Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

Wow! do I ever remember this stuff! Even today while on the highway, if I look up ahead and see what seems to be a Racecar on a "Open Trailer" or "Ramp Truck Hauler" or I see a Firetruck...I STEP ON IT...BECAUSE I LOVE THESE THINGS AND CAN'T HELP MYSELF! There are many reasons why racing and the muscle car era is dying a slow death, but when you hide these beauties in a white box while transporting them...that sure doesn't help to promote the culture. Thousands of folks saw these cars each time they went to the track and back home. That was the draw to racing, that was promoting, that was thriving! Yes I know about the advantages of the box for protection, and not putting any lettering on the trailer for DOT business reasons etc, etc. But the worth of all your toys, and all you success will be nothing if nobody cares or wants it...and if you hide it all the time...sooner or later...NOBODY WILL WANT IT! NO BODY WILL CARE ! Check out this clip of "open towing"

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

Thanks for sharing :cool:. I can't watch television anymore, as the content of all the reality stuff is terrible but that kind of stuff is cool. I remember when our kids raced jr dragsters we started with an open trailer and you could never make a stop without someone stopping by to check it out.
Thanks

Kevin

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

Brings back memories of our trips to the Sportsnationals in Bowling Green Wade. Heading there you'd see cars on haulers and trailers, in town and onto Riverview heading towards Beech Bend Rd it was a parade. The campground folks would look up in amazement as the rigs rolled by. Even more so when they'd ride the Ducks and return thru the pits and all the cars and crews were out there. Their eyes would be wide as could be taking it all in!

Understand the security and safety aspect of an enclosed trailer (along with the ability to work on the car out of the weather!) plus the comforts of the motor home, when we bring guests to the races all of them mention they have little opportunity to chat with owners/drivers/crews because they are in their motor homes now.

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

Well, you won't get any argument from me! Look at all of those contingency decals and sponsors names! And we wonder why we can't get any sponsors anymore. They don't need to advertise to a paying audience, back then the "average Joe" would see what they were selling.

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

Billy

You just came up with the idea of the century. Contingency decals on the trailers that pay. What a great idea.

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

The problem with that would be that you would automatically become a commercial vehicle participating in inter-state commerce.

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

That would at least differentiate them from the lawn care businesses though.

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

Sad part about that is... In many places you are then required to have a CDL to pull through their States. Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska are three that require this if you have any decals on the outside of your trailer. :-(

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

Seems to me that the way to save "Championship Drag Racing" would be for the NHRA to give a 50% discount on entry fees to anyone entering one of their races on an open trailer!
Maybe we could get more sponsors involved and paying contingent on the Racer getting to and from the track on an open trailer!

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

who would think Pedro would have a CDL for that lawn care trailer

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

He is exempt like with heath care, taxes and citizenship. LoL!:D

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

^^ true.

I'm guilty of the "in their motor homes" deal.
'cept mine is a slide in camper.


I love looking at the old pics of open trailers and ramp trucks.
I would love to haul my Stocker with my open trailer, but I too have become addicted to the comfort and safety of an enclosed.

Shame on me...lol

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

At Epping's national event they had Tommy Ivo's car and hauler on display. it was a box trailer (maybe even a ramptruck) my memory fades, with glass, lexan, or plexiglass sides. that thing was cool. I do my part, I often haul one of the two cars around with my open trailer. as a matter of fact Wade commented he followed me into a track once. always gets lots of looks and thumbs up on the highway. still hard to beat a box when its raining, or you have a tire blowout and damage the side of car

Here is the link to see Tommy's haulers: http://www.nhra.com/blog/dragster-in...s-towing-toys/

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

Robin Hanger @ bestpricetrailers.com here in Daytona sells those see-through trailers by ATC & others. I guess you have to take extra care of the lexan. I'd be too paranoid to display my stuff like that, even if it was nice enough to do so.


