Show Me Your Race Car Trailers

[Neil]

I'm dead against open trailers. We all have way way way to much money invested in our cars to leave them out in the open for prying eyes and thieving bastards with tools going anywhere near them. First hand experience with some turd trying to steal bits off my old sports sedan while parked at a motel overnight convinced me. I've even had idiots at bathurst that thought it would be great if they took a pic of their kids sitting in our radical while we were in a restaurant eating dinner and then getting abused by said parents.

My other issue is I hate jerry cans in the tow car,,,I hate the smell,,,I hate the danger and I hate the thought of some mongrel tampering with them. I like them locked up so no one can touch them,,,call me paranoid but I just don't like it and it does happen.

Personally I'm happy to cop the aero problems and the pain of dragging an enclosed trailer around. The security of a lockable enclosed one suits me perfectly. I like the fact I can leave all my tools/spares/cooking stuff,,,everything in it. But the best one is a rainy or a stinking hot weekend of racing,,,shelter from the elements will make life with an enclosed trailer well worth it. Eastern Creek 2 weekends ago was a prime example,,,it pissed down ALL weekend and we were high and dry. I often looked out to see all the ezy-up racers huddled under there aluminum tents drenched!!!. We cooked lunches,,,laughed and had a great time.

Heres 2 pics of ours.

Cheers

Neil.

[benm]

I agree with Neil.

For a regular car (which is what 99% of people on here would have) sure a regular tandem trailer will do the trick for a few times a year. However for a specialised track car (neils radical or my aussie for example) that doesnt have windows or a roof and is held together with bonnet pins or clips you really just cant leave them anywhere out of sight let alone when the sky opens up, especially if it is an overnight stay. Having the ability to have tools and equipment permanently fixed inside the enclosed trailer just makes life in general 1000% easier. I'd really like to go interstate, but wont be booking anything until I have an enclosed trailer.

Many companies are making enclosed trailers now that are only around 1.5m in height with a popup roof, ideal for many types of cars, the downside is you cant walk in them. However they are lighter and more aerodynamic.

I've been looking for a while online, ive been looking even longer at every track event I attend (probably look at trailers more than the on track action). Atleast 50% of the trailers I see at track events I wouldn't even use to carry a ride-on lawnmower let alone a 1.5ton vehicle, they are just pure death traps.

My Aussie will fit in my pantec truck, but no hope in hell of actually getting it in there, i'd need 45 metre long ramps.

[phunky_monkey]

other option is pantec. actually, funky, buy my bloody atlas truck. you could fit a radical in that no worries and it seats 3 people. runs on diesel, can carry 2 ton payload, has aircon, and can drive it on a car licence. then you have tow car AND trailer AND storage all sorted in one hit!!! I'll do it bloody cheap too as I'm sick of rego'ing the thing only to lend it out to my bludger mates. It'll be cheaper than just an enclosed nevco on it's own...

Haha I'd love to mate, but I'd never get it on!!

An enclosed is definitely the way to go, but may have to limit myself to day trips until an enclosed trailer can be sorted. They're just so damn expensive for a good one! For big interstate stuff I can load it onto a proper Pantec but can't see the need for that for a while. I'll have a chat with my current Trailer builder to see what he can come up with as I'm really impressed with my current one, as is everyone who's used it.

benm: Any links to the pop-top trailers? SImilar to Brian James trailers from the UK I imagine? http://www.brianjames.co.uk/range/range_details.aspx?id=2&rid=28

[Beer Baron]

My Aussie will fit in my pantec truck, but no hope in hell of actually getting it in there, i'd need 45 metre long ramps.

you and funky are both soft! If Alan Lewis can drive his porsche 911 up into his truck (which is way higher than my pantec and most others, I'd say the bed height on his is around 7 or 8 feet high) then you to can do it with your light little tube chassis cars! it's the best way. ramps don't need to be as long as you think. I'd say the bed on my pantec is only about 4ft high, it's certainly doable. means you can use it like a mobile shed and keep your car, tools and spares in their safe and out of the elements and with lights inside you can work in there etc on race weekends.

[FineLine]

you and funky are both soft! If Alan Lewis can drive his porsche 911 up into his truck (which is way higher than my pantec and most others, I'd say the bed height on his is around 7 or 8 feet high) then you to can do it with your light little tube chassis cars! it's the best way. ramps don't need to be as long as you think. I'd say the bed on my pantec is only about 4ft high, it's certainly doable. means you can use it like a mobile shed and keep your car, tools and spares in their safe and out of the elements and with lights inside you can work in there etc on race weekends.

They could always try something like this Baron.

[phunky_monkey]

I am super impressed by that!

However, I'm as soft as it gets and I'm going to struggle getting my minimal clearance thing onto a 2ft high trailer, let alone a 4ft one...

