trailer talk

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Getting to the fun is half the battle nowadays. If you're an avid snowmobiler, chances are you have to travel to find good snow. It's the same whether you're a weekend warrior or racer. You still have to get to the track, or the snow.

I've been searching for the right towing combination since I was 17 and built my first race bike in our basement. First time out, I towed the race bike behind my buddy's road bike at 2 a.m. to avoid the cops.

When I moved from Europe to the Black Hills in 1967, I was a student at the South Dakota School of Mines in Rapid City, and I discovered snowmobiling. Towropes were out. Snowmobilers need a trailer, or at least a pickup.

The first tow-rig
We started racing in 1975 out of the back of a van, but like most racers, we kept upgrading. Next, was an 8x14-foot enclosed, insulated trailer. Then, there was a 26-foot Winnebago motor home to pull a new 20-foot trailer. We had a sponsor, and both were painted in Amsoil and Team Aaen colors.

Motor homes are not good haulers though, and our next setup was much better - a Ford cube van with a 14-foot box. With its size, you could not even feel a 2-place trailer behind it, and it wasn't easily moved by wind pressure from passing trucks. The big box did however push a lot of air, and it was hard on engines. By the time we parked it, it was on its third engine.

The next setup proved to be a challenge. Our 26-foot trailer did not move the big cube van around, but when we hitched it to a new Dodge Ram van, things got real squirrelly on the highway. Everyone told us to get a pickup and a fifth-wheel trailer, but I'm not fond of pickups because I don't like my stuff outside, and I needed the van for everyday parts hauling. So, we tried to solve the tagalong trailer problem instead.

The van was always sagging in back, even with strong leveling bars. This unloaded the front wheels and let the front end wander from side to side when trucks passed. The solution turned out to be simple and fairly low cost. We installed a set of airbag helper springs in back. With the trailer attached, we pumped them up until the rear end lifted up and the front wheels were again firmly planted and steering straight. This took care of 80% of the instability. We also loaded heavy items, such as generators and toolboxes, all the way to the back to reduce tongue weight on the hitch.

Near perfect setup
Our present setup is probably as close to perfect as possible for a tagalong.

We use a 20-footer with a 5-foot V-nose front. I talked United Trailer into placing the wheels further back on the trailer to prevent it from pivoting around the axles when the air pressure from passing trucks hits it.

Our tow vehicle is a GMC Suburban 2500 with one of the last 454ci engines, heavy-duty transmission, 4.10 differential and extra strong rear springs that don't sag with a trailer hooked up. We chose the Suburban because of its towing capabilities, 4-wheel-drive and plenty of room inside.

This combination has surprising stability. I did not even notice the first truck coming up on me before its front wheels were by my windows. After 40 years of towing, I finally have a package I'm happy with. The big 454 engine has plenty of power and gets better mileage than my 360ci Dodge did. The 4-wheel-drive is a big advantage in snow, and the V-nose trailer with its extended axle location pulls easily.

Finding the right trailer
There's a great selection of trailers out there from at least a dozen trailer companies. Finding one that fits your requirements, at a good price, takes only a little research. An open 2-place can be had for less than $2 grand, while a 2-place with a cap usually adds another grand. Those are fine for most recreational purposes.

We use a Chilton 2-place aluminum tilt trailer with cap for transporting sleds or ATV's from the shop to close riding areas. This trailer can easily be moved around by hand and has served us well.

The next level up is a flatbed with loading ramps and front drive off. These are somewhat heavier, but easier to load once you get the ramp out. If you buy one, make sure you have a heavy-duty lock as the ramps are prime targets for theft.

Enclosed trailers with front and rear ramp doors are handy and provide a secure environment for your sled and gear. You can go as fancy as you want with workbenches, lights, heaters and full insulation. Our 25-foot test and race trailer fits this category and was custom-built to our specs.

A little advice - don't try to finish the inside yourself to save money. Trailer firms do a wonderful job installing benches, lights, heaters, cabinets, insulation and interior walls. Letting them do it is usually cheaper than you can do it and is way better looking. Believe me, I've tried to do it myself and it was a headache and didn't look good. A nice interior also helps resale value.

Another lesson I've learned is that trying to save gas with smaller engines in a tow vehicle is a waste. You don't save gas; the engine just has to work harder, and it wears out faster. Buy as big an engine as you can, and if you're concerned about mileage, get a new turbo diesel. Not only do you get better mileage, but also your ability to move in traffic is better.

Selecting a practical package has as much to do with the tow vehicle as with the trailer. Our AmSnow editorial team initially decided to go with two enclosed 2-place Triton trailers instead of one 4-placer, because it suited the team's smaller everyday vehicles better and afforded greater flexibility and fewer parking problems. Now, we have traded one 2-place for a 4-place Triton to give the team more hauling capability for trips up North.

For racers
A fancy NASCAR-type trailer may look impressive in the pits, but you don't need one to become a successful racer. If you've been inside one, you'll find that the actual workspace is not much bigger than in a 24x8.5-foot tagalong. Smaller trailers are easier to get around with and park, making them more practical to get into less accessible areas.

So save some money on the trailer and use the rest of your budget on important parts such as the best shocks money can buy, or maybe an extra practice sled. The smallest practical racing trailer for a one-person setup is an enclosed 7x16-footer. You can stuff two sleds inside and have enough room to work on one at a time.

A 24-foot tagalong takes 4 sleds plus equipment and, if you are on good terms, two racers can work on their sleds at the same time. Up to 26-foot tagalongs can be towed by vans or pickups, but if you want a 40-footer, you're looking at a fifth-wheel trailer with a heavy-duty tow vehicle, probably a 3500 or 4500 pickup, van or full-size sport-ute with a diesel engine.

Just remember the bigger you go, the harder it is to park, and parking out on the ice may not be advisable, or even possible, which means hauling your equipment longer distances. We think it best to come up with the smallest trailer that will do the job. For us, that's the 20-foot tagalong with the 5-foot V-nose. It's a drive-through with a side workbench, and it will carry 3 sleds. Since we seldom test more than 2 sleds at a time, it's more than enough space to bring all the equipment we need for both testing and racing.

If you're an aspiring racer, don't spend more on your trailer setup than you need. Instead stay in a good motel, put your names on some nice team suits and network on Friday night before you bust up your sled and have to pull an all-nighter.

Make sure your results on the track speak for you.

Believe me, when you get older you'll remember your wins, but not the kind of trailer you worked out of. Darcy Ewing won five Eagle River Pro Sprint World Championships in a row, but never had anything bigger than a 24-foot tagalong and a van to pull it.

If you want to race bad enough you'll find a way to the track, even if it's only with your sled in a pickup bed.