Car Positioning in Trailer

[BDHE]

Greetings Folks;

I'd like to take advantage of the vast body of experience here once again to help solve a current problem. I'm curious to see what everyone has to say about positioning a cobra in a trailer for optimum weight distribution.

Hard data already in hand:

-Trailer will have a 20-foot interior floor space
-Tandem axles (3500 lbs each)
-Car weight approximately 2550
-Wheelbase of the cobra is 90 inches.

I don't yet know the weight bias of the car actually is, but plan to run it across some scales very soon to find out where the mechanical center of the car is. On second thought, I'd bet some of you know -- the car is a Superformance, the engine is a Performance Engineering 514 with a TKO 600 transmission.

Ant suggestions or lucid comments would be appreciated!


Bryon

[Burnd]

The car positioning will have more to do with the "tongue weight" exerted than where the car sits comfortably in the trailer. Find out what the recommended "tongue weight" is on your trailer/vehicle. Then put a scale under the front jack and move the car forwards and backwards to achieve the desired "down" weight. If you have too much weight "forward" the trailer will be squirrely & fishtailey as hell and too far back it will be lifting up on the rear of your vehicle and you get a floating, bounce ride. It's not hard to do but it takes a little bit of "jockeying" to get it dialed in. It's got to "ride" level too. You will know if it ain't right when you tow it cause it's a little scary feeling when she ain't right. I don't have a 20 ft trailer but I have two 16 footers and we have always set it up this way. My boats were the same too.

Bernie

[DAVID GAGNARD]

According to some trailer manufacters, if you do not have a scale to check the tongue weight, an easy way to get you "in the ball park" is hook the trailer to the tow truck, park on a level surface, measure the height of the rear bumper/hitch, load the car and move if forward till the rear bumper/hitch goes down one to one and half inches........this should be very close.....take for a test drive and move the car from that point........

Once I had my car where it needed to be, I marked the position of the front tires on the trailer floor with some paint, now when loading the car, I know exactly where my front tires need to be to get everything like it needs to be for a smooth safe ride............

David

[BDHE]

David/Bernie;

Thanks for the input!

I had heard about the "1-inch" rule previously, and might use that as a starting point.

Bryon

[speed220mph]

Bryon:

Ditto to what's already been said. Additionally, after a few thousand miles of towing I've found the best way to find the correct tongue weight is to load up your car, tie it down and drive your rig. Position your car a little farther forward than you think it should be to ensure things will be stable. A light tongue can be flatout scarey, particularly when encoutering cross winds and passing or being passed by big rigs.

Once you have your car tied down, mark where the front tire is positioned with a strip of tape. If things feel good, move the car back a few inches. Otherwise, move it foreward, then continue driving. It won't take long to find out where things feel comfortable. When you get your car where you think it feels right, reposition your tape for future reference. I'm sure you'll be hauling other stuff in your trailer, such as tools, tires and supplies, so consider this weight, too.

Some other tips: Air up the rear tires of your tow vehicle to max pressure as indicated on the sidewall. Do this when the tires are cold. I've found that P-rated tires won't do the job . . . they fail . . . so I pull with LT-rated tires at 50 psi pressure. Air up the trailer tires to a similar pressure. The tires will be more durable and your rig will be more stable as a result.

Happy towing.

[Flyin_Freddie]

Byron....as I replied on the other forum...the weight bias of the load has little to do with positioning the load in the trailer. You're looking to get 10-15% of the total weight of the trailer and all cargo on the tongue. Ideally, I like to get the lower end of the range, as I always manage to find additional equipment to load up after I get the gross weight figured out....but, I always add this additional weight in front of the axles, so it evens out.

Take your trailer and car loaded up to a trailer shop. Most of them have a scale that can measure tongue weight, and they will use that scale to help you position your car in the trailer for the proper tongue weight. You'll need the weight of the car, and the weight of the trailer...most trailers have a data placard on them. Using that information, you'll be right on target.

