Help me Build the "PERFECT" SnoWest Snowmobile trailer

My dream trailer would be insulated and have a good furnace and inclosed cabinets that are heated to dry out my gear.
Would need a sterio and a on board generator to power up my TV
A fold down bed to take a nap

onan makes a low compact generator that would mount under the trailer and it could also be run a A/C unit for the summer time use

This is pretty much the same task I set out with 2 seasons ago as I had the dubious idea that instead of paying a moving company to move me when I was transferred for work ... I'd have a badass trailer built, move myself, and then have a badass trailer to show for it when I got done

So, my expeience may or may not be valid for what you are trying to do here. I am not trying to turn this into a bash against the company I had do the trailer, but needless to say I wasn't very happy considering how much it cost me to have them build it. Anyways.

The trailer I had built was to consist of the following:

Built-in generator
Fuel Station (generator runs on this too)
Big heater
Insulated
Wired and built to have air conditioning installed at a later date
Cabinets in the nose
Able to haul a car
Motorcycle wheel chocks for the summer
Carbide-resistant flooring (Such as found in the Mirage trailers)
Totally self-sufficient electrical ... IE, when it was docked it was plugged into the wall, when it was in the parking lot it ran on the generator
Windows, doors, eTrax, etc.

Due to the cost already being pretty $$$, i decided to stop there and not do awnings, outdoor grills, showers, all that stuff ...With the idea being that if I got all the major plumbing and electrical work done during the build, I could just tac the rest of the stuff on later.

What I got was all of that, but none of it worked. I'm not going to turn this into a bash against the MFG who made it, but it cost me about another $1800 of my own $$ after I received the trailer to fix what was supposed to have been done during the build just to get the stuff to work.

So, with all that said, here is what I would pay VERY close attention to again:

1.) Make SURE they get the heater air intake and return air ducted right. When i got my trailer, they had the return air sucking from within the heater cabinet and the air intake pulling from right near the exhaust. The heater would run for 5 minutes then shut down on high temperature.

2.) Make SURE that if you get a fuel station they run stainless steel tubing to the suction of the pump AND include an easy-to-access in-lin fuel filter. They ran a fuel hose to the GPH pump on mine and it would collapse every time I ran the pump. I had to drop the tank and go back in and replumb it.

3.) Make SURE that if you get a generator built in they also include the converter charger if you need it. They gave this to me with a 5500w generator that wouldn't run for more than 10 minutes because the external deep cycle batteries were not being charged. I was pretty mad about this to sayt he leats.

4.) Instruct them to NOT use cheap crappy styrofoam insulation. Use the good, thick stuff. As it stands right now, I'm probably going to have to reinsulate my trailer after this season because the cheap styrofoam crap is flaking off.

5.) Make sure they install travel vents and don't use a laminate on the trailer walls. If the trailer is insulated, the laminate will peel due to humidity.

6.) Pay attention to every detail. they are going to be into you for a lot of money on this, and you deserve to have it work when you receive it and have it built just the way you want it.

I immagine that since a lot of SW sponsors will have a hand in building your trailer, you won't have to deal with shoddy corner cutting or anything and whatever you get will be the flagship product .... So maybe my advice applies to other folks thinking about having this done.

So, with that said:

1.) there is no need for a V-nose anymore. I don't care what the general perception is or what the truck drivers say, you are not saving enough on fuel economy with a v-nose to justify the loss of space when all sleds these days have reverse. A goose neck or 5th wheel is your best bet, with a bunk in the upper nose and tool boxes/cabinets in the lower part. The side-front door as on the TrailsWest trailers is a great idea, but I would make the front of the trailer sort of the 'shop' if you will. You could also use this area to mount the built-in generator.

2.) The fuel station (to feed generator) and pump gas is a must for a custom trailer. Building a custom trailer is pointless without this.

3.) Massive heater and thick insulation.

4.) Air conditioning. Summer. yeah.

5.) eTrax down the sides. This stuff is awesome. Gives you so many more options to tie stuff down BUT .... place it intelligently. Decide on what you want your cabinets/racks on the sides to look like first, because if you place it too high up you limit yourself on wall space.

6.) Fuel doors. yeah even though you have the pump you still want these.

7.) Windows .... Pick em wherever.

8.) Get the strongest axles you possibly can. We can have the debate over steel vs. aluminum construction in another thread

9.) In addition to the built-in generator, have them plumb some air hoses into the walls at various spots for the built-in air compressor

10.) Might as well have them plumb some propane lines from the heater lines to the fold-out grill at the back

11.) Might as well ahve them throw an entertainment system in.

