Using An Enclosed Trailer

[Bill D]

When using an enclosed trailer to transport a GT40, how do you deal with opening the doors of the GT to get in?

Thanks
Bill D

[Lynn]

Cut a hole in the roof of both! LOL, just kidding of course - Lynn

[40 Bud]

Bill, you are going to need a side access door in just the right place, be extremly thin and limber or use a winch to pull it in after you line it up.

[Scott]

Side door on the trailer or remove the door from the car.
Park off center in the trailer. (probably not a good idea)
Take a short skinny kid with you to steer the car in and out.

[Peter Jankovskis]

Ah, an advantage of a Lola I hadn't considered. The doors open up and forward!

[John W]

Winch it in, strap it down. No need to get in the car then

[Dutton]

Bill,

When it comes to using an enclosed trailer, our beloved GT is really nothing more than an above average sized C sports racer... with a few extra pounds.

A side access door would be nice, but no big deal if the trailer being used doesn't have one. The shape of the doors requires a good sized side door, in just the right location. I'm following Buds suggestion: just line er up good and straight, then winch er in. Piece of cake.

If you're fortunate, the trailer you're using has rings in the floor strategically placed north/south of the tires. Highly suggest securing the car with straps over the tires (as opposed to the mono or the elsewhere) allowing the suspension to do its job while heading down the freeway.

Thanks for posting all the progress with your build, Bill. It's been an inspiration (and a real confidence builder!).

Best,

T.

[DBLDREW]

Stay in the 40 while your wife drives the truck…

Or take off the side window and climb through …

[Lynn]

Bill,

Channels on the floor/ramps which won't allow the fronts (and rears for that matter) to wander while winching on and off might be useful thing, seriously this time.

Lynn

[Joey Dean]

I've seen some trailers equipped lateley with an "E" track in the floor. It runs centerline the length of the trailer and pulls a car straight down the middle.

[Gary Gibbs]

When I had my trailer specified I located the front door such that I could stop in the right place and open the GT40 door out of the trailer side door. Piece of cake.

[diecast18]

Go to Ratchet Wheel Straps for Auto Haulers to see what they have to offer.

[Chris_K]

You already have what... I mean who you need:

[Malcolm]

I winch my car in backwards so engine is at the front of teh trailer. I steer the car through the drivers door until it is half way in and by then the car is correctly aligned to slide the rest of the way in with no more adjustment. However if some is needed you can grab a front wheel and steer directly!

With reagrds to a door position in the side of the trailer, I think it more important to give access to the rear of the car to allow proper strapping down as you should not rely on the winch cable. The cable may settle in teh winch in transit and so slacken off. If you have only used the cable to tie down then your car is now loose in the trailer! Even if you leave it in gear and with a hand brake on, the car can move unless properly strapped down.

[Keith Hardy]

That's a very valid point about loading the '40 backwards and having the motor being towards the front of the trailer, although the point of balance of a '40 is reasonable I am thinking the bulk of the drivetrain weight would be slightly to the rear of the rearmost wheel on a twinwheel setup when loaded facing forwards. (Given the average UK length) Personally I would like to see the weight bias more toward the nose.

Had a frightening experience once towing an engineless Historic Boss 429 Mustang in the Redditch area and having it over take me on it's trailer! (sideways of course)

I've been weight sensitive ever since......

[David Morton]

A quick tale, prompted by Keith's Mustang escapades, was about a friend who was taking a Ferrari back to Modena on a trailer, probably in the 1960's,
and lost the trailer in the dark but didn't see it had gone. He turned round
and went back about 20 miles and found it parked beside the road undamaged. The braking cable had done its job before it seperated and it was the tow hitch which had failed.
C-of G is all important and every hitch that I see has a 'nose' weight as part of the data plate. I always load my 40 backwards.
Dave M

[CliffBeer]

Bill, I haven't put my 40 in an enclosed trailer yet, however, with a porsche 906 I owned some years ago I used to take out the removable side window and climb through the opening. Sort of a pain with all the screws in a gt40 plexi window but it might be easier than taking the door off (and having to remount/fit it later)! Your son could probably climb in and out of the window opening OK if he's extra slender and limber...

[Fran Hall RCR]

When I had time to race, I used to winch my cars into the trailer with the axle/chokers already wrapped around their location and then I had chains that were a set length to attach the front end.
Then I would cross the rear tie downs to prevent the car "walking" across the trailer and ratchet the car down.

This allowed a repeatable location of the car and negated any need to worry about bad weight distribution for long haul trips....

[Ron Earp]

Hey Bill,

I end up using an enclosed trailer to haul one car or another around almost weekly, unfortunately. As the others have said - winch it up.

While I can get out of my Jensen via the open top, same with the TR8, but the old Miata that has departed was a pain in the ass to get out of through the window. I'm 5'8" and about 165 lbs, if I were much bigger I don't know that I could even manage it. A 40 would be very difficult to get in and out of unless you had the door that Gary mentions which would allow a full swing. Otherwise I think you'd run a high rish of damaging it in the process.

A winch would reduce issues and damage possibilities. I'm putting a winch on my trailer for this racing season, it is in the garage now and I'll install it when I replace some of the floor decking in the trailer.

Ron

[Ian Anderson]

Next question

do you tie to chassis or to the wheels?

I have done both and think it better to tie the wheels down and let the suspension move freely - what do others do?

Ian