2017 SnoWest "ULTIMATE" Project Trailer #3,

[christopher]

Rear set of clothing hooks.
Once the sleds are packed in for the night and ready to be melted out with the heater, you can hang your bibs and jackets from these hooks so your clothing will be just as dry as the sleds come morning.

Suspect we will see a small change in these with the addition of a closing gate or a stronger bend so that you could leave your gear hanging for the drive home..

2nd set of hooks in the front of the trailer.
More than enough for 5 full sets of gear.

 

[christopher]

Optional AC Lighting which in my opinion is money SUPER well spent.
Always seem to want MORE LIGHT, and I always carry a small Honday EU2000 generator with us that provides 12 hours of power on a couple gallons of fuel.

One of the nice things about this design is that the storage box itself lifts OUT of the rack. Why? So you can CLEAN the thing out of the junk that always seems to end up in it!

 

[christopher]

This is another brand new feature for 2017
LIGHTED exhaust fans!

Mirage is moving towards 100% LED lighting to give more total light using less battery power so you can use the trailer for more days between recharging the deep cycle batteries.

It wouldn't surprise me one bit to see this type of lighting used in long strips from the front of the trailer roof all the way to the back of the trailer in the very near future. As I said before, you just can't have TOO MUCH light inside of the trailer at night if you are working on a busted sled, and this is a great solution. Looks sweet and works.!

 

[christopher]

This year Mirage also moved away from the incandesent exterior lights to 6 bulb LED Floods. have not had a chance to see them at night yet, but excited to see what kind of light they throw around the trailer when we pull up to it at night after a long day's ride on the mountain, which is the NORM for our Snwoest group. And that External Stereo Speak, ya, its there so we can ROCK the music OUTSIDE of the trailer as well as inside.

You want to draw a crowd to your trailer, TURN ON SOME KILLER TUNES and watch everyone come flocking over to your trailer. Not to mention its a total kick to be outside prepping the sleds and getting everything ready for an EPIC adventure while having some great tunes in the background.!

http://snowest.com/forum/forum.vb/picture.php?albumid=1821&pictureid=33909

 

[christopher]

Downward facing directional LED Lights to help make sure you don't turf it when entering or exiting the trailer door at night!

 

[coolm7cat]

Where the hell is the TV at?

 

[NorthMNSledder]

Rear Entry
Here is something NEW we are testing this year.
This is a Diamond Plate hinge cover.
The idea is great, but we are not at all certain how this will stand up to the Carbides on Snowmobile Skis.
It may be that we simply need a heavier gauge to withstand the cutting or that it has to be a different material. But this is part of our agreed upon TESTING for Mirage.
We all agree that we want to cover this hinge to keep snow from turning in to HARD PACKED ICE when the rear gate is lifted. This is their latest possible solution.
For summer sport use, ATVs, RZRs, Dune Buggys, Motorcycles, this should be a slam dunk to keep dirt and mud out.

We will know this weekend how it does with Sleds!

If you have an issue with the carbides tearing up that diamond plate a quick and easy solution would be to just run small pieces of the slides on the top of those. I would guess the sleds would do a number on those but you never know.

Otherwise it looks like another killer trailer!!

 

[christopher]

If you have an issue with the carbides tearing up that diamond plate a quick and easy solution would be to just run small pieces of the slides on the top of those. I would guess the sleds would do a number on those but you never know.

Otherwise it looks like another killer trailer!!

Agreed
I will know the moment we load the sleds the first time.
Do they GLIDE over the diamond plate, or CUT deeply into it.
I am guessing because this is aluminum and not steel, the carbides will stop dead and try to cut it.

If it doesn't work, we will just remove the strip and replace it with

 

[christopher]

Where the hell is the TV at?

OK
So we actually HAD this discussion, and Mirage is working on making that a more standard option in the future!

I WANTED IT.

 

[volcano buster]

I know you are in 7th Heaven right now, but I have a couple thoughts.

1st, being tall, I am always looking out for overhead hazards. That is why I opted for this type hook to hang things from the ceiling.

https://www.thriftcat.org/upc/038613225213/25-national-mfg-n237040-zinc

2nd, is there a retainer clip for the fuel doors when they are open? Hate to see that latch come around and pop that purdy paint job when fueling in windy conditions, you are in SE Idaho afterall.

3rd, do you have adequate refueling light in the trailer. Seems that is always a bugger trying to top off without overfilling.

4th, Any reason not to drill a bigger hole in the top of the boot dryer tubes to force more air down to the toe of the boots? That to me is where the most moisture is at, not necessarily along the calves and ankles.

5th, would a thick piece of UHMW work for the rear ramp gap cover instead of aluminum?

6th, what about a small rubber flap in front of the man-door step to keep road grime off the step mechanism and keep it from getting gravel peened? I am going to add one to mine to see if it works... maybe?

7th, How about a shallow tray towards the man-door area for trailer tire chains, sled oil, tire iron, etc? Seems like those things get forgotten about and then tripped over.

8th, How about a pedestal mounted fan like the old school bus used to have? A buddy has one in his and it helps circulate the hot air pretty well plus does double duty to flush 2-stroke smoke out once the trailer is emptied in the morning.

I'm sure I missed something.

Looking forward to a long term review now.

 

[christopher]

NICE JOB of comments!
Let me try to address each of them.

I know you are in 7th Heaven right now, but I have a couple thoughts.