12.) 35' 5th wheel should be able to hold all this and 5 sleds

christopher said:

Wonder if it would be wise to mount ANYTHING under a sled trailer that might lower it's ground clearance even more?

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Add length to the trailer, don't lower the ground clearance

Next trailer is going to be my dream trailer.

48' featherlite gooseneck

Raised platform
raised roof
built in generator
2 furnaces
Nudo floor
E track
fuel cell for the sleds
Fridge
couch
awesome stereo
bed in gooseneck
bunk beds on the walls
insulated.
6 windows
4 roof vents
helmet racks
oil rack

maybe a toilet and shower.
Might make it a stacker to lift 4 sleds up and park some under it. Just worried about the height.

christopher said:

So, this is something I have been thinking about as well.
BUT
I am worried that there could be a good chance of the sleds getting right up against the bunks on both walls?

When I load my current trailer with two Nytros the inside skis are touching each other and the outside skis are touching the walls. This is in an 8.5' width trailer. I know the width of the body of the sleds is quite a bit thinner than the skis at the narrowest setting, but I still wonder if the sleds will be brushing up against the beds and possibly damaging them??

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I would have ones that fold up against the wall. Then throw the mattresses in the gooseneck. If your sleds are touching the bunkbeds then you won't be able to fold them down.

christopher said:

MANY THANKS for your comments.
This is EXACTLY what I am after in this thread.

Originally Posted by Dogmeat
This is pretty much the same task I set out with 2 seasons ago as I had the dubious idea that instead of paying a moving company to move me when I was transferred for work ... I'd have a badass trailer built, move myself, and then have a badass trailer to show for it when I got done

So, my expeience may or may not be valid for what you are trying to do here. I am not trying to turn this into a bash against the company I had do the trailer, but needless to say I wasn't very happy considering how much it cost me to have them build it. Anyways.



The trailer I had built was to consist of the following:

Built-in generator
How many watts is reasonable?
I went with 3000, it's plenty
Fuel Station (generator runs on this too)
Big heater
How Big?
Just how many BTUs does it really take to keep an insulated trailer "comfortable"
My non insulated trailer is comfortable with 35k, it's a 30'
Insulated
Wired and built to have air conditioning installed at a later date
Cabinets in the nose
Able to haul a car
Motorcycle wheel chocks for the summer
Carbide-resistant flooring (Such as found in the Mirage trailers)

Totally self-sufficient electrical ... IE, when it was docked it was plugged into the wall, when it was in the parking lot it ran on the generator
So you want a Shore Power system for regular AC?
Not a deal breaker if you have a battery bank, I used 2 140AH batteries and never had a problem.

Windows, doors, eTrax, etc.
Pleasing ignorance, what is "eTrax"??
I would get the vertical E track and not the horizontal, it's easier to strap sleds down
Due to the cost already being pretty $$$, i decided to stop there and not do awnings, outdoor grills, showers, all that stuff


here is what I would pay VERY close attention to again:

1.) Make SURE they get the heater air intake and return air ducted right.
Just curious, but was your trailer coming from a shop that regularly offered heater installs, like as a regular feature on the trailer?
I did it my self, never had a problem.

2.) Make SURE that if you get a fuel station they run stainless steel tubing to the suction of the pump AND include an easy-to-access in-lin fuel filter.
Great tip.

3.) Make SURE that if you get a generator built in they also include the converter charger if you need it. They gave this to me with a 5500w generator that wouldn't run for more than 10 minutes because the external deep cycle batteries were not being charged.
Not sure what you mean by a "Converter Charger"
Just a built in AC to DC converter dedicated to battery charging??

I have an inverter hooked up to my batteries and plug it into the generator when I need it. Might not be the best set up but it works.


4.) Instruct them to NOT use cheap crappy styrofoam insulation. Use the good, thick stuff.
Hmm
So just what is commonly used in sled trailers?
I would have "assumed" they all use a rigid insulation that is 100% waterproof??

5.) Make sure they install travel vents and don't use a laminate on the trailer walls. If the trailer is insulated, the laminate will peel due to humidity.
So are you suggesting a full plastic waterproof wall material?
I would got with at least 2 vents, one doesn't seem to vent the air enough and it felt like a sauna in it.

