look at used small boat or a MC trailer. Building a small box should be easy and give you an inexpensive contest (highway) ready trailer.

I have a modeling friend that found a small camper trailer at a "very" low price. He has used it for years to haul his planes and gear. In this sad economy you may be able to get a good deal on one.

Good luck. Please keep us posted with your results. We can all learn from your success.

[bbaker]

I bought a 5'x8' enclosed trailer brand new for about 1500 dollars and have used it to haul my planes to whittier and eugene with no problems. all total I think I could fit about 11 planes in there with all the gear but so far the most ive had is six but no damage yet and I can toe it with my explorer which doesnt even know its there

[Matt Colan]

The Adamisin's have some sort of a trailer that I saw at Brodak this year.  Come on Dennis, I know you're out there!

[Ironbomb]

I think the trailers from Harbor freight dont have suspension. look closly before buying, it'll save you a return trip

Good luck 

Greg

[James Mills]

I think the trailers from Harbor freight dont have suspension. look closly before buying, it'll save you a return trip

Good luck 

Greg

Those that I saw had small leaf springs.  I won't be doing anything until next year, in the process of looking for another car to replace the one that broke down coming back from WSKI.

James

[dale gleason]

About a decade or so ago, we purchased a used boat trailer from DMAA that had been used to store the Carrier Deck on, I believe. In three weekends, Jim Kirby, Phil Dunlap, Mike Greb and myself constructed a 4x8 plywood box and bolted it onto the trailer frame. The "door" is hinged at the top and a recent modification was to add an aluminum angle piece across the bottom to support the weight of the door, rather than having the weight on the hinge. Left out in the elements, the original door finally rotted out and was replaced this year.  It has served well, from Dallas to the VSC a few times, to Wichita and Topeka annually. Notables such as Lew Wollard and Mike Greb have grabbed quick catnaps within the confines of this rig, with no known deleterous effects. It has been in use for about ten years. We had our house sided and got the contractor to cover the trailer with siding, it is some kind of painted sheet metal. As chronicled earlier, wearing the centres out of 12 inch tires was a problem, but was solved by using only 30 psi of air in the tyres. Never has a plane been damaged in transit, even through two blown out tyres. (Unlike modern air transport tyres, once the thread in the tread becomes visible, they are about ready to give up the ghost.) The key has been to seperate the planes, standing on their noses, with one to two inch foam rubber. Lots of it. The planes probably jostle around in there, but they never contact one another. Perhaps I will place a picture of it here soon.   dg

Addendum: there is at least two inches of foam rubber on the floor of the trailer, to cushion the airplanes' noses.

[dave siegler]

I think the problem with making a small light utility trailer is that they are sprung too stiff when unloaded or lightly loaded.

A loaded trailer will pull better than a unloaded one.  You have to get the springs compressed a little or it will rattle over the bumps.  A trailer with the correct springs for ht ewight won't bounce much. 

The more expensive enclosed trailers have good springs and are hevier and will work better. 

So decrease the air pressure in the tires (so the tires are the suspension), look for a trailer that has a weight rating close to where you expect to load it.   

[john e. holliday]

Don't ever run low tire presssure on a trailer unless you are looking for trouble.  Comong home fom the NATS we played havoc tryingto get a tir replaced.  It was on Melvin's MBS Model Supply trailer.  He now carries a spare.  I had a tire comw apart on my little trailer I haul my mower on and no spare either.  Had to leave everything in a ditch until I could get new tires.  Still looking for a spare as even HF didn't have my size rim.  Have fun,  DOC Holliday

PS:Only place I could find tires was Wally World way up north of Claycomo MO.  Still no spare.  jeh

[don Burke]

That's a good testimonial for having 13" wheels on a trailer, not too much of problem finding 13s.