Enclosed Trailer - What to put in it?

[Ron Earp]

This Wed I am going down to pick up the 20' enclosed trailer that was for sale a few post down.

I've never owned a trailer before, much less an enclosed one. What sorts of things do folks consider manditory to put inside one of these to make your race weekend easy?

I was planning on doing a few things:

*Mounting a fold away bed on the wall for sleeping.

*Mounting a fold away workbench somewhere

*Putting a couple of cabinets in

*Putting some holders for things like jacks and stands on the floor

*Installing some 110V outlets if it doesn't have any, hooked up to a plug on the front so I can plug it in

*Maybe mounting my small generator somewhere to be used at tracks without power

*Putting some lights in it and mounting some outside

*Mounting a pull out awning on the side of the trailer to make a shed for the car beside the trailer.

*Might have to wire it for some speakers to be used for a portable audio system/track scanner.

I know it isn't big like most people have, but I'm good at using space efficently and making the most out of what I've got. Any more suggestions?

Ron

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Ron Earp
NC Region
Ford Lightning Tow Beast
RF GT40 Replica
Jensen-Healey ITS
1/2 a 260Z ITS

[x-ring]

I also have a 20 footer Ron, and what has worked well for me is a set of shelves in the front, sized to hold those plastic storage tubs (maybe 16" x 12" x 24 deep) with a work surface above. I'd like to install some cabinets above that, or maybe a tire rack. The tubs are great, allowing you to store everything that goes together for a particular task in one spot. A list stuck to the outside in a plastic sleeve makes it easy to find what you are looking for.

My generator (Suzuki 3KW) mounts to a frame on the tongue, isolating me somewhat from the noise.

I need to alter the shelves a little bit to make a space to stash that transmission in the front corner.


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Ty Till
#16 ITS
Rocky Mountain Division

[Tom Donnelly]

Ron,

I mounted e-track down the length of each side. Then used it to mount two bars that clicked into the track for a tire rack. I also used the e-track to hang a piece of pvc conduit on each side to work as a container for the awning poles. Its the white 3" drain conduit and you can get caps for the ends. I ran e-track across the front wall to retain my tool box / cabinet. I mounted the air compressor to the floor next to the tool box. A compressor won't work at the track on an extension cord unless you use the thickest (highest amp) kind. With the compressor mounted in the trailer, it was out of the way. In a 20' trailer there really was no room for a z-car and cabinets so I used spares boxes I purchased at Home Depot. I have pics if you want to see. You might be able to hang overhead cabinets up front or down one side but I never tried that. A nice touch is a 120v outlet on the side of the trailer to plug the extension cord into, and running 120v wiring in the interior. If you race down south, sleeping in the trailer can get pretty hot without ac or a fan.

Tom

[Ron Earp]

Got AC and fans, what is e-track? Good ideas on the outlets etc.

R

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Ron Earp
NC Region
Ford Lightning
RF GT40 Replica
Jensen-Healey ITS
1/2 a 260Z ITS

[OTLimit]

Originally posted by rlearp:
*Mounting a fold away bed on the wall for sleeping.

Skip this. Chris went to Bass Pro Shop and bought some really nice cots that fold up small (~36" long, 6" x 4"). They sleep great; I would rather sleep on one of them then the foam mattress in the gooseneck.


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Lesley Albin
Over The Limit Racing
Blazen Golden Retrievers

[DavidM]

E-track is good stuff. There's both horizontal and vertical, though the horizontal is the more common. Really good for strapping stuff down. I had some run on the floor of my trailer for strapping the car down. Just make sure you use the trailer frame rails for mounting.

Don't forget about tires. Gotta have some place for them be it on the floor or in a rack on the wall.

Here's another option for your generator. Mount your fuse box in the trailer and have a long, low gauge cord attached to it. Then drill a hole in the floor that you can run the cord through. Now you can have your generator outside the trailer. Run some 110V receptacles down towards the rear of the trailer and you can plug things in, like an air compressor, without needing an extension cord.

David

[Joe Harlan]

Ok lots of good advice here but remember the car has to go in there also....

