Skyfox trailer, plans or pictures?

[BrendAn]

57 minutes ago, onetrack said:

Skippy, I blew the tyre because it was an aged Chinese tyre showing signs of degradation, and I shouldn't have left it on the trailer for the trip. The trailer was loaded to the full 2000kg trailer gross limit.

 

The suspension is a 4-spring leaf suspension with a middle rocker bar, and fully greased shackles. It's as good as they come for a regular-duty tandem trailer suspension.

It has over-ride drum brakes on the front axle only, a fully-legal arrangement in W.A. They provide adequate braking under nearly all conditions except extreme conditions.

 

 

you can't compare 2000 kg with 400. and over ride brakes on front axle are the same in the eastern states up to 2 ton as well.

[Bernie]

[skippydiesel]

11 hours ago, onetrack said:

Skippy, I blew the tyre because it was an aged Chinese tyre showing signs of degradation, and I shouldn't have left it on the trailer for the trip. The trailer was loaded to the full 2000kg trailer gross limit.

 

The suspension is a 4-spring leaf suspension with a middle rocker bar, and fully greased shackles. It's as good as they come for a regular-duty tandem trailer suspension.

It has over-ride drum brakes on the front axle only, a fully-legal arrangement in W.A. They provide adequate braking under nearly all conditions except extreme conditions.

 

 

Ahhhh! Old tyre - not good, especially for heavy load & high speed combination. I should have had that on my list of possible causes.

 

I like the old style rocker suspension, think its the best, lots of posative attributes but cost not one of them.

 

Never mind the legalities, override brakes are a disaster waiting to happen (obsolete & should be banned). They were okay when they were the best that the technology of the time had to offer but now??? Sorry but I think anyone who willingly fits/uses them "is a few cents short in the dollar".

 

If you had electric brakes your "....it took all my trailer handling skills to keep control of it...." would likly not have been so tested.

 

I had a mate killed while using a trailer with override brakes - down hill - big load - trailer took control & pushed him under a Truck & Dog, coming up the hill. While the brake system was but one part of the "Swiss Cheese" factors,  if he had electric brakes, he likly would have been here today.

[Marty_d]

2 hours ago, Bernie said:

 

You didn't worry about her lifting off when you got to highway speeds Bernie?  😁

[Bernie]

no wings were folded for travel.

[Marty_d]

1 hour ago, Bernie said:

no wings were folded for travel.

I figured that.  Just looked funny on the trailer with wings out.

[facthunter]

Having trailered a plane from Gympie to Melbourne there's no way I would expose the plane to the winds from trucks etc going the other way. There's a potential for structural  damage I wouldn't risk. Enclosed is best OR remove the wings and protect them from damage by a suitable method like foam and good locating method. Run tires at a lower pressure but the air loads are the consideration plus  the rubbing of internal rods and cables. and fabric.  Nev

[spacesailor]

Can you get " electric disc brakes " .

I made a boat trailer with " hydraulic " brakes .

But my local safety check station refused to pass it . Without any reason given .

I sold it & the new owner had no problem with registrating it.

My grandson made his own ' motorcycle ' trailer at his apprenticeship class .

spacesailor

[onetrack]

Skippys caravan conversion is the best solution, an enclosed trailer beats them all for load protection. The amount of road debris thrown up and hitting the aircraft, with resultant damage, would have to be a major concern with any open trailer. But if you're planning on a caravan conversion, ensure you pick a steel or aluminium frame caravan, wood frames just don't cut it, for long term strength and lifespan.

 

 

Edited July 5 by onetrack

[Marty_d]

I reckon if you're pulling the guts out of a van you'd want to put in some steel frames anyway, much as Skippy did.

[skippydiesel]

2 hours ago, onetrack said:

Skippys caravan conversion is the best solution, an enclosed trailer beats them all for load protection. The amount of road debris thrown up and hitting the aircraft, with resultant damage, would have to be a major concern with any open trailer. But if you're planning on a caravan conversion, ensure you pick a steel or aluminium frame caravan, wood frames just don't cut it, for long term strength and lifespan.

 

 

Thanks for that Onetrack (commission on way😎).

 

My Viscount Aircraft Carrier (or whatever you want to use it for) has an aluminium body frame/skin & the most amazing steel chassis (way over engineered)

As I found out, converting a caravan is not as straightforward as many might think. Check out the square tube reinforcing in the internal photo - more photos available to genuinely intersted party.

 

[skippydiesel]

3 hours ago, spacesailor said:

Can you get " electric disc brakes " .

I made a boat trailer with " hydraulic " brakes .

But my local safety check station refused to pass it . Without any reason given .

I sold it & the new owner had no problem with registrating it.

My grandson made his own ' motorcycle ' trailer at his apprenticeship class .

spacesailor

Every electric brake system I have seen uses electromagnets within a drum - not sure how you would achieve a similar result with a disk brake.

