6x12 V-Nose Enclosed Trailer Layout

[Smit-Dog]

FYI... For those about to get a new enclosed trailer, here are some pictures of the layout I used in my 6x12.

http://community.webshots.com/album/53042528khhAnF

 

[MX-727]

Very nice!

 

[bscottr]

Originally posted by MX-727
Very nice!

Sure is. Are you liking the 6x12? That's what I'm considering for a two bike setup and a third on occasion.

 

[Gary B.]

Really nice. You know they make a bracket to hang that water cooler on the wall, don't you? That way, it can stay in the shade, and you have to raise it to use it anyway.

 

[Smit-Dog]

... You know they make a bracket to hang that water cooler on the wall, don't you? That way, it can stay in the shade, and you have to raise it to use it anyway.

It'd be pretty heavy to hang up on a wall when full of water. I usually take it out and set it up on a table outside the trailer anyway. I will look into the bracket you mentioned to mount it against the wall on the floor though. On the last trip home it broke free with about 2 gallons of water left in it, and basically cleaned the floor of the trailer for me! :eek:

... Are you liking the 6x12? That's what I'm considering for a two bike setup and a third on occasion.

I really like the size. I definitely wouldn't go smaller, and I don't really have the right vehicle to tow anything bigger. The size/layout really depends on how you plan on using it. I haul a KDX and an XR-70. As my son gets older, I'll eventually be hauling 2 full size bikes, and I have the room for a 3rd bike shoe for the occasional buddy or wife's bike if she gets into it. We also camp in the trailer, so I wanted shelves for gear, clothes, food, camping stuff, etc. The v-nose shape is great for shelves, doesn't take away from the 6x12 box interior, and improves wind resistance slightly. The 6' width fits nicely behind the vehicle when towing.

I have another post HERE where I list some other features I really like.

One thing that I will be changing in the spring is the painted floor. The small drips of gas/oil have already started to eat through the polyurethane enamel. I'm going to be putting on a few coats of an epoxy coating like Sherwin Williams Tile Clad HS.

Hope this helps!

 

[bscottr]

Originally posted by Smit-Dog
Hope this helps!

Sure does! Your reasoning parallels with mine IRT trailer selection. The 6' width is important to me, more so than the length. A bud purchased a 7 x 14 and now has a tough time seeing around the sides from his truck. To vain for mirrors. ;)

Couple of questions for you and MX-727:
Do you have any problems with side loading since the bike shoes are on one side? I like the way this leaves the right side clear for walking.

If you were to add additional bike shoes (more than 2), would you also put them on the left? I believe I remember MX-727 trailer is a 14', no? Is there room for this with a 12'?

Good read on the link BTW. :thumb:

 

[High Lord Gomer]

*That's* a good looking setup. That trailer looks similar to Lemming's. he puts 2 (or3?) bikes in the same way you did. I didn't look to see what he did up front.

A note about hanging stuff from the walls and/or cieling... I hung too much weight from the cieling of my 6x12 and the sway it created broke the welds at all 4 corners of the back opening!

 

[Smit-Dog]

Originally posted by bscottr
... Do you have any problems with side loading since the bike shoes are on one side? I like the way this leaves the right side clear for walking.

If you were to add additional bike shoes (more than 2), would you also put them on the left? I believe I remember MX-727 trailer is a 14', no? Is there room for this with a 12'?

I'm not really sure what you mean by "problems with side loading". I put a 5' x 6" aluminum ramp (hung from the ceiling when not in use) just to the right of center on the back of the trailer. I roll the bike in on the right side of the trailer floor, and point the front wheel into the bike shoe which is bolted along the wall on the left side. Once the front wheel is in the bike shoe, I grab just below the seat onto a subframe hook, and hoist/move the tail end of the bike over several inches so that the entire bike is aligned straight into the bike shoe.

A couple of notes to pass on regarding the placement of the shoes themselves:

1) Don't bolt the bike shoe too close to the wall. I did this with the first one, and you can't open the clamping lever far enough to get the best possible bite on the front tire when pulling it back towards the bike. Once you have a shoe in front of you, you'll understand what I'm talking about. Just position the bike shoe in the trailer with a buddy to help hold the bike to determine the best position and spacing before drilling the holes and bolting down.

2) When placed on an angle, the shoes can be spaced closer together than you'd think. The handlebars of one bike will be positioned over the seat of the other. Again, if you have a few buds to help, put the shoes and bikes without drilling/bolting first to get the optimum location and angling.