[samstain]

I wouldn't be bothering to drive it up, buy a truck with a lifting gate... you should be able to find something that can handle a 600kg race car quite comfortably - even if you have to drive it on sideways then pivot it to reduce the overhang as it lifts....

Or since you have a roll bar, you could swing it up like a skip dump truck, woudn't even need hydraultics, an electric winch would safely swing it up and over.

A mate of mine set up a 2 car transporter for about 4k... bought a 4.5T ex courier truck for under 3k, cut the lifting gate off it and sold that for about 1k and bever tailed the bed. He then built a standard tandem car trailer to go behind it for 2k. Ramps on the back of the truck bed drop down on to the tipping trailer and the whole thing becomes one long smooth ramp to get the car up on the truck. Once its up there fold the truck ramps up, then drive a second car on the trailer.

He drives his very low kitted S15 drift car straight up with no problem.

Edited April 1, 2011 by samstain

[Beer Baron]

They could always try something like this Baron.

that is fking awesome!!! nice vid.

[phunky_monkey]

I wouldn't be bothering to drive it up, buy a truck with a lifting gate... you should be able to find something that can handle a 600kg race car quite comfortably - even if you have to drive it on sideways then pivot it to reduce the overhang as it lifts....

Or since you have a roll bar, you could swing it up like a skip dump truck, woudn't even need hydraultics, an electric winch would safely swing it up and over.

A mate of mine set up a 2 car transporter for about 4k... bought a 4.5T ex courier truck for under 3k, cut the lifting gate off it and sold that for about 1k and bever tailed the bed. He then built a standard tandem car trailer to go behind it for 2k. Ramps on the back of the truck bed drop down on to the tipping trailer and the whole thing becomes one long smooth ramp to get the car up on the truck. Once its up there fold the truck ramps up, then drive a second car on the trailer.

He drives his very low kitted S15 drift car straight up with no problem.

That's all very interesting. Sounds like quite a neat system he's come up with, though one without the need for the second trailer would be more practical for me.

I've actually just been offered a refrigerated truck which would be just about perfect if it had a a lifting gate on it. This thread has really got me thinking, it may just be the solution I'm looking for. Any ideas on some solutions for getting a car into it without a lifting gate, or the above idea?

[benm]

With a standard pantec and a standard tailgate it wont happen (even the 1 ton fold up gates rather than the 500kg tuck under gates as they are at most only 2 metres long). The gate is too short to have the car drive onto and the floor of the pantec is too high to use it as a ramp. THe rear part of the pantec will need to be beaver tailed like a regular tandem trailer meaning the tailgate will no longer fit. Sure towing a trailer behind you and using additional ramps (like logistics car carriers do) will probably get you by but wasnt the point of the exercise to not need a trailer?

I've seen some guys drive the pantec up onto a steep hill to angle the rear of it down then just use regular ramps. How do you get it out at home? How do you get it out at the mechanics? What happens if a track suddenly removes that steep hill or its blocked by other vehicles on the day? What happens if the tailgate hydraulics bust whilst at the track, how do you get it in and home?

You'd want $100k in your back pocket and a used 8-12 ton truck to get started.

[Duncan]

Noel that is f**king classic. I reckon they've done that more than once too....

Handbrake....that is one absolutely huge single axle trailer....will be very interested to see how it goes with 2t because I would be thinking dual axle at that size.

re pantecs....I have seen someone using home extended ramps and 1t loader to lift a saloon car (1200kg + driver....) and it worked fine. The other option I have seen is long ramps so the cars sit up on an angle in the trailer.

[phunky_monkey]

With a standard pantec and a standard tailgate it wont happen (even the 1 ton fold up gates rather than the 500kg tuck under gates as they are at most only 2 metres long). The gate is too short to have the car drive onto and the floor of the pantec is too high to use it as a ramp. THe rear part of the pantec will need to be beaver tailed like a regular tandem trailer meaning the tailgate will no longer fit. Sure towing a trailer behind you and using additional ramps (like logistics car carriers do) will probably get you by but wasnt the point of the exercise to not need a trailer?

I've seen some guys drive the pantec up onto a steep hill to angle the rear of it down then just use regular ramps. How do you get it out at home? How do you get it out at the mechanics? What happens if a track suddenly removes that steep hill or its blocked by other vehicles on the day? What happens if the tailgate hydraulics bust whilst at the track, how do you get it in and home?

You'd want $100k in your back pocket and a used 8-12 ton truck to get started.

All very valid points. It all seems like too much hard work unfortunately (or too much money...). It's a shame though as it would be ideal, but I guess that's why they cost what they do to buy one ready to go.

