Gooseneck trailer tips

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by SSLance

Does anyone have Gwen's email address...


We'll see how Mrs SSLance likes going to events with me this year. With both of our schedules being a lot more flexible, and with a place to comfortably stay...the idea is for her and the dogs to travel with me. It worked pretty well at the Optima event at NCM last year. I just need to make sure to do a few family type things on the way to and fro to even out the time.

Being camped in the pits is so much nicer and easier than shuffling back and forth to motels each night. And AC with a fresh sammich and a cold beverage in between runs ain't so shabby either.

Are you going to put an AC unit on the roof of your new trailer? Where is the generator compartment and how big of a Genset are you going to install? Room for a decent size Air Compressor as well?

I really liked being able to stay - watch TV - Sleep in my own bed - shower etc with "the rig". But all of that comes with a price. That price is - prepping it to go - and once you return - upprepping (not a word). Cleaning - making the bed - stocking the frig - unstocking - making sure the water is full - emptying the holding tanks.... loading and unloading three cars.... It's a lot of work that people don't see. What they see is "what a kool rig that is". I'd still be at the track for another hour plus after everyone else had left! Okay - because I'd just roll outside the gate - fire up the BBQ and turn on the TV. I think the way you're going with a nicer living quarters and single car trailer (a car that can be street driven) will be a lot easier than what I was doing.






There is an outside accessible generator compartment with vented doors. It's at the front driver side of the trailer and is sealed off from the trailer interior. Check the interior pics out and you'll see the "L" shape in the cabinets which forms the inside wall of this compartment. It is NOT accessible from the interior. I will add a Honda EU3000iS generator in the generator compartment - which has a slide out "floor" and also an automatic transfer switch to go from shore power over to the genset and vice versa. The trailer has A/C already and the Honda can run it. I have a "pancake" air compressor which is plenty for running tire pressures - the same one I've used for the last 4+ years now.

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by 71RS/SS396

I don't think you need a diesel if you're only going to tow a few times a year but the 2500 has bigger brakes, E load tires, and suspension better equipped for hauling big trailers. I've probably put 100K miles on my trailer and even with a 2500 it can get sketchy when there's a fair amount of wind. Unless GM has improved the brakes drastically on the 1500's they suck and can barely stop the truck in a panic situation.

I had the dealer call Les Schwab tires to come get the truck and put 10 plys on it before I ever left the dealership! It came with "girlie" tires from the factory.

The new Chevy's come with a built in electric trailer brake on the dash.... Yesterday I messed with the settings a bit to get a feel for how the electric brakes on the trailer would work. At "5" you could feel them helping haul down, at "6" they were pulling the truck down. I think they go up to "10".

There's no question that a 2500 (or 3/4 ton) truck would be better for trailering all around... it's just that I don't want to drive it the rest of the time if I don't have to. The 1500 is rated to tow more than what I'm going to be laden at... so hopefully it works well enough that I'm not trading it in May! LOL

[SSLance]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

I think the way you're going with a nicer living quarters and single car trailer (a car that can be street driven) will be a lot easier than what I was doing.

Heck just going from the huge Class A we borrowed last year to this setup is night and day different in just about every way. Maneuverability, storage, ease to drive, COST... It's just 6' shorter in length than the diesel pusher but 3' shorter in height and a half foot narrower put it in a range much easier to deal with. Plus it's a gas engine Ford chassis so maintenance and repair is also something I'm a lot more familiar with. Oil change on this cost less than $50 for parts and a half hour in my shop. Oil change on the Class A was over $400.

The bigger plus is we also get to use this as a vacation vehicle not race related. Here it is in it's other mode...set up to tow our new to us Jeep Liberty



Most of our trips planned for this summer are race related, but we are planning on going to Albuquerque this fall for the hot air balloon festival. We have a spot reserved right on the grounds for three days.

[GregWeld]

Someone mentioned the crappy trailering mirrors on the Chevy - and they were spot on! My Dodge mirrors flipped up and out for a great view - My Ford electrically extended - another great idea. The CHEVY -- NADA - ZIP - STUPID - NOTHING for trailering mirror! How dumb of them.

Okay - so I'd brought some art home from the "shed" yesterday in the trailer... so it's sitting outside in the turnaround. I was shopping for some kind of trailering mirrors on eTrailer.com and found a slip on mirror that looked to be okay but I needed to check my mirrors to see that they'd fit. Opened my front door to go out to see and here's what else I got to look at! LOL

[71RS/SS396]

I wonder if the towing mirrors off of the 2500 will work? The slip on ones suck, the vibrate so bad you can hardly see out of them.

[pokey64]

Talk with the dealer. There's a max trailering package for the 1500 that has wider mirrors. Not sure if the extend out but they have to be way better than the regular mirrors.

[pokey64]

http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topi...h-tow-mirrors/

[ironworks]

You will have more issues with the trailer in a half ton when the trailer is empty and it's all aluminum. Since you not hauling loads and coming back empty you probably fine. My enclosed is a steel frame so it will ride a little better unloaded and my 3500 can careless what I'm pulling. But it rides a lot rougher when empty as my trailer has the super spread axles to cut down on tougue weight with my in bed camper.

[clill]

I have a new pair of the slip on mirrors I can bring to the track. Maybe you should have bought a truck with trailering mirrors. Mine has em.

[65_LS1_T56]

Originally Posted by 71RS/SS396

I wonder if the towing mirrors off of the 2500 will work? The slip on ones suck, the vibrate so bad you can hardly see out of them.

The previous generation truck did (GMT900), I just sold a pair to the neighbor for his 1500. They are the same one's on our 2013 2500 Dmax, they pull out manually.