Trailer options for a Duo Discus

Has anyone had experience of specifying a trailer for a DuoDiscus.

Specifically looking for any useful information on the X version with winglets.
I have the brochures for Cobra (Spindelberger) and Komet (Anschau)

After the cost of a DuoDiscus XLT the trailer is not going to be that
significant - but the hassle factor of a bad decision could be huge.

So - opinions on the welded versus bolted frames, and aluminium versus composite
materials welcomed.
Particularly interested in how the fittings work. Which of the arcane and
obscure German options translates into something worth having...


Thanks
Bruce

Cobra. No question.
Buy all the options.
Based on experiences of others, get a single axle.

Guy

Hi Guy,

I'm curious, why is the single axle better? I imagine it has been covered
in this forum previously.

Paul Remde

wrote in message
...
Cobra. No question.
Buy all the options.
Based on experiences of others, get a single axle.

Guy

Hi Guy,

based on MY experience with a DG500M and a Nimbus 3DM both the trailers (one
Cobra, one Anschau, both built around 1991 and BOTH double axle) ran much
better (smoother for the driver) on our poor German streets than any
single-axle trailer ever could.
Only back-side: handling by hand on grass airfields is much harder.

CU
Markus

Paul Remde schrieb:
Hi Guy,

I'm curious, why is the single axle better? I imagine it has been covered
in this forum previously.

Paul Remde

wrote in message
...
Cobra. No question.
Buy all the options.
Based on experiences of others, get a single axle.

Guy

On May 6, 9:16 am, Markus Gayda wrote:
Hi Guy,

based on MY experience with a DG500M and a Nimbus 3DM both the trailers (one
Cobra, one Anschau, both built around 1991 and BOTH double axle) ran much
better (smoother for the driver) on our poor German streets than any
single-axle trailer ever could.
Only back-side: handling by hand on grass airfields is much harder.

CU
Markus

Paul Remde schrieb:

Hi Guy,

I'm curious, why is the single axle better? I imagine it has been covered
in this forum previously.

Paul Remde

wrote in message
...
Cobra. No question.
Buy all the options.
Based on experiences of others, get a single axle.

Guy

I had a Duo T with a Cobra twin axle trailer - for stability and
because I have twice over the years had exciting moments with a tyre
or wheel failure on a glider trailer. The twin axle was excellent for
lateral stability but the trailer hitch tended to nod up a little
until I learnt to put about 4 PSI less in the front tyres then the
rear ones.

Couple of thoughts/experiences on trailers. Not relating to glider
trailers. As a farmer and former semi driver I've run a number of
different rigs.

1. I was once driving a 3/4 heavy duty pickup pulling another pickup
on a bumper hitch trailer, two axles. On the back of the trialer was
a box with a 350 Chevy engine in it. I blew the right rear tire on
the trailer at about 60 mph. The trailer whipped around so badly as
to nearly put me in the ditch and it threw the engine off on the
road. That's my experience with the stability of two-axle trailers.

2. It is worth while to check with the state and insurance company to
see if they have any stipulations such as requiring brakes on all
axles, higher fees for more axles, etc.

3. When it comes to pulling 1000 gallon crop sprayers over rough
ground, farmers almost always choose a single axle with very large
tires over a double axle with smaller tires. Many of the double axles
feature a walking beam suspension so there is really only one axle and
the tires are supposed to individually float over ruts etc to make the
ride smoother. When you are pulling a sprayer with 60' or 90' booms,
you want a smooth ride so the tips don't dig into the ground on each
bump. Big singles are better. Doubles also scuff more when turning,
and it is even worse when backing up.

4. No matter what you do, size the trailer to the load. Don't skimp
on capacity. This will certainly include the rim size (don't settle
for small tires) and tire rating. Probably a burdened glider trailer
will weigh well under 2,000 lbs so this is likely not a major issue
with any kind or decent axles and tires.

5. My own preference would be a single axle trailer with brakes and
probably 16" or larger tires with a good speed and load rating. I
just pulled a single axle with no brakes with my 4 cylinder S10 from
California to Iowa and had no problems (though I will confess to going
up some mountains at 40 mph and of course when you go up that fast,
that is the speed you go down). The home built trailer pulled like a
dream and had very, very little side sway even in high winds or
meeting large, fast-moving trucks.

I've spent a lot of time pulling everything except glider trailers so
keep in mind most of my comments are generic, not specific.

Your list was interesting and enlightening.

In item 1 below, it highlights the need not to put too much weight at
the end (particularly the rear) of a trailer since it greatly increases
the polar moment of inertia of the rig. It can cause the smallest
oscillation to become divergent and ruin your day. You were probably
'lucky' to have thrown the engine off as it allowed the rig to
stabilize. This could happen with either single or twin axles.

njp

Jim Meade wrote:
Couple of thoughts/experiences on trailers. Not relating to glider
trailers. As a farmer and former semi driver I've run a number of
different rigs.

1. I was once driving a 3/4 heavy duty pickup pulling another pickup
on a bumper hitch trailer, two axles. On the back of the trialer was
a box with a 350 Chevy engine in it. I blew the right rear tire on
the trailer at about 60 mph. The trailer whipped around so badly as
to nearly put me in the ditch and it threw the engine off on the
road. That's my experience with the stability of two-axle trailers.

The pretty consistent comments I have heard from owners with double
axle trailers AND have had other single axle trailers include:
1) more tire wear
2) much more difficult to move the trailer by hand due to high
resistance to turning
I have heard no convincing arguements for benefits of dual axles.
I have never owned a dual axle trailer but can say that for a single
axle trailer having larger diameter wheels and having trailer specific
tires (as opposed to regular automobile tires) significantly improved
the stability of my rigs.

Guy Acheson "DDS"