General Questions (Trailer/Trailering)

[Casey Cox]

Good Morning All,

I some general questions. I ask club members and value their answers but I like having multiple points of view for I've found that different parts of the country have somewhat different ways of doing things.

1) on older glider in wood bottom trailers, does anyone tie the boom down? If no, my thought is that when trailering and hitting a pot hole the chance of glider bouncing up and to of stabilizer hitting top, or tail wheel/skeg jumping out of track. If anyone is tying the boom down, would just a bungee by itself leave a rub mark or better to have foam under bungee. Would a strap that is taunt be better than bungee?

2) anyone tie the glider into the nose cone to prevent possibility of glider shifting back? could nose release be used to tie from to trailer structure. I know there are stops in front of belly dolly and tail wheel slot, but I'm so use to overly securing anything that I transport. A toss ring could be inserted into nose release prior to loading glider, then secure ring to trailer support.

3) is there a source for trailer rubber trim other than W&W? almost $4 a foot is steep...should be more like 40 cent a foot.

4) has anyone used Interlux Top Coat to paint a fiberglass trailer?

5) i've found a supplier of wool felt, but does anyone have another supplier?

6) anyone re-coat a wood floor that is varnished? what product used, what to look out for

7) anyone rewire their trailer with led lights? and did you put any on side, and source, ect

8) pros and cons of trailer solar vent? best location - front, mid, top of tail


Thanks, and you will be hearing from me since I'm back after my 16 month absence.

[JD Williams]

Hi Casey,

My trailer came with a tie strap for the tail (previous owner improvement). It's a light weight nylon strap and has a wool sleeve (I think it is an aftermarket comfort item you put on your car seatbelt) to protect the finish.

I have a receiver for the nose, so tying down with the release isn't something I considered. With my luck, there'd be some subtle difference between launch stress and trailer stress that would wreck to release, so I probably wouldn't secure it like that anyway. I do secure the ship to the dolly and would secure the dolly if I needed to do so.

If I can add a question, what do folks use to protect the road side of the wood floor deck?

JD

[[email protected]]

On my trailer there is a depression in the flooring for the tail wheel to sit into. I also have a seat belt rigged up as a strap for the tail boom to ensure the boom can't jump and the wheel can't get out of the depression. No way the fuselage can move anywhere with the nose in the cone and the tail wheel locked in the floor depression. The seat belt strap is padded with wool felt and then a layer of chamois between the felt and the glider finish. No odd wear on the finish at all.

Robert

On Saturday, September 19, 2015 at 6:21:57 AM UTC-5, Casey Cox wrote:
> Good Morning All,
>
> I some general questions. I ask club members and value their answers but I like having multiple points of view for I've found that different parts of the country have somewhat different ways of doing things.
>
> 1) on older glider in wood bottom trailers, does anyone tie the boom down? If no, my thought is that when trailering and hitting a pot hole the chance of glider bouncing up and to of stabilizer hitting top, or tail wheel/skeg jumping out of track. If anyone is tying the boom down, would just a bungee by itself leave a rub mark or better to have foam under bungee. Would a strap that is taunt be better than bungee?
>
> 2) anyone tie the glider into the nose cone to prevent possibility of glider shifting back? could nose release be used to tie from to trailer structure. I know there are stops in front of belly dolly and tail wheel slot, but I'm so use to overly securing anything that I transport. A toss ring could be inserted into nose release prior to loading glider, then secure ring to trailer support.
>
> 3) is there a source for trailer rubber trim other than W&W? almost $4 a foot is steep...should be more like 40 cent a foot.
>
> 4) has anyone used Interlux Top Coat to paint a fiberglass trailer?
>
> 5) i've found a supplier of wool felt, but does anyone have another supplier?
>
> 6) anyone re-coat a wood floor that is varnished? what product used, what to look out for
>
> 7) anyone rewire their trailer with led lights? and did you put any on side, and source, ect
>
> 8) pros and cons of trailer solar vent? best location - front, mid, top of tail
>
>
> Thanks, and you will be hearing from me since I'm back after my 16 month absence.

[son_of_flubber]

On Saturday, September 19, 2015 at 7:21:57 AM UTC-4, Casey Cox wrote:

> 7) anyone rewire their trailer with led lights? and did you put any on side, and source, ect

Reliable trailer lights seem a very cost effective upgrade to avoid LEO stops and rear-ending.

Two thumbs up for LED lights. Brighter, more reliable, cheap and easy upgrade. Peterson offers lights at several price points. Make sure that you buy lights that are legal for your country (DOT approved in the USA). Peterson sells some lights that are not USA legal. You can buy no-name lights for somewhat less. I know one thrifty guy who soldered raw LEDs and resistors into his old trailer light fixtures.

The wiring harness to the trailer is a single-point-of-failure. My solution is to wire a second redundant harness in parallel, periodically test the harnesses, and connect both while trailering.

I upgraded the harness connector to Powerwerk Powerpoles as the old style connectors are unreliable. I have the old style connectors wired into the trailer harness in parallel should I need to tow with someone else's vehicle..

