jrgordonsenior

Not my experience from trying them many ways on differnet cars in different trailers. I tie to the frame, usually hooking into the jacking point holes, and I've found little if any stretch after the first 15 minutes or so. Overnight there is definitely some stretch regardless of how they're atttached.

When attaching thru the wheels, the rear wheels will rotate to the point where they most balanced against the forces of the trailer fore and aft. This will loosen the straps more than any other force and you have to keep tightening them. This is true even if the car is in gear...

ervtx

Why just the rear wheels? The fronts freely rotate, so why would the rears rotate even against the gear, and the fronts not move?

When you say "loosen the straps"..... are you referring to the degree to which the straps are held in one place on the wheel? Or loosening at the ratchet?

I was referring to the a stretching of the strap (between the wheel and the ratchet)... Given two equally "tight" straps without any mechanical loosening going on, one attached to the frame will get tugged more each time the trailer changes momentum because there is more range of motion in the suspension, it takes less force to compress a suspension, the frame has a higher center of gravity relative to the surface of the trailer, etc.

Maintaining the position of the straps at the wheel may indeed be less idiot-proof compared to a hard mount on the frame, but I've never experienced the kind of wheel rotation you describe. (I'll have to test this the next time out. Maybe mark the initial tire location on the trailer, and the initial location on the tire that represents that same point, and look for movement either way).

M758

I had an open trailer for years. In fact I used this set-up from 2002 to today. Used the same trailer from 2000 to 2002, but with a smaller tow vehcile.



Which turned into this at the track.


Worked fine. However I wanted more space to work and store gear.

So I moved up to a 24 ft trailer this year when I found a good deal on one.
I set it up so I have space for spare parts storage and a work area. In the back I have cots set-up for camping and even enough space to bring a bbq grill, a pit bike and small rolling work cart. I still put the gas cans and tires in bed of the truck.

Glen

What is Your email address, I just got a coupon email for PitPal stuff. If You dont need red, I have a couple of 5 gal yellows I can send You btw...

jrgordonsenior

By loosen I meant the wheel rotating under pressure from the tightened strap into the shortest possible configuration.

My guess would be that the rears move more because of weight and the fact you're moving forward so any bump would place pressure to the rear stretching the fronts. I think that with multi spoke wheels you probably don't get as much movement, but with 5-spokes they will rotate to the angle/point closest to the D rings. Looking back at Coocha's second pic, I can't imagine that either od those fronts or rears would rotate but mine have. Also I don't leave the car in gear which may be a contributing factor....

Sweeper

I use wheel bonnets on my race car and my atvs, never had anything move.
Congrats Dave, nice trailer. you'll be racin soon as well.

Coochas

Thanks Bob. Maybe another year or so and I'll consider club racing if I feel that I'm up to the task.

ervtx

Well, that's easy to fix. Just load the car backwards!



Yeah, I do have more anchor points to choose from. These are the stock street wheels, but the CCW's I use at the track are also multi-spoke. Still, I plan to measure for rotation next time out... My trailer has had two flats this year, so I'd like to know if such things are happening back there w/o my knowledge!

jrgordonsenior

Now that's interesting if you always load the car backwards. It appears the majority of your car's weight is tongue weight. Does that setup fishtail under heavy braking? WD hitch?

BTW, that's a really nice photo with the red brick and green grass backgrounds...

ervtx

I use a Sherline trailer tongue weight scale to determine where the car needs to be positioned.



Facing forwards worked fine on my prior car (996 C4). A good foot off of the front rail.



But if I load the GT3 forwards, I have to position it so far forward that the chin spoiler is beyond the front rail (under the tires in either pic) in order to achieve anywhere close to a minimum 10% of the combined weight of the car and trailer on the hitch ball. But if I turn it around, I have a lot more flexibility on where to put it, depending on the rest of my load. The only downside with this setup is that I probably get less gas mileage on the tow vehicle with the wing facing into the wind

I guess the C4 was more front heavy than I thought, and the GT3 is more rear heavy than I thought. Might be an optical illusion as well... I had the trailer custom made to fit inside my garage, and make a very tight turn out of the driveway (in back) into the alley. So it's only 18 ft long and most of the length came off of the front vs. the rear. So the center of gravity on the trailer itself is further back than what you might get with a longer bed.

Thanks. I have no idea why these photos came out with such great color, because my grass never looks that way to me in person.

mts

Very nice!!

CWhaley

these are some nice trailer setups. I finally moved up into an Al trailer (trition) and now have tasked myself with construction of a tire rack. Any words of wisdom?

mts

I'd seriously consider checking into whether you could buy a rack from Trailex or Trailer World that would work with what you have. Both do custom sizes I think.

CWhaley

That is a possibility. But, being a designer and owner of a machine shop means that my father and I would most likely build it ourselves for less money then they could sell it (& ship it).

M758

The biggest thing that I have learned from trailer for 9 years now is when you do custom do it suit your needs.

What I mean is that develop a routine and build stuf for that. I HATE packing up the trailer. Setting up camp at the track is not so bad since I am exited to be there, but packing up is pain. I just want to go home and move crap around. Once I get home unloading is also a pain.

So over the years have tried to optimize my set-up so I can pack up more efficently. So the tire rack should placed where you can get fast access. It should be such that it works for the number of tires you want to carry. Lockable boxes are also very nice to store stuff and consider if you will be having the trailer as the base of operation in the paddock or it will be the tow vehicle or if you plan to use garages. In this way to can mod the trailer to suit what you will be carring and how you want to use it. One big reason I went to an eclosed trailer was to better keep track of spare parts and have lockable work space. I keep all my spares in the crates in the trailer and then have a spot for my tool box. The open counter serves to hold schedules, notes and my laptop. Rain/shine it is safe and protected there. Plus I can put hang race suit there. If need work bench it is there right now. I also have bins bolted to the surface to give me access to stuff I use every day. Bolting down the bins keeps them from flying aroud when drivng and still at easy access.

So consider all this when building a rack. Do you want storage under the tires? will you carry 1 set or two sets. Do you want lockable space to store a floor jack, jack stands? What about gas cans? Also don't forget about the tie down straps. Do you need space for an ez-up? How high do you want to lift the tires? How much deck space do you have on the trailer?