No.5 trailer suitability

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Having almost had a major crash because of a No.5 jack-knifing on a highway, I maintain they are dangerous, too short, too high a centre of gravity and have no brakes. The cost of fixing those design faults is more than a No5 is worth.

[cactus]

Having almost had a major crash because of a No.5 jack-knifing on a highway, I maintain they are dangerous, too short, too high a centre of gravity and have no brakes. The cost of fixing those design faults is more than a No5 is worth.

If the top was for a track, cooks or haulmark military trailer I may consider a top. (in fact a top for a Cooks will probably also fit a Haulmark.)ive towed trailers and caravans all over Australia for 35 years. I agree that without brakes on a trailer you run the risk of jacknife in an emergency stop situation especially at highway speeds.. the more weight in the trailer the more risk. REGARDLESS of height or length. turn the wheel and brake hard and any load will want to push the rear of your vehicle out.
the only drawback with being short is they can be difficult to reverse, but in the bush that can be a bonus for tight tracks. the height becomes problematic when overloaded top heavy. loaded correctly with a little extra weight to the front they are relatively stable trailers. you cant have great ground clearance with a standard 6x4 trailer. like most things there are compromises.



im not for one second saying you may have come close to disaster with a no5 trailer. what I am saying is a 6x4 loaded with the same weight and the same situation you found yourself in may well have caused you the same grief.


I have a no5 and think they are great little trailers. especially for the prices they can be had out of the auctions recently. with a little care and thought re loading and prevailing conditions, they would be as safe as any unbraked single axle trailer.


mind you this is just my opinion and we all have them :) as for the lid re the first post , finding 50 takers could be your biggest hurdle. im personally not looking for a hard lid but wish you the best of luck in your endeavour .


regards cactus

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Maybe you should contact KLR at South Windsor, they are buying up No5s and lengthening the drawbar for re-sale they may give your lid numbers a boost.

I haven't used my No5 since my near disaster, probably because I have a Haulmark PT1 1.2 to use. The Army had a lot of trouble of the No5 rolling over off road, because of the relatively narrow track and high CoG.

If I were considering a No5 for a 4WD trailer, the first thing I'd do would be to widen the track to the same as a Defender/Disco 1/2, add at least 600mm to the drawbar and either widen the mudguards or split the tub in the centre and add 6" I would probably add a tailgate. If you widen the guards, you get a table for a stove, and could stow jerry cans fore and aft of the guards.

But along with everything I would add brakes, probably electric if possible.

However, as I said these mods can get expensive.

[weeds]

I must of towed No. 5 for thousands of kms......empty, overloaded even had another No 5 strapped upside on top ( military training area only)

Never once got into a situation where I thought they were dangerous to tow......certainly we're not repairing them after every bush trip and we would take 10/15 away every trip.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

The Army banned the use of the No5 behind the Perenties for a time and then after the board of survey and inquiry locked all the TCT (lunettes) and removed the rotation locks on the TCE (pintles) from the entire fleet of Land Rovers.

Are you saying the Army hadn't recognised problems with the No5?

[cactus]

The Army banned the use of the No5 behind the Perenties for a time and then after the board of survey and inquiry locked all the TCT (lunettes) and removed the rotation locks on the TCE (pintles) from the entire fleet of Land Rovers.

Are you saying the Army hadn't recognised problems with the No5?
I love a healthy debate :) would it be fair to say that after the board of survey and internal inquiry by the ADF, that the result from the aforementioned modifications to the towing hitch warranted the no5 trailer as "safe" to tow by all landrovers regardless of the width track height and length ?


I think with all things that common sense should be applied to what we do. and perhaps a little more when towing a no5 trailer that was produced with limitations in the 1960s. just like we shouldn't expect our series 2 landies to do everything as well as a new defender.


I like the no5 for its simplicity in design . I also have vintage cars for the same reason. and I don't expect them to do what a modern motor car can do. far from it.


and my apologies to the op for side tracking your original ideas. if needed im sure the mods will shift these irrelevant posts to the appropriate section


regards cactus.

[weeds]

The Army banned the use of the No5 behind the Perenties for a time and then after the board of survey and inquiry locked all the TCT (lunettes) and removed the rotation locks on the TCE (pintles) from the entire fleet of Land Rovers.

Are you saying the Army hadn't recognised problems with the No5?

Soooooo I cannot have my two nobs worth.....

I have no idea what the army recognized or the changes made and don't give two ****s. My two bobs worth is based on 22 years with the defence force towing No 5 more than I wanted to. Myself and hundreds of others managed to operate the equipment safety with out issue, at all speed, terrain and loads.

Soooooo you say they are dangerous and have never towed again, I say they are not........but I guess you are the authority so you win.

Hang on.......I did roll a workshop trailer.......2nd gear low range doing a night move under black out, I dozed off and drove into a culvert/ditch, my 6x6 stayed upright bit the trailer didn't .......that would make towing workshops dangerous as well to the greater population I guess.

Maybe a should give more credit to the instructors on my drivers course than I did.......

I don't recall any ban on towing, not saying the wasn't. It would have made it hard to go on ex without no. 5's

[Lotz-A-Landies]

They have been used successfully for many years, but not without incident. I have towed mine many thousands of Ks with only one almost very serious incident at highway speed 30kph higher than the Army permitted. That is where the issue of civilians comes in, most civilian owners of No5s will not be happy motoring along the highway at Army permitted speeds of 70 to 90kph when the traffic around them and their vehicle, is happily doing 110kph.

