Gr8bone

http://www.geocities.com/gr8bone/maxtrailer/

Thats about all I've been doing with my spare time and also why I haven't been around the BBS lately.
Now I can really haul a$$ and more a$$!
Now what should I do next to it? A big wing on the back? red flames on the sides? Body kit?

Oh yeah all the lights on the trailer work when I turn on my parking lights. I look like an 18 wheeler at night...I'll get pics tonight and post them tomorrow.

Here's pics of my other hitch accessory:
http://www.geocities.com/gr8bone/2/

CKNY

iTrader: (1)

hah. that's pretty wild! what are you using it for?

Weasel

iTrader: (2)

LOL... I don't know why it makes me laugh so much. Looks great though, very professional.

...chuckle...



(seriously it looks great, I'm just in an odd mood)

silvermaxd

looks Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr8... It looks pretty good! Did you have to do anything to the suspension?

Gr8bone

Thanks guys...heres the answers:
I was tired of borrowing the parents van whenever I wanted to haul stuff that didn't fit in the max. I also wanted a bike rack that didn't touch the cars paint so I got a hitch and it came with a bar to tow a trailer on. Fortunatly my wifes grand uncle built this trailer from scratch to haul down to florida in the winter and now he doesn't use it.
I had to get new tire for my 17x8 so I went once size bigger and got 235/50/17's to raise the car slightly and give it a better ride when I'm pullin the trailer. I'm definitly not lowering or getting a body kit now.

Plus just before lunch today I was put on voluntary unemployment for up to a year (and up to 29 weeks unemployment pay)since the electronic industry is down. I survived the 3 previous layoffs of 300+ employees, but this one was almost unavoidable for me since I've only been there 3 yrs and they had to cut 42 ppl from my area in this 4th layoff...things better pick up within 6 months!
http://www.pressconnects.com/today/b...080701s1.shtml

Shadow

iTrader: (15)

Sorry to hear about your job situation. My girlfriend works for Accenture consulting and they're going through a shakedown right now also so she's pretty nervous. Good luck though. I know how bad the job market can be, when I graduated 3 months ago I tried getting a job to use my degree, but very, very few people were hiring. My friends are all in the same boat, nobody's hiring or the ones that are are paying much less than they used to. Luckily I'm working for myself now instead.

Gr8bone

Thanks for the kind words...
This sundays papers had a couple jobs I'm more than qualified for and a bunch of friends/ex-coworkers have asked for my resume to submit to their companies and ex-companies...I also signed up at www.freecar.com
has anyone been accepted there yet?

mingo

iTrader: (4)

YEah... red and orange flames...
i wanted a trailer for my car too.. how much for a trailer hitch??? and how many lb's can we tow?? will it work with a lowered car??? i can't welll.. somewhat can't afford to buy a pickup truck to haul things arund in, and i really dont' want to pay insurance for another car, so i was thinking of getting a trailer of some sort.. then.. where will i park tha thing???? anyways.. i'll see what happens, nice work but it sure can use some color..

Gr8bone

Hehe ... maybe

The hitch was $125 installed and came with the trailer ball.
It can tow up to 2000 lbs and has a tongue weight of 200 lbs

I bet a lowered car can handle a trailer just be very careful on the raised driveways etc.

Paul6speed

Pretty cool Peter. This is a first on Maxima.org. I just purchased a Yakima rack (and bike attachments) for my car. I hope I don't ding up my car. The 235-50's will make it look like you dropped the car an inch. Hmmm... maybe I outta check out that size.

melanthius

hey trailer guy, how did you install those lower grille lights i see in your signature

Gr8bone

Thanks Paul,
the 235/50's did 3 things for me:
gave me and my passengers a smoother softer ride
filled in the wheel wells for that nice lowered look
it also raised my clearance half an inch for the trailer to bring back down half an inch when I have it mounted

I also got a bike/ski rack for my hitch so I don't have to worry about dinging the car with a roof rack. But you're taller than me paul and shouldn't have much of a problem getting bikes off your roof.

Gr8bone

I used Quik cement mix and stuck them to the aluminum bumper under the grill. I wired a relay to the battery, and to the parking light switch so they can only be on when my parking lights are on. That way I don't have to remember to switch off any lights when I get out of the car. I put the switch in one of the empty covered holes next to the sideview mirror adjustments

Paul6speed

Peter

I'm more interested in eliminating the wheel gap. I'm happy with my handling. I prefer not to go down to 40-45 series. Ride quality really starts to diminish at that point. 50 series seems to be a good compromise.

My roof rack arrives by Fedex on Thursday. I hope I figure out how to install in correctly right away. I've been told that installing it correctly will prevent scratches. I go on vacation next weekend.

I thought about the hitch rack. I didn' realize that it was that affordable though. Is your's class II?

Gr8bone

Class I was the only choice hitch I had. 3-4 bike hitch racks are as cheap as $50 if you find the right deal so for under $200 you can carry bikes and leave the car scratch free. Hopefully you got a good deal on the roof rack. The ones I priced were in the $400-$500 range...Thats more than my bike! Also with the hitch rack I can still get into the garage with the bikes mounted and not worry about scraping them off my roof if I forget they're on there and I drive into the garage like that one commercial Keep me posted on how the roof rack install goes and definitely post pics so I can see how one looks on the 5th gen...

