Working on putting together a band, been playing with some guys. If I keep this p.a. and have to haul three guys and p.a. and gear, my Ford Taurus won't cut it. I'd need an enclosed trailer. My car, I think it has enough power, 24-valve with plenty of pep. Have any idea how much a small enclosed trailer would cost? A used one would be better, less money.

I use a Loadrite utility trailer, it is a 2600 lb rated trailer..I haul it with Mini vans..Enclosed models will be around$2000 and up[new]...I would go for new, and you won't have someone else's proplems..[unless you buy mine]..

Warning, it sometimes a hassel parking, not just driving ability but finding double lenght parking[two car spaces].

BTW you can haul a lot of Marlboro with a trailer!!!

Better yet, buy a good, used, full-size conversion van. Mine carries all my gear, even when I was hauling huge equipment, plus four passengers in comfort. Easy to park, lots of room, lousy gas mileage.

I've towed trailers of all sizes, and unless you have lots of towing skill, forget the trailer.

Gary

Mini Van is the way to go..

I have two Chevy Astro vans. I like them a lot better than the Doge Caravans, Windstars Venture vans etc because of having more room. They drive great and mine do between 16 1/2 to 19 MPG. They're great for just traveling around in also. Like my pickup the visibility is better because of sitting higher than other vehicles.

I carry two 15" Peaveys, my Korg i30, my Mackie mixer, a 2'X2'X2 1/2' case for wires mic etc. my Tenor Sax, mic stands, a laptop, and a two wheel fold-up hand truck.

A trailer wouldn't be a problem out here in the west, the streets are twice a wide as New Orleans, but it would be a problem in congested cities for parking etc.

Think about a van before you spend money for a trailer. Of course if you need to haul drums and a whole band, you may need a dedicated trailer. Are you going to start at 10AM to pick up everyone? Or, are they going to come to your place to load up?

Wow! what a night-mare. Maybe you'd better do a one man band thingy. You'll have lots less head aches and make a lot more money per gig. You'll just have to depend on yourself.

I've been using a trailer for about 15 years, I started back before they were so readily available. First homemade then Jartran(like uhaul) went out of business and was selling pro made trailers for 5 or 6 hundred bucks.
The thing I always liked about a trailer was you could use any vehile to tow it. If tow vehicle broke down you could use the wife's car, or if someone else in the band had a hitch.
You didn't mess up your vehicle, I never had to unload mine, my car was always clean and ready for passengers.
Plus once you have a trailer you'll find a million other uses from shopping to moving picking up gardening supplies, it's at just the right height to load and unload.
Of course you have to learn to drive it and park it. But if you always plan ahead it works out. But then I drove a Tractor Trailer fir 20 years as my day gig.

------------------
qqqwq@hotmail.com

Is this what you're looking for




[This message has been edited by Exound (edited 11-13-2004).]

All this talk about trailers brings back bad memories of a gig I had years ago back in Australia. It was a one off thing and the only thing we could get to carry the gear the 300 miles we had to drive was an enclosed trailer. It was packed tight with the PA and all the stage gear, but that was good because it couldn't move around. All went well on the trip up there. We did the gig and it was the trip back that everything went wrong.

We were hundreds of miles from home and as we crossed a railway track on the main interstate we heard a strange sound and looked through the back window of the car shocked to see the trailer launching into the air. It broke away from the hitch and bounced end to end down the interstate tearing apart and spilling gear onto the highway. Holy Crap !!!!!!

We screeched to a stop and raced into the highway to pull the equipment off the road. Somehow there was no traffic around or we probably would have died trying to save the gear. Apart from some dents and a mic stand through a speaker cone everything survived. I guess the tight pack prevented most of the damage.

But it was a public holiday 100s of miles out in the countryside so there we were sitting on the side of the interstate with a pile of amps, guitars and speakers and no way of getting them home. A miserable end to the gig. All of a sudden a pickup pulled up and 2 local boys had driven down when they heard the BANG thinking someone had been hit by a train. They were stock car enthusiasts used to welding wrecks back together every weekend. So they took the wrecked trailer away for a couple of hours, welded it back together well enough to last the trip home. They saved us. The trailer was dumped once we got home but it got all the gear home again.

