Clean Run - May 2011 - 28

©Ê MikeÊ Wagner

Customizing and Organizing an Agility Trailer
By Brenna Fender Agility is a labor-intensive sport, requiring a lot of equipment and accessories to train and trial. Trial-giving clubs, usually made up of hard-working volunteers, are always looking for the best way to manage their equipment to reduce maintenance and manpower when holding events. Many clubs have purchased trailers to transport equipment to trials and to house it during down times. But just cramming obstacles into a trailer won’t be efficient or helpful when it’s time to get it all out at a show site. Experienced equipment managers know that properly organizing and packing a trailer can reduce setup and breakdown time significantly, help keep equipment in good shape, minimize misplaced items, and increase safety during transport, packing, and unpacking.

Shop and Build Carefully
Trailers are a huge investment, so purchasers should do their research to make sure they get a good deal. Safety is important, but so is size. If you only need one ring’s worth of equipment, you can get away with a small trailer, but don’t go too small. “If only one ring is needed, I would go with no less than a 7' by 14'. Any smaller you won’t be able to fit the dogwalk and teeter on the walls,” says Neil Bosecker, an Evansville Obedience Club member with extensive trailer organizing experience. For multiple-ring trials or for clubs that offer trials in many different venues, Bosecker recommends a trailer that is 8' by 18': “It can hold enough equipment for AKC Standard, Jumpers, and two rings of FAST, along with NADAC Standard, Jumpers, Hoopers, and Tunnelers.” Whether you are purchasing or building equipment that you will carry in your trailer, think about how it can be modified to take up less space during transport. Sue Fregien, one of the founders of Cream City Canines in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, says, “Winged jumps and tires with fixed legs that cannot be made to knock down flat will take up a lot of space in a trailer. It would take a lot of creative arranging to store those types of obstacles.” Fregien also notes that jump wings with legs that turn so the wings can be stacked close together make a huge difference in using space efficiently.

Plan Before Starting to Customize
To best make use of a trailer, you need to modify it. Racks, shelves, or similar options help stabilize and organize equipment. Spend some time thinking about how your club or training center will use your trailer and what attributes will make it the most useful. Focus on safety first. Fregien says, “The weight distribution on the trailer has to be taken into consideration. The trailer needs to have weight distributed between the tongue (connection to the truck) and the axle. Too much weight on either the tongue or the axle can cause a lot of strain on the truck hitch and lead to difficulty handling and an increased chance of hitch failure.” Mike Wagner of K-9 Athletes in Lebanon, Indiana, agrees on paying close attention to where the majority of the equipment weight rests. One of his goals when designing his well-organized trailer was putting “the majority of the weight on the tires, not the tongue, of the trailer.” All equipment must be secured so loads don’t shift during travel, which can cause damage and injury. Sharp edges of racks that jut out into aisles should be covered by tennis balls to reduce the potential for injury to workers as they load and unload the trailer. Weave pole bases are very heavy and need to be secured carefully. Sonny Laughlin of Agility Club of Evansville (ACE), in Indiana, says, “Our admittedly inelegant solution was to create a closet, cram them in, and slam the steel door!”
Clean Run | May 11

Clean Run - May 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - May 2011