Small Trailers

[lenb]

Congratulations Kevin... As Steve always says, WELCOME TO THE RIGHT LANE CLUB,

Nice looking Decathlon, with FLAPS non the less.

See you at the field!!!

[Sinkhappens86]

Thanks Len! Hoping to have it ready for go for Cumberland, we'll see how much work interferes...

[Sinkhappens86]

Trailer is finally ready for hauling airplanes! Everything is in and it's ready for a short trial run this weekend! Really happy with how it turned out. Thanks everyone for the help and suggestions.

[Stew2]

The trailer I have is a bit smaller than Kevin's trailer at 4x10. it is the same size trailer that Bob Morrow has and is currently for sale. My trailer does not have the forward side cargo door though and that makes utilizing the forward space in the trailer a bit more challenging. This has been dealt with by others by building large pull out boxes. Not a bad solution at all, especially if you are carrying just sailplanes which can lend themselves to packing that way very well. But, I want to carry a tow plane as well, and of course, not just a medium sized tow plane, but a big Bidule at that. So, comes the problem how to fit 50 lbs. of Bidule in a 10 lbs. trailer...



Could get a bit challenging:



Thankfully TopModel has done a nice job in breaking down the airframe into manageable pieces and especially the removable horizontal stabilizer with fins.



My packing method is based on having mounting boards that the major components can be secured to and then slid in place in the trailer and secured down. Not as convenient as a full hangar sized trailer, but it can still work well. For stuffing the Bidule in the trailer, I start with the horizontal stab assembly. The travel board has mounting points just like it mounts on the fuselage with a little support under each fin. Here is the stab travel board.



With the stab mounted and ready to be packed in the trailer.



So, in it goes to be slid forward. I use a common theme for mounting the travel boards of a simple tongue and slot idea on the forward end of the board and hand screws on the aft end that screws into a blind nut in the floor of the trailer.



You can see guides on the floor of the trailer to remove any need for having to see the front end of the travel board to align it with a slot in the forward end of the trailer. Here is the stab slid forward and locked down with a hand screw.



The box compartment on the left side of the trailer is for the wings. Until I get a proper set of wing bags, I am using some bubble insulation to protect between the wings. So the wings slide in their compartment:





To be continued....

[Stew2]

The wing compartment is lined with bubble insulation for protection and the second wing panel slides in next to the first:





To keep the wings from working their way back in the trailer due to bumps and the Indy-car type acceleration that is necessary to speed our way to all aero-tow events..... A simple cross bar with foam on the wing side is installed. The cross bar has a metal pin on the trailer wall end and another hand screw on the middle end.



Now that the wings are in, time to get the fuselage in. The travel board for the fuse is simply a board with wheel chocks and some tie-down provisions. First the travel board is set in the trailer opening.



Then the Bidule fuse is placed on top and secured. It has to travel with the canopy hatch removed, which isn't a big deal as it has to be off for field assembly anyway.





Again, the whole assembly is slid forward and secured with hand screws.



If you had noticed the rather odd configuration of a shelf on the right hand side of the trailer, well, that is for sailplane #3, probably the most important one to bring, as it will hold Dan's ASW-20.



It too works on the travel board theme, but needs a removable end support to allow the Bidule gear to slide by/under: More hand screws... They are a little tedious to install, but with the blind nuts in the trailer floor, installed from underneath the trailer, they give an unobstructed floor to slide things in and out.



So there you have it: 50 lbs. of Bidule in a 10 lbs. trailer:



To be finished....

[Stew2]

And just to prove that the little trailer that could, can, and does hold a decent amount of sailplanes. Here it is packed with a 6.6m Arcus, a 6.6m Antares and the 4.75m ASW-20 (which by the way is the same size as a 6m Ventus).. So, I think it is pretty good to be able to stuff those three gliders in along with the Bidule 170,



I haven't finalized the canopy hatch hold down system yet, but it seems like it could fit on the bottom left.



For the long top compartments, the challenge is being able to utilize the forward most space. One of the top compartments is used for the main wing panels, and that works well with some thick foam on the front trailer wall and the panels slid all the way in. A little extra foam between the wing panels and they are good for not sliding around. The challenge lies with the top compartment used for the tip panels. I tackled that with a simple drawer that can slide in and out. Once loaded with tip panels and horizontal stabs, the drawer is pushed forward with a push stick and pulled back out with a draw string from para-chord. Pretty simple:







So, is it as convenient as a larger walk-in sized trailer? No. Does it take a little more time to pack and unpack? Yes. Do I have a tow vehicle big enough for a large trailer? No, so we all work with what we have and make our choices. At least you can see that a good amount of aero-tow toys can be hauled in a small, light trailer. And one of the biggest advantages is when I get frustrated trying to back the trailer up straight, I just unhook it and push it there.... See you soon!!

Scot

[ARUP]

Nice work! I have to get my trailer organized so like seeing these posts!

[Swiss1]

Nice work Scott, a great utilization of space. I have two suggestions, I think you do not need the brace behind the wing box, reason being that I find all items move forward in transport no matter how fast you accelerate! Secondly you could use the rear left or right hand wall to anchor you canopy and use the floor for radio and tool boxes etc. Just my thoughts

Jeremy and Ben
SCCAAA TT TN

[lenb]

OH NO !!!!

You forgot the transmitter!!!!

[Xroadie]

Scot....nie job on the trailer! Where did you get those "hand screws"? I secure my gliders in my Sprinter van in a similar fashion. I have been using eye-bolts that I can tighten by hand...they also can also use as a tie-down...in a pinch.... but I like your "hand screws " better! Instead of t-nuts that you insert from underneath I use these threaded inserts, they hold as well as a t-nut but are inserted from the top.

[Stew2]

All the hand screws are 3/8-16 x 1 1/2 inches long. They all came from Lowes. I couldn't find any place else that have ones that long. I haven't looked, but I bet McMaster Carr has them also.

Thanks for the idea of getting the canopy/hatch off the floor to have space for a flight box. I'll work on that. I'm to chicken to put the transmitters in the trailer though.

[JimD]

Nice work Scott, I see a few good ideas I can borrow for my trailer! 😎

[BobM]

Really nice work Scot.........I need to take some lessons from you on using space effectively !

Lots of great ideas that work really well.

[Stew2]

Thanks Jim, Thanks Bob,

I could probably fit one more sailplane in that is the size of the ASW-20, but it would really become a dance of who who would have to come out to get whoever out next, etc and I'll be honest, if I'm at an event and I bruise or batter one sailplane, I'll be ok with flying a second, but if I do that to the second, I'm not so sure I'd be interested in pulling out a third or a fourth, etc. I'm going to try to stay out of that fraternity....

It doesn't come close to the 5+ sailplanes that you (Bob) can fit in yours, but the Bidule sure fills the hole!! I'm looking forward to running with what I have here for this year and then improving from there. Notice, Len, I said improving, not up-sizing... Though I do think that the smartest sized "small trailer" is 5 x 5 x 10, which, I think, is what Kevin and Steve have.

Scot

[lenb]

I'll keep my eye out for a larger trailer for you Scot.