I forgot to mention - install rear stabilizer jacks (if you decide to use
them) a foot or so in front of the end of the trailer. That way, the end of
the trailer will drag before the jacks contact the ground. You should have
some sort of skid plates at the rear corners of the trailer.

I don't see a problem with under body storage drawers except that water
could fill them up on stream crossings or even driving in heavy rain.
Mounted close to the axle, they should always have ground clearance unless
you're towing over curbs or boulders.


wrote in message
...
I make it a habit of looking at trailers at contests, looking for tips and
tricks. A few things I've seen that haven't been mentioned.

- John Good mounted adhesive rubber feet about halfway back on the wing
dolly tracks on both sides so the wing dolly side wheels had to go over
them. this had the effect of preventing the dollies from rolling all the way
to the front when the trailer was empty. I have also seen slide-bolt
retainers for this purpose, but the rubber bumpers seem to work pretty well.

- I always prepare my trailer for a retrieve after each assembly by
securing the wing dollies,fuselage cradle and wing stand with the tail boom
tie-down strap. This requires that the tie-down strap NOT be cut down from
the Cobra default length. So, you might want to consider how you want the
trailer contents to be set up/secured during a retrieve.

- I think the under-trailer storage is a BAD idea, as it makes the
effective ground clearance much lower. When I see these trailers at a
contest, I always think "I'm glad I don't have that trailer!" ;-).

- Most Cobra trailers with any mileage on them have a big hole in the
inside surface of the tailgate where the retention bolt of the ramp has
rattled around and eaten away at the thin aluminum. My solution to this has
been to pop-rivet a big (2" diameter) steel auto washer over the hole, so
the retention bolt bears against steel rather than aluminum. So, you might
consider doing something like that at the start, rather than wait for that
ugly hole to develop.

Frank (TA)