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cschmokel
08-03-2009, 09:35 PM
Hey guys,

I'm planning on buying a Kitfox V. Trying to find an open trailer somewhere "near" Pullman, WA. Can't find any that are advertised as kitfox compatible. What do I need to check for to ensure that a trailer will be compatible? Wheel spacing, length, etc... ? Thanks!

Carl

SkyPirate
08-04-2009, 07:01 AM
if you could find one like this it would be good :)

SkyPirate
08-04-2009, 11:05 AM
actually any car trailer should do the job,.I've always put the plane on backwards.but I imagine it doesn't matter too much as long as there is nothing hanging over the end of the trailer in harms way..you might have to block up the tail on the plane depending on what your towing it with ..box on front of trailer ..etc... when you tie the plane down ..tie the landing gear down or use the float mounts,..don't throw a strap over the tail or any flight surface,..and I ussually put a strap on the prop so it wasn't spinning backwards going down the road.and if you don't have the tail brace to keep the rudder from moving ..you can take 2 - 1 inch by 3 inch boards and wrap them in carpet put a 1 inch spacer inbetween the boards on each end and a bolt thru each end ,..make them long enough to slide over the tail and come down just above the fuselage where the flaperons meet the tail.

Chase

SkyPirate
09-01-2009, 09:39 AM
ha ha ,..it doesn't exist yet,..I was just doodling,..but it will exist soon,..after calculating the materials weight ..the trailer will weigh near 3,000 lbs. completed ,..with one purpose ,..to haul the kitfox,..
Thanks

Chase

my bust ,..you meant the smaller trailer ,..not the gooseneck?

the smaller trailer will weigh around 800 lbs completed,..I built one like that one posted above
thought you were talking aout the one below

enyaw
09-01-2009, 02:56 PM
Not so, most car haulers don't have a wide enough door....

SkyPirate
09-01-2009, 04:19 PM
well ,..how wide are the doors on open trailers?

quote[I'm planning on buying a Kitfox V. Trying to find an open trailer somewhere "near" Pullman, WA. ] quote

Av8r3400
09-02-2009, 02:02 PM
When I brought my model IV home from cross country, I had to remove one wing and the horizontal tail, then the plane went into a 26' U-Haul truck with plenty of room to spare.

(If you are just looking to move it once, not every day, that is.)

SkyPirate
09-02-2009, 03:38 PM
well I hauled mine like that for 3 years ,..didn't lose any wings,..it's actually the best way to haul it because of ZERO forces on the wings,..if the tail is down ..your putting negative loads on the wing,.. last I checked the negative load factor was less then the positive,..we all know as kids riding in Dad's truck,..when we stuck our hand out the window like a wing and twisted it "thumb" or nose down ,..it didn't take much twist to make your hand take a thumb dive

jonbakerok
09-03-2009, 04:51 PM
Boy I hope not. Mine is almost identical. I used it to bring my M4 home to Texas from Ohio. About 900 miles. Of course, it wasn't covered, but I wrapped the wings with tarps, so it was a pretty good test all the same. The guy I bought it from had been using it for years with his M3. The only bad thing about this trailer is the lack of suspension. It's built from a car hauler. But that makes it easy to load, since it's so low to the ground. I deflated the tires halfway and it made the trip fine, although the tarps were pretty ragged by the end.

According to the guy I bought it from, the great thing about the high tail is that you don't have to drain the fuel to trailer it.

Sure wish my plane was done so I could try it out for real.

SkyPirate
09-03-2009, 08:27 PM
that is an added advantage Jon ,..with the tail high ,..your wing is nuetral,..and you don't have to drain the tanks,..I'll bet over the 3 years that I hauled mine I put 1500 miles on it,..but I had suspension and it still got shook up ,..up in the north east frost heaves:D

SkyPirate
09-04-2009, 11:00 AM
Jon,.. just a suggestion,.but you can get the torsion hubs that would mount right to your existing set up on your trailer with minimal modification,..I've see both the rubber torsion and the spring torsion set ups they look sort of like this and bolt right to the existing 4 bolt spindle mount

Dorsal
09-04-2009, 03:53 PM
Have one of these designs for a tricycle gear?

Wishing I were at the fly in.

SkyPirate
09-04-2009, 04:46 PM
Dorsal ..give me the dimensions from main to front wheel in straight line then height of tail to rear trailer hitch mount if your plane has it ,.if it doesn't then height to tail guard,..I'll draw up some plans for you ,..with fuel tank and storage compartments onboard the trailer,..whatr colors are your plane

Chase

76Realty
09-04-2009, 07:28 PM
Skypirate, you're awesome with the drawings you provide for the discussion. Keep up the good work. You're experience is really helpful for first timers like me.

