pit-pony

Any innovative ideas? I don't relish driving that far on R compounds and not having security against a flat.

Looks like a tire trailer is out, can't see myself lugging it around for long hauls and I don't have a way to tow the car.

Anyone try shipping them? Did that work out?

..jack

TedDBere

Tell your significant other that if she really loves you she'll get up at "stupid o'clock" with you and bring them in the other car.

pit-pony

That can work for local (although spending the day is not everyone's idea of a good time) but the places I want to drive to, not a chance

..jack

John Shiels

tire trailer is the best and cheapest idea. You don't know it is there. It also leaves room for other things like a lack, fluids, and tools.

AU N EGL

How far do you have to drive to the tracks / events?

the small tire trailer is the least expensive option.

69427

A pickup and trailer. (Or a used pickup and a modest trailer if funds are scarce.) Unless you are always running at a track/course in your immediate area, it's always nice having a way to get your car home if you break a transmission/differential/rotor, etc. A pickup will also hold several gas cans and coolers for a long day at the track. JMHO.

BrianCunningham

Either a tire trailer, or a trailer for the car itself.

Downside to the later is that you need something to tow it with.

Plus side is if you break it you don't need to call AAA.

You can also use it as you winter vehicle. I assume you don't drive your Corvette in the winter up in NS.

Bill Dearborn

Looks to me like somebody is on the edge of the slippery slope. The advantage of a car trailer is when the event is done you drive onto the trailer and fasten the car down and start home. No jacking the car and changing tires, etc. If you break anything you have a way home. Even a power steering hose can do you in. All told I've had my trailer since 1993 and only had a car break once when a power steering hose blew at a track about 3 hours from home. However, I have used the trailer several times to tow somebody elses car home.

Truck and trailer are the best way to go but you can do what I did in the beginning. I already had the SUV so I rented a car trailer from a local trailer shop (not a chain) and used it for several seasons. It only cost me $40 per weekend for a steel bed 16 ft trailer and I only had trouble renting it once as somebody else had it out.

Bill

pit-pony

Trailering the car is out for me. No room or money for a 5th car around the house. I looked into renting a tow vehicle and all the major rental cos specifically forbid towing in the rental agreement. U-Haul is an exception but they charge by the mile.

I'm considering shipping my wheels back and forth to distant events.

..jack

Cbntmn

Wish i had a picture of my setup but i dont. I went to an enclosed trailer recently.

For a couple of years I had a hitch (draw tight) and a small 4x6 trailer that I baught at tractor supply for 399.99. I think pep boys has them also.

I installed 2 diamond plate tool boxes on the trailer which left enough room to put a EZ up in between them and put the wheels in the front. One of the tool boxes, the one over the wheels for the weight, had a craftsmen tool box, jack, spare rotors, brake pads, oils, etc. The back tool box had my helmets, gear, cooler, etc. It works out perfectly. You can spend about 5 or 6 hundred bucks putting this together and it pulls like you dont even know its there.

Yes you risk the chance of not getting home right away if you brake down. Funny thing, the first time I ever broke down on the track was just the second trip with the enclosed trailer.

This is your best and cheapest option. Gives you the flexability and the cost you are looking for. It will cost you 150 bucks to ship the stuff each time.

I sold the trailer to a guy using for the same thing when i moved to the enclosed.

Any other questions PM me and ill try and answer them.

pit-pony

No source in Canada for these small trailers that I can find. I'll keep looking but I'm not a fan of pulling one around. The other issue is storing the thing the rest of the year.

I was wondering if others have ever shipped them and if they needed to be boxed or if they could travel raw without damage.

..jack

Bill Dearborn

A lot of shippers strap two wheels together with circles of cardboard on the outside and in between the two wheels. Problem with shipping is picking them up at the place you are going. Hotels/motels are not going to be too receptive to a couple of stacks of wheels showing up. They are not easily handled. Also shipping them back home afterwards can be a problem since you have no way to get them to the shippers location. If you call for pickup there is no real guarantee when they will show up and you have no way of packaging them back together unless you use boxes and tape.

If you decide to visit Watkins Glen most of the motels in the area have an office about 10 ft by 10 ft. if not smaller. Seneca Lodge's office is in a corner of the restaurant. Their only choice to store wheels until you arrive is to let them sit outside.

Bill

pit-pony

Ya, logistics are always an issue. If the shipper has a depot anywhere close I suppose I could make a couple of trips to pick them up. Returning them could work that way as well.

I was wondering if anyone shipped wheels raw, no packing or strapping together?

I have a call in to Greyhound to see if they could handle it.

..jack

c4cruiser

The small tire trailers are found at places like Harbor Freight or Northern Tool. They both do internet orders and you can find a small one for under $200 USD.

Not sure how trailer licensing is done in Canada, but outside of paying duty fees, GST or anything else, you may find that it would be worth the money to at least start with a small tire trailer.

Trailer hitches are available for Corvettes and these can also be had through internet sources.

This is the trailer that I used for a few years before going to a flatbed trailer to haul my 87 to events: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=90153 It's USDOT certified with the required lights and should be accepted for use in any of the provinces.

This was what my trailer looked like:

The floor was simply a half-sheet of 3/4" plywood, The box came from Home Depot and it was large enough for a tool box, assorted fluids, a pair of jack stands, a small floor jack and roome left over for a cooler and folding chairs. It would tow easily behind my 87 even at speeds above the posted limits.

pit-pony

Thanks for the link.

It looks like some additional construction & parts (floor, tool box erc) are needed.

The cost for us Canadian to import a trailer is high. The RIV charges an additional $175 fee to import a trailer, this apart from the taxes and brokerage fees.

Ready to go including hitch and installation my first cost estimate would put this little baby at over $1300 Canadian (which now trades well at 0.92 US).

Not so cheap eh?

..jack

JDIllon

Having been in the trailer business for many years, I,m sure there are trailer mfgs. in canada that make small utility trailers. Also you could buy a small used boat trailer and put a plywood deck on it, cut off the tongue and you've got it. The small trailer seems you best option. Just my .02 JD

AU N EGL

do a search for utility trailers in NS. I found a few links within 2 mins.

c4cruiser

Here in the States, Home Depot sells utility trailers. Check with RV shops, trailer sales places or even farm stores. A local RV place or hitch shop can either order a Corvette hitch or fabricate one for you.

Plywood is (or at least should be) cheap. The local Home Depot has 4x8 foot 3/4" A-C grade plywood sheets for about $15. The box on the trailer is made by Contico and I picked it up at Home Depot for $49.95. The plywood and the box are attached to the trailer with 3/8" bolts.

Outfitting a tire trailer is not that expensive, especially a small one. One of the folks that frequently posts in this forum picked up a 16' steel trailer for around $1400 from a place in Pennsylvania. While it sounds like you have a number of vehicles, a 1/2 ton truck would be easily capable of hauling a open car trailer and a C4 or C5.

shotchkiss

Would you have room for them if you pulled out the passenger seat? That might reclass you however.

Cobra4B

Shipping is a horrible idea... get a hitch and a small tire trailer.