Time for a New Trailer

[BobM]

Rain Delay !

Got the partitions in for the main wing panels up on the top shelf. 2 dividers....shorter panels on the far right that are 8' long or less and longer panels up to about 11' 9" in the middle. The far left side is for the fuselage plank that will hold the Arcus and Fox fuselages for now.....easy enough to change out the mounts for different fuselages up to about 11' 9" in length there (the width of that section is about 16" wide, so just about any fuselage or pair of smaller fuselages will fit, or it can be used for more wing panels if needed).

I used 1" aluminum angle that is 1/8" thick as an upper brace. The aluminum is attached to the inside roof rails of the trailer with self tapping metal screws (#8 3/4"). Should hold very well.

The bottoms of the dividers have 2" screws coming up through the floor of the shelf into the base of the dividers. Screws were put in every foot. This should secure them very well and keep everything nicely in place.

The PVC pipe arrived today and I started some preliminary measurements for making cradles for the fuselages. The Duo Discus X and the ASH 31mi will need some sections of the 12" in the from and then 4" or 6" to hold the rear down. Looks like it will work very well.

I found some great foam pad at EMS that is used as a sleeping pad underneath sleeping bags. The pad is 6' long and about 24" wide, good density, but it will absorb pressure well. This will be contact cemented to the PVC cradles once the shape and size of each is finalized. On the rear mount I'll have side flaps come out to wrap around the fuselage and protect it from the velcro strap (no need for the on the center mount as the velcro goes through the wing root and the front support doesn't use velcro).

When the storm breaks here I'll get back out and finish things up with everything and get some pictures taken as requested.

[BobM]

Ok....some pictures.... finally !

Got back to work after the rain storm and making more progress.

Here are some pictures of what is completed so far:



Bottom slding base and upper shelf installed. Tie downs for the Bidule 170 are also in place. I used wood blocks shaped as chocks and velcro for securing the Bidule 170.



Front wheel



Rear mains.

These should hold everything pretty well.

[BobM]

Next set....



Here is the typical method I attached the wing panel dividers. In the upper right of the panel is the 1" aluminum angle stock that is 1/8" thick. Attached to the inside roof rails with self tapping metal screws and then 2" screws through the bottom of the shelf into the divider. There are 2 of these for the panels. The open space shown is for the fuselage plank.



Starting to put in the airframes and check the spacing of everything....so far it all fits. The sides will have attachment points for wing tips, stabs, and other misc. parts in the lower area where the sliding base and majority of fuselages are placed. Trying to use the space as effectively as possible and leave room for other things if needed.



Sliding base extended to show approximate placement of all the fuselages. They are not set on their bases yet, but getting those in place later tonight so all the main components are secured.

[JimD]

Momma and her peeps! 😉

[BobM]

Here is the PVC pipe that I ordered.......1 ft sections of 4", 6", 8", 10", and 12" diameter for making the cradles:



I started working on the 12" diameter for the largest sailplanes, the Duo Discus X and the ASH 31mi. There will be 2 forward supports on the Duo Discus X and 1 forward support for the ASH 31mi out of the 12" diameter.



I'll put a large diameter radius on each of the corners, sand and finish them and then use heavy duty contact cement to attach the foam pad material I found at EMS.

More pictures later tonight/tomorrow once I have it about complete.

[Stew2]

Great work Bob!! Loading and unloading must have very specific sequences. I know one thing I have to keep an eye on is what to do if a rain storm comes in quickly. My trailer does not pack quickly and if I get caught in the rain..... Looks like the Bidule wings and tail go in the car or do you have some magic fairy dust that miniaturizes them? Looking forward to seeing you in Cumberland,

[lenb]

Wonderful job Bob,
Horizon contacted me and want to send you to China to show them how to pack planes in boxes.

The inside walls on the bottom section are screaming to have wings hung on them.

Keep up the good work.

[BobM]

Jim, Scot, and Len....many thanks for the comments.......your thoughts are always very helpful !

Scot, the Bidule goes on last and is the first to come off from the bottom sliding base, other than that everything can stay or be removed in any order desired. The sliding base does have to be extended to get out the panels and other parts that are going to be stored on the lower side panels with velcro straps. These can go in or out as needed.

My logic is the Bidule should be the first airframe assembled and the last to go back in when I am at events.....have it ready for service right away in case a tow pilot is needed.

All the sailplanes will have two 2" velcro straps to secure them on their bases......easy to get one out anytime and pull panels from the upper bins.

The open space on sliding base (on the right side next to the Ventus 2c fuselage) is where I am going to make a box or hold down system for the wing tips. I have a couple ideas and I am certain I'll make it work........it's still a mystery to me how I'm going to do it yet, but it will all work out in the end.

I'm thinking of using 2" velcro strap material to hold the wing panels of the Bidule to the sides along with the tail panel and fins........plenty of space and I can easily get inside the lower area to put them in and out with the sliding base in the extended position. Kind of a 3D puzzle in a way, not quite as easy to load and unload, but it is a way to use the space as effectively as possible.

