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Something Shiny Followed Me Home Today!

4K views 37 replies 16 participants last post by  66_72stanger 
#1 ·
A new aluminum trailer to haul the Mustang to autocross events. I love racing the Mustang but it beats the hell out of me on the long drives to and from and from the tracks. I bought it purposely small, narrow, and only 3500# axles so no one can borrow it to haul a POS truck that mangled my last car hauler. My garage is 48' deep on the inside, so I can have the car loaded up and hitched to the truck the night before I leave early for an event the next morning. Only 1" on each side of the trailer fenders going out the garage doors!?
 

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#3 ·
NO! I've got to get used to saying that again. If you break at an autocross and I don't, I'll get you home. Thats how we roll in Indiana.
 
#5 ·
I bought the 7816R. I'm going to install a winch, but I want power in and out with a corded remote, and that only seems to be common on boat winches these days?
 
#7 ·
I would not have ordered one with the rail, but it does add a little layer of security if things get shifty.The rail will be a pain the first time I need a 4' by 4' pallet loaded from the side with a fork lift.
 
#10 ·
I've been a carpenter for almost 40 years so I've got that covered. New 10' x 8' garage doors that I like are 2G a piece! I've been hauling trailers almost as long as I've been a carpenter so hopefully I'm still good enough not to take out a fender or door opening. At 4:30 in the morning though, who knows?:shrug:
 
#13 ·
Was never going to drive to work on Monday anyway, wouldn't wish that commute on a Prius. But I'm sure I'll be saving a few racers a hefty towing bill as long as I don't break first.
 
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#15 ·
Good lord, how did you wind up with such a deep garage! I finally clipped a fender on my steel trailer on the protective posts I put beside the elec. junction box on the out side corner of the garage where I park it......I just knew that one day.....arrghh....Anyway, beautiful trailer...on my list of things for down the road..upgrade to a new ford truck and a nice aluminum trailer....10 years from now you can probably sell it for 2/3rds of what you paid.
 
#16 · (Edited)
I was a carpenter of 30 years when I turned a 26 x 24 garage with a 4/12 pitch truss roof into a 26 x 50 garage with a 12/12 pitch roof with a master bedroom suite and walkable storage above. I have a big garage that doesn't look like a big garage from the street. It's the house I intended to flip at the last correction that I got stuck with.
 

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#21 ·
Nice and simple! They make single axle aluminum car haulers but since trailer tires are generally low quality and from China I decided to spring for the extra axle.

A friend of mine found a way to stop people from asking to borrow his trailer, he spec'd the trailer with a pintle hitch.
My friends will asking to borrow the truck as well so that wouldn't help much.


I'm super pissed at myself for believing the forecast 100% chance of rain today and not going to the autocross in South Bend. It's a beautiful day! sigh
 
#22 ·
Yeah, that was a homemade trailer with parts lift over from mobile home business. We put it together in a week in preparation for the upcoming racing season. Aluminums are the way to go. Nice setup!
 
#23 ·
what does that new aluminum trailer weigh and what is the bed length


Ken
 
#24 ·
The bed is 78” x 16’ and they list the weight at 1150#. GVWR is 7000#.
 
#26 ·
We've had 5 inches of rain the last 3 days so all I could do this weekend was test the winch and figure out the best way to tie the car down. The back was easy going around the axles but the front has been a problem. Wrapping the LCA's at the intersection of the inner bushing had the tie downs hitting the oil pan "second picture". My straps were too long to wrap around the strut rod to frame mount and still ratchet the car down. The only thing that worked was cross strapping the strut rods "third picture". I can buy shorter straps for the front as I would rather only have to ratchet the rear straps once I figure out were the car tows best. Were are you hooking up to when trailing your Mustang?
 

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#27 ·
I'm not sure on the availability, would not the tire wrap tie-downs be a consideration? I've seen the commercial haulers use them. They shroud the tire.
 
