To Trailer or Not to Trailer?

[Wayne C.]

Originally Posted by Carol

MOE is considering buying a trailer to help transport the robot and other necessary equipment to competitions (especially off-season, when less people attend) and to demonstrations and community events. (We can then, of course, paint the trailer with our colors and dazzle people going down the highway). We have been using mentor's pickups and vans for transport, especially to Atlanta, as we generally either fly or drive to the competitions.

Does your team have a trailer? Some questions:

What kind do you have?
How often do you use it?
Where do you store it?
Who pulls it? How many mentors/parents are able and willing to pull the trailer?
What are the annual maintenance costs?
How do you manage who is authorized to pull the trailer?
Do you have training sessions for authorized operators?
Do you find the trailer more or less convenient than a pickup truck or van?
Do you have insurance for it? How much does it cost?

Since we are not affiliated with a school, we have to organize and pay for our own transportation and the insurance that requires.

All advice is appreciated!

Carol- team 25 got a trailer last year- a nice 12 ft Haulmark with a drop down rear door and all sorts of niceties.

Big Mike is the only one with a truck big enough to move it so we set him up with the hitch. His dad has trailer experience and trained him. The school registers and insures it through their auto pool.

But so far we have used it only a few times. It hauled the pit materials to the NJ Regional. It picked up and stored the materials for the building of the field components this year.

But with the gas prices skyrocketing the expense of dragging it to distant sites hasn't warranted it. Lately we shove the robot in the back of my Blazer as we did before.

It does give us secure storage for materials. We park it in the athletic stadium behind closed gates.

If money is tight you might want to rethink a trailer. If not, we look forward to seeing it at Brunswick Eruption 5 on November 4th. (shameless plug )

WC

[roborat]

MOE, i know you guys carry a lot of pit supplies to the regionals, Just make sure that the trailer is big enough for everything. We were going at a 12-16 ft. dual axle trailer. This will also help with the weight of all the tools and things. Better to be too big then to not have enough room for all the things and still have to use pickups.

[Rosiebotboss]

One item I have not seen mentioned that is essential is electric brakes. I haul a trailer for Rosie that is owned by a friend of mine and stored at my house. It is a Pace American, 15'Lx7'Wx7'H, dual axle, 7000 lb capacity with electric brakes. You do not want to be traveling down the highway at 65 mph and have to try to stop in a hurry with a full load of robot and tools without electric brakes set up properly!!! The brakes system module costs range from $90-120. Professionally installed in the $150 - 200 range.

The other major thing to consider is the tow vehicle. Mine is a '96 Dodge 3/4 ton p/u with a Cummins diesel. I have not met a trailer with a draw bar type hitch I cannot tow. (I also haul horses. In a different trailer)