5X8 or 6X12?

[tx2sturgis]

I love doing things that are different from what everyone else is doing....but I'd not want to destroy a prefectly good muscle car or sports car doing it...


:huh:

But hey, if you can figure out a way to make money, then I say go for it!

 

[Presteaux!]

I love doing things that are different from what everyone else is doing....but I'd not want to destroy a prefectly good muscle car or sports car doing it...


:huh:

But hey, if you can figure out a way to make money, then I say go for it!

Thanks, man.  I wouldn't say it's perfectly good at the moment.  It's been without drive train for over a decade now.  The engine is at the engine builder's shop for that entire time and is just waiting for me to come up with some $$$ for the assembly.  The heads were assembled and the block was assembled.  But it was a casualty of our flood of a couple of years ago.  So there's lots of rust that now needs to be taken care of.

So while the original plan was a car that does low 11s, that will be secondary now.  I guess I'll have to get used to slipping the clutch a bit since the torque curve ain't gonna be down low.

I'm going to enlist my nephew for painting.  I have a plan for a really glitzy paint job.  The car is white with black roof and mirrors.  I think I will stay with that basic theme, but I will use House of Kolor with either the abalone

or rainbow finish.

So I am a long way from being ready to hit the road.  I'm doing my research now and you guys are instrumental and have already been lots of help.  Thank you all!

 

[tx2sturgis]

Ah ok I see now....said the blind man....

Well 10 years....hmmm....any car that sits un-driven for that long might have a wee bit of issues to be dealt with, but you already know that, I can tell.

 

[highdesertranger]

what I noticed from this conversation is almost everyone is not getting their tongue weight right. tongue weight should be 10-15% of total trailer weight LOADED. so for example a loaded 3k trailer should have a tongue weight of 300-450 pounds. highdesertranger

 

[Presteaux!]

tongue weight should be 10-15% of total trailer weight LOADED.  so for example a loaded 3k trailer should have a tongue weight of 300-450 pounds.

And that could be a problem for me.  The car is "rated for" 100 pounds on the tongue.  But I am looking small.  And damned if you guys don't have me oh so close to going teardrop.  Yeah, I'm gonna start looking at those.

I went over to TNTT but seems like most of their builds are cargo trailers instead of store-bought teardrops.  Any recommendations?

I found a 2006 Casita local for $2500.  But I'm not so sure about that because I did see that one YouTube video of that lady that had problems with hers.

 

[closeanuf]

"One lady had problems with hers".  How many Casitas are out there, and one lady had problems with hers?  I saw that one too.  I think the Casita was just ONE of her problems.  If I could find a 2006 Casita  for $2500 I would buy it; that's too cheap.  Do a trick paint job on it.

 

[velojym]

The ecodiesel looks nice, but for me, the price is way up there in nosebleed territory.

I can't speak for Casitas in general, but everyone I've known with one loves it. Our neighbors across the street have an older one, and they're pleased as punch with it.

 

[Presteaux!]

Yeah, that would be pretty silly for me to brush them off based on ONE situation. What do you guys think about this one (it's the one I mentioned):

https://neworleans.craigslist.org/rvs/d/casita-travel-trailer-2006/6596773336.html

But since you guys got me thinking so hard, I've been doing searches of "teardrop" and of course that brought me to "Little Guy." And I found this one:

https://batonrouge.craigslist.org/tro/d/outside-rear-kitchen/6583033485.html

 

[Rabbit]

You guys just forced me to actually Google my tow vehicle and hitches/equipment.  Okay, so the factory rating for the vehicle is only 1,000 pounds.  But I used to regularly do double that with no problems.  Heck, actually felt good.

Now, the hitch I'm finding is rated for 2,000 pounds and 200 pound tongue weight.  But it's only 1 1/4" at the receiver.  Now, if I use that I'll have to buy a new hitch.  But I already have a REALLY good hitch Andersen Rapid Hitch that I wanted to use.  However, it's a 2 incher.  And all of the adapters/expanders that I find reduce the hitch's capacity by half and/or have the admonishment not to tow with it (only use it for a bike rack or something similar).  The search is on!

For what it's worth... Tow ratings aren't just about "how strong is my motor?". They also take into account things like "How stiff is my vehicle's basic structure, and how much abuse will it take?" It's not just about "Can I pull it down the road in a straight line, once, and get away with it?". It's about "What happens if I'm cut off by a semi at 70 MPH while driving down a steep slope, or am rounding a curve when a child runs out in front of me?"

Here's an example of how subtle it can get. The two-door and four-door Jeep Wrangler are almost identical in every way, except for a few inches of length. Same motor, same transmissions, same brakes. Yet the four-door is rated for 3500 pounds, and the two door-- which I wanted to tow with-- only 2000. Why? It took me rather a long time to find our, but it has to do with the distance between the wheels. The longer wheelbase of the four-door serves to directionally-stabilize the trailer better than the short-wheelbase can, and under certain driving conditions those few inches apparently matter so much that the four-door is rated at little more than half the towing capacity of the otherwise-identical four-door.

Yes, you may be able to pull over 1,000 pounds a short distance, a few times, and get away with it. But do it a lot, and the following are very likely to happen.