The No5 track 6" narrower than a Defender or Disco 1/2 has its own problems, particularly in mud and soft sand, similar to the much maligned current Land Cruisers which now have a wider track at the front to the track at the back and people are fitting wheel spacers to correct.

Also, IIRC I don't think the ban applied to the SIII just the 110's around the same time they fitted the ROP bars after a number of fatalities. There was a report on the inquiry available on the internet some years ago, but it has since been removed.

My main premise at the begining of this thread, is that for a modern 4WD there are better off road trailers, and making a No.5 into an equivalent good off road trailer to tow behind a modern 4WD will cost you almost as much as buying the better off road trailer in the first place.

Which brings us back to where we started, the main people who will want a No5 will be mil vehicle enthusiasts who want it just the way they were to tow behind their mil vehicle the way it was in-service. Those people generally won't be interested in a plastic top.

For other 4WD people the No5 will cost in the range of $500 to $1500, $400 for a plastic top and another $K+ for mods to make it a good modern 4WD trailer puts you in the same price range for a modern off-road trailer will cost with its optional plastic top in the price.

Just my opinion not stamping any sole authority on the matter.

[alittlebitconcerned]

So I'll put you down for a lid then?

[Aaron IIA]

The Army banned the use of the No5 behind the Perenties for a time and then after the board of survey and inquiry locked all the TCT (lunettes) and removed the rotation locks on the TCE (pintles) from the entire fleet of Land Rovers.

I thought all No.5 trailers had locked lunette rings. If you permanently remove the rotation lock on the pintle hook, how do you tow a No.4 trailer with a rotating lunette ring?
Aaron

[Mick_Marsh]

I thought all No.5 trailers had locked lunette rings. If you permanently remove the rotation lock on the pintle hook, how do you tow a No.4 trailer with a rotating lunette ring?
Aaron
Quite right. They are locked, however, this has not always been the case. You can unlock them.

[Baytown]

To bring an old thread back, I’m looking at either a No 5 or a 750kg trailer when a clean unit becomes available.
27 years ADF, and I’ve towed No 5s’ many times, and did manage to flip one on its side as a young bloke once behind a Perentie on a heavy bush track. Who knows why, just happened and I’m sure it was my fault.
‘Either way, a great HD trailer and a bit of a collectable.
Who would have thought that I’d want one now after having to carry/push/pull them minus a wheel and bloody water jerries/tank links for PT so often hey Weeds!😉


Soooooo I cannot have my two nobs worth.....

I have no idea what the army recognized or the changes made and don't give two ****s. My two bobs worth is based on 22 years with the defence force towing No 5 more than I wanted to. Myself and hundreds of others managed to operate the equipment safety with out issue, at all speed, terrain and loads.

Soooooo you say they are dangerous and have never towed again, I say they are not........but I guess you are the authority so you win.

Hang on.......I did roll a workshop trailer.......2nd gear low range doing a night move under black out, I dozed off and drove into a culvert/ditch, my 6x6 stayed upright bit the trailer didn't .......that would make towing workshops dangerous as well to the greater population I guess.

Maybe a should give more credit to the instructors on my drivers course than I did.......

I don't recall any ban on towing, not saying the wasn't. It would have made it hard to go on ex without no. 5's

[matti4556]

Oh goodie - war story time![bigsmile]

I helped fill one up to the brim with creek water once.
SGT wanted more water for the camp showers.
Screwed the tub bungs in tight and when full, tied down the canvas top.
A very slow trip back to camp through the bush (Behind a Series 3)
Lost two-thirds of the total going over logs and stuff - but I had a new respect for the number 5 after that (and the clutch in the Series 3!).
Matti

[Bigbjorn]

To bring an old thread back, I’m looking at either a No 5 or a 750kg trailer when a clean unit becomes available.
27 years ADF, and I’ve towed No 5s’ many times, and did manage to flip one on its side as a young bloke once behind a Perentie on a heavy bush track. Who knows why, just happened and I’m sure it was my fault.
‘Either way, a great HD trailer and a bit of a collectable.
Who would have thought that I’d want one now after having to carry/push/pull them minus a wheel and bloody water jerries/tank links for PT so often hey Weeds!😉

I have a good one here if anyone is interested. Ex RAAF, white, with a spare tyre assembly and mount on the front face. Steel tube and circles are with it to extend the drawbar by 24". Here is inner Brisbane.

[W&KO]

To bring an old thread back, I’m looking at either a No 5 or a 750kg trailer when a clean unit becomes available.
27 years ADF, and I’ve towed No 5s’ many times, and did manage to flip one on its side as a young bloke once behind a Perentie on a heavy bush track. Who knows why, just happened and I’m sure it was my fault.
‘Either way, a great HD trailer and a bit of a collectable.
Who would have thought that I’d want one now after having to carry/push/pull them minus a wheel and bloody water jerries/tank links for PT so often hey Weeds![emoji6]

I’ve been watching a guy on YouTube that removed the tub on a No. 5 and has built a camper on top.

Cannot remember if he did anything to the springs...either way I’d lighten the springs as they are pretty stiff/heavy duty to start with, this way the springs flex not just the Tyres.