But I do miss all the thumbs-up I use to get with my open trailer.


http://www.bestpricetrailers.com/ima...6/IMG_0322.jpg

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

I grew up in the 60's and 70's tagging along with my Dad to the races. He always used either an open trailer or ramp truck. He raced several different gassers over the years, from sbc powered Henry J's, Chevrolet straight 6 powered Austin Healy's and Anglia's, and finally spent years racing air cooled VW's. It was always a lot of fun going down the road with people giving thumbs ups, and gathering around when you stopped somewhere.

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

That's Bubba and Sons with the enclosed white trailer.

Pedro uses the utility trailer with the four mismatched wheels.

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

And space saver spares to boot

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

Yes even the pro's at one time had open trailers

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

Still used an open trailer when we won the Stock Championship in '04. Bought an enclosed trailer with the championship $$.
I still use an open when I tow the Buick. It is fun getting the looks and thumbs up!

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

Aside from the great exposure with open trailers for the Culture, and/or Sport of Auto or Drag Racing, there is a huge financial hit on racers to roll in the big motorcoach and stacker trailers 70-80 foot rigs. Plain and simple, the bigger it is (in most cases) the more it cost. And the more it cost, and the harder it is to manage, the faster the scale gets tipped from "fun" to "aggravation". As you get older, it becomes easier for the scale of aggravation to "red line" from navigating traffic, finding a truck stop for fuel, rig maintenance $$$, parking, wondering "if I go down there, am I gonna be able to get this thing turned around"? etc. All the time thinking I will only maybe get half of what I paid for it if I sell out. We all know that as you get older, it becomes easier to talk yourself out of doing something. And when doing that something...it will cost more money too! Well...now you really don't want to do it! Now we can see why the car counts are constantly declining. The cost (blood pressure & $$$) of the fun scale is overloaded by the racers support vehicles, and enhancements. Now add to that, the NHRA sometimes throwing more weight on the aggravation side, and soon the ole "racing depression" starts to creep in on your program. And of course, and probably the part I would like to see most is "SMALLER RIGS" = "MORE RIGS" Let's grow, share, and thrive in the sport that we all love. The way to make it thrive is the old acronym K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid)

Wade Mahaffey

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

In simple words...

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

I got to see the power of the open trailer last fall. While promoting the last Loose Rocker race of the year at Piedmont in North Carolina, Michael Beard had to pick up his Volare from the engine builder. After the race was over, Michael, Jill, and I hopped in Clifford the Big Red Dodge and towed back to Columbus. After an overnight stay in Virginia, we were gassing up at a truck stop before hitting the road. A family came out of the store and the 5ish year old boy saw the Super Stocker on the open trailer, stopped in his tracks, his jaw to the floor! "Oh man, that's so cool!" The young man's enthusiasm, along with the literally dozens of smiles and thumbs up I saw on the way back, made me see the true power of the open trailer.

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

Good points Wade.
I have reached the point where I no longer want to "up-size" my tow rig anymore for many of the reasons you stated.
I suppose if I was hauling a family to the races then I would consider a motor home.
But my slide in truck camper works great and simplifies things.

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.n...g=eyJpIjoidCJ9

Search Facebook for the group "OPEN TRAILERS RULE"

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

I totally get the need for enclosed trailers with today's society. There are numerous thefts of personal property at many races today and the enclosed trailers can prevent that. Just so you know, many of my friends still use an open trailer.


Now, getting to the real subject, I, too, miss the days of open trailers and ramp trucks. When an event was in town, the show of all the ramp trucks and open trailers going down the road was very exciting. I never have owned an enclosed trailer and very much enjoyed the thumbs up while driving and the questions when stopped for gas and/or food was very much worth the effort. I always hoped that the questions would bring another spectator to the track to watch.


As a side note - How many rigs do the pros need anyway?????? With space at a premium at many tracks shouldn't the pros be limited to say 3 rigs??? That way more racers could park within a reasonable distance of the staging lanes, or am I way off base here????? I have heard that the John Force show has 8 rigs now.