1st, being tall, I am always looking out for overhead hazards. That is why I opted for this type hook to hang things from the ceiling.

https://www.thriftcat.org/upc/038613225213/25-national-mfg-n237040-zinc

That would work for me just fine.
Even better that they flip up totally out of the way.
But I should note, the trailer does NOT have a low ceiling.
They will make the height to order!


2nd, is there a retainer clip for the fuel doors when they are open? Hate to see that latch come around and pop that purdy paint job when fueling in windy conditions, you are in SE Idaho afterall.

There is not.
But, over the last 3 years I have not see that problem present itself.
Its could be an issue, but it hasn't shown itself to be as yet.


3rd, do you have adequate refueling light in the trailer. Seems that is always a bugger trying to top off without overfilling.

OH YA!
This trailer has BOATLOADS of light inside of it on DC power.
I WILL get some photos taken when it is DARK to show the illumination that comes form the overhead DC LED lights.


4th, Any reason not to drill a bigger hole in the top of the boot dryer tubes to force more air down to the toe of the boots? That to me is where the most moisture is at, not necessarily along the calves and ankles.

No reason I can think of.
If you need MORE circulation there, go for it!
Having said that.
I have NEVER taken a pair of boots off the dryer that were NOT 100% DRY.


5th, would a thick piece of UHMW work for the rear ramp gap cover instead of aluminum?

Educate me here.
What the heck is UHMW?


6th, what about a small rubber flap in front of the man-door step to keep road grime off the step mechanism and keep it from getting gravel peened? I am going to add one to mine to see if it works... maybe?

I suppose that would work find.
Have to admit I have never given it a 2nd thought though.
Don't pay a whole lot of attention to the step.


7th, How about a shallow tray towards the man-door area for trailer tire chains, sled oil, tire iron, etc? Seems like those things get forgotten about and then tripped over.

OK, at the risk of exposing my ignorance here.
Do people actually CHAIN THEIR TRAILERS?
Studded tires maybe, but CHAINS ??


8th, How about a pedestal mounted fan like the old school bus used to have? A buddy has one in his and it helps circulate the hot air pretty well plus does double duty to flush 2-stroke smoke out once the trailer is emptied in the morning.

I have seen some guys that mount ceiling fans for added circulation.
I found that the dual overhead fans moved the air more than enough to get the job done though.


I'm sure I missed something.
Looking forward to a long term review now.

Over the next 4 months you can look forward to regular posts and updates to this thread.

 

[DUKHTR3]

Y can't I see the pics

Sent from my E6782 using Tapatalk

 

[christopher]

Y can't I see the pics

Sent from my E6782 using Tapatalk

I would guess that you might have a browser setting that is suppressing them?

 

[Blk88GT]

I love the idea about a place to keep oil jugs!

 

[volcano buster]

Use of tire chains on trailers with brakes is mandatory here in Oregon. Chain the truck, chain the trailer. Some days it makes sense, other days it doesn't. One thing for sure, you seldom see snowmobilers in the ditch because they are usually some of the best prepared out of the snow goers. If we have a conditional closure, trailer tires even without brakes must be chained. Nasty conditions when that happens.

 

[christopher]

Use of tire chains on trailers with brakes is mandatory here in Oregon. Chain the truck, chain the trailer. Some days it makes sense, other days it doesn't. One thing for sure, you seldom see snowmobilers in the ditch because they are usually some of the best prepared out of the snow goers. If we have a conditional closure, trailer tires even without brakes must be chained. Nasty conditions when that happens.

Well, there ya go. Showing my ignorance.
Honestly had NO idea you could/should CHAIN trailer tires.
What manner of chains do you use on them??

 

[volcano buster]

I have been using a set of cross-link style that I cut down from my old VW days. I just picked up a set of quick-fit Schwab style chains the other day. I have seen too many cases where a ladder style chain (non V-bar) will want to skate sideways if the brakes are locked. I like the quick fits as they give lateral stability and ride smooth.

It is kind of nice when coming down a slick stretch of road to start applying the trailer brakes by hand to keep the train straight as you slow the truck down.

 

[christopher]

I have been using a set of cross-link style that I cut down from my old VW days. I just picked up a set of quick-fit Schwab style chains the other day. I have seen too many cases where a ladder style chain (non V-bar) will want to skate sideways if the brakes are locked. I like the quick fits as they give lateral stability and ride smooth.

It is kind of nice when coming down a slick stretch of road to start applying the trailer brakes by hand to keep the train straight as you slow the truck down.

So full on aggressive chains.

 

[volcano buster]

That is correct, but without the V-bars. They ride too rough for me.

I like this style better as they are smoother and provide lateral traction. Just picked up a set last week, $20 on CL.

Also looks like ID would only require chains on commercial vehicles in bad weather on I-90, 4th of July pass and Lolo pass.

Our state website posts up when chains are required for the various road stretches. Lots of information for travelers.

 

[tadder52]

5: UHMW = Ultra High Molecular Weight. Hard, strong, slippery plastic. It's not exactly cheap, but it's light and inexpensive enough that you could run it for a season or two and then unbolt it and throw it away with out feeling bad after it was all cut up.

It's kind of like synthetic ice that hockey players use to practice their skating on a treadmill type device.

https://www.mcmaster.com/#uhmw-polyethylene/=1570d72

PS: it appears to be cheaper than I remember. The Caliber transitions that you have linked above are probably made of it, or a plastic closely related to it.