Side lights as required by law in most states.

The LED lights are so cheap, reliable, and compact, I added small forward facing indicator lights mounted on the trailer fenders. The indicator lights are wired in parallel with the rear lights. I can see the indicator lights in the side view mirror. They confirm that power is reaching the rear mounted lights.

[Dan Marotta]

One of my gliders had a home built trailer with a wooden floor. The
glider had a hollow tail wheel axle. On the floor of the trailer next
to where the tail wheel sat were mounted two hinges on either side.
When the glider was pushed into the trailer (and into the nose cone),
the hinges were flipped up and a pin was pushed through the hinges and
the axle and safetied in place. The fuselage could neither go up/down
nor fore/aft.
> On Saturday, September 19, 2015 at 7:21:57 AM UTC-4, Casey Cox wrote:
>
>> 7) anyone rewire their trailer with led lights? and did you put any on side, and source, ect
> Reliable trailer lights seem a very cost effective upgrade to avoid LEO stops and rear-ending.
>
> Two thumbs up for LED lights. Brighter, more reliable, cheap and easy upgrade. Peterson offers lights at several price points. Make sure that you buy lights that are legal for your country (DOT approved in the USA). Peterson sells some lights that are not USA legal. You can buy no-name lights for somewhat less. I know one thrifty guy who soldered raw LEDs and resistors into his old trailer light fixtures.
>
> The wiring harness to the trailer is a single-point-of-failure. My solution is to wire a second redundant harness in parallel, periodically test the harnesses, and connect both while trailering.
>
> I upgraded the harness connector to Powerwerk Powerpoles as the old style connectors are unreliable. I have the old style connectors wired into the trailer harness in parallel should I need to tow with someone else's vehicle.
>
> Side lights as required by law in most states.
>
> The LED lights are so cheap, reliable, and compact, I added small forward facing indicator lights mounted on the trailer fenders. The indicator lights are wired in parallel with the rear lights. I can see the indicator lights in the side view mirror. They confirm that power is reaching the rear mounted lights.

--
Dan, 5J

[Casey Cox]

On Saturday, September 19, 2015 at 8:15:45 AM UTC-4, JD Williams wrote:
> Hi Casey,
>
> My trailer came with a tie strap for the tail (previous owner improvement). It's a light weight nylon strap and has a wool sleeve (I think it is an aftermarket comfort item you put on your car seatbelt) to protect the finish.
>
> I have a receiver for the nose, so tying down with the release isn't something I considered. With my luck, there'd be some subtle difference between launch stress and trailer stress that would wreck to release, so I probably wouldn't secure it like that anyway. I do secure the ship to the dolly and would secure the dolly if I needed to do so.
>
> If I can add a question, what do folks use to protect the road side of the wood floor deck?
>
> JD

JD,
I also have a nose cone but and I agree about using the release for anything other than towing. But I just trailered the glider home and felt I needed something to keep the glider from sliding back or out if the tail gate were to open and fall down. The tail gate handles need replacing and they held but one was turn 90 degree on the way down during a stop check.

I like the idea of a padded belt around the boom and then anchored to the floor.

Does you belt go over the top or completely around then to the floor?

Casey

[Casey Cox]

Thanks Robert. Does the belt go over the top or completely around the boom?

[BruceGreeff]

Second that.

I converted my 1971 Cirrus trailer to use LEDs at the back and down the
sides. Best investment ever.

My Kestrel's trailer is a mobile disaster, so I am converting a new
trailer to replace it. This will also use LEDs. On rough roads there are
no filament failures, or bayonet connectors to corrode or vibrate loose.
The lights draw little current and are bright and clear.

Two things to worry about - if your cars electronics are confused by the
lack of load you can have problems.
The ones I used seemed sensitive to voltage drop. A poor earth cable
that would have meant dim but working lights caused darkness to ensue.

Newer LEDs may be better. Either way I am never going back...

Cheers
Bruce

On 2015-09-19 15:23, son_of_flubber wrote:
> On Saturday, September 19, 2015 at 7:21:57 AM UTC-4, Casey Cox wrote:
>
>> 7) anyone rewire their trailer with led lights? and did you put any on side, and source, ect
>
> Reliable trailer lights seem a very cost effective upgrade to avoid LEO stops and rear-ending.
>
> Two thumbs up for LED lights. Brighter, more reliable, cheap and easy upgrade. Peterson offers lights at several price points. Make sure that you buy lights that are legal for your country (DOT approved in the USA). Peterson sells some lights that are not USA legal. You can buy no-name lights for somewhat less. I know one thrifty guy who soldered raw LEDs and resistors into his old trailer light fixtures.
>
> The wiring harness to the trailer is a single-point-of-failure. My solution is to wire a second redundant harness in parallel, periodically test the harnesses, and connect both while trailering.
>
> I upgraded the harness connector to Powerwerk Powerpoles as the old style connectors are unreliable. I have the old style connectors wired into the trailer harness in parallel should I need to tow with someone else's vehicle.
>
> Side lights as required by law in most states.
>
> The LED lights are so cheap, reliable, and compact, I added small forward facing indicator lights mounted on the trailer fenders. The indicator lights are wired in parallel with the rear lights. I can see the indicator lights in the side view mirror. They confirm that power is reaching the rear mounted lights.
>

--
Bruce Greeff
T59D #1771

[[email protected]]

Belt goes over the top of the boom and then anchors to the floor on either side. the seat belt latch is oriented such that the mechanism is off to the side and does not touch the boom at all - only the padded belt does.

