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Old April 1st 20, 09:11 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
2G
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Default Trailer access calculation?

On Wednesday, March 25, 2020 at 2:45:04 AM UTC-7, John McLaughlin wrote:
I want to bring my trailer home to do some maintenance while we're all
grounded, but I'm not sure if I can access my house from the road. I
have a 90deg bend to get around and then the second issue is a short,
steep slope, which may ground the back of the trailer.

So my question is, if I measure things up, how can I calculate whether
access is theoretically possible? Is there any advice on the internet - I
can't find anything?

I don't want to just try the trailer for size because I fear getting it
stuck.


The rear-end of the trailer will definitely bottom out (that doesn't take much - I do it on my driveway which has just a slight slope). I added casters to the tail of the trailer just for this reason. The skids that Cobra provides don't work worth a damn. I actually damaged a stabilizer because of this. I made a plate out of 0.25 inch Al that holds the casters and bolts on to existed attachment points for my new ASH 31 Cobra trailer (no drilling thru the bottom like I did for my previous Cobra trailer). These casters have to be VERY robust; I went thru a succession of smaller casters until settling on 5 inch industrial-strength casters. As a stopgap you might consider getting a furniture dolly.

Another worry is if the slope is steep enough the wheels will be suspended as well, passing the load to the tongue and the trailer rear-end. Your vehicle had better be able to support this unusual weight if this happens.

I would also consider finding another location to do the work.

Tom