Craig's RC Pages : My Trailer

My Trailer

Introduction

The trailer is a Pace American Cargo Sport 5x10. It has two side-opening rear doors and a side door. It has a single axle with torsion suspension. If you are considering a trailer, the side door is an absolute necessity. If you have the space then I would recommend a 6x12; I got the 5x10 because I have to keep it in the garage.

Materials Used for Internal Layout

2"x2" Hardwood (don't remember exact wood used, maybe Oak)
1/2" Plywood (4x8 sheet cut to size required)
Two 6ft aluminum angle-iron bars (the type that has the holes all the way down the sides)
Plastic Shelving from Home Depot (only three of the five shelves used)
1" PVC piping and related fittings (T's Elbows etc...)
Foam pipe insulation
2" 2 hole electrical straps
#8 x 3/4" Philips head sheet metal screws
Scrap carpet

The following table shows various views of the trailer, both empty and loaded, and discusses construction of the interior.

Description Pictures

Internal Construction and Setup

Large Plane Shelf
The plywood shelf is there so that two 33% planes can be carried at the same time.
To build the main shelf, I installed two pieces of 2"x2" wood from floor to ceiling, just right of center (width), one near the rear and one just back of the front door. At the top they are connected to the framework by a single #10 bolt (drill through the frame). At the bottom they are connected to the floor using two 'L' brackets each. The single bolt at the top allows some side to side movement if the trailer frame flexes.
A 6' piece of Aluminum angle iron was screwed to the 2x2's at about 1/2 the inside height of the trailer. The other piece of angle iron was screwed to the wall, at the same height. Two pieces of 2x2 were added as supports under the angle iron on the wall and a 2x2 center post was added to the one in the center of the trailer.
I measured the distance between the angle iron bars and cut the plywood to the correct width. It is held in place with a few #6 bolts. The front and rear of the plywood and the edges of the angle iron are protected by some foam pipe insulation. The 2"x2" posts are wrapped with a combination of some pink insulation wrap I found at Home Depot and foam pipe insulation.

Small Plane Racks
The two small plane racks were made from PVC piping and covered with foam pipe insulation. They are attached to the 2x2's and wall using 2" electrical straps. This makes it easy to remove them if you need to or you can loosen one side and let them swing down and hang on the other side.
Front Shelving
I bought a 5 level plastic shelving system from Home Depot. I used three of the shelves in the trailer. It is secured to the front wall using some large electrical straps and some foam pipe insulation. I use tie-down straps to hold things on the shelves.
Glider Wing Brackets
I used regular shelf 'L' brackets from Home Depot. They are screwed into the wall and covered with foam pipe insulation. Some nylon string is threaded through the ends and over the trailer frame to prevent the wing from slipping off.
Lighting
The trailer came with a 12V DC light. However, when it is parked in the garage, there is no 12V source, so I installed a 110V florescent light on the wall near the door.
Finishing
To finish things off, I wrapped anything that could come into contact with a plane in foam. I found a roll of 4" wide pink foam at Home Depot that was ideal for wrapping the 2x2's. Foam pipe insulation is good for wrapping the PVC pipes. You can get some with a slit in it that has sticky edges. I used that for the edges of the plywood shelf and to cover the exposed part of the angle iron bars.
On the side of the trailer, I used CA to glue foam blocks to protect any part of the planes that may rub against it.
I installed some scrap carpet in the area where the wing bags go, and at the rear of the trailer where you kneel when tying down planes. A nice touch to save the old knees :)
Finally, I used 2" electrical straps screwed to the floor, walls or shelf to act as hold-downs for the planes and equipment. They are a perfect size to use with bungee cords.

Chargers

Built-in Chargers
Charger requirements presented a challenge. I wanted to be able to charge everything in the trailer all at the same time without supervision.
Unfortunately, that objective has not quite been met. I currently have the following battery packs in use:

3 x 4.8 volt 2700mah NiMh (2 x 100cc gas engine ignition; Trainer flight pack)
6 x 6.0 volt 1650mah NiMh (Flight packs on gas planes. Only 4 in trailer at any one time.)
3 x 4.8 volt 1650mah NiMh (50cc gas engine ignition; Glider flight pack; Knife flight pack)
1 x 4.8 volt 720mah NiMh (Small plane flight packs)
1 x 4.8 volt 300mah NiMh (Combat flight packs)
1 x 9.6 volt 1650mah NiMh (Tx battery)

My ACE DigiPulse will output up to 150ma per port, enough to slow charge a 1650mah battery. The down side of this charger is that the trickle charge that kicks in after 16 hours of slow charge, is a bit weak and that every time you unplug it, it loses its settings. Not a very big deal, just a nuisance.
The best charging option I have found for the 6 volt packs are the CellTek chargers. These are available from a surplus store for $7 each. They fast charge at about 750ma and then automatically switch to trickle. They peak detect the NiMh batteries just fine and have an audible beep when you plug them into the plane. Unfortunately, they only do 6 volt packs.
That leaves the 2700mah 4.8 volt packs. At the time I was looking, the best option I could find was the Radio South Quad charger. This has four ports, each of which can be set from 50 to 550ma in 50ma increments. Problem is, there are no timers or any other functions. I have it plugged into a 'lil' trickler' and have to go back out to the trailer then next day and manually switch it to trickle. There are some new chargers coming out now that are better equipped to handle this charging requirement, but so far only available with two ports, or at huge expense. I may end up getting two of these units anyway.
My Pb (Lead Acid or GelCell) batteries each have their own slow charger. Again, there are some systems available that better manage this charging, but cost is an issue.
Field Chargers
For charging at the field, I have a Supernova 250 and a Radio South "Dual Pro Charger Mk-II". This combo allows me to fast charge all three batteries in a giant scale plane at the same time.

