I've begun to use this EEZTIRE T515 Wireless Tire Pressure and Temperature Monitoring System (TPMS).
Real time continuous monitoring with alerts for temp and press. I use for the trailer, as pointed out, problems are not readily apparent. 
Can't prove but believe most tire failures are due to underpressure and consequent rise in temp and failure.
Edit link.
//eezrvproduct.com/t/tire-pre-and-temperature-monitoring-systems-tpms-3 

Double axle, all steel trailer, modified to carry two LWB Classic Minis-

Surge brakes ?? , illegal in some States,

BIG AL-

My late Father told me the reason he became infatuated with the Mini community.  It was because back in the mid-80s he was at Road Atlanta for the SCCA Runoffs (not crewing on the GTJ car) spectating.  He was watching a race prepped Mini for lap after lap go around the same turn on one wheel.  The wheels would go up and then come back done without upsetting the car wildly.  

After he got rid of his first project Mini (Early 90's) he bounced around the idea of owning a Sunbeam Alpine.  (Bought his Father's Alpine when he turned 18.  So I think just thought he wanted to own another one.)  He hated bodywork and didn't want to pay someone else to "make it right."  

Tow dolly story...  We were on our way back from MME 2002.  First big trip with the tow dolly.  It worked perfectly for the trip down with "Murph," and it went great on the way back.  Except for the dumb garbage truck driver who broke down in front of us while we were parked at the Hotel mid-trip.  (The Hotel Manager was baffled by this because the dumpster was emptied 10 min. before we arrived.)  Instead of dismounting the dolly with "Murph," he unhitched from the car and with some grunts from the two of us we got it worked out.  

He used a tow bar with "Murph and Barb," but his shins were shredded too many times on it.  We still have the tow bar, but with an open car in "Barb," rain can get very messy.

The trailer is what we have now.  Single axle with brakes being towed by a 2011 Subaru Forester.  The canopy is better for our situation and would not work for the wonderful and true friend who borrowed the trailer for last year's MME.  Pic=pre canopy.

Was this you? If it was, I saw you race that Saturday. I hung out around turn 5 most of the time, 2nd picture was from turn 10 I believe. Wish I would have had time to talk to you and check out your ride. Maybe next time!

It's shocking how isolated you can be from trailer issues in the tow vehicle. Used to trailer snowmobiles all the time. One trip in snowy conditions, we were moving along well on the highway, when the state police came along side of us and just smiled, then moved on. We thought this was strange, but no worries, they left. The next stop for gas we found no tire, and the rim ground down well into the hub. As cheap as vehicle cameras are now, I would mount one as far back on the trailer as possible, maybe one under as well.

I was pretty casual about different towing solutions till friends lost the left front hub on a mini being flat towed through Colorado to EMW in 1999. You just have no idea that anything is wrong, till all of a sudden your whole rig is out of control. When you consider what minis are now worth along with what a towing incident means in terms of messing up a spendy race weekend, the cost of a good car trailer and monthly storage seems reasonable.

Also, you have a massive tow to get that car to the Mini Challenge this fall, you might as well be comfortable.

Jim:

Great story, as a guy who has trailered minis thousands of miles, l feel your hurt-

I know N J is looking down smiling

Big AL

That's kinda why I use a 4-wheel trailer to move racecars around.  An incident on track with a tow-dolly would mean you're stranded, but wreckage can be put on a trailer.

2-wheel car trailers give me the heebie-geebies as well.  Motorbikes have two wheels, and they fall over when you let go.

Thanks for describing the incident. I hope others are able to learn from this.

Tow Dolly Incident (by request).

