Slippery Slope to Hell Part II . . .

Based in part on the great feedback on this forum, I've decided to do the enclosed trailer thing for next years's racing (SCCA and Conference Spec Miata).

For those with enclosed trailers, what have you found to be essential or even just nice features to have in the trialer? I am looking at a 8.5' x 24' enclosed trailer with:

-- Tandem axle
-- each axle with 5,000 lb capacity for 10,000 lb total GVW
-- torsion beam axle
-- no leaf springs (they can break easily if overloaded)
-- door on the passenger side
-- liftgate in the back
-- removable door on the driver side (a removeable panel so you can get out of the car easily after driving it in and not have the door bang against the wall)

The trailer would ideally be a place where I could sleep in a pinch and also do some work in between races/qualy etc.

Any other features that have been worthwhile or that you wished you had? Thanks!

/Rich

E-Track on the walls to strap stuff to (like pit bikes, extra hood or windshield... etc).

Outlets, wiring and lights.

Ceiling insulation - makes a huge difference on a sunny day.

I could go on for a long time with features and DIY upgrades... but those above I consider essential.

I have basically that exact trailer minus the removeable driver side door. I don't think you'll need the extra door for a Miata.

I load my rx7 biased slightly to the right, and have enough room to climb out the window and to walk between the side of the trailer and the side of the car. I can't open the door more than 8 inches or so before it hits the inner fender, so it's easier just to leave it closed and climb through the window.

I added an 8ft tire rack along the pass side wall. Wish I had done that years ago instead of moving tires around every time I loaded/unloaded the car.

I have a tool box, a metal table, and a breadrack all on wheels to make it easier to load/unload spares that I secure in the front of the trailer.

Oh and +1 on the items that GPS listed.

Not essential but sure nice to have is a canopy. Beats the heck out of working on the car in blazing sun or the stuffy trailer. When not occupied by the car it's a great place to kick back with a few lawn chairs and well stocked cooler

Jeff

Get a winch to pull the car in. It beats climbing out the window and if you have a non running car, it will make loading a lot easier.

Tie down loops in the floor.

If your car is low, make sure you get a beaver tail, other wise you carry extra pieces when your nose doesn't clear the ramp

Also - bright flood lights at the rear and side doors wired to 12v truck power thru the connector.

Some places are really dark (like the wooded are where I store my trailer) and you have to back in w/o anyone to guide you. Sometimes the generator wont start and you have to change a transmission in the paddock...

If you are going to "feature" up - make sure your wiring connector for AC power is the one for 220v from an RV as the typical paddock 120v plugs are all broken of the GFCI trips because they are worn out.

Two roof vents, one with an exhaust fan... so you can get a fresh air loop going with the doors closed (or make the AC a little more efficient if you go that route)

Mosquito netting for both doors so you can sleep with them open on a nice night.

Winch with E-Track clip welded to it so you can load a broken car by yourself but not have it in the way when you are just trying to make coffee or use the microwave.

Install a coffee pot and $60 microwave.

Electric brakes > surge brakes. Get a good brake controller with accelerometers - Tekonsha Prodigy or better.

Two spare tires. Seriously.

A small ramp, and a lug wrench. It is really hard to jack a trailer up on the side of I80 but you can stick a small ramp under the good tire and lift the bad one off the ground. I mention the lug wrench because you have a metric car and your tool box might not have a 15/16" socket.... guess how I learned that one?

Seal the floor with something so you can pressure wash it so when you slide off the track in the mud it doesn't take you a month to clean it all out. I used truck bedliner but deck paint is a cheaper option. Cove base the wall to floor too - that way it won't rot the edges of the floor boards from water sitting in there.

LED tail, blinker and marker lights. They never seem to fail. I used to go thru bulbs like crazy.

if you are doing e-track.. from my commercial days, install a track half way up the side of the trailer and one about a foot off of the floor. Sometimes you have to move low things

Maybe a generator. Kind of depends on where you're racing. I only bring mine to one event per year. Most of the places I go have easy power access
(or I paddock next to pal who has a gen-set).

I like to bring a large box fan. Combined with the canopy (a good idea), it can make a hot day a little bit more tolerable.
We always bring a cooler filled with suitable beverages, but I suppose that's pretty obvious.

+1 on two spare tires.

And on a trailer of that size, I'd consider stabilizer bars. Helps balance out the weight of the trailer on the hitch better.

Thanks for the great comments thus far. I have to confess mycomplete lack of knowledge of things track/mechanical but what is this E-Track people keep mentioning?

/Rich

this is E Track.

If you notice how it is installed in that trailer.. it is recessed into the plywood siding. This keeps it from snagging on things or taking up space

And these are the straps that clip into it. Unlike how it is shown in the picture, make sure the release clip is UP or weight and vibration can unclip them.

You can also get just d ringsthat clip in, along with loadbars, hooks, or almost anything. One truck driver I met had an e track Hammock in his truck.

Another tip.. if you use loadbars.. put a foot long section of E track up near the roof by the doors.. you can clip the unused bars up there out of the way

+1 on the sway control. I bought a sway control / load leveler for my 20 foot enclosed unit. I told the salesperson I wanted an idiot resistant unit. Not cheap, but the trailer has been rock solid behind the truck, even when the driver isn't too bright. You know, you really pick up speed coming down the Pocono mountains into New York.

Couldn't disagree more on the axle choice. I had a 5000 pound rated trailer that sat on two 2500# torsion axles. I snapped the spindle twice on the front axle. Everything you do shifts weight unevenly onto one axle, making the trailer essentially rated to 1/2 what you think it is.

I dropped two 5000# leafs under there and never had a problem again.

Don49 wrote: Get a winch to pull the car in. It beats climbing out the window and if you have a non running car, it will make loading a lot easier.

One of my neighbors actually built an entire platform with rollers underneath.....park whatever it is you're hauling on the platform, strap it all down outside of the trailer, then he uses the two winches and an alignment track in the middle of the floor to put it in the trailer. No climbing in and out for him......overall a pretty trick setup. When I buy a larger enclosed I'll have him build one for me.

All good suggestions here (except leaf springs, keep the trailer level and the torsion axles will last no problem). One thing that a trailer expert told me which made a lot of sense, is to not get axles that are too HD for your realistic application. If the most your trailer will ever weigh is under 7000 lbs, then don't get 5k axles.

You've probably done some towing already so you know what it's like to wrestle with crappy tie downs. Get an Ultra Pack by Mac's. 160 bucks with free shipping on Amazon.

But my biggest suggestion isn't in the options but the trailer itself. I hummed and hawed about it for a long time. In the end, I went with an aluminum trailer from Neo. It's not the cheapest way to go but every time I tow it, I still tear up a little because of how nice it is. I tow with a 2005 4.7 4Runner and it's hardly more noticeable than a UHaul car hauler. Well, sorry, it's actually EASIER to tow because of the brakes. I barely notice the trailer under braking. Early on I locked up the trailer brakes a few times because I was braking so hard because I almost forgot how much weight is back there.

http://neotrailers.com/products_trailers_ncvr.php

Great feedback. Thank you all very much.

/Rich