Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length.

[catengineman]

I will agree to your post Stavros
though there are laden and unladen pressures recommended by some trailer manufacturer's like some car manufacturer's give you the two different pressures on a plate some where on the car.

Lets say that there is an average tyre pressure of 22 psi and your drag sways (snakes) at 50 MPH, increase to 24 psi and this may stop what would you say was the safer ? the tyre manufacturer states (on the tyre max inflation pressure of 30 psi)

While i drag several types of trailer from box 4 X 6 to tri axle transporter I have found that a few PSI will change the way the drag acts, along with ball weight ride hight, (people who tow should take an added licence)

Yes under inflated tyres are bad as are over inflated I was not talking in the extreams and I apologise for that unclear point

My tri axle tyre pressures are 24 / 26 / 26 the two equal axles are tandem and the lower pressure is an indespension floating if I put the pressure up to thew 26 psi the drag snatches and and become very 'live'

Just my findings and I will keep to them as the drags are safer

R,

[dreadnought72]

Maybe not an added licence for towing - but certainly something like a compulsory motorbike CBT wouldn't do any harm. A morning of reversing in straight lines, around corners and stuff. I've towed dinghies and small trailers over the years, and seen plenty of "hopeless cases" in boat parks who didn't have the first idea. 

Andy

[Guy Bagley]

i still think the top roof box idea is not rediculous-

 yes it is gonna be tough getting the model up and down off the roof of the car into the water or into the workshop, but i still think the issue of the loading on the roof may not be so far off ...

 i cant speak for the mondeo... but i had a laguna estate some years ago... i have a Thule roof box and Thule bars,

  the thule luggage box would not contain a model 2m long but the box is basically only  a huge vacuum forming, - but it is certificated to an 80 kg loading, so in theory  80 kg in a plastic bubble strapped to the roof is feasable and as far as the authorities are concerned it is feasable and safe,  the box is TUV approved........

the box attatches to bars that go across the car... ( horizontal bars ) these then fix to feet that attatch to your car  make/ model  or via  roof rails/ roof bars  if the car has these fitted....

the horizontal Thule bars are certifcated to a higher loading still, but these  attatch to the factory fit roof bars on the laguna car- renault claim these roof  bars/ fixing points were good for over 100kg roof weight loading..

so the plastic box weighs a few kgs even when empty, the max permissable load in the box of 80 kg  and then  the horizintal bars......all this then attatches to the car roof via the roof rails or the roof rack fixing point... so a load potentially of 100kg on the car roof is 'do able'

 my thoughts are - custom make a box to fit the boat into in  a material of your choice,
 chances are its not going to he rediculously tall, make it as low as possible so as to keep   the centre of gravity as low as possible but make it fit your model ...,
 the thule bars that fit to most makes of car are quick fixing types , they can be removed fairly quickly if required,  the bars allow for all types of fitting to be added from boxes, to canoe carriers to cycle  carries and the likes, all fix using a U shaped fixing  and swing fixing, so place the U clamp round the bar and whatever is being carried so the U clamp could protrude through the bottom of the  boat carry box , this is then placed on the bars and then the swing fixing is placed over the 2 'open ends' of the U fixing and are closed onto it, they grip and keep everything in place... tight and secure ...

as the box is not going to be as wide as the car place- down the centreline of the vehicle on the roof and take it steady.....

i took my thule box fully loaded along with a fully loaded car and trailer to spain and back with no problems.....those Thule patented U fixings  fix and relase in seconds, once they're done they're tight.... they dont loosen during a journey either....

so i suggest  contacting ford to see what the car roof points can safely carry and consider the roof option,  Thule is expensive  kit but safe and quality,  a well made box in timber or maybe GRP could be a possability.....

the joy with a roof box is if made correctly this could be  used on different cars just by changing thule foot pack feet to whatever make/ model of car you plan to use...so it would be interchangeable....

any idea what a boat that size would weigh ?

[andygh]

Very helpful if you haven't tried it before

http://www.uktow.com/reversing.asp

[cos918]

well once again thank you for all your in puts it defently give me some good ideas. The model if its get built would be about 2.1m long so abox would be 2.2m long. Weather it be roof rack or trailer its still going to need a box.
So my thoughts are. She will never ail alone due to getting her in and out of the water. So since there will be 2 people were ever she gos get a box of that size on to a roof rack or in to a trailer would not be a problem. Her wight its hard to say but at a quess i would say 30kg there about . So both options are fesaible. On cost the roof rack wins has if i went down the trailer route i need tow hook trailer. Since i only have the car for 3 years it a lot of money to get a tow hook fitted for a shorth space of time. So i think make a box trill fit it on the roof rack and do a test run empty. if it works great. if there to much wobbel go to plan b trailer.

john

[garston1]

A hearse would be ideal, that way if you have a heart attack lifting the boat, well............... ok1

[Bryan Young]

The thought of putting a large boat on the roof rack fills me with horror. Damage; strain; the possibility of dropping.....oh no.