I've towed my SPF over 35K miles in my 20' Pace American, plus another 10K, give or take, pulling a 911 Carrera on an open trailer. Trust me...there's NOTHING that even comes close to the experience of having several thousand dollars worth of trailer, racecar, wheels and tires swaying back and forth at over 70 MPH!!! It'll push you from one side of the hiway to the other...and don't even try to touch the brakes...or you'll lose control of the whole mess. If you're trailer tonguie weight is too little, you can look forward to this....and it ain't fun!!!

[Godzila]

Who you kiddin Freddie you just load up the Margarita machine and several cases of Tequila and Mix and put the car in whereever there is room left over

Kumpie
Hey Let's do some ribs?

[DAVID GAGNARD]

[QUOTESome other tips: Air up the rear tires of your tow vehicle to max pressure as indicated on the sidewall. Do this when the tires are cold. I've found that P-rated tires won't do the job . . . they fail . . . so I pull with LT-rated tires at 50 psi pressure. Air up the trailer tires to a similar pressure. The tires will be more durable and your rig will be more stable as a result.
][/quote]

zacctly, always check your tire pressure before heading out(including the spare tire).....I found my tires like 4 psi more than what's marked on the tire, anything less and the trailer wants to sway in the wind........I generally put a new set of tires on about every 4 years, old tires have very little wear, but if you look at the sidewalls, you'll see small cracks and signs of dry rot.I've seen too many old tires blow out on the interstate, it just ain't worth it compared to the cost of a set of tires..........

I tow with an F-250 and on the interstate put the cruise control on 75mph and have no problems........make sure you have enough tow truck, in this case bigger IS better..........

David

[Larry N Johnson]

center the roadster door is about the center of gravity for an SPF.

If you center the door over the front trailer tires to start, you will be safe.

That will put at least 10-15% of the total weight on the tongue as mentioned above for safety.

Let us know what works best for you.

[BLUE427]

Originally Posted by BDHE

Greetings Folks;

I'd like to take advantage of the vast body of experience here once again to help solve a current problem. I'm curious to see what everyone has to say about positioning a cobra in a trailer for optimum weight distribution.

Hard data already in hand:

-Trailer will have a 20-foot interior floor space
-Tandem axles (3500 lbs each)
-Car weight approximately 2550
-Wheelbase of the cobra is 90 inches.

I don't yet know the weight bias of the car actually is, but plan to run it across some scales very soon to find out where the mechanical center of the car is. On second thought, I'd bet some of you know -- the car is a Superformance, the engine is a Performance Engineering 514 with a TKO 600 transmission.

Ant suggestions or lucid comments would be appreciated!


Bryon

BDHE,
I HAVE A 20 FT FEATHERLITE ALUM, WITH THE 2, 4600 LB AXLES, I PUT THE NOSE OF THE CAR JUST PAST THE FRONT WHEEL OF THE TRAILER SO WHEN I OPEN THE SIDE DOOR THE HEADLIGHT AND FRONT PART OF THE FENDER IS RIGHT THERE, MORE TONGUE WT, BUT THATS OK, THE TRAILER DOESNT FISHTAIL AT ALL WITH THE LITTLE EXTRA WT. UP FRONT. I WOULD RATHER BE HEAVY IN THE FRONT THAN THE REAR. I WOULD ALSO SUGGEST GEATTING ALL ALUM, IF YOU CAN AND A V FRONT TO HELP WHAT LITTLE IT CAN ON THE GAS MILEAGE. 20 FT IS PLENT BIG AND THERES ALOT OF XTRA ROOM TO MOVE AROUND IN IT WHEN THE CAR IS TIED DOWN.
MH

[BDHE]

