Here's a pic of the trailer one the car:



Other side of the trailer:



Closeup of the hitch and trailer linkage, complete with wiring etc.:



Here is a second attempt at photopgraphing the hitch with everything removed. It has a nice black plastic cover that covers the receiver/ball unit. I guess the fact that it doesn't photograph well means that it's not too visually obtrusive. I've had it on for a few weeks now, and I don't even notice it anymore:



Comments, suggestions, criticism welcome. I also need to know where I sould put the "Powered by Acura" sticker

*edit* Is there some board function that's editing the text of pictures??? My text between the [img] tags keeps getting automatically edited and the pics don't come through. I keep having to change the pic names




[Modified by ITR#231, 8:20 PM 1/27/2002]

 

sweet. i would have probably had the trailer hold the tires vertically between like, bars or so... but fug it.

D

 

 

looks like if you hit a speed bump, the trailor would tip or something....

 

Looks good. Your car is clean too.

 

...but where's the toolbox that's supposed to be over trailer axle??

 

D,

I tried that first, to see if I could get away with not buying a piece of wood for a trailor deck (without the wood, those "bars" are already there from the frame). I can fit four 205s, but with my 225/205 combo, it's just too wide to be stable. Also, I store the trailer upright against a wall, so I'm trying not to have to build anything onto the piece of wood (otherwise it'll stick out too far from the wall). I got the configuration idea from an F-body racer who runs wider tires all around.

type R 599,

It can be a little tricky when it's unloaded, but it's pretty stable with any weight on it. It's not like I can just plow speed bumps with my R anyway. The axle is suspended, too

Mr. JDM,

Yup, that's them. I actually have a total of 12 wheels now. Starting a collection The R is powered by Honda, the trailer is powered by Acura

Zeus,

Ya see that big spot behind the tires with the word tool box written all over it? LOL! Actually, I'm going to bolt in a heavy duty storage bin so I can fit my air tank, helmet, tools, jack, etc. I just need a way to make it removable due to the way I store my trailer.

FYI to everyone who's going with a setup like this...I think I blew a light fuse I guess I'll need to get a little larger fuse for the larger load. Live and learn...


[Modified by ITR#231, 8:21 PM 1/27/2002]

 

look at me. i have nothing better to do with my money. ***.

 

LOL...like I said, comments welcome.

-231, the *** with money.

 

NICEY NICE!!!

 

is that the one from Harbor Freight? My friend has one for his CRX, it was great, we fit the damn thing, unassembled in his hatch.

You could move the tires closer to the axle of the trailer, puts a lil less weight on the hitch...but it's probably not much to be an issue.

 

Yup, it's the one from Harbor Freight. Very inexpensive considering what it will allow me to do, and the time it saves. If it's only pulling tires, I want the little extra weight balance toward the tongue where it is. However, since I plan to add a storage bin for tools and such, I may have to rearrange things depending on how heavy the bin is. Whatever is heavier needs to go in the front.

 

Tips?

Nice work! A small tire trailer is a great investment and I'm sure you'll appreciate it immensely over time.

Having owned one for the past two years, I would offer a couple of suggestions, though.

1. I'd be inclined to attached a couple pipes or other rods onto the deck of the trailer and slide your tires over them. Then either drill a hole through each or find some other way to apply pressure to the wheels while in transit. Several other autocrossers do this and it allows them to more securely mount their tires for towing. I've mounted my tires with straps (similar to you) for the past couple of years and they tend to loosen over big bumps which requires me to check them periodically to make sure they're not loose.

2. Slide your hitch connections through the rear bumper and not out of the trunk and pinched between the hatch. It looks much tidier that way and will keep your bumper from getting scuffed from the dangling wires.

Otherwise, great work!

 

My ITR user manual told me NOT to install any kind of trailer "clutch" (the part on the car where the trailer is mounted). Don´t know the english word.

 

Yeah, the US ITR Owner's Manual tells us not to tow anything either, but we all disregarded it

And one final thing on the hitch. Remove the stickers from it. It's much more subtle when it doesn't say "Hidden Hitch" on it. Trust me, I had my car parked to one without the stickers and it look much more natural that way. They peel off easily too!

 

Even with a rollcage installed, you should still have enough room to put 4 tires inside the car right? I've seen a tire trailer like that for an RX7. That I could understand. But I thought the ITR has plenty of trunk/interior space for stuff like that?

 

typer_801,

That's a good idea about the pipes. I think I've seen something like that before but I didn't look closely enough at it. I'll look around at the next event for more ideas. As for the wires through the hatch, there's a good reason for that. A little while back some jackass backed in to my bumper in a parking lot, and I need to have it replaced since it's a little rippled (you can sort of see it in the last pic). I figured with the bumper off I would have a better time with the wires. It's good advice, though, since I don't want to damage the wire harness.
LOL, yea, you're right. Those have to go.


austrian ITR,

Yea, you may be right, but I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to race the car either The whole thing weighs less than two rear passnegers, so I'm not too worried.

Wai,

The bars in the car don't really get in the way except for the fact that they keep me from folding down the rear seat back easily. I have to unclip it and reclip it every time. As for space, I still manage to fill up the hatch and the front seat before every event, keeping me from bringing anyone with me, not to mention how nice it will be not to have to unload the car when it's 110 degrees in the summer after a long day in the sun. It's truely a convenience item, but by the time I've packed 4 rims/tires, air tank, compressor, jack, chairs, tent, helmet, food/water, duffel bag 'o goodies, tool box, and anything else I can't remember off hand, having the trailer saves me time and effort and will hopefully make the day a little more fun and a little less work

Thanks for the comments/advice guys!

 

Understood