mark chandler
|
| posted on 14/1/09 at 06:31 PM |
|
|
Unable to take your own advise :)
After a few posts on making your own trailer using a caravan chassis I have now gone the wrong way and decided to scratch build from new parts.
My original budget of £500 is now long gone, now at £800 with all the bits but I suspect another £50 to go.
Steel £250
Brakes, hubs, wheels etc £550
Trouble is that I want something that just takes up the little cars footprint:
 
Trailer plans
Now just a pile of steel to weld together:
 
Selection of steel
Is this typical ?
The logic was simple, new parts, make it once and never lift a spanner just use it, Ebay was turning out rotten chassis for £50 - £100 and decent Alco
chassis for £350 with big wheels.
|
|
|
|
|
JoelP
|
| posted on 14/1/09 at 06:49 PM |
|
|
i kept the price down by using unbraked hubs! Then you can use a £10 tow hitch, £80 per pair of hubs etc. I had about 200 in parts!
|
|
|
mark chandler
|
| posted on 14/1/09 at 07:07 PM |
|
|
I started off that way but ended up with 10" wheels with 1500kg tyres on braked hubs which drove the price right up.
Having towed without brakes before I personally had this as a must have aspect.
If I had wheels to sit outside the frame I could have saved £200.
|
|
|
mcerd1
|
| posted on 14/1/09 at 07:07 PM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by JoelP
i kept the price down by using unbraked hubs! Then you can use a £10 tow hitch, £80 per pair of hubs etc. I had about 200 in parts!
but then you can only tow 750kg max (inc the weight of the trailer) and that assumes you've got a decent size car to tow it with
(small cars have small unbreaked towing limits)
|
|
|
Wadders
|
| posted on 14/1/09 at 07:08 PM |
|
|
Was that the one with the interesting camber design Joel 
Al.
Originally posted by JoelP
i kept the price down by using unbraked hubs! Then you can use a £10 tow hitch, £80 per pair of hubs etc. I had about 200 in parts!
|
|
|
Hellfire
|
| posted on 14/1/09 at 07:11 PM |
|
|
I remember that well
Phil
|
|
|
dinosaurjuice
|
| posted on 14/1/09 at 07:14 PM |
|
|
Mark, would it not be best to have the A-frame legs extending to the indispension mounts?
ive never built a trailer but i thought this might make a more rigid frame...
will
|
|
|
tks
|
| posted on 14/1/09 at 07:14 PM |
|
|
to much steel!
you use allot steel...
wy??
i would alter the design and use some U's
(folded sheet) it will increase drasticly the stifness of your design and reduce the weight.
it looks a bit like an fence.... this way.
You only need to create a > whist starts withs starts by the hook and goes to the axle. then it needs to go backwards. then in between at the end
you can put 1 tube more to mount the lamps etc...
then with the 2 folded u's you weld them centre on the tube...
you then get a simple and strong design.
[Edited on 14/1/09 by tks]
|
|
|
JoelP
|
| posted on 14/1/09 at 08:07 PM |
|
|
oi, we found out what caused that, the wheels were falling off! They were straight when it set off 
I remember you driving past hellfire, you were lucky the wheel didnt get you! 
quote:
Originally posted by Wadders
Was that the one with the interesting camber design Joel
Al.
Originally posted by JoelP
i kept the price down by using unbraked hubs! Then you can use a £10 tow hitch, £80 per pair of hubs etc. I had about 200 in parts!
|
|
|
JoelP
|
| posted on 14/1/09 at 08:10 PM |
|
|
ive never felt the need to have a braked trailer, you just have to bear it in mind with your gaps and timing. I do appreciate a good stabiliser bar
though!
I'd settle for a pair of 550kgs axles if i redid it, then you have redundancy in the design and still some roll if a tyre (or wheel!) goes.
Regarding the 750kgs limit, that was fine for me. A half stripped bec and pulling with a sprinter.
|
|
|
mark chandler
|
| posted on 14/1/09 at 08:38 PM |
|
|
The steel is folded 3mm steel U section to keep the weight down, although its still looking to be 100kg so I may bore some big holes to reduce
weight.
I want the bed to pivot to ease loading as my BEC, this explains the draw bar although I will probally extend back further under the chassis when I
see how much metal I have left. The sketch was to gauge materials required, i have a if it looks right it probally is right attitude so will build
the bed then ponder on the hitch, this will also be governed by the hitch angles and how much flex I get when jumping up and down on it.
All things evolve as I make them, the trick is to move forward, I just wish this was always the case.
My wheels are rated @ 1500kg, axles 950kg although fully loaded I do not expect to tip the scales at more than 600kg.
Regards Mark
[Edited on 14/1/09 by mark chandler]
|
|
|
Canada EH!
|
| posted on 14/1/09 at 09:48 PM |
|
|
If that sketch is to scale, you might want to move the axle a little further to the rear, you want at least 200 lbs of tounge weight. Almost lost my
race Anglia on a borrowed trailer without enough tounge weight (trailer was built for a spridget). My current trailer weights 1000 lbs, was built in
1970, has about 20,000 miles on it. Regulations in Ontario Canada, Gross weight of over 3000 lbs requires brakes on the trailer.
|
|
|
mark chandler
|
| posted on 14/1/09 at 10:19 PM |
|
|
Hello
Thanks, the plan is to make the bed, park the car on it then shove the wheels under then position.
I will probally weld some thick plate and pre drill so I can adjust to suit different loads if required.
In my experience the best solution is to have a long draw bar, compact trailers with short draw bars are awful, I have a large 4wheel trailer which
has been all over the UK, never known to snake at any speed, its up for sale to fund this:
link
Regards Mark
|
|
|
Danozeman
|
| posted on 14/1/09 at 10:38 PM |
|
|
Wish id have known your making one. My caravan converted trailer is going on the bay this week which i built to the size of my locost.
As for the design. Id make make the draw bar go furthur back and lose 2 or 3 of those cross pieces.. If you look at brian james or such like theres
nothing too them..
[Edited on 14/1/09 by Danozeman]
Dan
Built the purple peril!! Let the modifications begin!!
http://www.eastangliankitcars.co.uk
|
|
|
02GF74
|
| posted on 15/1/09 at 10:00 AM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by mark chandler
Brakes, hubs, wheels etc £550
Did you consider butchering a 3/4 T Sankey Trailer*? you get them for £ 150; it has axle and sick on leaf springs but with a bit of cutting, the
wheels and braking mechanism could be modifed to work, perhaps?
* there are sevaral models, I am sure I have seen low ones.
|
|
|
