Trailer Build

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stuartcnz
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Trailer Build

Post by stuartcnz »

I bought this trailer about five and a half years ago, with the intention of building a small light-weight camper on it. Then priorities changed.
I am picking up the project again, and with the help of a friend am starting the process of rebuilding the trailer to use as the base for a light camper.

Starting with stripping it back to a bare frame, will then be replacing the suspension springs, wheels & lights.

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ol trunt
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Re: Trailer Build

Post by ol trunt »

Looks like fun! It is probably just the angle of the pic but the trailer seems to have an extra long tongue. If so, it would take some careful loading to get 10 or 15% of the weight on the ball as needs to be the case to avoid sway. Jack
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stuartcnz
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Re: Trailer Build

Post by stuartcnz »

Hi Jack, The trailer bed is 8 foot by four foot. The total width is about 6 foot.
At this stage my biggest concern is trying to keep the weight down in the front. The reason being, is that I plan on building a vee structure going four feet long by, starting at 6 feet wide, forward of the bed, to give a toilet/shower space.
It shouldn't be to much of an issue though, as being a single axle unbraked trailer; the maximum gross weight for the trailer is 750kg and my tow vehicle has a maximum down weight of 350kg at the tow hitch. So it shouldn't be to hard to get the load balance in a comfortable balance between weight distribution and staying within towing design secs for the tow vehicle, which incidentally is rated to tow up to 3500kg.
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Re: Trailer Build

Post by ol trunt »

Hi Stuart. Sounds like you will make good use of that long tongue. I tow a motorcycle pop up tent trailer behind my Morris and it too had a long tongue to facilitate its original use. Like you, I added a platform to the tongue which carries a mini frig and a 2500 watt generator and a spare tire. It weighed in way over recommended tongue weight but not even close to the maximum gross wt. The tent has an awning that needs support at its outer perimeter--like a tree or something. Trees are scarce in my neck of the world so I use 3 1/2" diam metal tubes slipped into a hole in the top of a gallon paint can which is full of concrete. All that to say I achieved the proper weight balance by loading the cement cans at the rear of the trailer thereby meeting the 15% tongue weight needed.

Your 750kg trailer would have to have brakes here--anything over 680kg (1500#). My MC trailer weighs in at 400# (882kg) and has GVW of 500# (226kg).

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stuartcnz
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Re: Trailer Build

Post by stuartcnz »

To clarify, the weight of the trailer is yet to be determined, depending on rebuilding decisions yet to be made.

Over here the maximum legal weight for an unbraked trailer, on my tow vehicle, is 750kg.

In some ways, I am surprised that the legal limit is lower over there, as most non commercial limits over there seem to be higher than here. But then again, a lot of commercial limits are higher here.
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