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

[BamZipPow]

Found a company that makes a single wheel trailer with an air ride suspension and a shock absorber on the swivel wheel!

VMH trailers LLC



At least I can say I'm the only one with adjustable air shocks on the hitch.

[Fat Charlie]

That looks suspiciously like a large Kong.

[BamZipPow]

Originally Posted by Fat Charlie

That looks suspiciously like a large Kong.

I know...

It's actually a double convoluted air bag spring.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-m1r-31jLU

[BamZipPow]

Made a run out to Hearne today with Dark Aero hooked up to try out different air pressures on the air bag spring. At 45 PSI, the ride was much more bumpier with Dark Aero unloaded. I tried out 30PSI and it was much smoother. I'll give 25PSI a try again and see if I can tell the difference or not (probably not). The air bag spring held pressure without any leakdowns during the quick run. It should be able to hold up fer the run to Houston next Saturday.

Running around town today, a lot more people got some more piccies of the rig and while others weren't sure what they were seeing. Occupants of a Prius were cranking their heads to try to figure out the setup and I could tell they were discussing how the trailer was gonna work or not work. Unfortunately, they didn't git to see the rig make the U-turn at the light.

[BamZipPow]

Added in a skid/wing plate to the bottom of the tail cone.




Got an indicated 27.3mpg at 65mph fer a run from Navasota to Hearne (best ever fer this run) and an overall of an indicated 26.6mpg at 65mph back to College Station! Possible potential fer better aero?

I guess it's like the hydro stabilizer fin they have fer boats?

[BamZipPow]

Painted the bottom of the skid plate white and added in a rear brace to keep the rear flat. I think I might seam an edge on the front to keep it flat as well vs my current method of curling the corners up to keep it from tin canning. I will replace the self tapping srews with some bolts and nuts to reduce the potential of snagging something with the exposed shafts.





While returning from a run between Brenham to Navasota, I collected a law enforcement vehicle who wasn't too sure what they drove up on and were following. Since it was a single lane road, they ended up tailing behind me fer about 8 miles until we got into Navasota. I could see them back there weaving side to side trying to see if I was in fact towing a trailer since that's what the tag in the back said. They even sloshed into a water filled lane just to look and stare at the rig from the side. I'm sure they took a few piccies and it will probably be circulated amongst their peers. At least they didn't try to pull me over fer anything.

[freebeard]

It sounds like you passed a test. You could do some A-B-A testing.

Painted the bottom of the skid plate white and added in a rear brace to keep the rear flat. I think I might seam an edge on the front to keep it flat as well vs my current method of curling the corners up to keep it from tin canning. I will replace the self tapping srews with some bolts and nuts to reduce the potential of snagging something with the exposed shafts.

Make two wire U-shapes of length lxwxl, slide one in from each end, and treat the w edge as above (taped, or folded and taped).

And I'd replace the 'srews' with pan-head pop rivets with backing washers.

[BamZipPow]

I did notice that during my rain flow testing this afternoon, that when I drove into some water in the road, the pattern that I saw in the mirror wasn't a rooster tail but more of a pulse that was flattening on the road. I'll have to figure a way of shooting some video if I git another chance at it.

My trip to Houston is still on track with some potential severe thunderstorms along the way.

[BamZipPow]

Early Saturday morning run to Houston went well...only a few gawkers. No rain to play with at all. Stopped by the old stomping grounds and had breakfast at the Taco Cabana off of FM2094 and Highway 146. Had a few people "shark" around the rig fer a few minutes. Even the staff at the restaurant had to snap a few piccies of the rig. They've seen me before but I haven't been by with Dark Aero before.

Raided the grocery store and a few more sharks showed up. Continued on to the event and one of the sharks who spotted the rig at the grocery store found the rig at the event. He asked about the truck to a few of my friends who pointed me out but he never came over to ask. At least most of the kids at the event got some ideas planted in their young impressionable minds...

The return trip back home was brutal. New Kids on The Block was performing in downtown Houston and the traffic (people returning from the beach as well) was serious stop and go from my entry point to where the I-610 split off. At least I had a little breathing room...until the rest of the paparazzi showed up. They do some crazy things just to git some piccies of the rig. Had one sports car blow by me...slowed down in the fast lane (70mph?) to try to git me to go past him (I was in the far right lane) but I wasn't having that...so we ended up slowing down to around 30mph. I kept him in front of me until he had to speed away to keep from gitting rear ended.

Continuing on to Cypress, people were snapping away. The pattern became fairly evident. I drive past them, they pop/snap their heads to look (kinda like ground squirrels), and then the phones come out to try to snap piccies. Had one passenger roll his window down so he could lean out to snap piccies. Some dangerous moves on the road though.

Needless to say, my data from this run was really screwed up. I did git an indicated 25mpg at 65mph from Cypress to College Station. The skid plate didn't fall off or scrape the screws. I picked up some steel pop rivets today so I could secure the reinforcement bar a little better with those instead of the screws.

[freebeard]

What went down in Houston?

Don't forget to back up the pop-rivet with a washer.