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  View original topic: John Palmer trailer question
ackackadak Thu Apr 23, 2015 2:54 pm

Talking to trailer builder about building something similar to the John Palmer trailer... question came up regarding 4" drop dovetail w drop axle. How much road clearance does that leave? Concerned about dragging going up my driveway w slight incline. Builder wants me to go w/o dovetail and jack up trailer when loading. Thoughts please? Thanks.

hitest Thu Apr 23, 2015 4:13 pm

I'll bite, what the hell's a John Palmer?

Is it a trailer with Iced Tea, Lemon and Whiskey?

Richard Roth Thu Apr 23, 2015 7:49 pm

I'll see John at the Bug-In in May.
I will ask him then.

ackackadak Fri Apr 24, 2015 4:48 am

Thanks.

Mike Fisher Fri Apr 24, 2015 7:48 am

They convert old Haynes etc double axle horse trailers to end dump trailers.

Richard Roth Sat Apr 25, 2015 10:42 am

Just received this from John;


 
The dove tail does not scrape because the axle is mounted close to the rear.  It was copied from a flat bottom ski boat trailer.  The center of gravity is at the jack mount on a ACVW, so that is the load center that will be put on the trailer, and you need to have enough tongue weight to make it tow good when loaded.  Most common trailers tow poorly when a ACVW is loaded, which is why many are put on backwards.
 
The problem you have with a low car, is that the car scrapes when you drag it up "on a high trailer".  You have several options.  Longer ramps reduce the angle but are harder to carry, dove tail on the end of the trailer reduces the angle, but is low.  A "lower deck" height lowers the deck, but then the front of the trailer is low.  I have seen nicely built flat trailers, with a super low deck that look good and address the loading issues.
 
If I were to build another VW dedicated "open trailer" it would be a small tilt bed trailer much like a Jim-Glo design.  The problem is, a rear engine car has much different weight centers than a front engine car.  The front engine Jim-Glo trailer design would require much redesign to make it work well with a "weight heavy" rear engine car.  I discussed this with the original owner/designer of Jim-Glo many years ago, and he told me he ran into the same problem trying to build a trailer for a SCCA 356 sports car guy.
 
John Palmer

IN2VWS Sun Apr 26, 2015 3:31 pm

I recently purchased a new trailer for my cars. My previous trailer required the ACVW's had to go on backwards to get the correct ball weight.
This new one, I can drive the cars on and still have the correct ball weight.
As you can see, the deck lowers (no ramps). If you need to work under your car, you can raise the deck higher to get under your car. It raises to 800mm.




ackackadak Fri May 01, 2015 8:07 pm

Jeez, what a great response. Thanks guys. I was ready to go with what was being recommended by my trailer guy. Special thanks to Mr. Palmer for his time and effort to put this altogether for me. I will be printing this thread out and taking with me tomorrow along with my car that barely makes it across the threshold of my garage w/o scraping. I can fix this but I am extremely thankful I will not be buying a trailer which I suspect I'd never be happy owning which most likely couldn't be fixed. Thanks to Mr Roth for making it happen.

I hate to impose with a follow-up question but the article in HVW does not specify where to place the axle to make all this work. I suspect my builder will have an educated opinion but if Mr. Palmer could fill in this gap I would be able to sleep once I make my deposit.

My sincere thanks for all the help.

Richard Roth wrote: Just received this from John;
 
The dove tail does not scrape because the axle is mounted close to the rear.  It was copied from a flat bottom ski boat trailer.  The center of gravity is at the jack mount on a ACVW, so that is the load center that will be put on the trailer, and you need to have enough tongue weight to make it tow good when loaded.  Most common trailers tow poorly when a ACVW is loaded, which is why many are put on backwards.
 
The problem you have with a low car, is that the car scrapes when you drag it up "on a high trailer".  You have several options.  Longer ramps reduce the angle but are harder to carry, dove tail on the end of the trailer reduces the angle, but is low.  A "lower deck" height lowers the deck, but then the front of the trailer is low.  I have seen nicely built flat trailers, with a super low deck that look good and address the loading issues.
 
If I were to build another VW dedicated "open trailer" it would be a small tilt bed trailer much like a Jim-Glo design.  The problem is, a rear engine car has much different weight centers than a front engine car.  The front engine Jim-Glo trailer design would require much redesign to make it work well with a "weight heavy" rear engine car.  I discussed this with the original owner/designer of Jim-Glo many years ago, and he told me he ran into the same problem trying to build a trailer for a SCCA 356 sports car guy.
 
John Palmer

vegasSTEVE Mon Oct 02, 2017 1:51 pm

Though this is an older post, I thought I'd throw this out there.... I now own the "Palmer Trailer" - if anyone is looking for dimensions or additional photos of the trailer... let me know...



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