Tried to rent a trailer for San Antonio (what a disaster and wound-up driving to the track Sunday). Greatly enjoyed the event and meeting the people even if I should keep my day job rather than plan to become a drag racer. I am now determined to buy a trailer that a Viper can get on without building an elaborate system of extra ramps, boards, etc. Can anyone suggest a manufacturer, dealer or otherwise that has an 18' or so trailer that works without having to go to extremes just to load and unload the car?
Trailer recommendations?
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We use a Pace American Shadow. For the Viper it only scrapes the bottom lip of the facia that doesn't even show anyway. Throw down a 2X4 cut to the width of the door and you're set.
http://www.paceamerican.com/index.cfm?pagename=products_shadow
http://www.paceamerican.com/index.cfm?pagename=products_shadow
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Woodhouse/Pemberton recommended this one: Click here
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Sloan Kwikload. I think it's essentially the same as the Texas Rollback which Dr. Roof mentions.
You lock the brakes and push the deck back with the tow truck. It slides back about half it's length and angles down to meet the ground. The slope is shallow enough that a stock ride-height Viper's front fascia won't touch at all, and the trailer is wide enough to leave about an inch of room on either side (width is a real concern with a Viper). The deck-mounted D-rings are widely-separated enough that the tow straps shouldn't hit the fascia (it takes a bit of practice to get the weight loaded right but still sit far enough back that your tie-down ratchets won't hit the fascia), and the fenders over the wheels are low enough that the Viper's doors open above them (which amazed me).
After doing it twice, I can load the Viper in under ten minutes and unload it even faster.
You can find a nice used Kwikload for about $2000-3000, or buy a new one for something like $5000. Definitely look for one with a front fairing.
In this photo I had the weight-distributing hitch installed, but with a sufficiently large tow vehicle, you don't really need it. I don't use the load-dist pieces any more (in fact, I sold them to a friend). Tow vehicle is a V10 Ram 2500 HD. This trailer has electric brakes, so you also have to buy a brake controller (if you're in good with your Viper tech, you can probably snag a freebie from the guy at the dealership who pulls them out of the used trucks the dealer buys).
[image]http://www.mindmagma.com/viper/misc/trailer99.jpg[/image]
You lock the brakes and push the deck back with the tow truck. It slides back about half it's length and angles down to meet the ground. The slope is shallow enough that a stock ride-height Viper's front fascia won't touch at all, and the trailer is wide enough to leave about an inch of room on either side (width is a real concern with a Viper). The deck-mounted D-rings are widely-separated enough that the tow straps shouldn't hit the fascia (it takes a bit of practice to get the weight loaded right but still sit far enough back that your tie-down ratchets won't hit the fascia), and the fenders over the wheels are low enough that the Viper's doors open above them (which amazed me).
After doing it twice, I can load the Viper in under ten minutes and unload it even faster.
You can find a nice used Kwikload for about $2000-3000, or buy a new one for something like $5000. Definitely look for one with a front fairing.
In this photo I had the weight-distributing hitch installed, but with a sufficiently large tow vehicle, you don't really need it. I don't use the load-dist pieces any more (in fact, I sold them to a friend). Tow vehicle is a V10 Ram 2500 HD. This trailer has electric brakes, so you also have to buy a brake controller (if you're in good with your Viper tech, you can probably snag a freebie from the guy at the dealership who pulls them out of the used trucks the dealer buys).
[image]http://www.mindmagma.com/viper/misc/trailer99.jpg[/image]
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