I did not know where to post this but I think this might be a good spot to get some good feedback. I am in the market for a trailer but I really don't know much about them. I know I want a 6X10. My tow vehicle is a Nissan Pathfinder. I have heard to stay away from leaf spring suspension because it is really tough on the trailer and everything inside.

Good/bad trailer companies?
Options to get?
Options to stay away from?
V-nose(is it worth the extra money)?
Steel/Aluminum?

Any opinions at all about trailers would really help. I just need to educate myself on what I should be looking for before I go shopping for one.

Thanks,
Tony

I always try to get a V-nose. Better on gas mileage and gives you an extra foot or two to put some shelving.

Just remember if you think you want a 6x10 then get a 6x12 or larger. You'll outgrow a trailer fast

I hear what you are saying about the size but my funds are pretty limited and I think a 6X10 is plenty right now.

Tony, there's an RCU thread on trailers still active. Here is the link
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_11...trailer/tm.htm

I bought a 5 x 10 trailer (CM Trailers) a couple of years ago. Its worked out well for me. Its set up to carry two GS warbirds, a couple of smaller warbirds, and field equipment. I recommend a front door and torsion bar suspension.

Brian

I hear ya there. I bought a 6X10 a few years back and now I wish I would have got a 6X12 vee nose instead.

I have a 6 x 12 flat front, single axle Haulmark trailer that I bought used from another modeler several years ago. Works great and rides well but if I were going to buy a new trailer, I would buy one with a V front. I also pull much heavier boat and stock car trailers with my full size Chevy truck and at speed, my light weight airplane trailer pulls the hardest because of that flat front. Yes, you want torsion bar suspension and a front side door is a requirement ... at least for me. I think if my trailer had a V front, I could get by with a 6 x 10 but when I went to look at trading my trailer for a smaller one, I couldn't justify the cost difference when the only disadvantage of mine is the wind resistance.

There are many good brands out there (both regional and national) and most of the aluminum skin over wood and steel frame trailers are build in a similar manner. All aluminum trailers are a waste of money in my opinion because we're not hauling much weight. A heavier steel framed trailer probably rides better. Again, wind resistance is more of an issue than weight.

As for options, just go look and find something you like. I prefer rear doors that swing to the side, some prefer a single door that lowers to a ramp. Get the best latches they offer. Some trailers will have lots of diamond plate, some will be plain. Light colors are much cooler inside than dark ones. Oh yes, because of our low weight, I use good automotive radial tires to help improve the ride. Best part about my trailer is that full coverage insurance costs less than $20 / yr.

Let us know what you decide on.

This is good advice from Truckracer.

Buying options installed is cheaper than doing it yourself. I visited my local dealer, looking for some air vents. He took me out to look at a lot model, with them installed. I was quite surprised to see that the trailer was optioned similarly to what I had done to mine. The cost was $300 less than what I had invested by doing it myself !

I bought a 6X12 V nose last year. It works good BUT all of the fun was sucked out watching the odometer and the gas gauge in a race. I figure that if I need more than 2 planes at an event then I'm having a really bad day and shouldn't have more [:-]

I decided to build my own trailer. Road tested it yesterday. It's 42" wide and high and 10' long so I can haul my 40% or several smaller planes. The $ I'll save in gas (especially if it goes back up) will more than pay for the $ I've invested. + I wont be skipping events because it just costs to much to go...

I thought of making a few of them and selling them in the 15-16 hundred range or the smaller 8' in the 14 range..

I had to build my own on a harbor freight frame. My truck was costing me too much to drive, F350 dually. Its 10'l x 4'w x 3'h and clamp shell type top opening. Weighs less than 500lbs fully loaded for flying and is towed with a honda civic. I still get 27mpg while I'm towing the trailer and 31mpg without the trailer. Cost me about $650 to build. The suspension is too stiff but not any worse than my truck. Later I can get a torsion bar axle to soften it up some.
Edwin

Looks nice! I thought about going with the harbor frieght but decided on another trailer frame that i found that was heavy duty. I found a place to get thin metal for the box too.. Worked out pretty good.

