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Low cost folding trailer for RV-12

dmasys

Member
It was time to take the fuselage to the paint shop, so I built some modifications to my folding Harbor Freight utility trailer that worked great to carry the fuselage across town (and are solid enough for long distance highway travel.) Design also includes extensions for adding wing cradles so the whole plane can be carried at once.

The trailer was $300 new and the wood for the RV-12 fuselage mount less than $100. Result: priceless. :) Pictures and descriptions of how it is put together are at http://160.129.203.138/rv12/trailer.html.

My wife and I used it to deliver the fuselage to the local paint shop, and pick up the wings, which got a beautiful paint job. She made an online photoshow of the event at http://www.photoshow.com/watch/ub4gh6VQ?

Dan Masys
RV-10 N104LD flying
RV-12 N122LD painting :)
 
I must say that's a nice setup. I just wonder how "legal" it is. definitely not a wide load, but it hang pretty far off the side of the trailer and of course the back. If the airport was close by, it would work well, but not for long distance interstate traveling.

Nice job and Cheap!
 
It was time to take the fuselage to the paint shop, so I built some modifications to my folding Harbor Freight utility trailer that worked great to carry the fuselage across town (and are solid enough for long distance highway travel.) Design also includes extensions for adding wing cradles so the whole plane can be carried at once.

The trailer was $300 new and the wood for the RV-12 fuselage mount less than $100. Result: priceless. :) Pictures and descriptions of how it is put together are at http://160.129.203.138/rv12/trailer.html.

My wife and I used it to deliver the fuselage to the local paint shop, and pick up the wings, which got a beautiful paint job. She made an online photoshow of the event at http://www.photoshow.com/watch/ub4gh6VQ?

Dan Masys
RV-10 N104LD flying
RV-12 N122LD painting :)

I think this is the good answer for hulling the RV back and forth to the airport. The overhang is not a problem if you add a flag to the back of the tail on the tie down ring.
I would design a small light bar that bolts in the ? inch tie down hole.
I would not use the trailer on windy days with the wings on it, as the trailer is to light.
Harbor Fright also has aluminum Ramps

Nice Job Dan
 
I won't sell my folding trailer after all!

I have exactly the same trailer, folded in my garage. It has been sitting unused for several years since I got an SUV and I was ready to sell it. Thanks for sharing the idea and great design and implementation!
 
I like it..... :)

Cool trailer.

Here is a photo of the one I custom built for the RV 10, it works just fine. I added a light bar to the tail of the plane, mounted it where the tail tie down ring goes, has tail/stop/turn lights, plugged into a tap in the trailer light wiring.

P9250033.jpg


Entire move writeup here, if anyone is interested.
 
Most states...

I must say that's a nice setup. I just wonder how "legal" it is. definitely not a wide load, but it hang pretty far off the side of the trailer and of course the back. If the airport was close by, it would work well, but not for long distance interstate traveling.

Nice job and Cheap!

...have a maximum width of 8 ft for trailers, so it is most likely "legal".

Stability in high winds might be a problem though...:)

When I pulled an open sailplane trailer, what worried me the most was "gawkers" pulling along side and looking - as they looked left they tended to steer left and drift in their lane towards your trailer...:eek:
 
...have a maximum width of 8 ft for trailers, so it is most likely "legal".

Stability in high winds might be a problem though...:)

When I pulled an open sailplane trailer, what worried me the most was "gawkers" pulling along side and looking - as they looked left they tended to steer left and drift in their lane towards your trailer...:eek:

The following states have an 8 foot wide limit on trailers
All the rest are 8 foot 6 inches

Kentucky - 8
Maryland - 8
Michigan - 8
New Hampshire - 8
New Jersey - 8
New York 8.5 with some exceptions.
North Carolina - secondary roads still 8 ft.
Oregon - 8 with exceptions
Virginia - 8
at last check I think.
 
The RV-12 came out of the paint shop and home on the trailer on Friday, November 19. My wife made another photo show that shows the finished fuselage, and the reassembly of the empennage. See: http://www.photoshow.com/watch/EB7XI4tZ?language=enu

Getting there...

-Dan Masys

It was time to take the fuselage to the paint shop, so I built some modifications to my folding Harbor Freight utility trailer that worked great to carry the fuselage across town (and are solid enough for long distance highway travel.) Design also includes extensions for adding wing cradles so the whole plane can be carried at once.

The trailer was $300 new and the wood for the RV-12 fuselage mount less than $100. Result: priceless. :) Pictures and descriptions of how it is put together are at http://160.129.203.138/rv12/trailer.html.

My wife and I used it to deliver the fuselage to the local paint shop, and pick up the wings, which got a beautiful paint job. She made an online photoshow of the event at http://www.photoshow.com/watch/ub4gh6VQ?

Dan Masys
RV-10 N104LD flying
RV-12 N122LD painting :)
 
Thanks for sharing that, pretty much what I intend to do, I put many thousand miles on the same trailer, they are bulletproof!.
Two points, I would have pulled the plane a bit further forward for a bit more tongue weight. and secondly please share your wing holder brackets with us when you do them, I have not come up with a good method of that yet.
 
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