RV-12 Trailer Size

[kevinl4000]

Originally Posted by WingedFrog

- Use as a mobile hangar, not for long trips with possibility if allowed to be left inside the airport perimeter, close to the tie down area (this is allowed at my airport for glider trailers)
- Allow solo operation with minimum time required to go from storage to airworthy condition and vice-versa.
- May require more time to stow the plane safely for longer trips but unnecessary for use as a hangar.

Sounds like you might be describing an enclosed car trailer (the ones used for taking race cars to the track). A used one might work.

[Avenger V]

I recently purchased a used snowmobile trailer in Wisconsin. Light wt. alum. tilt bed 8x10. Hard to find one in Georgia. Installed HF winch with remote. Designed one man wing removable that can be rolled to and installed on trailer. This is designed to keep plane at home and haul to local airport to fly. Airport said OK. Liked idea and even gave me a pad to install wings . Ron Russ
RV12 Viking

[climbingduo]

FYI - what we did not show in the pictures were that you can use wing racks on the sides of the fuselage to haul the entire plane. We just didn't bother since we only use the trailer occasionally (to paint the plane, for example) and just hauled the wings separately on our storage wing rack. What we liked about this trailer was that it required very few accommodations to accommodate the fuselage and wings if we do need to haul the entire plane.

See photos at
http://s1347.photobucket.com/user/ik...?sort=3&page=1

[mwardle7]

Has anyone found an enclosed trailer with a 98" wide rear opening besides David K? I've asked around at several trailer dealers with no success. I asked a Wells Cargo dealer about a special order and they refused because the said it couldn't be done without compromising the structural integrity of the trailer.

[Jetguy]

Originally Posted by mwardle7

Has anyone found an enclosed trailer with a 98" wide rear opening besides David K? I've asked around at several trailer dealers with no success. I asked a Wells Cargo dealer about a special order and they refused because the said it couldn't be done without compromising the structural integrity of the trailer.

They are right there is no 98 inch wide trailer on the market unless they are custom made. However there are a few RV12 owners who are using a 96 inch trailer to tow their 12s with. See the links.
The Shadow Gt made by Pace American:
http://www.paceamerican.com/search?s...ords=shadow+gt
At this link you can see pictures of the 12 loaded into the trailer, note the rear picture of the foam around the horizontal stab:
http://s1286.photobucket.com/user/he...?sort=6&page=1

[David K]

Our trailer is a Pace America Shadow GT and it is sold with a standard rear door opening of 96". We custom ordered ours with a 98" opening. The foam around the horizontal stabilator is for protection only, during loading and unloading. It does not touch the walls.

[E. D. Eliot]

David, you have exactly what I have envisioned for my 12. Please tell me more about your trailer - ie, how long it is from the front of the tongue to the end of the trailer - how were your dealings with the manufacturer ( did they give you any trouble about building a 98" trailer)- how many wheels (2 or 4) - weight of the trailer and cost of the trailer if you could divulge it. Also, how much towing have you done with it and how did that go. What vehicle do you tow it with?

Additional pictures of the trailer please.

As I said, this appears to be exactly the trailer that I will use. Thanks for posting the picture and source.

[David K]

Follow the links Jet Guy provided above for more pictures of our trailer and also the link for the trailer manufacturer's specifications.
Our tow vehicle is a 2011 Ford F150 with an EcoBoost engine. We have trailered our RV-12 over 4,000 miles with this rig without any problems. It has traveled twice from Ohio to Florida and back plus other stops. No damage whatsoever. The trailer was approximately $10,500 with several structural enhancements. See pictures for details. Feel free to email me at hemlockfield@windstream.net.

[rgmwa]

There's a picture of a very neat RV-12 trailer (Roger Russell) on today's Vans First Flights page: http://vansaircraft.com/public/first-flights.htm
Folding sides hold the wings and the plane is held tail-low, making for a very efficient and economical design. Great job Roger!

[mwardle7]

Originally Posted by rgmwa

There's a picture of a very neat RV-12 trailer (Roger Russell) on today's Vans First Flights page: http://vansaircraft.com/public/first-flights.htm
Folding sides hold the wings and the plane is held tail-low, making for a very efficient and economical design. Great job Roger!

Yes, great job indeed. Roger was kind enough to provide a description of his trailer, as well as a few photos, and permission to post them for the benefit of the RV-12 community.

The trailer I built is to Australian (NSW) standards. The design was built to a maximum weight of 750 kg so as to avoid installing brakes. The trailer was then built of aluminium. The overall width was 2.5m.The main wheels were lower by 250mm than the nose wheel so to lower the tail so the overall height was no more than 2.4m. Towing tail first was done to minimize the tongue weight for my light tow vehicle. I used a trailer winch to pull the plane on to the trailer. I put a rigid tie down at the tail. I secured the rudder and the elevators. The wings were fitted on the side doors which let down and had props as seen in the photo.