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Transport Completed RV-10 tail

L

LordofWar

Active Member
Looking for best options/suggestions to transport Completed RV-10 tail, 1400+ miles each way.
1. Easiest(Cheapest) is to drive my pick up(Full size bed) and fit the parts in with the tail gate down. I'm a bit nervous about this option.
2. Next best is to rent a 6x12 Uhaul and drive it both ways. Not a big fan of their quality of their trailers. No Spare Tires. Cant screw to the floor etc.
3. Buy a trailer 7x16 DIY some stands to screw everything in place. Two Spare Tires(Can be used to justify to wife on buying the trailer I always wanted to transport motorcycles)
 
You might be able to go the #2 route without having to get a 'UHaul' brand.

Many trailer sales outlets can/will rent out a more consumer-level enclosed hobby trailer with wood floors.
 
LordofWar said:
Looking for best options/suggestions to transport Completed RV-10 tail, 1400+ miles each way.
1. Easiest(Cheapest) is to drive my pick up(Full size bed) and fit the parts in with the tail gate down. I'm a bit nervous about this option.
2. Next best is to rent a 6x12 Uhaul and drive it both ways. Not a big fan of their quality of their trailers. No Spare Tires. Cant screw to the floor etc.
3. Buy a trailer 7x16 DIY some stands to screw everything in place. Two Spare Tires(Can be used to justify to wife on buying the trailer I always wanted to transport motorcycles)
Click to expand...

My suggestion is to buy the 16' trailer. Even if you only use it once and decide to get rid of it, there is always a market for this popular trailer to sell it at a very small loss. This loss would certainly be less than renting.
 
3500 lb single axle trailer.

LordofWar said:
Looking for best options/suggestions to transport Completed RV-10 tail, 1400+ miles each way.
1. Easiest(Cheapest) is to drive my pick up(Full size bed) and fit the parts in with the tail gate down. I'm a bit nervous about this option.
2. Next best is to rent a 6x12 Uhaul and drive it both ways. Not a big fan of their quality of their trailers. No Spare Tires. Cant screw to the floor etc.
3. Buy a trailer 7x16 DIY some stands to screw everything in place. Two Spare Tires(Can be used to justify to wife on buying the trailer I always wanted to transport motorcycles)
Click to expand...


If you buy a trailer.... I would question if you need a tandem axle trailer that size. I would recommend looking at a single axle 3500 (2990lb) 5x10' trailer. I would think this would easily fit two motorcycles. It should be more than long enough for the RV-10 tail. Even tho the HS is about 11' long, it can hang over the front of the trailer over the tongue.

The single axle will be easier to tow, easier to maintain and you can avoid having brakes on the trailer. Brakes would require either a brake controller in the truck or surge brakes. The heavier trailer will take more fuel to tow. Unless you plan to haul larger and heavier equipment, I would stick to a smaller, but just as capable for your mission.

Long story short, but I hauled a single motorcycle and a few other things, on a 2000lb 4x8 trailer from SD to PA when I moved. The trailer has proved invaluable in building my garage for future aircraft building. In fact, just recently, the trailer hauled home a Rv-10 tail kit (mostly not assembled) from Toronto, CAD back to PA. I strapped the spars to a 12' 2x6 for security.

Recently I bought a 5x10 tandem axle (6990lb) equipment trailer, but is aimed at hauling my mini-ex or my skid steer. It has surge brakes, so I don't need a brake controller in my vehicle. It tows decent, but for long trips for light weight items, I'll stick to my 4x8 2k trailer.

Also, one spare is probably more than adequate, unless you buy a used trailer and you know the tires are suspect.
 
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Between gas and mileage charges, driving an empty U-Haul 1400 miles is likely to be more expensive than a one-way plane ticket. So it might be cheaper to fly there, Uber to the U-Haul place, and do a one-way rental home.

And it'll save you 20+ hours of driving and (presumably) the cost of hotel.
 
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I'd use the pickup. Put a piece of plywood, bought locally there, under everything to protect the tail from the tailgate lifting up (if it doesn't lock down), and wrap the parts with locally sourced moving blankets. Tie everything down and don't worry about it.

Shouldn't be too difficult.

Dave
 
I transported my completed RV-10 tailcone in a F150 with the tailgate down while towing a 6x12 UHaul trailer (which had the partially completed fuse in it) over about 600 miles. It was fine. I used lots of moving blankets to keep the tailcone from getting scratched (I have a somewhat abrasive spray in bedliner, but I also have a rubber bed mat/floor). The one mistake I made was not doing a better job anchoring the tarp I used to keep everything somewhat dry. I did get some rub marks on the aluminum from the rubber straps holding the tarp down, but no scratches, and not much worse than the rub marks on my quick build wings from the packing materials inside the shipping crate.

I also used a 1-way UHaul rental for the trailer. While it was more expensive than a multi-day "around town" rental, it was far cheaper than the gas + lodging to drive the trailer back.

Edit: My tailcone doesn't have any tail feathers attached, they all went in the trailer. I have the short bed on my truck, it's about 5.5 ft. The HS is pretty long, somewhere around 11 ft I think -- long enough that I rented another 6x12 UHaul for the day to move it rather than have it stick out of the back of my truck. If you're moving that too and have an 8ft bed it might be ok, though.
 

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Thanks for the suggestions

gap said:
Between gas and mileage charges, driving an empty U-Haul 1400 miles is likely to be more expensive than a one-way plane ticket. So it might be cheaper to fly there, Uber to the U-Haul place, and do a one-way rental home.

And it'll save you 20+ hours of driving and (presumably) the cost of hotel.
Click to expand...

Sadly, one way rental from Buffalo, NY to DFW is >$1800. It will be close to 3K if I factor everything Gas, Flight etc.

Edit: Incomparison, a 6x12 Uhaul trailer rental for round trip is $25/Day. So Total $125 dollars Max. Diesel both ways I'm estimating $800-900 Dollars if I take the truck. Less if I can make the SUV work.

I measured the bed with the tail down and it is about 10.5 Feet. The Horizontal Stab is a bit over 11 feet. It seems doable in the bed of the pickup. It helps to hear that other folks were able to transport using the bed.

I'm leaning towards a trailer, given the weather mix and elements being thrown into the equation.

Regards,
Rajiv Chalasani
 
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Have you called Stewart Transport? They might be less expensive, save you a lot of time and it's their nickel if there is any damage.
 
I moved a Stinson wing from Illinois to the DFW area by bolting it to an ovehead rack on my pickup. The rack extended over the cab and attached to the truck bed via the front and rear stake pockets. We tarped the front few feet of the wing and left the rest open. Left on a Friday morning and got home Saturday night.
 
A truck rides much nicer than a trailer. The trailers have basically zero suspension, and can damage things (don’t ask).
I’d go with a cushy ride truck, either yours or a rental.
Enclosed would be best.
 
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