Tow Rig / Shop Truck

[SwedeSport]

Digging thru some pics. I had intended to post but somehow never did. I'm kind of a lazy ass and leaning forward to reach the plow controls was too much work. So I built a mount that slips into a receiver when in use, and tucks under the seat when not in use. Painted it up with black wrinke finish, and some nice yellow on the face. I then had the BEST damn screen printer around put some up, down, left, and right arrows on it. It uses the simple, reliable "Slick Stick" Meyer control joystick.

[Luke]

damn, looks like you've been busy, the truck looks great. The control stick is a nice touch and I love the silk screening!

[SwedeSport]

I gotta run with the ball when I get some motivation, and lately I have been running.

[SwedeSport]

I have been hunting for a trailer. Hoping to decide on something in the next few weeks. I really like some of the ones built for Dirt Modified cars. Usually about 20 feet long, with a 3x5x8 box in the front, and a tire rack on top. A winch to pull a broken racecar on to it. Plenty of tie downs, and some lighting.

Trailers disappear quickly, especially nice ones. If your not the first person waving cash you miss it. I have been shopping both used and new stuff. A nice new open trailer can be had for 2500 bucks. I don't think I'm off base expecting a nice used race trailer rig for 2-3k. Hopefully a well thought out rig with some of the bells and whistles already.



What are you fella's dragging your racers around with?

[Geoff]

I have one of these:


Came with a tire rack built inside and some shelves. Two 5000lb torsion axles (tows nice and smooth). Brakes on all four wheels. I need to weld the rear door hinges back on and mount the door (hinges tore away from their mounts).

Gas mileage probably suffers vs. an open trailer but it is nice to have a spare garage at home even if it's only for parking cars in vs. working on them.

I don't feel too bad about the $500 investment.

[Jordan]

You had to buy a truck/van that could haul one of those too. A standard gasser pickup might struggle with that one! Great deal though, hard to pass up. I settled for a lil' tow dolly, but I can probably sell it for more than I bought it for, when I can invest in a nice lightweight flatbed. One of the guys at the hillclimbs tows his subaru with a Trailex brand aluminum trailer behind a Jag XJ . I don't think his has brakes, but it can't weight much more than 800 pounds and has a tire rack.

[Geoff]

I only bought the van because the Suburban I had before was a POS. The diesel van is a lot more rugged and it can also haul a cord of wood, plus it gets better mileage than the Suburban did . I would love an aluminum trailer and a lightweight little tow vehicle but the cost is a lot higher. I figure for the amount of towing I do I'm probably actually saving $ with the cheaper heavier stuff.

[SwedeSport]

The bad boy tilt bed unit I posted is about 7 grand once you add some options... Too rich for my blood. I was hoping to find one that was built by a racer who cared about his rig. Not some bucket built by Joe Hillbilly Dirtracer. There are a lot of homebuilt race trailers that are shit.

Geoff, how long is your enclosed trailer, and what does it weigh?

[DrewP]

I am gonna do a little ultra-light low profile trailer and tow behind my C900, room on trailer for probably one road box, a pop-up tent and another set of wheels and that's it. Plan to leave the car parked on it when not using it, neighbors at my apartment will continue to be amused.

This way when I have a little workshop space I can stand it up on edge against one wall when I'm not using it to get it out of the way - we won't be getting a house in LA any time soon at the salaries Kirsten and I are bringing in.

Several of them have now referred to me as 'noisy-car-guy' when I move my C900 around....

[SwedeSport]

[quote="DrewPThis way when I have a little workshop space I can stand it up on edge against one wall when I'm not using it to get it out of the way - we won't be getting a house in LA any time soon at the salaries Kirsten and I are bringing in.quote]

...Go East young man!



My dad plans to throw in a few bucks, so I have to take into account that his 86 Monte Carlo SS is 17 feet long. I believe the expectation is that if he throws in $$$ his car better fit on it. I want an all steel trailer, his SS is nearly 3600 lbs. A C900 is just over 14 feet nose to tail and even the fat late model 900 is only 2800. My 84 Notchback has no bumpers, and might be a tad over 2k.

In chatting with F series owners, In good tune and maintained, that truck should pull 7k. But that is maxing it out. I would like to end up with a total trailer of 6k or less toting my car, and some tools and spares. The SS will probably put it close to the max but it would be a rare occasion to tow that car.

I was tossing the idea of a 20 foot enclosed trailer, but a few of them are kinda heavy. Even tossed around the idea of looking for a damaged 24 foot enclosed unit and cut 17 feet off the back of it, leaving a deck for the car and a 7 x 8 x 6 box.

[99Super]

I've been looking for a trailer myself. I saw a nice 2-axle flatbed the other day for $1700 but I need to get some more work done on my house.
In the meantime I flat tow the car w/my Astro...

john

[Crazyswede]

its a tow rig and a trailer all in one and great if you cannot pay attention to which fuel pump is which.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Military ... 336dbd8514

[SwedeSport]

There are a few of those military rigs around here. Kinda cool. Heavy and slow though, I'm sure.

Jordan, how much are those 800lb aluminum trailers? 5-6 grand maybe?

I'm going to the Fall Swap Meet at the local dirt track this weekend. Maybe I find something cool or get a lead on a trailer. At the least I want to end up with an 18-20 foot open trailer that I can build a rack for and mount some storage boxes. I think I can make my own rig out of a steel deck trailer and be pretty well equipped for $3k

[SwedeSport]

This is just badass!

[SwedeSport]

Looking for sleeping options in my truck. The front seat is not an option. Won't try that again. Been on the lookout for a Cowboy Sleeper. Just doesn't seem like a lot of them on the east coast. I really would rather just find one, but suppose I could section a Hi Top cap and glass together my own. Nah,... Cutting and grinding old fiberglass sucks!