During the Saturday's qualifying the Mini felt squirrelly approaching turn 10 (at Summit Point, the fastest corner on the track). There was just enough time to shoot right into pit lane. When I got to my pit saw that the RR wheel was very, very loose. It definitely would not have stayed on another lap. The problem was due to a communication problem, e.g. "I thought YOU tightened the lug nuts", "No, I thought YOU tightened the lug nuts", etc, etc, etc.... The lug nut were tightened and were okay for Sunday, but when the street tires were put on the rear (never waste race tires on the rear when towing with the dolly), it took a long time to get the RR lugs tightened. In retrospect, the lug bolt grooves in the drum must have been starting to wear smooth. In fact, one lug nut would not go to max torque, but with three lug nuts torqued correctly, and one torqued 'snugly', I figured we could make the 60 miles home. However, at about the 50 mile mark a guy on a Harley stopped me and told me that one of the wheels had fallen off, maybe 4 or 5 miles back. This was on a country road without much traffic, thank goodness. Sure enough, I got out and looked, and there was the Mini, sitting very low to the ground on the right rear. I hadn't heard a thing. The sway bar on the rear was strong enough to keep the right rear off the road surface except around left turns. Having no other choice, I drove the 10 miles to home very carefully, and with the help of Mike Bernard, got the Mini into the garage. Damage: The right side sway bar linkage is gone, the right side of the sway bar itself is polished to a knife edge, the backing plate is ground away at the bottom, the brake cylinder is 'polished' on the bottom, the finned brake drum is gone, the RR BWA wheel is gone too. Mike and I drove up and down the road the next day, looking for the lost wheel without finding it. Since it was on a 50 MPH road it probably traveled pretty far before it stopped. There were plenty of Lessons Learned: Check the lug nuts on the wheels when you stop to check the trailer hitch, tie downs and chains. This is especially important on the right side lug nuts whose wheels turn in a direction that effectively, if marginally, loosen them. (My old Alfa had reverse thread right side lug nuts to prevent this from happening). That having been said, I'm happy with the tow dolly for towing the Mini. This is the first incident after thousands of towing miles. It can be stored against the wall in my garage, weighs very little, and is fairly easy to load. I just have to remember to un-adjust the rear brakes, and never, never pull into a spot that would require backing out. I hope this is not too much information, MUR, and does anyone want to buy a set of three BWA 5" wheels? :-)

Tautliner. Just in case you were writing songs and wanted another word for curtainsider. Thanks Alex, for expanding our vocabulary.

NO Thanks Robster Tony for your uninformed opinion on a trailer that has already been in use for years. 

Expect a mini to weigh much closer to 1500 lbs.

If you have some trailer length then you can move the car to adjust your tongue weight. Any race weekend requires spares, tools, pit support items, and all of this contributes to the challenges of sorting out your tow rig.

I had not mentioned the challenges of loading angles with low clearance vehicles. It is a huge concern, and I probably didn't dwell on it because I now have a real car trailer and it isn't a problem any more. The trailer we had when I was a kid was quite a process to load. Workinprogress spent a short while with his hand pinned under the tongue once.

Tell us all about the tow dolly+rear tire loss incident. More people should hear about these so that they stop leaving home like that.

Tautliner lorry trailers...

At 55mph that makeshift tent will flap like crazy,, and might damage the paint of the mini or even smash the windshield. I dont think its a good idea. That's just my opinion

The original idea of the cover was to have a makeshift tent in case there was no lodging.  When he first used the trailer to Canada windscreen was removed for the trip there.  Because it is such a pain to remove he left it on for the trip home.  I think he said about 2 mpg difference with it up.  https://www.alumaklm.com/  (We let someone borrow the trailer for last year's MME and because it was a Mini he took off the top.)  You'll see it soon....

Like the features. 

I looked at a tilt drive on trailer with shocks to lower the car and lock the deck to frame. 

Thanks everyone. You've given me a lot to think about. My trailer questions are due to a recent event when the right rear wheel fell off of the Mini on the way home while it was on a tow dolly. Anyone need 3/4 length sway bar? :-)

Another consideration is the ramp.  If I am not mistaken side by sides have a large amount of front and rear ground clearance, Mini's do not have that much.  This is what we have for the Moke "Barb" with the cover.  

I've got my eye on this one.  



//www.valleycyclecenter.com/New-Inventory-2017-Polaris-RANGER-LITE-12-W-Winchester-Virginia-2455659

you know, when hauling, the most important thing to consider is the tongue weight, you dont want to exceed the limit otherwise potential accident will happen.  And also we all know that a tandem axle weighs almost double than a single axle, you also need to consider what kind of car or SUV you are using to haul the weight of the mini plus the weight of the trailer.  

a regular purist's mini weighs around  1200lbs and a regular 5x10 trailer weighs about 800lbs.. so you are hauling about 2K lbs with a tongue weight of say 300lbs. a good sized SUV is enough to haul it but a 4 cylinder car? forget it.

btw when i say "purist's mini" i meant a mini with an 850cc engine and running in 4.5x10 steel wheels. and the door hinges are outside(not inside),with an oblong tailights.

never never use that 5x8 foldable trailer from Harbor Freight to haul your mini 500miles....omg!!!!

and...do people in London use trailer?