Worked on the fuselage cradles for a while last night. The PVC pipe seems to be excellent for the task. Having the different diameters works really well. I'll finish those and install them this morning. Pictures of that and the rest of the work later today or tonight.

[Swiss1]

I like the use of the PVC sections Bob.

[Sinkhappens86]

Scot, I solved the "getting caught in the rain" issue... Just buy a really large tarp!

[Swiss1]

Ditto the tarp Kevin!

[BobM]

Making good progress. Got the majority of the major work finally completed today. I have the fuselage mounts all in place and now just need to finish up with the velcro hold downs that I am going to install on the lower compartment walls and add a wing tip box on the sliding base.

It got dark out and made it difficult to get pictures tonight, but I'll be sure to take some and post tomorrow.

When I had closed everything up for the night I started to look at placement of some graphics on the outside of the trailer........using the small version of the logo below I began to work out where the large version will go and the layout for it.......one logo on each side in the rear I think..........fun to be starting to think about this part of the build.......finally close to finished up.



Thought I was going to have everything completed by Tuesday or Wednesday........I guess I need to work on my time estimation skills a bit lol !

[JimD]

How to estimate the time it takes to do a job.

For example...If you think a job will take 5 minutes...

Double the number, so 5 becomes 10...

Then go to the next increment of time, so minutes becomes hours.

Therefore:

A 5 minute job actually takes 10 hours to complete!

A 1 hour job actually takes 2 days to complete!

A 2 day job actually takes 4 weeks to complete!

A 4 week job actually takes 8 months to complete!

[lenb]

Another way :

The job will be done shortly after its completed.

[Swiss1]

A job is done when it's done correctly and precisely, irrelevant of time
Jeremy and Ben
SCCAAA TT TN

[BobM]

Continuing work here, almost have it completed......

Working on getting the side velcro hold downs inside the bottom of the trailer set today. Should be able to hold all my horizontal stabs, all the wing tips, and the main wing panels for the ASH 31mi......if I place things just right. Kind of a giant scale 3D puzzle here, but somehow it all works in the end.

Lots of space there, just have to work out how it fits best.



Looks a bit crowded, but actually everything does fit and is accessible......



I have the main wing panels for the ASH 31mi on the left and the Bidule 170 horizontal/vertical stab on the right.

Velcro 1 1/2" straps are attached at the top with plywood plates and screws. The velcro strap is sandwiched bewteen the side wall and the ply plate, with the plate screwed into place with 4 screws. The straps are also secured below the top with screws so the components can't swing away from the side wall toward the center.

The straps wrap around the various parts/components and secure them vertically and horizontally...this should keep things from shifting while on the road. The main wing panels have 5 straps to distribute the weight. The Bidule tail has 3 straps. The velcro overlaps over itself the full width of each component, which should be very secure and prevent them from releasing by accident.

It's actually pretty easy to get in where the velcro hold downs are set on the sides with the sliding base extended out.



Wing tips and horizontal stabs will also go in this area, just have to sort out final placement of them.

I'll post pictures of all the details after I finish things up this afternoon.

[Stew2]

Looks fantastic Bob! You're fitting a ton of stuff in there! Does hanging the wings/tail on the side walls secure them well from shifting forward during breaking or a sudden stop? I stapled 1 1/2" foam to the front wall to cushion the forward slides... Will the Bidule wings end up in the trailer? Great job figuring out all the stacking and racking. It is funny how it ends up being so much of a gut feel thing to decide where to start and how to place stuff.

[BobM]

HI Scot,

I used multiple straps that hold the parts on the right, left, and center on the tail of the Bidule. It won't be able to slide either way. The parts are also in protective padded covers to cusion them in case they push against anything. Should be pretty secure.

The wings are in my top right wing compartment, this is my shallow one that is only 8' deep. These are with the Ventus 2c and MDM Fox panels as they are all 8' or less in length.

The center wing compartment is for the longer main wing sections and is 11' 9" deep. I have the Duo Discus X and Arcus main panels in that section.

I have some 2" and 3" egg crate foam. I'll be using some of the 3" on the front wall and also some of this on the door in the rear. This should help with any of the panels sliding. I also make pieces of this foam as "stuffers" for the shorter panels. I pu the long panels in place, then take the extra foam and stuff it down the open area for the shorter panels to hit up against. Helps keept things in place where I can get to them.

I found the wing tip panels are best in their protective covers and then used velcro wrap to hold the set of them together. I made a ply plate that is attached to the sliding base next to the fuselages and have 3 velcro straps that wrap around and keep everything secured. This should make them easy to access and also protect them (and the curved end tips) well.

Taking some detail pictures of everything today as I wrap the project up for now, I'll post this afternoon or tonight to show the details.

Here is a pic of the finishing touch:


Wouldn't be a sailplane trailer without the graphics !

[Stew2]

Looks great Bob!! Glad that it all fits in there, somewhere. somehow... Time to relax and pack the rest of the amenities for Cumberland. See you there!!

​Scot