#11 Patching My Trainer Easy + Finish Work on Trailer

Repaired holes in Darrel Robbin's Easy using Clear Aerothane which was recommended by the tech at Polyfiber. Aerothane is a two part polyurethane recommended as a sealing coat on light weight sails and is supposed to stick well to nitrate dope surfaces (I wiped the areas with MEK to clean them prior to patching). I needed very little Aerothane to do these patches so mixed up small amounts using a teaspoon measuring set and stirring up the two-part mix in a small cup.

The Aerothane is being used as a glue and sealant in this process. I found the best way to do the patches was to apply the Aerothane around the perimeter of the patch area and let it set for about 20 minutes while I cut the patch out of scrap cloth. It was warm and dry when I did this and after 20 minutes the Aerothane was tacky. I carefully applied the patch trying to keep wrinkles and air pockets out of the patch job. Once I had pressed it into place, I went over it with wet Aerothane to finish sealing the patched area.

On the rudder corner, I could not get the fabric to stay down after wrapping it 90 degrees and ended up using masking tape to hold it in place while the Aerothane dried. This worked well and the tape came off without a problem.

It was interesting to note that on this glider, the lower bracket for the inboard diagonal strut cut a hole in the fabric when the wing folded down. I had to patch these areas on both upper wings and it was evident that Darrel had patched them previously. I noticed the bracket on one was misaligned on the wing strut such that the bracket was rotated out of plane toward the upper panel where the tear occurred. I bent it back into plane which should make it easier to install the diagonal strut during setup as well as eliminate any contact of the bracket with the wing surface. The only other thing I could do would be to pad this area such that the wings cannot fold completely together (maybe only a half inch would easily prevent any contact).

I fabricated an elastic cord loop to replace the small bungee cord that came with the kit to provide counter force on the rudder horn. Darrel had done this on one wing but it was missing on the one I fixed.

I realized that I need to get the trailer finished now since Darrel's glider is ready to fly but I can't transport it without the trailer. Started coating the trailer bed boards with epoxy resin in prep for bolting them to the frame.

Here is a shot of the main bracket I had to make to hold down the box to the trailer tongue.

The main beam I laminated two cedar 2X6's together, screwed them and coated them with epoxy. Here they are with the brackets in place to attach to the box.

The final shot of the trailer bed ready for the box to be lowered onto it.  You can see the brackets on the back side of the main front beam that I will lag bolt to the box.

Lowered the box onto the trailer bed and secured with the custom brackets I had fabricated. This photo shows one of the brackets under the box that attach it to the main beam at the tongue.

OK, ready for a trial run on the road to see if the shock brackets and axle hardware will  hold up to the stress. I've loaded it with Darrel's glider and the spring deflection looks like I'm in the ballpark at least.

Passed the test after a 20 mile cruise. Hit some fairly good bumps to make sure the shock system was functioning. I believe I could have set a bowl of soup on the box and not spilled any.....really amazing how smooth it rode over the bumps I hit. Even a railroad crossing at 50 mph was no problem! Nothing came loose, nothing broke....I'm in business!

Next up, I need to finish the rear access door, the one I'll be opening to get the glider in and out. I picked up 3 stainless piano hinges to mount on the bottom.

You can also see the cables that holds the door in a horizontal position when open so that I can easily pull the panels out of the box onto the open door in prep for positioning them to carry over to a setup area. I also found some nice adjustable cam buckle hardware that will make it quick and easy to open and close and get a good (hopefully dustproof) seal. These shots show the door in its closed position.

Now all this hardware needs to come off again in prep for painting the entire box plus both front and rear access doors. I should probably put this off until I can get the wings finished. I'll need to talk to the tech advisor about fall weather affecting the covering process for the wing panels. I could probably get away with more weather variations painting the box than covering the wings so it would make sense to start on them first.