new trailer :)

i've pondered over a new trailer for the best part of 4 years now, looks like it might be about to happen.

the last trailer we built was a 6' x 4' and was designed to carry 3/4t gross, in practice we found it was caught short at quite a good weight less than this, down exclusively to the suspension units, which were undersize compared to those you can buy now, a recent rebuild has cured these issues with this trailer, but it leaves us still short of kit that can carry more.

obviously, the 3.5t farm trailer can carry a huge load, but it is a huge trailer, is very high up for loading, and only the nasher can tow it, so i'm limted to 20mph and 10mpg, which is very costly. i bought a pair of 3.5t axles two years ago, with the intention of building a trailer that could be towed behind a fergy for exhibiting engines, and towed behind the picassa should it be needed to collect a heavy lump beyond that of the other trailer, but not outside the limits of the car.

this never really got off the ground, as a stronger trailer would weight more, and end up actually being able to carry less than the original setup.

so that idea was put to sleep, but when i finally committed myself to buying a landrover discovery last year. with its 4t towing capacity (thats what its plated to handle ), this meant not only could the bigger trailer plan be re-envigorated, but it could also be built to 3.5t grss.

over december i put some drawings together on Pro E, and have something along these lines (with some recent mods)





i have a lot of 4" x 2" box section, but it is only 8ft long, so it is only suitable for the cross beams, so i priced up all the 10ft steel i need and its going to be around £200, which i think is very resonable for what i'm getting, and a weight of around 400-450kgs is also good for the size of trailer, namely 10ft x 5'6"ft, just enough to get a fergy on safely.

i had some issues with height, as i want it as low as possible, but 12" or 10" lp wheels within this weight bracket will sort that, and these are readily available. the axles had come with suitably rated 13" rims, but the result would have been far too tall.

i'll put some pics up when the hitch and steel arrives.

in the mean time if anyone wants me to post more pics, just say.

Cheers.

Paul

hi Paul....

good luck with it all, I'm looking for a tow a van trailer for my self....

the second hand market is quite expensive at the moment....

when your looking for something you cant find one,but once you have got what you want loads turn up....

regards....mike...

build one mike, dont be shy........................

i haven't got the room or the tools to do it.....

oh ya and the most important one of all the know how...

mike....

I've changed direction a bit with this trailer, its now 3050mm long, which is a smidgen over 10ft, and 1830mm wide, which is 2mm over 6ft, the metric will be easier to work out for the stockist i'll get the steel from.

i was going to buy a new triangle drawbar type hitch, but i'll save money and go along with the original, its rated to 3.5, which was more than the new one i was going to buy.

I bought some 10" 5.5" PCD wheels at York last week, but i think i will use them on my Lister CS pumping set, as they are 500kg rated each, which will give a comfortable margin for that unit. and i'll buy new tyres for the 13" rims that came with the Ifor axles to begin with, 97n rated tyres are good for 730kg each, and cost £37 a piece, much less than buying new wheels and tyres at 10 or 12" wide spec, and will float much better of rough ground, soft ground or potholes in the roads, which are very common at the moment.

the only downside to this is the increase in height of the trailer, but i'll offset it with some nifty positioning of the chassis rails to allow the wheels to sit higher in the trailer frame.

All round this will represent a considerable saving over having to buy a new hitch (£200-£250) and 4 new wide style 10" wheels and tyres, (£340), leaving only the steel to order (about £200) and to do the actual fabrication at a friends workshop.

I've also, begrudginly shortened the wheelbase from 850 to 750 mm, but not through the arguments of others, but purely because it allows the wheels extra suspension travel into the wheel arches by having the wheels exactly in the centre of the three crossmembers.

heres the reworked drawing, the front plate is unusually high in this trailer, probably 5ft from the ground to the top, but thats so i can see the trailer through the rear view mirror of the disco, a failing that the smaller trrailers suffer from when being towed by the disco.



the floor is divided into three sections, the two outer sections will be steel plate to carry the tractors (grid style plating) the inter section will be 19mm ply.

thoughts welcome.

Cheers.

Paul

right been doing some measurements this evening, in the pitch black dark lol.

the wheels are 24" tall, so the bed is going to be at least 2'6" off the deck, which poses problems for how long the ramp will be, but this can be overcome. using 10" wheels will save around 8" off the heigh which is a considerable saving, but to get the load rating,i've got to get the wide section type wheels, which will add 320 to the bill not an option i really want to take, but one i can do further down the line.

also, the 750mm wheelbase is, as i had originally tried to explain to those who had argued with me elsewhere. far too short, the trailer will nod far too much under breaking, causing the load to shift, so, an exta 100mm will be added to that 750, and that will hopefully improve matters, the gains in stability of the trailer should outweight the increased effort required to move the trailer through the bends.

Cheers.

Paul

I considered making a smaller twin axle trailer, but I looked into getting 2 rear axles from scrap front wheel drive cars. In the end I found buying one cheaper than me making it.
Casp'

usually the case gary,

depends on what you want for a trailer, size, carrying capacity etc etc, and they usually only become economical to do yourself if you cant buy your particular type already.

if you've got the steel, and the wheels, you can build an unbreaked twin axle trailer dead cheaply, probably around 200, but brakes and other different elements push the price up, but does increase the legal carrying capacity.

Cheers.

Paul

right, this is the first time i've been able to compare the best and worst case scenarios for the trailer, the lower trailer is the the first design, using the low profile 10" wheels, even this will be raised an extra 2" as the spring hangers in that model are not tall enough.

ignore the drawbars as they are provisional only, but i think this makes for an interesting image of just how low or how tall this trailer will be.





comments welcome

Paul

Just been designing the ramps, this is the assembled outline



i intend to use the top face as the side plates for the trailer, and the lower bracings will be pinned into position when being used as a ramp to give support, otherwise they will be attached at a convinient spot on the trailer body.

my next door neighbour offered me his Ifor Williams Trailer that i have used from time to time, he was asking £1000, but would sell me it for 900, however money is to tight to justify that at the moment, and i can probably get a similar Ifor with the sides still on for a similar price, best solution might be to try and persuade him to keep it lol.

Cheers

Paul.

More progress on the trailer front.

aside from finding out about the regulations earlier this morning, i finally managed to prise the twin axle tipping trailer off my Uncle.

this trailer has been in the family for years, and has been largely neglected, but i should be able to make it serviceable again very quickly, and the tipper (both electric and manual) make it a real bonus.

Pictures to follow.

Cheers.

Paul