6.) Pay attention to every detail. they are going to be into you for a lot of money on this, and you deserve to have it work when you receive it and have it built just the way you want it.

I imagine that since a lot of SW sponsors will have a hand in building your trailer, you won't have to deal with shoddy corner cutting or anything and whatever you get will be the flagship product ...
Whatever I finally settle in on, I plan on going to the production facility to take part in the actual assembly process and document just how one of these trailers are built as part of a longterm review I want to write on the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Snowmobile Trailers over the course of a couple of seasons. One of the things I have NOT been able to find anywhere is a GOOD In-Depth Long-Term HONEST review of a high end sled trailer.

So, with that said:

1.) there is no need for a V-nose anymore. I don't care what the general perception is or what the truck drivers say, you are not saving enough on fuel economy with a v-nose to justify the loss of space when all sleds these days have reverse. A goose neck or 5th wheel is your best bet, with a bunk in the upper nose and tool boxes/cabinets in the lower part. The side-front door as on the TrailsWest trailers is a great idea, but I would make the front of the trailer sort of the 'shop' if you will. You could also use this area to mount the built-in generator.

I wouldn't get another V nose.

2.) The fuel station (to feed generator) and pump gas is a must for a custom trailer. Building a custom trailer is pointless without this.

I used barrels and a fuel tank, next one will probably have a portable tank.

3.) Massive heater and thick insulation.
Given the nature of how trailer walls are built, do you really have ANY control over the thickness?? I would guess the wall thickness is VERY much locked in stone as part of the manufacturing process??

Unless you asked them to use thicker pipe for the walls

4.) Air conditioning. Summer. yeah.
Ya, I have been thinking about that and wondering if it was really OVER the top or not for a NON-RV trailer??

5.) eTrax down the sides. This stuff is awesome. Gives you so many more options to tie stuff down BUT .... place it intelligently. Decide on what you want your cabinets/racks on the sides to look like first, because if you place it too high up you limit yourself on wall space.
I can't find a reference to "eTrax" anywhere.
What is this stuff???

6.) Fuel doors. yeah even though you have the pump you still want these.
One on each side, or MORE??

If you have a fuel tank in your trailer I wouldn't really bother. Or get side doors, it would be a pain to snake the hose through it around your trailer. Or shove the nozzle through the door and crawl over the other sleds to grab the nozzle, when you can just walk into the trailer.

7.) Windows .... Pick em wherever.
Are there any real drawbacks to having a couple windows??


8.) Get the strongest axles you possibly can. We can have the debate over steel vs. aluminum construction in another thread
This is a BIG issue for me, as I destroyed the suspension on my current trailer by massively overloading it once and riding the axle on the frame rails for a very long trip before i realized it.
Choices are
3.5K
5K
6K
7K
OR TRIPLE AXLES??
My concern is that as I go with heavier and heavier axles the trailer will begin to BOUNCE badly when there is insufficient weight to properly load the big axles.
And the issue with TRIPLE axles is open as well.
Awesome towing, HORRIBLE turning/backing!
I wouldn't go with a triple because of wheel scrub, but if you do and you get a flat you can just take the wheel off. I would just go with tandem

9.) In addition to the built-in generator, have them plumb some air hoses into the walls at various spots for the built-in air compressor
Built in compressor eh?
I've never felt the need for an air compressor.

10.) Might as well have them plumb some propane lines from the heater lines to the fold-out grill at the back

11.) Might as well have them throw an entertainment system in.
Was going to get a stereo system and a small TV/DVD for evening entertainment "Après-sled"

12.) 35' 5th wheel should be able to hold all this and 5 sleds
are you going with a trailer with the deck over the axles it shouldn't be a problem. How much floor space do you have on a 35' gooseneck?

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Click to expand...

My trailer isn't finished.

christopher said:

What are the dimensions of the trailer in that photo???

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30'x8.5'

It's 34' overall length I think.

christopher said:

That would explain why it looked like you had a real abundance of space with 5 sleds in it!

Man, thats a LOT of trailer.....

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I have a generator and 2 batteries on the floor at the front. I would still get a bigger one though.. I like lots of room.

christopher said:

Seems to me like there are a whole lot of places that a big trailer us going to be mighty hard to maneuver with..
There are plenty of places with my little 16 that I wished I had a simple single axle flat deck sometimes or even a truck mounted sled deck.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 2 pro.

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That's why I would go gooseneck. I'm use to driving a semi, so it's not a big deal.