The Rodding Roundtable
Motorhead Message Central => Rodder's Roundtable => Topic started by: Charlie Chops 1940 on July 30, 2007, 10:29:14 PM
New swap meet trailer - 7X16 low deck flat roof. Also of sufficient size to haul a compact orange roadster.
Charlie
Fine looking Whiskey Ridge Wagon... :D
Looks good. Now you need to get it ready for Kazoo.
You're right Jack. Right after Louisville, two garage doors to install, paint the '40, put in new glass, get Whiskey Ridge running....a long list but doing some of the trailer before K-zoo is right up there. I'd like to at least get the floor covered, some E-track and the storage dividers/tables done by then. I also need to find my load bar brackets in that mess I call a garage.
Not a bad looking rig, for a "geezer poster" child. Happy trails to you, da da, da da, da da.
Frankie, that's what comes from not hoarding your money :lol:
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: I'd forgotten about using your name and this popped up :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
kool, I need louvers punched
Quote from: "Crosley"kool, I need louvers punched
Can do, however the press is too tall for this trailer. Planned that way....
I'm gonna cover the walls with painted aluminum....maybe a few rows of louvers around the top foot or so would be cool.
Anyone on here ever equip a trailer with E-track tie-down strips? Any locating tips?
Charlie
Charlie, Do ya want them to tie down the roadster? If so we have a friend that pits next to us at the races that runs a sportmod and he has them sunk in the floor right under the tires and uses a single ratchet strap over the tires and sinches it down and it don't move a bit. He has had it that way for more than a couple of years and has had no problem with his and he travels quite a bit. I don't know just how he mounted them in the floor but I will ask him this comming Saturday night at the races and get back to you.
Bill
Oh by the way, NICE trailer 8)
Quote from: "Charlie Chops 1940"Quote from: "Crosley"kool, I need louvers punched
Can do, however the press is too tall for this trailer. Planned that way....
I'm gonna cover the walls with painted aluminum....maybe a few rows of louvers around the top foot or so would be cool.
Anyone on here ever equip a trailer with E-track tie-down strips? Any locating tips?
Charlie
I helped a friend of mine replace the ones in his 27' Pace trailer about a year ago. He hauls a legends car, and sometimes an ARCA car in there from time to time, and his 31 Sedan other times. His tracks are spaced 4' apart center to center, up to the recess for the spare tire. His are recessed into the floor and bolted down through the trailer floor. The ones he had in there were cheap aluminum. He got new steel ones from an outfit that reconditions tractor trailer boxes. They make a hitch ring with an e track attachment on it. He uses 2 in front, 2 in back, with ratchet straps around the axles, and never had a problem.
I guess you could router out a recess for them to fit in, leaving at least 1/2" of wood underneath, and every other hole use a bolt through the floor with wood screws in between. You'll be putting lateral strain on the bolts and screws, not vertical, so they'd be less prone to pull out.
If you are planning Erail in the sides I like vertical rather than horizontal. That way you you can set the rails at different heights. They make good bed supports
Bill,
Maybe get a picture or two?
Bryan,
Hadn't considered routing a slot but I guess that would be a good idea to let the floor be level for other cargo. I think the tracks are only 3/8" high. Easier would be to do a 3/8 inch overlayment and the floor wouldn't be weakened any. I read on one seller site that they use 1/4" inch bolts or machine screws through the floor every 12" with fender washers on the down side with nylocks.
Food for thought - thanks guys.
Charlie
As per the E-Tracks in the floor:
Generally speaking box trailers have quite a few floor crossmembers.
Make a point to drill for the E-Track right at the crossmember and bolt through that.
Makes for a strong backing.
Nylock nuts are a good idea for retainment, seems like plywood compresses after a while and nuts can vibrate off.
Another way out is to add HD floor rings like the factory installs for tie-downs.
I have a total of 8 in my 20' (inside measurement) box trailer which makes it very flexible.
I also put 1/2" eye bolts in the wheel wells at each end as well as on the floor in several locations close to the side walls where the car doesn't roll and people don't walk.
Along with some lighter duty folding ring tie downs up near the front.
All the tie-downs were a big help when I moved the two roadsters.
Especially so when the shop was moved.
The pic shows the potty room - made points with the girls and it doesn't take much room.
It's also set up to hold tall vertical pieces on the inside wall and still allow use of the potty.
All that was done there was to install some eye straps for bungees and use shock cord to keep lightweight stuff vertical - 4', 6' levels etc.
Shown as well is the 1800# rated pull boat trailer winch on it's 1" x 2" x .120 wall frame.
Works well in dragging the dead runners up and doesn't take long.
Use chocks behind the wheels, move em as you go.
