Top ten glider trailer features?

Hello,
I am in the early stages of building a Luebke patterned clamshell trailer for my Schempp-Hirth SHK. The trailer is an aluminum sheathed steel frame 'interpretation' of the cobra and comet style trailers. I have been paying attention to every glider trailer I've been around for the last few years, with the intention of incorporating the best features. Some of these features are;

Tracks and captured wing root dollies with adjustable tension hold down
brackets for the spar root (seen in a cobra containing a ventus)

Captured aluminum ramp with fold over center track, with either hydraulic
or double screw jack height adjustment (cobra again).

Pivoting lower carriage wheels on belly support dolly (cobra).

Drop down tailgate which provides a braced repeatable height of tail end
of trailer for rigging and derigging.

Front access hatch, ventilators, spare tire access when loaded.
Good lights with some lights down the length of the trailer.

Storage space for all the ground handling gear.

So, what am I missing or forgetting? Does anyone have any comments on favorite features or also, features which should be avoided at all costs? I want to eliminate those unforeseeable miserable items which pinch fingers, rash gliders, and detract from the chore of rigging and trailering a glider. I would also like to have a system which uses the least amount of loose gear lying about.

Thanks,
Scott W.
N-1521

On Tuesday, November 26, 2013 8:51:59 PM UTC-7, shkdriver wrote:
Hello,

I am in the early stages of building a Luebke patterned clamshell trailer for my Schempp-Hirth SHK. The trailer is an aluminum sheathed steel frame 'interpretation' of the cobra and comet style trailers. I have been paying attention to every glider trailer I've been around for the last few years, with the intention of incorporating the best features. Some of these features are;



Tracks and captured wing root dollies with adjustable tension hold down

brackets for the spar root (seen in a cobra containing a ventus)



Captured aluminum ramp with fold over center track, with either hydraulic

or double screw jack height adjustment (cobra again).



Pivoting lower carriage wheels on belly support dolly (cobra).



Drop down tailgate which provides a braced repeatable height of tail end

of trailer for rigging and derigging.



Front access hatch, ventilators, spare tire access when loaded.

Good lights with some lights down the length of the trailer.



Storage space for all the ground handling gear.



So, what am I missing or forgetting? Does anyone have any comments on favorite features or also, features which should be avoided at all costs? I want to eliminate those unforeseeable miserable items which pinch fingers, rash gliders, and detract from the chore of rigging and trailering a glider. I would also like to have a system which uses the least amount of loose gear lying about.



Thanks,

Scott W.

N-1521

Hydraulic jacks have a fairly high failure rate. Screw jacks fail rarely and would be my first choice..

Working brakes would also be a nice feature!

Mike

I prefer screw down feet to using the tailgate. The tailgate hinge tends to wear with time from using it as a support.

Also if you are using the tailgate as the support you can't close the tailgate and have the trailer not at risk of turning while you are gone.

Get a nice set of screw jacks and you will be much happier in the long run.

Hard to go wrong copying a Cobra. But leave the awful foam-backed carpet out.

Set the height so you minimize dragging the tail of the trailer on the road when going in driveways. That is a constant problem with my driveway with most trailers.

I really liked the internal side storage compartments on Greg Cole's sparrowhawk trailer. He made the trailer as wide as the outside of the tires in the middle and tapered to "normal" width at the nose and tail. This created large storage areas ahead of and behind each wheel. That would require a major departure from Luebke plans though.

Keep good notes, someday I need a few more trailers. I have a set of Luebke 1-26 trailer plans for a future Cherokee II trailer.

On Tuesday, November 26, 2013 8:24:29 PM UTC-8, Tim Taylor wrote:
...The tailgate hinge tends to wear with time from
using it as a support...

Isn't that just another way of saying that most tailgate hinges are too flimsy?

I sorely miss the shock absorbers that the cheapskate designers of my 1999 Avionic trailer wrote off as decadent western luxury. The road vibration on the first long haul eased the pins out of the tailgate hinges. I don't imagine that that level of jarring vibration is good for a sailplane.

I've seen shock absorbers on some glider trailers.

I would also like some sturdy tie down points on the corners for tieing the trailer down when high winds are a possibility. Presently I loop the ropes around the frame members but that is a hassle to thread them through lying on my back in the wet grass.

Mount the stuff that you use every time you rig/de-rig at the rear of the trailer. Saves several trips back and forth to the front of the trailer. I have cleaning supplies, tape, ballast funnels, and the one man rigging dolly mounted in the rear. For me, it is much easier to get the rigging dolly out of the back of the trailer than trying to wrestle it out through the front hatch.

P9

On Tuesday, November 26, 2013 7:51:59 PM UTC-8, shkdriver wrote:
I wished we had trailer-wide drawers in front and in back of the axle. One could stow a lot of rigging stuff there.

Heinz

My ten....

Newer cobra trailers have trays attached to the wing dollies that bring the
cleaning materials in them down the back when rigged. Nice touch.

I wouldn't be without my hydraulic jack. Much much easier.

I store my probes inside the clamshell at the back, safe from damage.

Easily swappable number plate. Install mountings at the standard cobra
pitch so crew can easily attach their number plate.

Very strong hinges, fittings, and locks.

Solar panels or wind turbine that can drive a fan or dehumidifier as well
as charge batteries. I wish I could power a small heater to keep the
temperature above freezing.

Screw jacks are a pain. If you do not want to prop with the door (the rear
of my trailer sits on tyres) then fit drop down stands and wind the front
up on the dolly jack to drive them into the ground.

Single axle better than dual but fit Tyrons to ensure tyres cannot come off
when flat.

Double skin or insulation to ward off condensation.

Maintenance free exterior - hate washing and polishing.