trailer questions

[MarkM]

OK, here goes.

I am looking for a trailer that will hold an F/SCCA car, golf cart, have some cabinets and some available living quarters. The living quarters don't need to be five star, but I would like to have a bath/shower.

I am thinking a "short" gooseneck. Maybe 34' or so. Use the over hang for a bunk area. Use 22' for the cargo area and the remainder for living space.

Or...have a shorter trailer and have the living space available when the gear is moved out.

I would appreciate any thoughts or experiences.

Mark

[carnut169]

I have a 26' trailer (TAG) and am able to have everything you listed above. My "living space" is nice once everything is out. I've seen guys with their goose-neck trailers set up the way you describe- having a dedicated (walled-off) living space and it works very well. You can sleep in there while all is loaded (like if you get to the track late and the gates are closed) PLUS the a/c only has to cool a small area so it works super well....

[Bob Wright]

If you have the choice, get a gooseneck/5th wheel. Once you tow with one you'll never go back to a tag.

36' is a good size, but to have a separate living quarters you can actually move around in, you'll need 40' or 44' when you consider the overall length of a FSCCA car (12'+) and a golf cart (10'). Other considerations- extra height is good, except it tows harder. Put a good genset in it and sound insulate well- its well worth the extra $$.

[Bruce Allison]

I've managed with a 9ft. self contained camper on my truck and a tag trailer for the race gear. The advantages are:
1. Camper can be used for other recreation activities, or can be removed from truck.
2. Living quarters unaffected by automotive smells/stains.
3. Shorter overall length of tow rig combination (nicer for driving and paddock parking).

Bruce Allison

[Dave Belz]

Ditto, what Bruce said... We have an 8.5' truck camper and trailer just large enough for the car.

I looked into a fifth wheel w/ living quarters early last year and a "short" trailer just didn't seem to work, even without a golf cart. As I recall, the overhang portion of the trailer is at least 8' long, and is included in the overall trailer length measurement. You would think that someone would be duplicating a truck camper floor plan in the front of a trailer, but they don't. You either get combined cargo and living space (which I don't like), or the 'Tag Majal' (I know, it's not a TAG but I couldn't resist the pun). Having someone custom build your living quarters could be an option, if you don't need it right away.

In real life, the shower itself isn't as practical as it would seem. The waste water holding tank capacity becomes an issue, and once you've parked at the track you don't want to pull up everything to go find a dumpstation, especially if it's in your race trailer. But, I do love staying at the track, and our race weekend meal costs have plummeted.

Also, avoid pop up campers. They weigh almost as much as the hard sided models, and make AC impractical.

Dave

[rickjohnson356]

As far as building living quarters in a trailer, you don't really need a shower in the unit.

Most tracks, at least here in SEDIV, have adequate shower/bathroom facilities at the track.

you may want a porta-potti to handle the middle of the night requirements, but I wouldn't want anything messy to have to take care of.

[Purple Frog]

Middle of the night...
Isn't that when we go over and pee on Morgan's trailer tires?

[rickjohnson356]

Only us old guys have to get up in the wee hours to wee-wee. Maybe that's why they call it the wee hours??

[Garey Guzman]

I've been battling this same dilema. When I first started thinking about getting a full size truck, I thought about an RV as a tow vehicle. But from what I've seen, the RV's with enough power to tow a 24' trailer are at least 36' long and cost well over $50k for a deisel pusher. That idea got nixed anyway because the wife said there wasn't any chance she'd sleep at the track. So I got an F350 crew cab instead.

Now my wife thinks she'd like a trailer, especially after the last race in May when it was about 100°. I was going to buy Bruce Allison's old one (see above) but his older F350 has a slightly different bed than my 2003 rig.

If I could afford it, I'd get a toter-home. I could tow almost any trailer I could ever afford and the living quarters would be more than adequate for the track. But for now, I'm looking for a reasonably priced camper. And based on the advice I've been given, I'll use the tracks bathroom (since I don't think I'll ever be anywhere near Morgan's trailer tires ).

For now, I'll keep using the back seat of the truck when I'm to far from a relative's house! Another advantage to being short!

[John Robinson II]

Middle of the night...
Isn't that when we go over and pee on Morgan's trailer tires?

Now we know why the tires keep blowing out... you gotta stop drinking that fire water...lol
Besides it is James' trailer, but at least it keeps the wheels from rusting.

John