CHek the load rating on not only the axles but the tires and wheels. Alot of times the stock trailer tires are not up to the rated axle weights. DO NOT overload your tires or you will have many crappy trips.

Joe

[sevenracer]

I also just got a 20' enclosed.

Any advice on how to wire in 110v? Are there standard electrical boxes(like for an RV)for mounting in the side to feed in AC power?

Also, when adding air con, are there any other reasonable options than roof mount units?

Thanks

[murphyd]

Hey guys, sorry to highjack, but I have a line on aluminum trailer access. (similar to pitpal) that you can mount inside the trailer. I have a door mount shelf/fold down table in 2 different sizes, aerosol can holder, oil can holder, tiedown strap holder, helmet rack, etc... I haven't found a price that I cannot beat (even on ebay) for almost all of these products. Ron I'm in the NCR region and could bring some samples to VIR in May if you like. If anyone is interested email me and I will try to come up with some pictures and a price list (may take me a couple of days as I just made the deal on Monday!).

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David Murphy
Murphy Motorsports
ITS 240sx
www.murphymotorsports.net

[Daryl DeArman]

Here is some e-track and common accessories to go with it.

http://www.etrailer.com/y-143.aspx

There are several sources for this type of stuff. Shipping it adds significantly to the cost as it is heavy and inexpensive. Finding it locally would probably be the best bet.

[johng]

I recently finished assembling and installing el'cheapo base cabinets from Home Depot in my 24'. The nose wall is curved a little, and I suck at wood-working, so to make it easier on myself I put the cabinets on the flat side wall. There's still plenty of room even with the car in there.

Since I have to roll the compressor and tool cabinet from the shop to the trailer each race weekend, I went with some simple "U" shaped steel drawer pulls and screwed them to the wall studs. That way I can use small ratchet straps to tie down the compressor and tool cabinet to the front wall. I'm still trying to figure out a tire rack design, and additional wiring for 110V. The E-track with cross bar thingy sounds pretty good. There's that exact same set-up at www.awdirect.com


My cheesy weekend project..


$.02
John


[This message has been edited by johng (edited April 10, 2005).]

[supersmile]

I'd suggest rethinking your tie down method for the tool cabinet. I did the same thing, and it worked great until I hit a good bump on the road and both drawer pull tiedowns failed at the same time. A loose tool chest in a trailer can break lots of stuff!

Get a 5 foot piece of etrack and attach it to the studs on the front of the trailer. Use tie down straps attached to that to hold stuff down. As a bonus, you can move stuff around if you need to instead of being in a fixed position between the handles.

Rob

[johng]

Yikes! Good idea Rob.

[94sm]

Originally posted by murphyd:
Hey guys, sorry to highjack, but I have a line on aluminum trailer access. (similar to pitpal) that you can mount inside the trailer. I have a door mount shelf/fold down table in 2 different sizes, aerosol can holder, oil can holder, tiedown strap holder, helmet rack, etc... I haven't found a price that I cannot beat (even on ebay) for almost all of these products. Ron I'm in the NCR region and could bring some samples to VIR in May if you like. If anyone is interested email me and I will try to come up with some pictures and a price list (may take me a couple of days as I just made the deal on Monday!).

David, sent you email...

[Tom Donnelly]

The cross bar pieces that John described and pictured are what I use for a tire rack in the back of the trailer. They are called shoring beams. 2 across the back with the tires sitting on top. Works great, just watch out for bumping your head when there are no tires. Everyone on my team has bumps on their head.

If you mount the bars close enough to the top and still allow room for tires, a car fits right underneath. The etrack at that height also supports 4 straps that I have 3 inch PVC conduit hanging from. The conduit is a great cheap container for the awning beams. I use etrack at the front of the trailer to tie down the tool box.

I bolt the air compressor to the floor next to the toolbox.

If you want pics, send me an email at [email protected].

Tom Donnelly
ITS 240z

[Bill Miller]

Originally posted by johng:
[B]I recently finished assembling and installing el'cheapo base cabinets from Home Depot in my 24'. The nose wall is curved a little, and I suck at wood-working, so to make it easier on myself I put the cabinets on the flat side wall. There's still plenty of room even with the car in there.

