Trailer advice

Simon said · Post by **Simon said** » Sun Jun 13, 2004 4:12 pm

I'll be towing a 10 fiberglass trailer (73 Boler) to the burn this year. Can anyone offer any do's & dont's for trailer life on the playa?

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Sun Jun 13, 2004 4:39 pm

Find every opening where dust can get in. Electric cord hatch, misc. openings, etc... seal with duct tape or what-have-you. Then when you batten down the hatches during a nasty dust storm it will stay out. (Learned that the dusty way).
If the roof isn't white, it should be.
Pull the hubs and grease those wheel bearings! This gets ignored most of the time... your annual time in BRC is irreplaceable, don't risk it to a possible breakdown. And get some decent tires. They're small and cheap. (I've blown old cracked trailer tires that still had tread on the BM road trip before).
Carry a spare tire. Spare wheel bearings aren't a bad idea either.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Sun Jun 13, 2004 6:23 pm

Tire pressure changes. How high is BRC anyway? Noted a big pressure change there. Also changes in day and night. Lost a tire at night. Lucky it was'nt two. AND none of those two ply shit things eather.

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Sun Jun 13, 2004 7:48 pm

Altitude is about 4000 feet.
Or more, depending on which substances you ingest.

Simon said · Post by **Simon said** » Mon Jun 14, 2004 8:04 pm

Captain,

I believe I saw your "craft" at a Camp DeNile 4:00 happy hour. I believe you were cranking AC/DC....very refreshing.

Thanks for the tips.

Simon

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Mon Jun 14, 2004 9:19 pm

Amidst a sea of techno/trance... I even play Beach Boys on it!

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Tue Jun 15, 2004 7:17 am

Bringing some 50"s.. Like Pattie Page and such. It always gets people to dance.

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Tue Jun 15, 2004 7:33 pm

Great idea! I got lots... I'll mix up some CDs now!!

ness · Post by **ness** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 2:41 pm

we take our rv to BM and when we get home its trash but it only takes 3 or 4 days and its livable again and it will be there again this year

Mister Jellyfish Mister · Post by **Mister Jellyfish Mister** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 9:19 am

I sold this year's camp trailer to a guy in a bar after the burn, mostly becuase I didn't want to clean it but also because it was falling apart. I fully disclosed this to him and gave him a good deal, but I think the alchohol helped.

We got a good deal on a newer 22 foot camp trailer last night. This is certainly the right time of year to do it as the dealers in Northern Nevada are so slow they are transferring lots of their inventory to warmer climates just to unload. It's just too flippin' clean. I think I need to take it out and break it in before the burn so I won't feel bad about the dust.

Thanks, Captain GD for the tips about sealing up the orifaces (orifi?). Any other tips for not tracking in too much of that pernicous alkali?

Discosybil · Post by **Discosybil** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 10:41 pm

My parents have a trailer, they put their water jugs in trash bags along with anything else that wasnt in the trailer that could be put away after use. It saved them hours of cleaning

geekster · Post by **geekster** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 11:30 pm

The camp I was with last year built one. Dual axle. Hauled about 20 55-gal drums of water in it.

Dr. Pyro · Post by **Dr. Pyro** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 8:17 am

Simon, one of our campmates brought his trailer, and what really helped was that he put up a shade structure over the trailer keeping out the direct sunlight. This enabled the trailer to not get too hot during the daytime, thus saving on A/C and making the trailer much more livable.

dragonfly Jafe · Post by **dragonfly Jafe** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 9:51 am

What the Captain said, for sure...

I would add be sure you know what the recommended load limits are for the trailer and how to best pack the load you will be carrying. And, that you know how to drive a trailer that is fully-loaded. If at all possible, take a short drive on the highway over a pass with a load similar to what you plan on taking. Plan on losing at least one tire (our group average is around 1.5 per round trip per rig).

Oh, and if there is an awning attached, be darn sure you and everyone your camping with knows how to stow it in a hurry...

geekster · Post by **geekster** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 10:50 am

One thing we did with our trailer, since it was mostly to haul water ...

We waited until Reno to fill the water drums so it only got a hundred miles or so of fully loaded running. The truck that was hauling it was a F700 series diesel flatbed truck converted to a party barge but it carried most of the camp gear. I think that truck might be for sale. It has been to the playa twice without a problem and that is about the only mileage it has gotten on it the past 2 years.

Trailer advice

Trailer advice

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