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

So I've been using a small enclosed trailer for years 22ft race trailer for longer trips but close to home open trailer works great, it nice to have a big trailer but parking more fuel the cost of the big trailer and truck set up will offset nice motor home and small in enclosed or open and nice Pick up and make the wife happy and stay at best westerns or some other nicer hotel pool hot tubs some will even drive you place so the tow rig doesn't have to come out again my 2 cents

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

http://i58.tinypic.com/21alfp.jpg

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

I still use a open trailer mainly because I'm cheap and still own one. Used to tow an enclosed with a dually, but overall this is much easier. When I travel and leave the car at the track overnight the trailer tongue is locked and the car is not on it. Seems every time I hear of a rig being stolen it is an enclosed trailer with car and contents loaded...quick and easy to hook and go. At most tracks when I leave my junk there are usually plenty of folks in RV's staying overnight nearby. It would be a major ordeal for someone to load a car onto the trailer without being noticed. I believe most enclosed trailers are purchased primarily for storage when not in use really.

http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/q...pseecddb73.jpg

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

I know its a hauler but I did it for 8 years and my parents hauled even the Monza's on open rigs, but what really floors me these day is to see these Jr dragster kids coming in with rigs that cost more then my house cause either mommy and daddy or grandpa and grandma is supporting the bill (I'm talking about the ones that the parents don't even race). Any they will never know how to really "earn" . I worked hard till I got my first enclosed rig. I know before anybody pipes up, times have changed, just my 2 cents.
https://scontent-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hp...83&oe=5578AD7E
https://scontent-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hp...4b&oe=55B91468
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.n...1bb08902f59e87
and now still on a open trailer.............
https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.n...2a84385dfc6eb8

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^^ Cool ramp truck setup Joe.

I just now noticed the big bow-tie on the back of that Dodge crew cab.

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

it had a 427BBC and turbo 400 in it, the 413 industrial motor dodge put in it didn't make it.
This truck was a truck built for Chrysler racing team and Arlen Vanke had it first, then sold to JEGS for Emery's FC, we bought it from JEGS, and sold it to a local dirt racer where I found it in a farm field and JEGS got it back and now is redoing it back to there colors
https://scontent-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hp...1f&oe=557335EC

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

jeg's flat towing,, remember towing hubs? still use one.. only it is right now under
a foot of snow in NH....

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

I started out by flat towing my first gremlin for about 13 years, then graduated to an open trailer for 10 years. Got the 18' enclosed in 2000. All served my purpose and budget. I hate to pee in the corn flakes but how long do you think it would take state officials to treat open trailers with decaled cars as they do decaled trailers?

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

Picture #1 - Then (1978)
Picture # 2 - On the Division 1 ride (2000)
picture #3 - Stocker New England (2014)

How thing's go full circle huh!!!

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Yea, good point Ed..If it's truly about the fact that you are competing for money, and not that you're operating a monster rig, then I guess you would need a CDL for your Bass boat and your Motocross bikes in the back of the pick-up. I don't really see that happening, but it seems like the same thing if they started hitting on guys with little open trailers....Michael can tell us what it's like on the highway...open...and stickered up!

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

I like pic # 1.
Love those ramp trucks. :)

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

EVEN Captain Jack has purchased an enclosed trailer...
Greg Hill made me > it is all his fault...
damn 26foot with 6000lbs axles was like it was made for my wagon...
and a GREAT deal too.

captain

but im keeping the open one too :)

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

OK, I'm the one your talking about...I bought this to eventually pull the mustang, but all last summer and no doubt this summer I'll pull up and when I say "just a junior dragster" the track guy steps back, shakes his head and says "ok"

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b4...psc18bb0dc.jpg

I think it's 53ft long overall, motorhome in the front and a a little over 16' of enclosed ramp in back. Yes I love it and wouldn't trade it for anything..HOWEVER, I am considering a way of putting plexiglass side panels so you can see the car inside. Put some LED lights shining inside on the car and cruise down the highway!

Re: Open trailers, a great way to advertise the sport
 

Robin Hanger stole $16,000.00 from me and never delivered a race car trailer I purchased from Best PriceTrailer.
Whole story can be read here
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Haulm...88395868068509