--Transmission failure. likely sudden and without warning
--strange body-related problems related to massive overstresses
--suspension failure
--brake failure
--tire failure
--an accident, possibly resulting in your death or that of others.

Please, don't do it. I had to buy a bigger, more capable vehicle even though I didn't want to and you should do the same. Or. choose a Runaway-type camper that's within your safe, reliable limits.

 

[tx2sturgis]

That Casita in the picture, has no business being hooked to a Camaro.

If you want that, you should use the RAM 1500 to pull it.

Now the little teardrops, fine...get a small one or a mini camper with 75 pounds of tongue weight and go on down the road...

Lets not try to change physics....it might not be a good outcome.

 

[Presteaux!]

See? Now you guys are harshing my buzz.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

. . .
GVWR?  Well, I'm not sure. . . But I used to use one to pull a pair of WaveRunners which brought the towed weight up to right at 2,000 pounds.  And it did that just fine . . . I'm also undecided about insurance . . .

. . . Okay, so the factory rating for the vehicle is only 1,000 pounds.  But I used to regularly do double that with no problems.  Heck, actually felt good . . .

I'll add some buzz-hash.

There are three very good reasons to not exceed the tow rating/GCWR:

  1.  It is dangerous (as described above).
  2.  It is illegal in most, if not all, states.
  3.  Some (maybe all) auto insurance policies have exclusions for doing illegal things.

A few years ago an acquaintance got busted for an overloaded pickup (hauling scrap metal).  The officer was nice and allowed him to continue the 2 miles to the scrap yard at reduced speed with the officer following, but he could have not allowed him to continue.  He was cited for driving overweight and driving without insurance (his insurance voided for the overweight exclusion).  It cost him a lot in fines and his insurance dropped him; he had to go on more expensive insurance.

 

[John61CT]

All of which is paltry compared to what happens in the event of a major accident while over ratings.

Even if you're judgement-proof it's morally as bad as drunk driving

 

[Presteaux!]

So, it's beginning to look like pod or nothing.  

I mean, as I'm building the car the plan is to add subframe connectors to stiffen/strengthen the structure.  Adding big brakes is also on the agenda.  But even though that will make the car much more capable, it will not be reflected in the manufacturer's rating.

 

[Presteaux!]

Here's an old video that starts off with me towing the WaveRunners with the previous car.  There is only one other pic of the car parked with the trailer, but you might find the video entertaining.

[video=youtube]http:/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY-TnWtC6UM/[/video]

 

[Presteaux!]

Well, I thought the video was connected. Maybe there's just a wait until a mod can approve it or something. Here's the link to the vid:

And the double WaveRunners on a trailer weigh more than the Casita.

 

[tx2sturgis]

And the double WaveRunners on a trailer weigh more than the Casita.

That looks like fun....it's been many decades since I drove one of those jetskis....

Hey, on the Casita....I don't know what the weight ratings are, but you need to think about fully loaded, food, supplies, water, propane, etc etc, and then think about traveling thru the mountains, steep grades, long steep descents, in high winds and possibly rain slick roads, etc.

I'm guessing the fully loaded Casita would weigh about double what the watercraft would weigh....probably around 3000 pounds ready to go, with 300-450 pounds tongue weight.

But, I'm not here to kill your buzz....just throwing in some ideas. If you can make it all work, then my hat is off to ya...

 

[Presteaux!]

I'm guessing the fully loaded Casita would weigh about double what the watercraft would weigh....probably around 3000 pounds ready to go, with 300-450 pounds tongue weight.

I just looked up the weight of a 2013 Yamaha FX HO WaveRunner which is the model I had.  The figure I find is 822 pounds.  Add 18.5 gallons of gas at ~6 pounds per gallon (111 pounds) and it brings it up to 933 pounds each.  I had two of 'em, so we're looking at 1866 pounds on a trailer that weighed 365 pounds for a grand total of 2231 pounds.  There were a few more pounds of gear thrown on/in them like fire extinguisher, ropes, paddles, snacks, sunscreen, etc.

Looks like the Casita weighs in anywhere from 1970 to 2185 pounds.  I'm guessing that's dry.  Add 133.44 pounds for the full 16 gallons of water.  20 pounds(?) for propane.  That brings us up to 2339 pounds.  Or maybe even 2123.

What else would I be bringing with me?

Clothes
Food
Laptop
Chair
Awning/canopy
Suitcase solar panels
Batteries

In case you guys have not noticed, I'm a boot rookie to this stuff.  Are there any other "essentials" that I will need that would add any significant weight to whatever trailer I get?

 

[John61CT]

1866 pounds on a trailer that weighed 365 pounds

I don't think that's a safe ratio, is it?

 

[Presteaux!]

1866 pounds on a trailer that weighed 365 pounds

I don't think that's a safe ratio, is it?

I don't follow.  It was a Triton Elite specifically designed to carry two PWCs.  What would the weight of the trailer have to do with the weight of the payload?  I mean big trucks are putting 45,000 pounds of cargo on 10,000 pound trailers all day, every day.

I swear I put the correct image tags on that.

Carrying capacity of 2,335 pounds, so I was 500 pounds below that.