Folding Auto Trailer...anyone???

[Rule62]

Ok...Please allow me to preface this with understanding that I am NOT a mechanical engineer, inventor, or really that much of an early riser. But here's the thing. I would like to tow vehicles behind my coach. I would like the convenience, control and ease of trailer towing without getting stuck with a trailer to store at campsites.

What if there was a trailer that was somehow hinged (horizontally) near the connection point and used some sort of electric or manual winch to "fold" the trailer back up (vertically) parallel to the back of the coach with enough clearance to access the engine bay or storage depending on the type of rig you have.

Does this sound crazy? Has anyone heard of such a thing?

And...go...

[DAN L]

Rule62,
Sounds like you need an acme ez tow dolly. It is light and can be stored on its end.
Plz update the signature area of your profile to include info about yourself, Rv, toad, and location.

[Rule62]

Originally Posted by DAN L

Rule62,
Sounds like you need an acme ez tow dolly. It is light and can be stored on its end.
Plz update the signature area of your profile to include info about yourself, Rv, toad, and location.

Thanks Dan. A dolly won't work if you need all four wheels up.

I don't have a coach or a toad at the moment. But I live in SoCal.

[Arch Hoagland]

How to make a signature for your RV so we can serve you better.

1 .Click "User CP" on left side of the screen in about the middle.
2. Click "Edit Signature" on left side 7 bars down under Your Control Panel.
3. Fill out your signature information.
4. Click "Save Signature"

[DAN L]

Rule62,
Harbor freight has a folding trailer made in China. Imho it dosen't have the capacity necessary to carry any car.

[Rule62]

Originally Posted by DAN L

Rule62,
Harbor freight has a folding trailer made in China. Imho it dosen't have the capacity necessary to carry any car.

Yes. I've scoured the internet and haven't found anything that remotely matches my vision. I'm meeting with some friends this weekend to brainstorm some design ideas.

[MRUSA14]

Good luck. I think the idea has merit. It could be a good answer to the terrible lack of choices in tow cars.

[Isaac-1]

Take a look at https://www.kendonusa.com/stand-up-folding-trailer/ They have a folding trailer that will fit a SmartCar, which may be smaller than you were thinking, but it is a start

[Rule62]

Originally Posted by Isaac-1

Take a look at https://www.kendonusa.com/stand-up-folding-trailer/ They have a folding trailer that will fit a SmartCar, which may be smaller than you were thinking, but it is a start

Thanks. I'll check it out but I'm looking to accommodate up 10,000 lbs.

[Isaac-1]

I think that weight goal is likely to unrealistic without using exotic (expensive) materials. A typical non folding steel construction automobile trailer will weigh roughly half as much as what it is rated to carry. In other words an 18 ft auto hauler trailer rated to carry a 5,000 pound car will weigh in at about 2,500 pounds empty. Some weight can be saved by using Aluminum construction, which has its own sets of pros and cons, but you are still looking at about a 1,500 pound empty trailer weight on a trailer rated to carry a 5,000 pound car.

[George Schweikle]

10,000 lbs capacity, and you want it to fold vertically?. While almost anything can be done if you throw enough money at it, I respectfully suggest your goal is not realistic. We tow an Aluminum car trailer, and have little or no issue with campsites. If you have something that has towing capability for a trailer with 10,000 lb load capacity, you are in the bigger is better category and the only downside of this is needing more space. You can always call ahead or research for pull-through sites.

Originally Posted by Rule62

Thanks. I'll check it out but I'm looking to accommodate up 10,000 lbs.

Originally Posted by Rule62

Ok...Please allow me to preface this with understanding that I am NOT a mechanical engineer, inventor, or really that much of an early riser. But here's the thing. I would like to tow vehicles behind my coach. I would like the convenience, control and ease of trailer towing without getting stuck with a trailer to store at campsites.

What if there was a trailer that was somehow hinged (horizontally) near the connection point and used some sort of electric or manual winch to "fold" the trailer back up (vertically) parallel to the back of the coach with enough clearance to access the engine bay or storage depending on the type of rig you have.

Does this sound crazy? Has anyone heard of such a thing?

And...go...

[Rule62]

Originally Posted by George Schweikle

10,000 lbs capacity, and you want it to fold vertically?. While almost anything can be done if you throw enough money at it, I respectfully suggest your goal is not realistic. We tow an Aluminum car trailer, and have little or no issue with campsites. If you have something that has towing capability for a trailer with 10,000 lb load capacity, you are in the bigger is better category and the only downside of this is needing more space. You can always call ahead or research for pull-through sites.

Thanks. Since we're in the early stage of design, I figure we'd aim high on capacity, even if reality dictates that we're closer to 5000 or 6000 lbs.

The idea is that it will tow virtually any passenger car and most SUV's without a problem.

[George Schweikle]

My original comment was based on your 10,000 lb. specification, and a motorhome with this hitch capacity is almost always a Diesel Pusher. Most other motorhomes have hitch ratings of 5000 lbs and tongue weight of 500 lbs.

And, back to your original post about storing trailers at campgrounds; we have almost always towed a succession of car trailers and in 40 years, have only needed to store a trailer separately from our site 4 or 5 times, we just unhook and leave the race car trailer at the site if we need to move the motorhome. We have always had short motorhomes, our overall length has been around 50 ft. and we rarely have to accept a back-in site.

Just for conversation, a stored vertically folded trailer will surely need substantial front and rear folding braces to keep if from falling over. I suggest that a trailer with an 18 ft. bed, stored vertically, will need braces extending some distance outward to assure it doesn't fall over. The total "footprint" might be close to half as long as a normal trailer, meaning you will have spent a lot of effort and cost to save maybe 10 - 15 feet at a campsite. Further, there is a potential issue of a campground owner even allowing such a thing, especially on a grass site.

Originally Posted by Rule62

Thanks. Since we're in the early stage of design, I figure we'd aim high on capacity, even if reality dictates that we're closer to 5000 or 6000 lbs.

The idea is that it will tow virtually any passenger car and most SUV's without a problem.