Robert

On Saturday, September 19, 2015 at 12:18:30 PM UTC-5, Casey Cox wrote:
> Thanks Robert. Does the belt go over the top or completely around the boom?

[JD Williams]

Same as Robert, over the top. The strap clamp is just off the floor. I have a spring loaded tail wheel, when its down off the spring, I know its set.

[bumper[_4_]]

I replaced the incandescent lighting on my Cobra trailer over ten years ago.. LEDs have improved and prices have dropped a lot since then!

I also added a 3rd brake light LED at the top of the trailer tail fin. On the Cobra, this needs to be mounted on a wedge so the light, which typically has a narrower beam with LEDs, goes back parallel with the ground.

To get the 3rd brake light to work without more wiring going to the tow vehicle, I used a 12 volt relay as a simple logic circuit. The relay coil is powered by one brake light, while the power for the relay's normally open contact is obtained from the other brake light. When you apply the brakes, both brake lights come as does the 3rd brake light. If you turn on the turn signal, the 3rd brake light doesn't come on as the relay either doesn't have voltage to the coil or to the contacts.

But, if the brakes are applied when the turn signal is also on, then the 3rd brake light will flash with the turn signal flashing one brake light. Not a problem.

bumper

[[email protected]]

On Saturday, September 19, 2015 at 1:57:37 PM UTC-4, BruceGreeff wrote:
> Second that.
>
> I converted my 1971 Cirrus trailer to use LEDs at the back and down the
> sides. Best investment ever.
>
> My Kestrel's trailer is a mobile disaster, so I am converting a new
> trailer to replace it. This will also use LEDs. On rough roads there are
> no filament failures, or bayonet connectors to corrode or vibrate loose.
> The lights draw little current and are bright and clear.
>
> Two things to worry about - if your cars electronics are confused by the
> lack of load you can have problems.
> The ones I used seemed sensitive to voltage drop. A poor earth cable
> that would have meant dim but working lights caused darkness to ensue.
>
> Newer LEDs may be better. Either way I am never going back...
>
> Cheers
> Bruce
>
> On 2015-09-19 15:23, son_of_flubber wrote:
> > On Saturday, September 19, 2015 at 7:21:57 AM UTC-4, Casey Cox wrote:
> >
> >> 7) anyone rewire their trailer with led lights? and did you put any on side, and source, ect
> >
> > Reliable trailer lights seem a very cost effective upgrade to avoid LEO stops and rear-ending.
> >
> > Two thumbs up for LED lights. Brighter, more reliable, cheap and easy upgrade. Peterson offers lights at several price points. Make sure that you buy lights that are legal for your country (DOT approved in the USA). Peterson sells some lights that are not USA legal. You can buy no-name lights for somewhat less. I know one thrifty guy who soldered raw LEDs and resistors into his old trailer light fixtures.
> >
> > The wiring harness to the trailer is a single-point-of-failure. My solution is to wire a second redundant harness in parallel, periodically test the harnesses, and connect both while trailering.
> >
> > I upgraded the harness connector to Powerwerk Powerpoles as the old style connectors are unreliable. I have the old style connectors wired into the trailer harness in parallel should I need to tow with someone else's vehicle.
> >
> > Side lights as required by law in most states.
> >
> > The LED lights are so cheap, reliable, and compact, I added small forward facing indicator lights mounted on the trailer fenders. The indicator lights are wired in parallel with the rear lights. I can see the indicator lights in the side view mirror. They confirm that power is reaching the rear mounted lights.
> >
>
> --
> Bruce Greeff
> T59D #1771

Car part stores are carrying LED replacement bulbs nowadays that will probably
fit your existing sockets.

[son_of_flubber]

On Sunday, September 20, 2015 at 1:40:37 PM UTC-4, wrote:

> Car part stores are carrying LED replacement bulbs nowadays that will probably
> fit your existing sockets.

These might make sense in your car, but new LED light fixtures eliminate bulb contact corrosion which is a large source of unreliability.

[Casey Cox]

Ok thanks guys. Led's it is.

I'm taking pictures to document my first glider and trailer repair. I will search for a free web site or blog to load them up. Any recommendations on that?

Anyone use All-Grip, or Interlux boat paint to paint their fiberglass trailer?

Today I pressure washed 40 yrs or mouse **** out of the trailer and the ground behind the trailer started stinking. Also started pressure washing the paint off the trailer. I was going to use a stripper but after I hit it with the pressure washer it came off fairly easy.