Solutions:

      1. Change the car
      2. Buy a trailer
      3. Buy a house next to the lake
      4. Buy a lake

Whatever way you go I think it is going to cost you money.

Roger in France.

        5. Build a trailer to your specs.  Mine can carry 2 x 8' boats, is collapsible, fitted with a hood and the whole thing cost about £400.

[Bryan Young]

the trailer look like a posiabilty. But most of thoes little trailers i have seen seam to bounce a far bit is this comom with them.
john

Going back a long time I said that I run my trailer tyres "flat" and was castigated for doing so (mainly by a Greek Welchman). With 2 heavy models in the trailer the tyres don't even notice the difference....and the trailer doesn't bounce around.

[Stavros]

Brian Young if you going to have a go please get your spelling right it is NOT welchman it is WELSHMAN\




Stavros

[Bryan Young]

Brian Young if you going to have a go please get your spelling right it is NOT welchman it is WELSHMAN\




Stavros
[/quote
Sorry, my mistake,,,,,grovel, grovel and so on. But yonks ago you did have a go at me regarding the tyre pressures on my trailer.
The trailer is really quite light as far as trailers are concerned and the lowest weighting suspension units I could find were 250kg units. That is a lot of poundage. Even with 2 ships in the trailer with each weighing around the 100lb average mark the trailer with "correctly" inflated tyres would bounce around something terrible. I have "Mini" wheels on the trailer. My solution was to let all ao the air out of the tyres to allow the tyre to act as a cushion. Even when fully loaded the weight of the trailer plus models and all the stuff we need to cart around (batteries etc.) the tyres appear to be fully inflated...because there is no weight on them. Although the air pressure in them appears to be zero there is obviously air in there. So the tyres are my springs, and the trailer just more or less hugs the road as well as the car does. No desire for an argument, but my solution is a problem solved. BY.

[tigertiger]

Garabaldy, a hearse is what you will definately need if you build too big... and it won't be for the model!

Especially lifting it onto a roof rack. 

[ronkh]

Brian Young if you going to have a go please get your spelling right it is NOT welchman it is WELSHMAN\




Stavros

UNDREGROUND!

[tigertiger]

Could the problem of overbouncy trailer be sorted by ballasting the trailer with paving slabs (maintaing the flatbed) or sacks of sand. I imagine this could be done without comproming fuel economy noticably.

I seem to remembe my dad haveing a Mark II Ford Capri with a sack of cement permanently intstalled in the boot, for handling reasons. Not bounce thank god.

[andygh]

I have "Mini" wheels on the trailer. My solution was to let all ao the air out of the tyres to allow the tyre to act as a cushion. Even when fully loaded the weight of the trailer plus models and all the stuff we need to cart around (batteries etc.) the tyres appear to be fully inflated...because there is no weight on them. Although the air pressure in them appears to be zero there is obviously air in there. So the tyres are my springs, and the trailer just more or less hugs the road as well as the car does. No desire for an argument, but my solution is a problem solved.

Nevertheless, this is illegal and under some circumstances can be extremely dangerous

[Rex Hunt]

The thought of putting a large boat on the roof rack fills me with horror. Damage; strain; the possibility of dropping.....oh no.

Solutions:

      1. Change the car
      2. Buy a trailer
      3. Buy a house next to the lake
      4. Buy a lake

Whatever way you go I think it is going to cost you money.

Roger in France.

        5. Build a trailer to your specs.  Mine can carry 2 x 8' boats, is collapsible, fitted with a hood and the whole thing cost about £400.

Any chance of a copy of the spec.s for your trailer?

Sounds interesting!

Rex

[kiteman1]

I used to carry an almost six foot boat together with a large box on my Cortina roofbars, lashed down with ratchet straps,  with no problems at all.  The s/structure and ballast went inside the car.  The only downside was the number of people you could see thinking it was a coffin, so be prepared for some strange looks if you go the roofrack way... :(

[Bryan Young]

The thought of putting a large boat on the roof rack fills me with horror. Damage; strain; the possibility of dropping.....oh no.

Solutions:

      1. Change the car
      2. Buy a trailer
      3. Buy a house next to the lake
      4. Buy a lake

Whatever way you go I think it is going to cost you money.

Roger in France.

        5. Build a trailer to your specs.  Mine can carry 2 x 8' boats, is collapsible, fitted with a hood and the whole thing cost about £400.

Any chance of a copy of the spec.s for your trailer?

Sounds interesting!

Rex

Give me a couple of days to collect old thoughts and reasons for making the thing the way I did. There are no "specs" as such, just a utilisation of materials available. BY.

[das boot]

Is THIS any good.....? 

Rich

[ronkh]

Is THIS any good.....? 

Rich

Good? Thats brilliant
Have you got one that big  or do you dream of one like it??