Paul6speed

Yeah, $475 for Q towers, bars, 3 bike slot attachments, and locks, shipped. A lot of money. I had a trunk mounted rack, that killed my previous car. The hitch rack sounds like a better deal. Oh well. My rack is now slated to arrive tomorrow.

I'll post pics pretty soon after setting it up. Good idea.

mingo

iTrader: (4)

thanx for the info... i have anohter question.. what's the difference between the two hitches.. the one wiht the towing ball thingy, and the one wiht the hole??? i see more ppl using the other one now adays.. (the one with the hole)

Gr8bone

It's all in one...You get the 1.25" hole to stick a bike rack in and you get a ball that sticks into the hole to pull trailers etc.

mingo

iTrader: (4)

ingtorasting... thanx again for the reply..

Gr8bone

glad I could help...btw my hitch is a Draw-Tite brand
Find a dealer close to you here: http://www.draw-tite.com/

Gr8bone

Hey Paul...did you get these and install them yet? got pics?

SkyDaver

I'd forgotten about the advantage of the round bars for Yakima racks, but agree completely. In fact, that's why I chose a Yakima over a Thule, wa-a-ay back in 1985

But, if all you're going to carry is bikes, I would certainly consider the hitch style rack. If it's canoes, skis, kayaks, luggage, go for the roof.

Just be VERY aware of how tall and wide the car has become with a roof rack, especially when it is loaded

Eric99SE

I've actually been thinking about getting a similar utility type trailer for hauling things. I'm pretty sure I have the same trailer hitch as you (I have a 16' Carolina Skiff that I tow with the Max). I also bought a two bike rack that goes with the hitch. If you ask me, this is the only way to go. I sold my Saris roof rack once I got the hitch rack, as the bikes are so easy to take on and off, and no chance of scratching anything.

Keep in mind that although the hitch is rated to 2000 pounds, 4th and 5th gen Maximas are only rated for 1000 pounds. I think I tow about 1200, fully loaded, but the boat ramp is only 2 miles down the road. If I had to tow a long distance, I would have to get something better.

I'll try and post some pics of my setup today.

Eric
99SE 5spd

ericdwong

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....=trailer+hitch

Eric99SE

ericdwong,

I've read that post before, and meant to ask a question. Right now I have the stock suspension. I plan to lower slightly (1.5)" in the future, and also install the KYB AGX struts. I've been putting it off, because I was wondering if this would have any adverse effects on trailering. Do you think that installing AGX struts in the rear (and cranking up the stiffness) would actually make the car tow better? I would think that it may help keep the car flatter, and give the front wheels a bit more traction. What do you think?

Thanks,

Eric
99SE 5spd

ericdwong

Yes suspension DEFINATELY helps. Especially if the stiffness is higher. Without, you'll notice that the butt end of the car bounces uncontrollably sending shockwaves through the car. Also, with progressive rate springs, the car will have less of a butt-squat image to it.

idolsword

iTrader: (1)

At first I was only looking at the pics at the top and thinking 'Man what an ugly trailer!' But hey in the end you did a great job, looks really good. I still think a Max with a trailer looks a bit odd, but you made it look as good as it could.

- Steve

Gr8bone

Thanks man, yeah in the beginning I thought its was gonna be a big task getting that trailer looking ok. Luckily my grand uncle in-law who owns the trailer is a welder and had all the tools I needed to refinish all the parts of the trailer he built long time ago to haul stuff to florida before winter. It's still in excellent condition. Unfortunetly it out-lived the owner who passed away a few weeks ago.

I'm glad to see this post come alive again from when I posted it...its been almost a year!

Albertt

If I could find a totaled Maxima wrecked in the front, I'd do something like this...

Gr8bone

LOL! nice photoshopping.....right?

Lordrandall

iTrader: (4)

Check out www.onelapofamerica.com and go to the picture pages.

There is a Viper and a Thunderbird with matching trailers.

Gr8bone

Which gallery is it in 2002? 2001? 19xx? I did see andi baritchi's supra on the 2002 page. Glad to see he's doing ok.

Lordrandall

iTrader: (4)

Yeah, he did pretty well. There are some threads on his run here, but also he has a site. www.onelapsupra.com

They should be in the 2002 pics..... it might take a bit of looking to find them.

Gr8bone

thats the closest picture to a car with a trailer I can find in the 2002 gallery...

Lordrandall

iTrader: (4)

Hmmm, well a quick google search yielded this....

http://www57.pair.com/lane/021lap/02olb.htm

SSandMaxima

I cut my bars down a LONG time ago, and they dont extend beyond the door jambs. I am able to carry a pod and two bikes.. or three bikes.. and nothing sticks out wide.

lcf

iTrader: (6)

the pic Lordrandall was linking:

CKNY

iTrader: (1)

i recently got a hitch installed to tow my wave runner. although it's only about 700 lbs I can say it tows EXCELLENT with the kyb agx's and b&g suspension. Right now I have the AGX's set to full stiff in the rear (but that was for some aggressive driving). Tomorrow I will switch them back to soft settings and will let you know how the tow is.

Chris

Gr8bone

So how is the tow?
And does anyone have a maxima rear they'd like to get rid of so I can convert it to a trailer!? that would be grrrr8!

mingo

iTrader: (4)

i think i just found the number one solution for college housing.. oh yeh, can i get an optional toilet and shower attachment to go eith the trailer?