N199TW: Hangar on Wheels

So I'm thinking about building this portable hangar. That way I would always have a place to park when I can't afford a normal hangar. And this hangar could carry my gyro to a nearby runway.

Yeah, I know, don't trailer with the blades on. Others argue the other way and have done it for years with no problems. Some have even said you do more damage taking the blades on and off than by just leaving them there. Having removed my blades several times, I would tend to agree with this.

So I figure I will try it and inspect the blades and rotor head carefully. It is recommended the blades be supported when not in use anyway, so this way blade support is built-in to the hangar. If I change my mind someday, I could build a blade box in one side of the top of the trailer, or convert to a simple short trailer.

The base trailer frame will be steel, possibly 2x3 box tubing. The full-length ramps are about 2" angle iron with 6" wide wood or expanded metal floors, like this: |____|. The angle sticks up to guide the wheels. The enclosure will be made out of aluminum tube and skin similar to the camper shell on my truck. This way the trailer can be made lightweight enough to tow behind my 6 cylinder engine and softer suspension can give the aircraft a smoother ride. The curved top and open area in the back is to minimize weight and side surface area to keep the wind from tipping the thing over.

The leaf spring hangars are welded to angle iron which can be moved fore/aft under the trailer frame. This is positioned to put 10-15% of the loaded weight on the tongue and then bolted to the frame. I am hoping this is also the position where the trailer will balance on the wheels when empty. Then, unlatching the weight of the tongue, which hinges just in front of the wheels, should allow the extra ramp weight in the rear to tip the trailer back, making about an 8 degree loading slope.

The enclosed portion will have a plywood floor between the ramps. The green triangles represent stops that will be secured to the trailer frame to hold the gyro's axle in the correct place. Finally, lighting and reflectors are according to Federal Lighting Equipment Location Requirements for Trailers. I have a lot more details in my head, and I think this thing will work. Comments?


Timothy D. Witham <twitham@quiknet.com>
Last modified: Mon Jun 17 14:03:03 PDT 2002