Originally Posted by BLUE427

BDHE,
I HAVE A 20 FT FEATHERLITE ALUM, WITH THE 2, 4600 LB AXLES, I PUT THE NOSE OF THE CAR JUST PAST THE FRONT WHEEL OF THE TRAILER SO WHEN I OPEN THE SIDE DOOR THE HEADLIGHT AND FRONT PART OF THE FENDER IS RIGHT THERE, MORE TONGUE WT, BUT THATS OK, THE TRAILER DOESNT FISHTAIL AT ALL WITH THE LITTLE EXTRA WT. UP FRONT. I WOULD RATHER BE HEAVY IN THE FRONT THAN THE REAR. I WOULD ALSO SUGGEST GEATTING ALL ALUM, IF YOU CAN AND A V FRONT TO HELP WHAT LITTLE IT CAN ON THE GAS MILEAGE. 20 FT IS PLENT BIG AND THERES ALOT OF XTRA ROOM TO MOVE AROUND IN IT WHEN THE CAR IS TIED DOWN.
MH

MH;

I already have a 20 ft Pace being built to my specs, so it's too late for the aluminum suggestion.

May I ask what truck you're pulling with, and, if it's a 3/4 ton, have you noted how much your truck squats after you've loaded your car(before with empty trailer, versus after with car loaded)?

Bryon

[BLUE427]

Originally Posted by BDHE

MH;

I already have a 20 ft Pace being built to my specs, so it's too late for the aluminum suggestion.

May I ask what truck you're pulling with, and, if it's a 3/4 ton, have you noted how much your truck squats after you've loaded your car(before with empty trailer, versus after with car loaded)?

Bryon

BYRON,
I HAVE A 2006 FORD SUPERDUTY 3/4 TON, I ALSO HAVE A 4INCH LIFT AND 36"TIRES. THE TRUCK COMES DOWN A INCH OR TWO BUT NOT ALOT, IT PULLS GREAT THOUGH, HARDLY KNOW ITS THERE ONCE UP TO SPEED, I HAVE THE SMALL V8 IN THE TRUCK AND IT KILLS THE MPG A BIT, 9 MPG IS AS GOOD AS IT GETS PULLING, BUT THATS 70-75 MPH TOO.
MARTY

[Larry N Johnson]

We have sold Serpent Express covers for existing flatbed trailers for users to attach.

The Featherlite is one of the better aluminum trailers made.

The SPF is pretty neutral bias front/rear so the advice above is all good.

And because of the neutral bias, one can back in and be safe on 16 or longer decks.

Be safe take no chances. Call if you want to talk details: 801-766-4651

Regards.

[Larry N Johnson]

Here is an SPF inside a 14' Serpent Express.

Note the front door seam related to the front trailer tire.

(Car center of gravity is ahead of center between trailer tires.)



"...we just got back from the London, Ohio Cobra show. We pulled the trailer and car approx. 1000 miles and averaged about 12.5 mpg with our F-150 4-wheel drive. which isn't too bad considering we usually only get 16 mpg on the highway with the air conditioning on. So it cost us about 3.5 mpg. I am very happy with that mileage. The trailer got a lot of exposure at the show and serveral guys were very interested in the trailer. I wouldn't be suprised if you get a few orders out of it. Overall the trailer is everything that I expected and more. June 28, 2005 James D."

[BDHE]

Originally Posted by Larry N Johnson

Here is an SPF inside a 14' Serpent Express.

"...we just got back from the London, Ohio Cobra show. We pulled the trailer and car approx. 1000 miles and averaged about 12.5 mpg with our F-150 4-wheel drive. which isn't too bad considering we usually only get 16 mpg on the highway with the air conditioning on. So it cost us about 3.5 mpg. I am very happy with that mileage. The trailer got a lot of exposure at the show and serveral guys were very interested in the trailer. I wouldn't be suprised if you get a few orders out of it. Overall the trailer is everything that I expected and more. June 28, 2005 James D."

Larry;

I really like the efficiency that the Serpent Express apparently has! This is a great idea that was brilliantly implemented.

I looked at these with great interest, but decided that it wouldn't satisfy a major requirement we have -- the ability to provide more secure overnight storage while away from home. We'll be taking our cobra to events that will keep us on the road for several days at a time. Having a mobile "garage away from home" was the main point to the whole trailer thing for us.


Bryon

[WildBill1965]

Freddie,
Did you get your mix this time. May VIR