Boat tail project based on a single wheel trailer...

[COcyclist]

Just curious, what pressure are you running in the trailer tire? Is the oscillation less pronounced with a load? My father used to run some pretty low tire pressure in his trailer to cut down on the bouncing, with light loads. We had an old Sears one wheel trailer that he used for many years and thousands of miles.

[BamZipPow]

Originally Posted by COcyclist

Just curious, what pressure are you running in the trailer tire? Is the oscillation less pronounced with a load? My father used to run some pretty low tire pressure in his trailer to cut down on the bouncing, with light loads. We had an old Sears one wheel trailer that he used for many years and thousands of miles.

I'm not sure what the tire pressure is...probably near the maximum pressure...60psi. I'll take a shot at a lower air pressure in the tire and see how much effect it has. Probably like a under inflated basketball...

Just started working on revamping the main body again. I need to clean up the bottom so that there are no air gaps on the bottom. I'm also looking at encapsulating the tire in a shell and see how that will turn out. This will probably use up the remaining Coroplast signs I have left. I might have to start looking at Luan sheets...

[freebeard]

It all sounded so simple when you were starting out.

I wonder if a splitter on the front side of the trailer would do any good. Are there any trailers out there now with a front splitter?

Looks like I need to preload a spring (rubber torsion or metal leaf/coil) to handle the additional force. A coilover setup would be nice but it could git pretty pricey and the hitch becoming a hassle to hook/unhook from the hitch receiver with the preload of the coil spring in the coilover setup. I would have to carry around something to compress the spring while hooking up the trailer...like a spring compressor!

There are those motorcycles that have a wedge shape pointed at the bottom of the front tire.

What do you think would happen if you extended that center C-channel back and move the single wheel back even a few inches?



Looking at motorcycle trailers, they tend to have the wheel further back.



Goldwing-styled single wheeled trailer - Page 2

Technical discussion and links in that thread.

[BamZipPow]

Originally Posted by freebeard

It all sounded so simple when you were starting out.

There are those motorcycles that have a wedge shape pointed at the bottom of the front tire.

What do you think would happen if you extended that center C-channel back and move the single wheel back even a few inches?

Looking at motorcycle trailers, they tend to have the wheel further back.

Technical discussion and links in that thread.

I gave a lot of thought to what you said. I understand that if I move the wheel pivot point back to the rear a little further, there would be less action on the hitch pivot point but more leverage on the shocks, correct?

The suspension that the motorcycle trailers use is much different than what I could install on my single wheel trailer. Not sure I could integrate their technology with my trailer. Besides...their wheel doesn't pivot like mine does.

However...back some time ago...I found some mini air bags that I thought would work in place of the rubber puck in the swivel wheel housing. The Goodyear 1S3-13 air bag would work perfectly in place of the original rubber puck. Guess I need to git one and try it out. As the tire encounters a bump in the road, the action tries to compress the puck as it's moving the trailer up. The air bag would be able to absorb some of that energy before moving the trailer up.




I did check the tire pressure and it was 35psi. I'll give the air bag a shot first before I think about lowering the tire air pressure. Doesn't the tire heat up and fail prematurely when under-inflated based on a heavy load?

[COcyclist]

Originally Posted by BamZipPow

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I did check the tire pressure and it was 35psi. I'll give the air bag a shot first before I think about lowering the tire air pressure. Doesn't the tire heat up and fail prematurely when under-inflated based on a heavy load?

Hmmm. Our trailer had coil spring suspension. That may be part of the problem. Perhaps the air suspension may help. I agree, 35 psi is minimum with a load on.

[BamZipPow]

Got my 5/8" metal tubes in so I was able to replace the 5/8" bolts with them and use 1/2" grade 8 bolts. I got the 0.509" ID tubes so the 1/2" bolt can slip through. Now I can unbolt the bolt and slip shocks off without too much hassle. I'll eventually have the tubes welded in place (they are just a tight fit in the 2" square tubes) along with proper spacers so they add strength to the support instead of the washers just hanging around.

[slowmover]

I would keep the tire at maximum sidewall pressure. "Inter-ply shear" is what most of us call "tread separation". Heat and load versus speed is the relationship, and it is air not rubber that supports the load. The less air, the more strain on the tire internals. The wheel may pivot, but there is lag involved.

I would think that lower air shock pressure would be in order

[BamZipPow]

Since the boat tail body is wider than the actual trailer frame, I decided to finally address the extra flooring issue. I'm using Luan plywood since it was cheap and light.







I have five 1"x2" spars to install from left to right on the bottom to provide extra support. Coroplast will line the bottom so it will be a continuation from the rear diffuser. I'll still have to paint the wood just in case any water sneaks through.

I'm also adding in extra 2x4's on the front verticals to bump the front width out a little closer to the back end of the truck. This will mean the access doors will be a little more precise to the gap between the truck and trailer. Yes, I'll have to expand the lid out as well.

I'm thinking about building a structure around the pivot point so there will be a smoother transition from the front to back. Kinda like this switch knob but turned upside down. I should only have to worry about the aerodynamics when I'm driving forward and not backwards.

[aerohead]

The switch nob is a lot like what HONDA used for the lazy-susan wheel fairings on their Dream solar car.Very clever.And at Cd 0.10 it all turned out okay!

[Xist]

Originally Posted by BamZipPow

Kinda like this switch knob but turned upside down.

Like this?