Loaded up and ready to go
These pictures show the trailer with equipment loaded. I removed the PVC piping from the top of the front shelves so that I could carry my Funfly (Morris Hobbies Knife) as well.

Conclusion

That's all folks. It works for me and saves me having to unload planes when I get home. I simply plug in the AC, then plug the charge leads into the planes and the Tx, then set the chargers that need to be set and head for the beer.

I hope you found this article useful.

Craig.

Description	Pictures
Internal Construction and Setup Large Plane Shelf The plywood shelf is there so that two 33% planes can be carried at the same time. To build the main shelf, I installed two pieces of 2"x2" wood from floor to ceiling, just right of center (width), one near the rear and one just back of the front door. At the top they are connected to the framework by a single #10 bolt (drill through the frame). At the bottom they are connected to the floor using two 'L' brackets each. The single bolt at the top allows some side to side movement if the trailer frame flexes. A 6' piece of Aluminum angle iron was screwed to the 2x2's at about 1/2 the inside height of the trailer. The other piece of angle iron was screwed to the wall, at the same height. Two pieces of 2x2 were added as supports under the angle iron on the wall and a 2x2 center post was added to the one in the center of the trailer. I measured the distance between the angle iron bars and cut the plywood to the correct width. It is held in place with a few #6 bolts. The front and rear of the plywood and the edges of the angle iron are protected by some foam pipe insulation. The 2"x2" posts are wrapped with a combination of some pink insulation wrap I found at Home Depot and foam pipe insulation. Small Plane Racks The two small plane racks were made from PVC piping and covered with foam pipe insulation. They are attached to the 2x2's and wall using 2" electrical straps. This makes it easy to remove them if you need to or you can loosen one side and let them swing down and hang on the other side. Front Shelving I bought a 5 level plastic shelving system from Home Depot. I used three of the shelves in the trailer. It is secured to the front wall using some large electrical straps and some foam pipe insulation. I use tie-down straps to hold things on the shelves. Glider Wing Brackets I used regular shelf 'L' brackets from Home Depot. They are screwed into the wall and covered with foam pipe insulation. Some nylon string is threaded through the ends and over the trailer frame to prevent the wing from slipping off. Lighting The trailer came with a 12V DC light. However, when it is parked in the garage, there is no 12V source, so I installed a 110V florescent light on the wall near the door. Finishing To finish things off, I wrapped anything that could come into contact with a plane in foam. I found a roll of 4" wide pink foam at Home Depot that was ideal for wrapping the 2x2's. Foam pipe insulation is good for wrapping the PVC pipes. You can get some with a slit in it that has sticky edges. I used that for the edges of the plywood shelf and to cover the exposed part of the angle iron bars. On the side of the trailer, I used CA to glue foam blocks to protect any part of the planes that may rub against it. I installed some scrap carpet in the area where the wing bags go, and at the rear of the trailer where you kneel when tying down planes. A nice touch to save the old knees :) Finally, I used 2" electrical straps screwed to the floor, walls or shelf to act as hold-downs for the planes and equipment. They are a perfect size to use with bungee cords.
Chargers Built-in Chargers Charger requirements presented a challenge. I wanted to be able to charge everything in the trailer all at the same time without supervision. Unfortunately, that objective has not quite been met. I currently have the following battery packs in use: 3 x 4.8 volt 2700mah NiMh (2 x 100cc gas engine ignition; Trainer flight pack) 6 x 6.0 volt 1650mah NiMh (Flight packs on gas planes. Only 4 in trailer at any one time.) 3 x 4.8 volt 1650mah NiMh (50cc gas engine ignition; Glider flight pack; Knife flight pack) 1 x 4.8 volt 720mah NiMh (Small plane flight packs) 1 x 4.8 volt 300mah NiMh (Combat flight packs) 1 x 9.6 volt 1650mah NiMh (Tx battery) My ACE DigiPulse will output up to 150ma per port, enough to slow charge a 1650mah battery. The down side of this charger is that the trickle charge that kicks in after 16 hours of slow charge, is a bit weak and that every time you unplug it, it loses its settings. Not a very big deal, just a nuisance. The best charging option I have found for the 6 volt packs are the CellTek chargers. These are available from a surplus store for $7 each. They fast charge at about 750ma and then automatically switch to trickle. They peak detect the NiMh batteries just fine and have an audible beep when you plug them into the plane. Unfortunately, they only do 6 volt packs. That leaves the 2700mah 4.8 volt packs. At the time I was looking, the best option I could find was the Radio South Quad charger. This has four ports, each of which can be set from 50 to 550ma in 50ma increments. Problem is, there are no timers or any other functions. I have it plugged into a 'lil' trickler' and have to go back out to the trailer then next day and manually switch it to trickle. There are some new chargers coming out now that are better equipped to handle this charging requirement, but so far only available with two ports, or at huge expense. I may end up getting two of these units anyway. My Pb (Lead Acid or GelCell) batteries each have their own slow charger. Again, there are some systems available that better manage this charging, but cost is an issue. Field Chargers For charging at the field, I have a Supernova 250 and a Radio South "Dual Pro Charger Mk-II". This combo allows me to fast charge all three batteries in a giant scale plane at the same time.
Loaded up and ready to go These pictures show the trailer with equipment loaded. I removed the PVC piping from the top of the front shelves so that I could carry my Funfly (Morris Hobbies Knife) as well.