I just never felt good about trailers again.

You also have to think about the front wheel drive aspect of that lightweight Taurus. With any kind of significant load in back, you may compromise your traction.
Better research this one alot. Adding a second vehicle can also getyy you a multi car discount on your insurance, provide additional write-offs at tax time...etc.
Sounds like it's time to buy an Aerostar from Fran Carango! ( cheep, cheep )

I also have an Aerostar for sale. $3000. It has a lot of miles, but is in excellent shape.
Extended version. 21 mpg. New tires, new brakes, new tie rod ends, etc.
DonM

I got a 1996 Dodge Caravan Sport WHITE 117,000 miles...very good shape FS $1999.00

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 11-13-2004).]

I always buy extended vans...it has to allow a 4x8 sheets of plywood to be carried with the rear door closed...otherwise they are useless to me...that includes Dave's new one..

Nigel, are you sure you guys put a 'clip' in the trailers hitch area that is made to prevent things like that from happening?

When the trailer is secured to the vehicle's ball hitch, after you lower the trailers hitch handle, then you're suppose to put a 'clip' into it to prevent the trailer from accidentally popping open, separating, and dis-connecting from the hitch and vehicle.

Another thing is you might have not secured the trailer to the hitch properly. The trailer may have been just 'resting' on the hitch's Ball instead of actually secured 'inside' the trailers hitch mount. Any big bump or sharp upward jolt would have sent the trailer flying needless to say because it wasn't secured properly but simply 'resting' on the Ball.

If a Trailer is 'properly' secured to a vehicles hitch and s Pin or 'Clip' was used, then occurences like you experienced should and would have been nil.

>> IMO, I think an enclosed trailer is an excellent way to transport Gear with. You just have to take all necessary precautions and use common sense when you turn corners, park, or back the trailer up, etc. Above all, make sure the trailer is secured properly and the running lights are in working order. And the registration is current.

Best regards,
Mike

My choice is Ferrari ( the white horse car)

Chico

Here,driving for a gig : the white horse car


( Chico - I just edited the link so it didn't widen the thread so much as it was getting hard to read - Nigel )


[This message has been edited by Nigel (edited 11-14-2004).]

. that poor animal ......
but did the extra 'horsepower' help???
t.

[This message has been edited by tony mads usa (edited 11-13-2004).]

Yes it was clipped on correctly, the problem was due to the suspension springs coming unattatched that then caused the trailer to be launched into the air like a Jack-In-The-Box. It then broke away from the car which was better than lifting the back wheels of the car off the road which would really have been a disaster.

Nigel,
My first experience with a "band" trailer, in 1965, was a similar encounter. We were traveling from our hometown, near Tulsa, OK., and returning from a gig a hundred miles or so into Kansas. All our gear including drums, amps, Bogen P.A. (anybody remember those?} and my Hammond B3 were in the trailer.
Somebody looked out the window to see the trailer passing us on the highway. It as 3 a.m. and there was no traffic. The trailer gradually coasted to a stop some half-mile down the road and gently rolled into a wheat field. It didn't even tip over, and all the gear was secure!
I'm sure we didn't fasten it properly, but that was nearly 40 years ago!
DonM

I have a small Coleman trailer I bought in 1976 and a restored 22' Airstream my youngest son and I use as a DJ booth for car shows.

With small trailers, it's very important to lubricate the wheel bearings once a year. If they freeze up when on the highway, you're in trouble.

Also, keep a spare. My Coleman has 10" wheels, so they're turning much faster than 16" car wheels.

A locking pin is important to prevent theft.

In many ways, a larger trailer is easier to navigate (back up)than a small one.

Of course, when you use a trailer, you have to pre-plan your trip to allow for more time in navigation, ample parking, etc.

Russ