Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:28:34 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: [NVC] Need alignment sight to help with backing trailer
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=response
think other ways.
the lowest tech easiest way to get a good view of your small trailer behind
your van might be to just open the rear hatch when backing down your
driveway.
or ......fish eye lens in the back window !
with one of those you can watch your trailer very nicely, at least in the
day time.
I'm sure you've seen them.........a clear plastic stick-on lens about 10 by
11 inches or so.
Huge wide angle lens it is.
I suppose I might consider making a 'easily seen stand-up thing'
..........I'd want it to flip up easily, be about 4 inches wide so I knew
for sure what I was seeing in the rear view mirror , and I'd want it mounted
full time, so no fishing for a loose part to stick in the hole for it.
There's still a downside of that design idea though......
you have to remember to deploy it before getting into your van to back it
out of the driveway, then you or someone has to get out and lay it back down
before it's stowed properly for full going forward mode.
ok, how about this to fix that problem then ? ..........you stick it up
manually, , so it sits straight up and down. And you have some over center
mechanism rigged such that as soon as it tilts aftwards a few degrees, it
drops by spring pressure to the stowed position. And to facilitate this,
it's got 'flat wings' sticking out from it near the top, , so as soon as you
go forward at 20 mph, the flat wings push the thing back, the mechanism
takes over to release it from full upright to pulled back down and locked.
and no solenoids or remote control or wires either - it's got to be fully
'automatic' so once you go forward after leaving your driveway, it stows
itself nicely.
At least that would be my design goal - as few moving parts as possible, and
nothing electrical, no switching, no wires, etc. Just cleverness of
design.
ok...........since you want to be able to use it anytime you back up .....
run a lanyard back there to release it with manually, the cops won't mind
seeing that there's a rope running from tower to towee.
Might as well have fun with the whole contraption after all !
'Intentionally whimsical' as part of the design philosophy.
you know, enough Rube Goldberg in it to make it fun and interesting .
Scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rocket J Squirrel" <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Sunday, September 27, 2009 4:07 PM
Subject: [NVC] Need alignment sight to help with backing trailer
> My little fiberglass Westrailia trailer (see picture at
> http://picasaweb.google.com/j.michael.elliott/Westrailia?authkey=Gv1sRgCKnqmseWto-QDw#5383978043121345154
> ) has a very low profile, and it's not as wide as the van.
>
> I'm going to be backing it down my driveway after camping trips. But once
> the trailer starts heading downhill, it completely drops out of visibility
> in all three mirrors.
>
> I need some kind of vertical pointer dingus like an antenna or fiberglass
> rod that I can raise from the trailer's nose or rear as a visibility
> marker. Rear would be better because alignment errors would be more
> apparent.
>
> It would not be hard to put an alignment marker on the rear window so that
> when the pointer and the marker were lined up, I'd know the trailer was
> aligned with the long axis of the van. Better than trying to back it down
> the hill blind -- as I've found.
>
> There's nothing keeping me from just taping a yardstick to the rear of the
> trailer, but I'd like to come up with something a bit more durable,
> convenient, and elegant, and there are a couple design constraints that
> I'm looking at:
>
> 1. An upright pointer can't be permanently mounted to the front or rear of
> the trailer because the trailer lid is hinged at the front and if the
> pointer were mounted at the trailer front, the lid would mash into it when
> the lid is opened; and if it's sticking up at the rear, it would interfere
> with gear loading. I could just mount a socket (like a flagpole holder or
> something) to the rear of the trailer and stick an old tent pole in it
> when I needed it, but ...
>
> 2. ... it would be nice if the pole was always mounted to the trailer so I
> wouldn't have to fish around in the van or trailer to find it when it was
> needed for downhill backing. Just something I could flip up.
>
> I don't mind drilling and mounting things to the trailer body, but would
> prefer not to drill holes in the lid.
>
> Like I said -- NVC.
>
> But if anyone has some swell idea, please p-mail me.
>
> --
> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
> 74 Westrailia: (Ladybug Trailer company, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
> Bend, OR
> KG6RCR
| 