Since I have to roll the compressor and tool cabinet from the shop to the trailer each race weekend, I went with some simple "U" shaped steel drawer pulls and screwed them to the wall studs. That way I can use small ratchet straps to tie down the compressor and tool cabinet to the front wall. I'm still trying to figure out a tire rack design, and additional wiring for 110V. The E-track with cross bar thingy sounds pretty good. There's that exact same set-up at www.awdirect.com


My cheesy weekend project..


$.02
John


[B]

Nice job John! I got one of those workbench cabinets from Sears (I think it was on sale for $99). It has two drawers, and a decent size shelf underneath. I think it's 5' wide. I mounted that to the front of the trailer, and then got some of the metal track/shelf brackets, and mounted them to the wall. I used the wire mesh shelving, w/ the lip turned up, and secured it to the brackets w/ zip ties. It was lighter than any other shelving solution I could come up with, and not much more expensive. For the ends, I just got the quarter-round corner pieces, and mounted them standing up. This gave me enough room to slide the generator next to the bench.

But, the biggest thing I think that I did (w/ the help of my electrician friend), was to wire the whole thing for 110v. We mounted flourescent (sp?) lights on the ceiling (a 4' dbl across the front, an 8' dbl down each side, and a 4' dbl across the back). We also put outlets in both the front and the back. I have one of those long outlet bars across the front, over the workbench. Having power at the back of the trailer comes in mighty handy!!! I have a small breaker box in the front, w/ two 20A circuits on it. There is a plug on the front of the trailer that I can hook the generator (6500W) up to, or plug up to facilities at the track. I set the lights up on seperate switches, one for the front, and one for the side/back.

I'll second what Leslie said about the folding cots. I went the cheaper route, and got mine from Wally World. They're fine, just don't let two of your 'jumbo-size' crew try to sit on them at the same time!!!

Since we also use the trailer as the mobile hotel, I put some creature comforts in it as well. I got a cheapo 19" TV and VCR from Wally World a couple of years ago (I think the TV was $69 and the VCR was $39), and mounted them on a shelf in the corner. It's nice to hook up people's camcorders to watch the in-car footage. And there are copies of Grand Prix and LeMans that stay in the trailer. And the last time we were at the track, it seems that someone left some 'training films' in there as well!

I also got a microwave and a coffee pot (grand total of another $50). Sure is nice to have some hot food and a cup of coffee when it's too wet/cold/nasty to be outside. (How many people at the Gingerman National would have liked to have had one??? )

I picked up one of those electric oil-filled radiators at a yard sale for $5, and it does a nice job of heating the trailer. Next step is to find some kind of A/C setup. I was thinking of the RV style roof mount ones, but they're pretty salty. I know a friend that built a frame w/ a hatch, that mounts a regular household 5k btu unit right in the wall. Takes it out when the trailer is moving, or being stored, puts it in when he needs it at the track. Since I use my trailer as a workshop, I could really put this to good use.



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MARRS #25 ITB Rabbit GTI (sold) | MARRS #25 HProd Rabbit
SCCA 279608

[whenry]

I would suggest adding a heavy duty wench to the trailer. Makes loading/unloading very easy and if you ever have a wrecked or disabled vehicle, you will really appreciate it. YMMV

[lateapex911]

Originally posted by whenry:
I would suggest adding a heavy duty wench to the trailer. .... YMMV

A nice option for some, but most wives will disapprove, I am afraid....



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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]

[backformore]

If she is Heavy Duty enough, some wives may let it slide. It also depends how much she costs.

[tom_sprecher]

I would second the winch feature. I have a buddy that has one with a key fob remote. It would have really been handy on Sunday when loading up the CFC car after it had the corners torn off the left side in the incident at the start of the race in T1.

As far as the addition of a wench, stay away from the heavy duty units. A light weight, performance model is what I'd be looking for.

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Tom Sprecher
Team SuperTech