I really like mine, it is a Legend and basically all aluminum V nose 7 X 15. It is more trailer than i really need but couldn't pass it up. It pulls easy behind a Silverado SS with a 6.0 liter. Roof vent, spare tire and some interior lighting are about all the options it has. The roof vent and spare tire are the real needs. The interior lighting is nice but i do not use it much. The rear door does drop down ramp style and as i am getting older really appreciate the benefit of not having to step up in to the trailer with a GS plane. The larger planes can even be pulled up the ramp if you would like.

Yours is similar to mine, but a foot longer and dual axles.

I, too, like the ramp. It makes access so much easier.

Mine is wired so that the vehicle charges my flight battery. The flight battery operates the interior lighting. The wing and fuselage racks easily fold out of the way, when not in use.

How's this for packing a 6' x 12' trailer...


NICK

Well, it is packed. That's for sure.
Sunny_B

Is that a trailer or a warehouse? One thing about it, things can't move around very much.

My 2 cents:

I've been pulling this 6 X 12 with a Tahoe for the last several years. One foot extra tall, side door.

Soft-ride torsion bar supension makes a big difference for trailers, as they bounce on rough roads more than a vehicle, and a spring suspension can really beat your planes up.

I have it fitted with a heavily-built 2 ft wide work bench, drawers, vice, etc. up front, and I experimented with several fancy set-ups for the back 10', but settled on two big removable shelves, so (counting the floor) I can carry two large and one medium-sized planes fully assembled. Interior lighting and external 120v power plug are very important, for charging and tools.

I shuddered at Jon's comment that if you need more than two planes at an event, you probably shouldn't be flying the third one. All Too True!

However, friends and I will share the trailer, go to the same event and we disassemble and pad-pack the planes to fit more. This helps reduce the pain of the horrible gas mileage I get (Tahoe drops from 16 mpg freeway to 9 mpg pulling the trailer!). I don't know if the V-front would help with mpg. Doesn't sound like it listening to jonkoppisch.


mt

Of course the larger trailer is the v nose but once i get over around 50 I can really feel the wind drag. I guess it's not so bad if I'm going to an event, but just going to the field to fly (23 miles) it sucks a lot of gas! With the small trailer, it's not a big decision about whether or not to take a big plane. Now I can throw it in and go and not feel like I need to take out a loan to get to the field

jonkoppisch,
What kind of frame did you use with that metal covering, wood? I'm thinking about building another in a few years and making it lighter. Just wondering about durability the metal covering would provide. Also the seams. What kind of trim did you use. The lid on my box weighs about 45lbs. Not a problem now but when I get a lot older I'll need a different type of trailer. My current box is 1x2 frame with 1/4" floor under layment found at the hardware stores. Its still pretty durable after 2 years of use.
Edwin

My trailer is a 5' x 10' work in progress. I stole the idea of sliding trays from one of my flying buddies and I like them a lot. These are removable which allows me to still use the trailer for the semi-annual trip to the landfill with yard waste, transport a motorcycle or to haul 4' x 8' sheets of whatever from Home Depot. And, yes, it has the obligatory torsion bar suspension which is a must-have in my mind.

This is a walk-in trailer which has the advantage of interior volume but really makes for a LOT of aerodynamic drag as it is much taller than my truck and has the flat front. Though the trailer is light in weight it costs me 10 - 12 miles per gallon. Knowing what I know now I would have bought a Vee-nose with less height.

Does anyone know if there are any body kits available to help streamline the front of a trailer like mine?

Al

kram

Curious, was that picture with the dog taken at the Newton SkyKings field. Dog looks like the famous old "MOON" dog! If so, he has been gone for several years now and was replaced by the pop and water bottle chewing "Orion".

Not sure if your trailer is the same size as my 6 x 12 or not. I can easily stand up in mine when the shelf is removed. I have a single shelf at about the half height level and it is fixed. It is notched in the front ... only half width from the rear of the door forward which makes loading easier. Everything gets tied down or is well padded with moving blankets of foam padding if not tied. I once saw a load of airplanes that were not tied down after it went down several miles of bad road. I learned from that scene the importance of securing everything.

I've pulled my trailer with a Silverado PU and now a GMC Sierra ... both had toppers. Mileage drops about 5-6 MPG with the trailer at highway speeds .... usually 75 mph. The GMC still gets about 13-14 MPG which isn't too bad considering the number of airplanes and equipment that can be hauled. I've always thought a V front trailer would pull easier but for what it would cost me to trade trailers, I can buy a whole lot of gas!

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