A lot depends on how much revenue you can generate for your program as to weather a Van/Truck deal is feesable. We went with a new custom built 17ft dual axle trailer which serve equipment storage and P/A, registration T&S stations.
1. We are a smaller region and the insurance on a truck/van would pay for a trailer in only two years. Trailer costs us around $4,200 custom made to order with windows and cable hatches.
2. If the da truck don't start, no solo that day. Many unhappy drivers. Tow vehicles are easy to come by in a pinch. Even rent a tow vehicle if we had too.
3. A 17' trailer with a 5,100 load rating with dual axles like ours can be towed safely with a lage SUV or 1/2 ton Pick up. Bigger than that and your tow vehicle options get trickier.
4. Bigger trailer also has issues with storage off season and more people want to hang around inside it causing issues with the T&S and Announcer staff (4 persons comfortably). They just say "No room in here so get out!"
5. Our 17 ft can hold all the cones we need for a large grid and course at Peru, plus P/A, generator, coolers, flour, dry soak, 12 extinguishers, everything we need to run a 250 car solo at Peru.
6. We decided on "barn doors" on the back so we could install window for P/A and T&S. We just open the doors drive the general course and drop cones around the course before we set up the trailer for technical duty on solo day.Can't really do that with a ramped back.
7. We made the windows symetrical on both side so we can position the trailer with greater flexability and just flip the tables around on the inside for P/A & T/S left or right hand pending traffic flow to the start. We have a 6ft folding table accros the back and a 8ft table on one side or the other.
8. We made removable plywood panels for the indside of the windows for security and during transport incase the load shifted inside. The slidng windows have screens also.
Mark
Small Feat Racing
South Bend Region