3) I angled my bikes just so there's about a 4-5" space between the rear tire and the right side wall. This allows you to stack more bikes/shoes for a given length. At this angle, I could probably stack 4 bikes fairly easily in 6x12 box area. If I was only doing 2-3, I would probably angle the bikes more parallel along the length of the trailer so that I could sneak around the rear tire to get get by. Also, by angling the bikes less, the forward/backwards motion of the trailer would have less effect on the side-to-side movement of the bikes.

4) As far as bolting, I bought some $3 galvanized axle plates from a trailer store to use as giant washers on the underside of the floorboard. They are about 4"x4" with a 3/4" hole in the center for the bolt, and about 1/2" thick. Much sturdier than just 3/8" bolts and puny washers that come with the shoes. Use locking nuts to bolt the shoes down.

5) I have 2 shoes in now. I would put 1-2 additional shoes also on the left side. Just put them in close together, and starting as far forward as possible. A 6x12 box could definitely hold 4 bikes on an angle if spaced properly. You could use masking tape on your garage floor to match the interior dimensions of the trailer to help map out the positioning.

I actually use the side RV door to load/unload the XR-70 in the first shoe position. The heaviest bike, the KDX, is mounted in the second positon, over the axle, to help distribute the weight.

One more thing.... I would put the Pit Pal wall-mounted shelving unit on the left side. When you load/unload the bikes, you want to be as close to the right side wall as possible, and the shelving unit sticks out about 5"-6".

Oh, and another thing I learned.... Get some spring/chains on the doors so that when opened the wind doesn't slam them all the way open into the soft aluminum paneling of the trailer. Leaves a nasty dent from the locking bar. There are hooks for securing them, but I didn't always use them and this is what happened.

Have fun planning it out! Turns out it's just another toy to putz with!

 

[bscottr]

Originally posted by Smit-Dog
I'm not really sure what you mean by "problems with side loading".

I wasn't very clear was I? ;)

I was concerned about the weight being mostly on the left side of the trailer with all the shoes over there. But with your angle of the shoes/bikes I can see that isn't a problem since the rear of the bike is close the right sidewall. Good info. :thumb:

 

[High Lord Gomer]

Originally posted by bscottr
Do you have any problems with side loading?

Not me...I can lay on my side and eat while I watch TV for hours!

 

[bscottr]

:)

:thumb:

 

[scm]

Hey Smit_Dog,
I like your trailer layout. Im setting up a 7x16 trailer now and have been looking for sources for cabinets and accessories. Where did you get the cabinet that is holding the oil and chems in the photo? Who is the manufacturer? I also painted the floor of my trailer but am considering putting down linolium for durability. Epoxy is great for chemical resistance but the coating is only as tough as whats underneath it. In other words the plywood is soft and can scratch or dent easily (eg. kickstands).

 

[Smit-Dog]

Originally posted by scm
... Where did you get the cabinet that is holding the oil and chems in the photo? Who is the manufacturer? I also painted the floor of my trailer but am considering putting down linolium for durability. Epoxy is great for chemical resistance but the coating is only as tough as whats underneath it. In other words the plywood is soft and can scratch or dent easily (eg. kickstands).

Check out www.pitpal.com and order a catalog. Quality stuff for sure, but expensive. You will start drooling once you get the catalog and see all the products they have available.

Wouldn't linolium also be soft? I want a hard, durable surface like a gymnasium floor. Any ideas?

 

[scm]

The ultimate floor and what you see in upper end trailers would be diamond plate aluminum - but I think I'd rather put the money elseware . But I also see some nice rigs with linolium (the higher grade the better). I think the way to go is lay down some thin plywood or partical board (screwed down) and then glue the lino to that. That way if you ever decide to strip the lino you won't be destroying your plywood. I think the lino would be tough enough to hold up to moderate abuse and plyable enough to put a kickstand down on and not hurt it. Epoxy would be a great choice if it were going over hard wood (like a gym floor) or over metal, but because the epoxy is very very hard it could also be somewhat brittle and not flex enough with the plywood. But hey, what do you have to loose - a few bucks (maybe 50 to 80) a few hours of time and a few (thousand) brain cells sniffing the epoxy. Someone has to try it - let me know how it works!
I checked out the web site and the oil and towel rack looks good. Another source is www.modulinecabinets.com - they are a manufacturer and direct seller, and like the other nice and pricey

 

[Stumpy]

Originally posted by bscottr

A bud purchased a 7 x 14 and now has a tough time seeing around the sides from his truck. To vain for mirrors. ;)

What exactly is that supposed to mean?

 

[bscottr]

I was waiting to see just how long it would take you to find this. :moon:

:)