Top ten glider trailer features?

Having recently spent a large number of hours (along with my sailplane partner) replacing rotting wood flooring at the front of a Minden style trailer, a couple suggestions to save maintenance time down the road:

1: A very well sealed/waterproof front access hatch. We added a piece of aluminum angle as a rain gutter above the front door. The Cobra solution for this is nice.

2: Assuming you are using wood for the flooring, a layer of fiberglass on top and bottom to repel moisture. If you can avoid using wood in the floor at all, it could be a plus. The aluminum/foam sandwich floors on Cobra trailers are really quite nice. Cobras going on 30 years old have floors in very nice shape.

3: A design that allows replacing any one panel of flooring independently. On this trailer, the floor panels slide in from the back of the trailer. To replace a full sheet of flooring at the front of the trailer would require removing all of the flooring.

Other items:

4. Safety chains anchored to the frame of the trailer (not just to the tongue) in case of a tongue failure.

-Andy

On Tuesday, November 26, 2013 9:51:59 PM UTC-6, 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

Lots of good ideas already posted !
My two cents:

Keep rigging aids up front or at least
in storage bin underneath near axle.
Any extra weight at rear reduces stability;
even though it saves a few steps I wouldn't
do that.

No leaf springs! Get a good quality axle
with shocks and brakes.

Mechanical brakes if done well are hassle-free
and work with any car. I've got Cobra mechanical
(excellent if adjusted properly every year or to),
and hydraulic (also excellent).

If you put jack stands under rear, protect them
from catching on the ground somehow, just now
adding such to my Cobra after they got bent again
(much bigger problem with long trailers).

Have fun, post pictures when you're done,
Happy Thanksgiving, Dave "YO electric"

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

I would second the advice to not put anything under the trailer. Off field landings often involve crossing streams or ditches that will rip and tear at those storage boxes and rear jack devices. I remember seeing a detached storage box along side the road, followed by all the stuff that had been stored in there. A clean rear underside may scrape as one crosses the farmers ditch, but will survive the experience in tact.
JJ

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)

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)

Front/Rear weight balance on Cobra's does not create enough tongue weight for stable towing unless I pack every single (heavy) accessory and tool boxes in the front storage box. From this lesson I suggest to avoid adding any weight to the rear that is not required, such as underneath storage. Max out the front storage as suggested earlier, and skip the rear underneath boxes. When balanced Cobra's tow like a dream even at 85MPH, when front is empty is gets "interesting" when towing at highway speeds downhill.

On Tuesday, November 26, 2013 10:51:59 PM UTC-5, 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



Being able to plug in 110 volt house current is frequently helpful for:
Vaccumiing, lighting, electric tools, winter heater light, summer fan, etc.

Best feature that can ever be fastened to a trailer

A decent tow car but that is another discussion.

2litre minimum, 4x4 also helps or similar.

Best ever Bentley Turbo, but that is another story

On Thursday, November 28, 2013 4:51:19 PM UTC+1, wrote:
Front/Rear weight balance on Cobra's does not create enough tongue weight for stable towing unless I pack every single (heavy) accessory and tool boxes in the front storage box. From this lesson I suggest to avoid adding any weight to the rear that is not required, such as underneath storage. Max out the front storage as suggested earlier, and skip the rear underneath boxes. When balanced Cobra's tow like a dream even at 85MPH, when front is empty is gets "interesting" when towing at highway speeds downhill.

Not generally true, when ordering the client can tell Cobra his requirements concerning weight and front weight. Our clubs trailers all have between 40 and 100kg in front, which tows perfectly stable with a car which is a "lunchbox" for US means.

Ah...the perfect trailer...one that someone else built.