#28 · (Edited)
#29 · (Edited)
Nice trailer! I think you would need a floor track of some type to use the over the tire type of tie down straps. I use axle straps around the lower control arms and cross them to tie down the front end. I would like a low trailer like your aluminum trailer, but I play with antique tractors along with cars so I went with an equipment trailer. I have to use long ramps to load cars.
 

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#30 ·
There are brackets you can bolt on to the lower control arms ta the strut rod also have seen some that go on the rear bole to the spring u bolts.
always best to tie down the wheels

on yours the simplest way might be put the strap through the wheel.
it will tow best with min 10% of the total weight on the ball.
your trailer is 1200 lbs plus car 3000 lbs should have at least 420 lbs on the ball.





ken
 
#33 ·
There are brackets you can bolt on to the lower control arms ta the strut rod also have seen some that go on the rear bole to the spring u bolts.
always best to tie down the wheels

on yours the simplest way might be put the strap through the wheel.
it will tow best with min 10% of the total weight on the ball.
your trailer is 1200 lbs plus car 3000 lbs should have at least 420 lbs on the ball.
ken
I've decided to go with the through the wheel approach. If one of the wheel is in the wrong spot for tie down I can in a matter of seconds use an old scissor jack from a Taurus my son totaled along with a cordless impact to lift the corner and move the offending wheel into proper alignment for the strap. I was concerned about the limited slip rear but if you jack up one side and give the tire a few good nudges in the direction you want to go it will move! I'm ordering some fleece tie down strap sleeves to go around the 2" straps to protect my pretty rims-wheels.

Not sure of the current method of determining tongue weight? It used to be a bathroom scale with a 4x4 divided by 4. I'm currently going with the usually high back end of a 2002 F150 7700 being only slightly rear high and the trailer level since It's a long bed truck with no weight in the back. I'd rather be tongue heavy than experience the death wobble on the highway.
 

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#31 ·
#32 ·
I started kicking around that through the wheel strap idea last night. Of course I had valve stem interference on one wheel.
 

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#35 · (Edited)
Been there and done that and I'll have a new F250 in the garage before I try it again! My old 2002 F150 7700 is pretty stout truck. I've hauled some significant skid steers and mini excavators with it no problem. And yea, ain't no backing up with that crap!
 
#36 · (Edited)
try this Using a Commercial Weight Scale

This one involves a few steps, but it is simpler than using a bathroom scale. Drive your trailer to a commercial scale at a truck stop or material supply center.


Here's what to do at a commercial weight station to measure your tongue weight:



  • Drive only your vehicle onto the scale with the loaded trailer attached; make sure all four of your tires are on the scale.
  • Take the weight measurement, and this is measurement X.
  • Detach the trailer from your vehicle while your vehicle remains on the scale.
  • Take the measurement, and this is measurement Y.
  • Now subtract Y from X, this is your approximate tongue weight.


If you get the tongue weight correct you will never have any sway get it wrong enough and you wont get over 30 mph.
A weight distributing hitch is a good idea as your 7000 lbs trailer would need min 700 lbs on the ball. Look for 750 pound spring bars follow install setup instructions .
you should end up with both the front and rear of your truck slightly lower than with the trailer off.


Move your straps up one spoke on the wheels so it is pulling down not just forward or back.
you could also cross the straps. this is safer if you have an incident.

the sway control is just a mask. I never use one


ken
 
#37 ·
I have a scale available directly across the street form were I work. https://www.niemeyerstone.com
If I can get a special dispensation from the owner of where I work to allow my truck and trailer to be parked is his lot for a day this will be super easy. Oh lord how I miss being self employed and in the real world!
 
#38 ·
I can only dream of a garage that deep! Retroing mine would surely cost me another kitchen remodel at best or that plus some serious hard scrape to boot! Love my charming bride of 40 years but she employs some new math in balancing such equations to be sure!

As long as you never clip the garage openings, you are a lucky dog or single!
 
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