Ron.

[das boot]

Is THIS any good.....? 

Rich

Good? Thats brilliant
Have you got one that big  or do you dream of one like it??

Ron.

Best ask the good woma...oh no, not on this forum! 


Rich

[Bryan Young]

To all that may be interested.
Rex Hunt? Did we not meet in 1982 about 8,000 miles south of the UK? I recall your partiality to a G&T with relish. But perhaps I have the wrong Rex Hunt. Have you still got your London Taxi?
The idea of building a trailer to carry the boats was born out of necessity and not for convenience. Most of my builds are at 1:48 scale so that really limits me to ships up to about 300' in length. Thats fine by me as I rather like the smaller and "old-fashioned" ships as opposed to the more modern things that are more functional than aesthetic.
I called in at a Firm called "Indespension" who specialise in trailers and all things pertaining to. The closest they had to my needs was a 4' x 4' square chassis. But I wanted a 4' x 8' thing. So they made me one for the princely sum of £50. Then hire a van to get it home. The choice of size was dictated by the size of a sheet of plywood. The bare chassis was very well made and also came with fitting holes for the low weight suspension units I had specified.I was also very pleased to see that hubs to fit "Mini" wheels were fotted to the units. In retrospect I could have opted for larger wheels, but as the original idea was to be able to fold the trailer up against a wall then larger wheels would be more intrusive. At the same time I bought the "ancilliaries"....Mudguards, too much cable, plugs and sockets, tow bar (male and female),reflectors and light fittings and so on and a QR release thingy that would attach the trailer to the car. A complete Kit! Wrong.
Four 8' x 4' sheets of 1/2" ply were stuffed into the van along with a few lengths of aluminium angle. I forgot to buy a lot of odd bits but as my local DIY shop is only a 3 minute walk away this was no problem.
Please bear with me on this, but I had never built a trailer before so I was scratching around for info. "Indespension" had sold me a book about trailers and so on. Wow! Never realised how many "Rules" I had to comply with!
1...Although the chassis came primed I gave it another coat of "Hammerite". Belt and braces.
2...Fitthe suspension units and wheels. Easy. Now the beast was moveable....except that the front bit needed some support. B&Q stocked the ideal castor wheel I needed to act as a jockey wheel. This involved another problem...where to fit it.
3...This was reasonably easily solved by spending a week fitting the male part of the tow hook on to the car...which involved cutting away bits of bodywork to get access to a strong chassis member. That gave me the height at which to fit the trailer locking thingy. A nice spare bit of Mahogany did that.
4...The fitting of the jockey wheel should have been a pretty straightforward job, but in my ignorance I had forgotten that the thing had to be swung out of contact with the the road when being towed. So I just had to devise a swinging and locking mechanism to allow that. Another couple of weeks.
It all works a treat. But that is basically the completion of the chassis build. I took the enclosed pics this afternoon which seriously interrupted my building of "Northumbrian". I hope you are suitably grateful!!!!
Pics...
2356 shows the tyre loading at over full weight.OK,I can put a couple more psi in there, but in no way does it look "flat" (for Stavros and others).
2360 is just the fitting of the locking gizmo, the angle brackets holding the electrical connections and the jockey wheel swivel etc.
2358 and 2359 are only variations on 2360.
2361 and 2362 are yet to be "discussed".
Bodywork and interior will be described "later".
Having a bit of a problem with pics....will sort it out. BY.

[DickyD]

Shame about the photos Bryan 

[Bunkerbarge]

Bryan,  I think the whole idea of a trailer centers around how soft you can get the suspension units so the models are not bounced to bits.  Do Indespension units come in different ratings?  I have an extreemly usefull and versatile motorcycle trailer but it is designed to carry a full sized motorcycle so consequently when unloaded is a bit bouncy.  Great though for strapping anything else to and I have two very large plastic bins that I tie to it for transporting all sorts of loose stuff.

The only way I could see it being usefull to carry models would be to lay something like foam or a mattress over it to absorb some of the movement.  Better luck next time with the pictures.

[Bryan Young]

Bryan,  I think the whole idea of a trailer centers around how soft you can get the suspension units so the models are not bounced to bits.  Do Indespension units come in different ratings?  I have an extreemly usefull and versatile motorcycle trailer but it is designed to carry a full sized motorcycle so consequently when unloaded is a bit bouncy.  Great though for strapping anything else to and I have two very large plastic bins that I tie to it for transporting all sorts of loose stuff.

The only way I could see it being usefull to carry models would be to lay something like foam or a mattress over it to absorb some of the movement.  Better luck next time with the pictures.

Yes, the units come in various ratings....but the 250kg units were the softest I could find. Still a bit on the hard side though. As far as internal cushioning is concerned I will deal with that when I've finished with the rest of the construction. Bryan.

[Bryan Young]

Let's try the pics again.