Car Trailer / Transporter Ideas

[toymato]

A-frame?

[Bling]

Yeah most towbars aren't rated to tow much over 1ton (if that) unbraked. Hell, even new 4WDs have unbraked ratings of around a ton, so i'd be careful.

In regards to the 4500kg limit, its not hard to exceed that with a 7m boat with fishing gears being towed by a 4wd

[85AW20v]

You can keep it non-tilting and have the ramps sliding under the deck on a couple of pieces of angle welded in for them to slide on. My ramps are 1950mm long 40x40 box with 25mm angle across them and I don't have a problem getting the AW on which is lower than standard. Sides are 150mm and I can open the doors no problem.

I'm running tandem with Mini wheels and brakes on the front axle and have had the front axle tyres lock a bit on a smooth road when braking real hard due to almost missing a right hand turn. All up with the AW and what I take to a raceday it weighs in at 1300kg and the towbar is only rated to 1200kg braked on the Commodore.

[Emperor]

I got one of the KEA trailers, single axle, the deck tilts down at the back good for lowered cars. So could do the same with yours. Halfway slope it down.

Ramps stick up at the back tho.

[matt dunn]

braked tandems are alot nicer to tow a car with from my personal experiance tipping trailers save alot of hassle if i was to get a car trailer id get a tipping tandem

A well built single axel loaded properly tow's as if it's not there.

I tow my car on our single axel trailer behind all sorts, at all speeds,
and 1/2 the time you forget it's there, ( unless it's behind the hilux and you come upon a hill)

And tandem axel's get a lot more punctures than single axel.

A good tipping trailer is excellent, most cars go on without even using the ramps,
I only need the ramps when IO have the front bumper on my car, as it's 70mm off the ground and sticks out 100mm out the front.


And suspension on a car trailer is only any good when it's empty,
and then it does bugger all.

If you tie the car on correctly, the cars suspension absorbs the bumps.

Suspension on a trailer just maes it that much higher off the ground.

[matt dunn]

I got rid of a trailer load of scrap today. My weighbridge ticket says
Gross 2820, tare, 2200, net 620 (trailer weighs about 450Kgs).

So my scrap weighed 620Kg but I've regularly had 1750 on there so that would make 3950Kg all up. Hmmm might need an HT. Definately need brakes, I have.

Steve

Hmmm,

Race car, spare gearbox, heavy jack and axels stands, 2 large tool boxes,
120l of gas, box of spare brakes and diff,
the car boot loaded with the race box's with usual race gear, 4 spare dry tyres and 4 wets,
(more if I put other people's on the tyre rack too),

and thats all loaded into the trailer to go to Teretonga behind the Transit Campervan with us and all our gear in it.

Wonder what the hell that weights??

but still cruise along at 100K and dont even notice the trailer,
(untill the hills at Dunedin)

[Mr Revhead]

A well built single axel loaded properly tow's as if it's not there.

aw come on, you can just bung things on any old way and she'll be right mate

[Malcolm]

And suspension on a car trailer is only any good when it's empty,
and then it does bugger all.

If you tie the car on correctly, the cars suspension absorbs the bumps.

Interestingly, I was reading a Koni catalogue recently and they recommended strapping race cars down by the chassis so the suspension doesn't move to decrease wear on your expensive racecar dampers.

[Loudtoy]

And suspension on a car trailer is only any good when it's empty,
and then it does bugger all.

If you tie the car on correctly, the cars suspension absorbs the bumps.

Interestingly, I was reading a Koni catalogue recently and they recommended strapping race cars down by the chassis so the suspension doesn't move to decrease wear on your expensive racecar dampers.

Have you ever tied a car down by it's chassis and seen how much it still moves around. If you tried to stop it moving it around on the chassis you'd be stopping every 5 minuted for the 1st half hour getting it tied down so it didn't move.
Tied propely through the wheels it will be fine. Intersetingly when i had a bike and tied that on the trailer i used to have to let the air out of the front forks (had a little valve to do that) after having it tied down on the bars with no movement so i'm not sure what it would do to car susp

[~SlideWays~]

A well built single axel loaded properly tow's as if it's not there.

aw come on, you can just bung things on any old way and she'll be right mate

Once had to load my car onto a trailer backwards for a short trip. All the weight at the back (engine)...not doing that again!

[Malcolm]

And suspension on a car trailer is only any good when it's empty,
and then it does bugger all.

If you tie the car on correctly, the cars suspension absorbs the bumps.

Interestingly, I was reading a Koni catalogue recently and they recommended strapping race cars down by the chassis so the suspension doesn't move to decrease wear on your expensive racecar dampers.