Duncan: I've seen that system in a few advertisments on my105. Not sure how long they'd need to be for a car as low as a Radical though... Having said that, if John and Scott can get their car into the bus (as per a few pages back) then I'm sure it can be done.

A lifting gate with extended ramps would be the easiest option, but cost may be an issue. The car is light so capacity shouldn't be an issue.

[samstain]

Whats your race car weigh? it should be pretty simple to make up some kind of lifting platform capable of getting it up from flat ground.

I have made rescue equipment in the past for the RFDS - we has systems that would hang out the side of a pilatus door and lift 200kg of paitent and life support equipment. It was all counterleaverd off the head end of the patient (rather than lifting from underneath) and the whole thing was light enough to be carried around by one person...and powered by a cordless drill motor/gearbox. Also made a similar system that would lift a patient on a stretcher (horizontally) in to the back of a 737, through the galley down the aisle.

You could even start with a coule of $150 lifting trolleys like this:

The last one would easily go high enough to to get you straight in to the back of a 4.5T truck, it would just be a matter of syncronising a 3 of them with a deck between.

If you wanted to get real fancy, the way most of the V8 super car truck work could easily be replicated using a few skateboard wheels, an "I" beam running up the rear corners of the truck body, a pivoting tailgate and an electric winch. I would have to draw it to explain it but its all doable for probably under $2000.

Simplest way of doing it is probably something like this - pivot it in rather than slide it up. Only really has one moving part like a skip bin truck, but use an electric winch rather than hydraulics.

Edited April 6, 2011 by samstain

[zoidbergmerc]

That's a pretty amazing idea Sam.

[JZP]

I know it's slightly off topic, but I thought it would be of interest - I saw this at a caravan and camping show a few years back.

[benm]

Scott, be easier just with a hiab crane.

[samstain]

Scott, be easier just with a hiab crane.

yeah that would be the easy way, but I think they have already decided that is out of the price range.

With a bit of shopping around though I'm sure I would be able to pick up a resonable condition used light truck and set it up with a lifting device with change from 10k - depending on how rough your are prepared to go with the truck you could probably even do it for 5k. Either way it's less than most people pay for a enclosed trailer, let alone the $50k 4wd they are towing it with.

[Neil]

Nope sorry boys,,,while all that stuff looks good,,,I'm not sold.

All these trolleys and winches sound and look great but when it's pissing down rain/stinking hot/rough ground and you need to get the car and you out of it all the simple enclosed trailer where you can drive the car in,,,tie it down and close the doors wins every time.

Practicality rules and an enclosed trailer in my opinion cannot be beaten.

phunky_monkey is going to learn some valuable leasons in loading his Radical very soon. Make sure you watch the factory boys load a car onto a trailer mate ,,,Lots and lots of wood they will use.

Cheers

Neil.

[badhairdave]

Has anyone been through the process of building and registering their own trailer?

Looking at the RTA and DOTARS docs there is a design check listed in the rego process so i'd like to know how extensive that is if anyone knows. The rest is easy.

[phunky_monkey]

yeah that would be the easy way, but I think they have already decided that is out of the price range.

With a bit of shopping around though I'm sure I would be able to pick up a resonable condition used light truck and set it up with a lifting device with change from 10k - depending on how rough your are prepared to go with the truck you could probably even do it for 5k. Either way it's less than most people pay for a enclosed trailer, let alone the $50k 4wd they are towing it with.

If I can get a truck free of charge it would be even better! I'm still a bit confused at to how it all goes together (not that I'd do it myself), but the concept is awesome, and very appealing. Thanks a lot for your input and ideas.

Have you seen this done before?

Nope sorry boys,,,while all that stuff looks good,,,I'm not sold.

All these trolleys and winches sound and look great but when it's pissing down rain/stinking hot/rough ground and you need to get the car and you out of it all the simple enclosed trailer where you can drive the car in,,,tie it down and close the doors wins every time.

Practicality rules and an enclosed trailer in my opinion cannot be beaten.

phunky_monkey is going to learn some valuable leasons in loading his Radical very soon. Make sure you watch the factory boys load a car onto a trailer mate ,,,Lots and lots of wood they will use.

Cheers

Neil.

I can only imagine mate! I'm preparing all of my wood block soon, it will be like a jigsaw puzzle gone wrong in my boot.

For sure the practicality of just driving a car onto an enclosed trailer is a hard option to beat, but the convenience that 1 fully equipped unit offers in other areas can't be ignored, especially if space is at a premium. I can't keep a trailer at my house because it won't fit, and I live on a main rd so it can't be parked anywhere (not that I would anyway) so loading the car up requires a lot of time pre-event which is a pain. Being able to have everything all in the one place, and parked at home ready to go prior to an event is very appealing! Also not having to have the second car perked up somehwhere is an added bonus. This advanatage may outweigh the hassle when you get trackside.