How were your " hydraulic " brakes actuated??

[onetrack]

You can purchase electric-over-hydraulic trailer braking systems, they're very effective, but designed largely for bigger trailers. They're not cheap.

 

Hydraulic Electric Brake Actuator Boat Trailer Converter Caravan Hydrapro Unit

WWW.EBAY.COM.AU

---

HYDRAPRO Trailer Brake Actuator. Specifications for Hydro Electric Brake Actuator. Trailer mounted. Uses DOT 3 or DOT 4 brake fluid. Depending on your location you may receive free freight. Upon...

 

https://www.couplemate.com.au/brakes/electric-hydraulic-brake-actuators/1600psi-hydrastar

[skippydiesel]

"You can purchase electric-over-hydraulic trailer braking systems, they're very effective, but designed largely for bigger trailers. They're not cheap."

 

Wow! not so much the that hydraulic trailer brake systems exist but the cost is huge. 

The cost advertised is just for the gizmo shown, you still have to purchase the disk brakes and the tug brake controller unit.  It also seems that they are aimed at trailers grossing over 2 tonne, so need an expensive tug to go with the expensive brake system. At a guess $4K for the brakes and $180K for the tug😈

[spacesailor]

Or " DIY " ,

Works out much cheaper than profiteering businesses. 

I was always told " work hard & make money " which is B.S. as your boss gets the cream & you get screwed . 

In hard times the phrase " tighten your belt " usually means your starving. 

Then your boss let's you go , so he doesn't have to pay you .

spacesailor

[jackc]

On 4/7/2024 at 1:43 PM, skippydiesel said:

Looks well loaded Jack - The wings look a bit vulnerable but I guess they were designed to fold & be transported. Assume you reduced your tyre pressure way down??

I had a wide flat piece of ply on the top of the rear part of the fuse and stuffed part of a cut up foam mattress on top of the ply to support the ends of the wings that were strapped lightly to the fuse. Nothing moved and it travelled well at around 85kmh with tyres  at about 25 PSI and the tyres ran quite cool. 

[skippydiesel]

1 hour ago, Moneybox said:

Skippy, I'm new to the forum so I don't know your procedures here but I'm interested in your caravan/transporter. I'm just up the road a bit in Cue, WA and I'm heading over that way in a couple of weeks to view an Evector Sportstar. I had no intention of purchasing a trailer because I'm packing a welder, grinder, drill and a registered trailer numberplate. However if I was to buy a suitable trailer it could save me a couple of days. Do you have private messaging on this forum?

I believe you can contact me through "Messages" Blue envelope top left side of page.

[skippydiesel]

For any other intersted aircraft transporters

 

Following are all internal dimensions:

• Length 7.3m
• Min Width 2.201m
• Max Width 2.300m
• Max Height 2.230m
• Min Height 1.805m

Back Door Frame:

• Hight 1.805m
• Width 2.201m

 

For most aircraft (after wings removed) the width of the van, is likly to be a fraction too narrow for the horizontal stabiliser. Two solutions seem have potential:

• Remove entire stabiliser. May be a big task in some designs.
• Remove stabiliser tips. Many aircraft have fiberglass tips to their empennage. Usually pop/pull riveted in place, it should be quite quick & easy to drill out the rivets, remove the tips, making the empennage fit easily into the aircraft carrier.

[spacesailor]

The " aircraft stabiliser " span measurement. 

I asked for , when that Jabiru was being auctioned off .

There was no answer ,  so no trailer could be rented, to remove from auction site .

spacesailor

[spacesailor]

You will need a bigger van man , ( said the add )

spacesailor

[FlyingVizsla]

On 03/07/2024 at 7:32 AM, nwarthmann said:

I want to build one.

I was talking with a guy who has an early Skyfox, who said he has built about 5, including one configured to carry a gazelle.  He has also done some modification to winch, tool boxes, ramps etc.  He says he has just about got it right.  I have some photos from 2016, that's how I got on to him.  He has plans, but I am not sure if they are official Skyfox or how detailed they are.  If you want to PM me I can give you his phone number.

[skippydiesel]

On 10/07/2024 at 11:22 PM, Moneybox said:

I’m on a rush trip south tonight. These long drives, 900km in a day, are too much for me these times. We’ve sold a property down here and I’m trying to clean out 25 years of junk before I head to Queensland to look at the Sportstar. That caravan transporter would be perfect but I don’t think it’s going to fit. 

Just remove the horizontal stabiliser fiberglass tips & it will almost certainly fit.

[Keith W]

There’s a sky fox with a trailer for sale in the Raa classifieds maybe the guy would send you some pictures, I did build an open trailer for my gazelle but only used to trailer it to the airport and back about 8 kms each way