Have you ever tied a car down by it's chassis and seen how much it still moves around. If you tried to stop it moving it around on the chassis you'd be stopping every 5 minuted for the 1st half hour getting it tied down so it didn't move.
Tied propely through the wheels it will be fine. Intersetingly when i had a bike and tied that on the trailer i used to have to let the air out of the front forks (had a little valve to do that) after having it tied down on the bars with no movement so i'm not sure what it would do to car susp

maybe I should have said "to reduce suspension movement", rather than "so it doesn't move". My bad.

[85AW20v]

I always have the AW on backwards due to the weight distribution. And I tie it down with chains and turnbuckles through the towing eyes on the car and it doesn't move anywhere. Really quick and easy, especially on wet days.

[neo]

I always have the AW on backwards due to the weight distribution. And I tie it down with chains and turnbuckles through the towing eyes on the car and it doesn't move anywhere. Really quick and easy, especially on wet days.

When I had the mini, that was chained down to the bob-cat trailer. By the time I hit foxton one chain had snapped, and another let go by taupo...

[strx7]

all you guys who are pricing up building trailers, have it ever occured to you to use hubs from pick-a-part instead of buying new hub kits that are often whacked out stud patterns????

How many camry rear hubs do you hear about needing to be replaced???
4 x camry 5 x114.3 rear hubs fromt pick apart. pull the down, re-grease them. and away you go with a cheap trailer that runs common everyday rims/hubs

[gadgetman]

I'd go for a tilting trailer (I want to convert mine to one shortly). By the time you hook the towing vehicle to the trailer, extend the ramps and line the load vehicle behind that you need an awful lot of room. Tow vehicle (4.3m), draw bar (1.3m), deck (3.6m), ramps (1.5m), load (4.3m) plus room to move ....

Tandem is the only way to go for a transporter unless you have very heavy duty wheels and axles (which tend to be too wide to be useful).

Agree on using the rear hubs from a front wheel drive vehicle, better quality, park brakes, much cheaper for what you get.

[Adoom]

A-frame?

All sweet until you bend/break something on the car while racing, making A-Framing impossible. Then you have to borrow a trailer anyway.
With a trailer, you can have a mangled wreck and still be able to get it home.
Just drag the thing on with a winch or a WHOLE BUNCH of mates.

[Mr Revhead]

A frame still requires towed car to be reg'd and wof'd

[BlakJak]

I'd go for a tilting trailer (I want to convert mine to one shortly). By the time you hook the towing vehicle to the trailer, extend the ramps and line the load vehicle behind that you need an awful lot of room. Tow vehicle (4.3m), draw bar (1.3m), deck (3.6m), ramps (1.5m), load (4.3m) plus room to move ....

Tandem is the only way to go for a transporter unless you have very heavy duty wheels and axles (which tend to be too wide to be useful).

Not speaking in the context of transporting cars, but more in general with trailers..
I prefer single-axel across the board for manouverability when unhitched, but a well distributed tandem-axel trailer is painless when hitched and spreads the load much more easily.. has the added benefit that the trailer remains semi useful when unhitched (by virtue of remaining level and being slightly less inclined to tip over).

I fairly frequently tow a tandem-axel trailer with a genset/lighting fitout on it, basic weight is well over a tonne, we tow it with a 3.2L Diesel Van and aside from climbing hills, its pretty painless. Worse when you consider that there's relatively speaking, naff all weight over the rear axle of the van...

Point is that for carting a vehicle and sundry bits around, tandem axel is probably the better option from a safety and practicality POV (while hitched) (in my own humble opinion).

Oh and in case the reference is useful... My TZ-G Caldina's Towbar has a rated tow of 500kg UnBraked and 1500kg Braked. You definately want brakes if you want to be able to tow with other vehicles should the need arise.

See also

http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/road-u ... guide.html

http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/factsh ... ilers.html

http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/factsheets/13d.html

Also note a Car license lets you tow a combination vehicle up to 4500kg in total (Gross Combined Weight). http://www.blakjak.net/node/487 has license conditions.

Agree on using the rear hubs from a front wheel drive vehicle, better quality, park brakes, much cheaper for what you get.

Another vote for this; I recall my dad grabbing a rear axle and hubs from Kempys BitsaMitzi for the family trailer when he rebuilt it, worked great.

Good luck.

[neo]

Progess update -- still nothing.

Spoken to many companies around the country, sent out the specs however it seems no one needs or wants work at the moment (only had 2 places reply with prices quoted 'within 2k of x'

At this rate, I might go on a welding course (so I do it right lol) and do it myself..

[oem-r]

My mates got one for sale "ITS A TANDEM TILT TRAILER WITH BRAKES, TYRE RACK,TOWS INCREDIBLY!"

Located in wellington, he uses it to tow his drift car