I had a 1600# boat trailer winch on my tandem axle flatbed that had steeper ramps than the box trailer and it had no problems dragging a 50 Plymouth sedan up.
I'm curious as to how much height there is inside the orange trailer?
Mine sticks up in the breeze pretty good, but still, loaded at a 7000# gross my 2002 F-150 SuperCrew with 5.4 liter got 10 mpg crossing the hilly and hot desert in August.
Jay,
The inside is about 66" high. It's the same as the 6X10 cargo trailer I had. Although that seems low it never bothered me when loading and unloading the smaller trailer. This trailer has Dexter torsion axles and radial tires. It's really a bike trailer with some modifications. The deck is 4" closer to the ground and the roof is flat, so basically it's only a couple/three inches taller than the Trailblazer and about 4" per side wider.
Shouldn't be too bad on the road. My first trial will be to the swap meet at Nats North in Kalamazoo in Sepember. I'm setting this up with a Reese load distribution hitch with sway control. I want to take the track roadster pickup to Bonneville next year and the only way I can do that is in a box. Goes against everything I hold honorable and true, but a bad back has a way of changing ones perspective.
Charlie
I hear you on the bad back stuff.
Sweetie can't handle long trips in the 32 anymore.
Your trailer is higher than I thought, I was kinda curious how much of a hassle installling the front tie-downs would be.
You'll be glad you have the sway bar, the big trucks aerodynamic bow wave tends to push you away at first and then try to suck you up against the trailer.
The sway bar pretty much stops that....
Charlie, you might think about doing the roadster tie downs like I did the big eyebolts in my swap trailer. I welded a piece of 2X2X1/4 angle onto the crossmembers and put the eyebolts though that
Quote from: "Charlie Chops 1940"Bill,
Maybe get a picture or two?
Charlie
Charlie, Sorry for taking so long to get the pics, here are three I took Saturday night as soon as he got to the track. Rod mounted them just inside the tires and uses a ratchet strap looped over the rear axels hooked to a ring attachment to the E track that is moveable for whatever wheelbase car you want to haul. Sorry for getting Rods backside in the pic but he was late getting to the track and was just getting his car unloaded.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y1/moparrodder/rodstrailer002.jpg)
Rod said they are easy to install, just make sure you get the back bolts in the very back cross members and then find the other cross members going forwardand use bolts and then just fill in the other mounting holes with heavy duty screws. Speedway has the tracks in vertical and horizontal in 3,5,and 7 foot lengths and tie off adaptors rated at 3500 lbs each, they also have the tie down straps in any configuring you want.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y1/moparrodder/rodstrailer003.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y1/moparrodder/rodstrailer004.jpg)
Hope this helps, if ya need any more info just give me a shout.
Bill
Thanks Bill,
I see this stuff on eBay and elsewhere. Will take a look in Speedway's catalog too.
Charlie
A little update on the swap meet trailer.
Instead of routing out a 1/4" deep slot for the e-track in my 3/4" floor I decided to attach it directly and build up the floor to match. I added 1/4" OSB and then commercial grade tile that's 1/8" thick. Need to apply adhesive as opposed to using the thin self stick tile (which doesn't want to stay stuck to the ramp). Takes awhile as tiles need to be cut for all the edges. Took a couple afternoons to do what you see on the tile work.
Also made up the 2'X7' plywood dividers that also double as display tables. Really does a good job in keeping the boxes, etc from running all over the deck.
Working on getting the brake controller wired in, then the load bars and sway control stuff attached and the trailer loaded for its first hauling job to Kalamazoo this Thursday.
Good thing your not working cause work would cut into your free time.. Yup im jealous.. Looks nice Charlie.. See ya this weekend
Dave :arrow: :wink:
Charlie, That is a neat trailer. Just love the color. Hooley
Yeah, that cooler is cool. I did it for you Hooley (that's suck up for more orange shirts).
A little report on the first trailer outing to K-zoo is in order. Phat Rat gave me some help with figuring out the Reese load bar stuff, so the trailer followed me down the road with excellent manners.
I hadn't towed a tandem axle trailer any distance in many years so I sorta felt it out on the way dow, running 65 or so without cruise control. Got 12.2 mpg on that. Not too bad I thought.
On the way back I ran about half the distance at 63 on cruise and the balance at various speed up to 55 on two lane without cruise. The yield on that leg was 14.7 mpg. I think the cruise is better than my foot at extracting the best conditions and the sweet spot probably isn't 65, but it will take some more trips to get it figured out. These figures are from the on board computer and I have found them to be a tenth or so high.
Still not bad.
Charlie
kool....
keep looking for that package from AZ.. should be there on tuesday.
I taped an envelope to the belly pan.
8)