SkyPirate
09-04-2009, 08:50 PM
Thanks Mike, I rather enjoy doing it ,...I'm into the visual aspect of explaining something ,..drawings and or photo's will answer questions that other's will have concerning a topic / item

Dorsal
09-05-2009, 04:27 AM
Chase,
Thanks for the offer, I may take you up on it. I am trying to decide between a custom open trailer and building an enclosed trailer/hanger. I have a neighbor down the street who is selling a deck over 4-place snow-mobile trailer for $2K (in very good shape). It is 20 X 8.5 and could make a good platform for a KF trailer but all this hinges on where my bird ends up living.
Well time to go down and finish wiring my panel.

SkyPirate
09-05-2009, 09:42 AM
sounds like a plan Dorsal,..if you decide on the snow mobile trailer you could "V" the nose horizontally and make the point of the "V" the same height as the wing in fold config,.tail up, this way you wouldn't have to lengthen the bed..it would be real handy if the trailer was the tilt type,..up front where the bed lock down is you could put an electric trailer jack,.this would lift the nose of the bed enough for a straight in load,..if it doesn't have the tilt bed ,..it wouldn't be hard to make it that way ..

Chase

kitfox2009
06-05-2010, 10:09 PM
I have recently built an open trailer for my Model 5 Vixen. I started with an old Bowler holiday trailer that has individual rubber torsion suspension, 14 inch wheels and a light weight perimeter frame. I hauled the aircraft home from CA to BC, Canada and if travels just fine. I all transport it 20 kms to the local airport. Would like to find a reasonably priced hanger but no luck yet!

I have a number of pics showing details if anyone is interested. I am not sure how to post them, so just reply to the email don@hudgeon.com. I will be traveling til June 14 so no replies til after that.

sdemeyer
06-06-2010, 10:26 AM
Carl, if you just need a trailer for a one time haul, you can use mine. It's aluminum and specifically built for my IV. I hauled my KF from Minnesota to Olympia,WA.

Scott

N82HB
06-17-2010, 08:49 AM
I too have a nice tilt bed open trailer meant to haul a IV Taildragger, but would work for any of them. I am just north of Spokane at Deer Park, WA.

cschmokel
06-25-2010, 11:52 PM
Man, this thread is a blast from the past! I ended up just throwing the plane on a good-sized car trailer .. the tires where RIGHT to the edge of the trailer .. so I strapped 'em down tight and the rest is history.

jtpitkin06
06-26-2010, 07:00 AM
While the drawing from Sky Pirate is cute, it is lacking a few basics of good trailer design.

The trailer axle is too far forward for the loaded condition. All of the aircraft weight is behind the axle making it a very unstable towing package. To counterbalance the aircraft weight you would need a lot of forward weight on the empty trailer. Either equipment boxes or structure. In any case, there is too much variance between the loaded and unloaded balance.

A better design would have the trailer axle located so the aircraft CG is slightly ahead of the axle. This way the loaded and unloaded balance are close to the same.

If the weight is behind the axle with negative tongue load the trailer will sway and fishtail.


John Pitkin
Greenville, Texas

enyaw
06-26-2010, 09:03 AM
Good point on the weight, but if the axles are too far aft, you can run into issues with the landing gear. Our trailer (http://www.facebook.com/pages/N517WD/132606786269?v=photos&ref=ts#%21/photo.php?pid=2860636&id=132606786269) (acquired in Nampa, ID, not too far from Pullman) will accommodate a taildragger, but will not work with a nose wheel aircraft (Kitfox) due to the placement of the axles.

That said, wheels could be moved forward on design, as you said equipment locker (or maybe a fuel cell) could be put in the forward "V". Hey wt & balance shouldn't be a new concept for most of us....

Pilot4Life
06-27-2010, 12:17 PM
Sure fellas,
Perhaps the "design" is off. Maybe next time Sky Pirate will place a "NOT TO SCALE" disclaimer on his drawing.:cool: I believe the intent was to simply give one inquiring about trailer design something to start with. I agree with counterweight and a tool box or fuel cell in the front of the trailer, being great ideas. Keep 'em coming! Perhaps a trailer manufacturer will design the "best thing since sliced bread" type trailer for all those interested. Great designs and great ideas by all, so it seems.

Av8r3400
06-27-2010, 12:45 PM
Gentlemen-- Keep in mind that even with copious amounts of fuel, tools and supplies the weight of the plane and cargo in this trailer will be 1000# at most. Keep this in mind when designing the suspension on your trailer. Too stiff (a modified car-hauler for example) and you can easily damage your plane with the jolts and bouncing that will occur.

Even a large enclosed trailer could be more than adequately suspended with a single 3500# axle or two 1500# axles...


I learned this lesson when transporting my 1200 across country in a U-Haul truck. A 600# cargo in a 25,000# GVW truck is not fun to ride in.