Trailer Project
Serpent Express Retro Kit (3 of 3 posts)
Tie Downs
Goals here included over-capacity strength and quick ease of use. I mulled over several approaches to tie downs. Wheel nets were not as accessible given my trailer. E-tracks to suspension arms were a concern over strength given side angles and intermittent welded solution being considered.
In the end, I went with the trailer’s 4 existing swivel floor mount flush tie down ring wells that correspond nicely to the new tie-down rings welded on the front of the Cobra and given the rear suspension. They ended up being fairly ideally placed for my car. Some additional structure was added to the front of my car to both support adding an anti-roll bar and attaching tie-down rings in easy reach.
The existing swivels provide similar strength regardless of horizontal clock orientation. The front Cobra welded rings are further forward than the suspension arms we’d otherwise considered reaching to strap around, so very quick to clip to.
This solution requires short straps, all 4 easily accessible from my trailer doors with a quick easy reach to simply clip the hook on the welded front tabs and an easy loop around the rear inner half shafts. Granted this does bind down the suspension, but for the limited time usage in the end that was acceptable to me.
I bought some 6061-T6 aluminum E-tracks from Mac’s that I’d planned to have tig welded to the deck, but opted for the above solution instead. After some trailer usage, I’ll determine if there are areas for gear that it would be helpful to have some e-track welded on for, I prefer to minimize bolts/holes through the deck.
My friend Larry, who built a Serpent for his Cobra, gave me a gift of custom heavy duty straps he and his friend Scott had designed for his Serpent setup. That was a real honor, and I will always use these straps in honor of my friend Larry! They offer e-track capability as well, by design, if using a trailer with e-tracks.
Car strapped down
Winch
Welded two hollow aluminum winch mounting bases to the front of the deck. These served to raise the winch to reduce the chance of the rear deck interfering with the cable, and as a base to achieve mounting of the winch plate and winch, while hiding wiring connections underneath.
Replaced the new winches’ metal cable with a nylon cable for ease of use, smaller winding, and softness in the event it rubs on anything.
Due to pull angles for loading, the car will be towed (winch cable attached) through the grille. This is achieved with two hidden tow rings inside the mouth of the Cobra that a cross strap attaches to for a winch attachment point in the center of the grille.
Winch mounted (with nylon cable & wireless remote added)
Inside Lighting
Installed 4 ea long swivel dual-tube LED light fixtures with a switch accessed inside the front right door near the battery. These are oriented front to back at each corner. Due to the angled down shape of the top/frame, each is angled to project light in toward the center of the trailer. This provides ample lighting throughout the trailer and coming above from all directions to help avoid dead zones.
Tow Rig
Bought an eight year old 2011 Ram 1500 Big Horn with 8K miles in like new condition. It came with a SnugFit canopy. The prior owner towed it behind their RV to have a vehicle when they took trips. I added a Tekonsha P3 brake controller.
Hitch & Scale
Went with a Convert-A-Ball 10,000 lb shock absorbing cushioned ball mount with a 6” drop. Added a Weight Safe hitch ball with built in scale for dialing in tongue weight. Bought these from etrailer.com.
Side Yard – Serpent Den
One major thing I had to do was create a place to keep the trailer. While we designed the trailer to fit in my garage, I still intend to store it outside most of the time. My side yard is just barely big enough for the trailer and was overgrown. I cleared that out and lowered the pad by a foot of soil to level it out. Added a new fence and ⅝ minus crushed rock pad with heavy duty landscape paper. Added a short chain link fence on the back end to keep our little dogs in the backyard.
A main goal was a sturdy gate that would not sag over time like so many around here. I spec’s a heavy duty or commercial style hinge for overkill. The fence company delivered and used an aluminum frame for the gates as well. Also maximized the fence height to keep the trailer from being seen over the fence.
Extended the crushed rock out to the street, with landscape timber borders. Replaced the water main with a flexible one (we’d last done copper many years ago) and dug it deeper this time. Re-routed the sprinklers in that area. Moved the two sprinkler boxes to align with the water meter box and get more out of the way of the tire paths. Replaces boxes with stronger, drive over versions.
Serpent Den development
Serpent Den in use
Trailer Cover
Due to the unusual shape of the Serpent trailer, I toyed with the thought of a custom cover, or using tarps and just wrapping the excess on the short height end.
Yet I found an ADCO Tyvek All-Climate + Wind RV Cover for Pop-Up Camper up to 16’ Long on etrailer.com in gray. It had almost the same dimensions as my Serpent except some expected excess in the front that I’d bungee down. I liked the all weather capabilities, with material that breathes with moisture and protects against the sun.
Ends up it fit almost perfectly in the front, and the rear fit was nice and tight just a few inches short in back (as expected). It fit better even than expected, so I’m pleased with it.
Logo Decals
I hadn’t planned to place any logos on the trailer. However, given Larry’s superb assistance and support of our hobby with the Serpent Express small business, I still may proudly display the Serpent Express logos once the top is fully smoothed out after some use. That could also increase visibility to other drivers.
Summary
That, Cobra aficionados, is how I built my Serpent trailer. Perhaps soon to be a long-lost art as they now offer a hardtop enclosed version in the same shape, without all the work! However, I am very comfortable with the sturdy base flatbed I used that should meet any of my trip plans/needs. This will remain a very satisfying mechanical endeavor for me, right to my limits!
See you on down the road...