Thread: Barter build - design advice please

To keep it simple and light, don't bother with a tandem. I've owned a home built single axle car trailer for 33 years that weighs 400kg and safely carries 1500 kg on 195R14LT tyres. It is purely open frame without a floor as such. Wheels on the vehicle loaded go onto rungs about 6" apart. The load area is 12ft by 6 ft. If I need to carry loose stuff I install a sheet of mesh or corrugated tin or plywood. With a suitable axle and wheels I'd happily take it's design to 2000kg total weight. Above that you need breakaway brakes and other fancy stuff.

BTW drawbar fitted under the tray will put the hitch at a better height for a fourby towbar. That is unless you use a drop centre (cranked) axle to lower the floor but that would affect your ground clearance off road.

Bee utey, I considered the Open frame style (like a plant trailer), but it would not suit as a block trailer carrying soil etc... Thanks for your input though! I thought a trailer that length would need to be (or be better) tandem? Now I think of it, there are some fairly big single axle off road caravans. Kedron, Kimberly etc...

Originally Posted by Mungus

Bee utey, I considered the Open frame style (like a plant trailer), but it would not suit as a block trailer carrying soil etc... Thanks for your input though! I thought a trailer that length would need to be (or be better) tandem? Now I think of it, there are some fairly big single axle off road caravans. Kedron, Kimberly etc...

Single axle are also far more manouverable.

What type would suit single axle without too much expense

You should look seriously at a slip on floor/bin, as towing the floor around when you don't need it is wasteful. The floor could be made in sections too. Having an open frame trailer is great as you have endless places to chain down your load. As for the single axle I wouldn't have it any other way. A single requires you to always balance your load so that your hitch gets 5% to 10% of the total but it's much easier to see with a single axle as the terrain never alters the load. I have occasionally towed tandems but hate the way they try to tear the back off the towing vehicle when you go off the dead smooth bitumen. My single axle has been all over the place, including vehicle rescue and firewood duties off road and you won't get me to own a tandem based on my experiences!

Oh and an open floor trailer makes a useful mobile vehicle pit too...

Axle capacity is the key, most el cheapo trailers were based on car wheels and four ply tyres. Of course you needed two axles of that kind for a 2T total mass. Nowadays there must be dozens of useful donor hubs/wheels for a 2T capable single axle.

and have it built with a tipper A frame that has the tub pivot on the rear spring perch...

You're going to love that for tip runs and for loading the ATV's

you can use a simply hydraulic lift to tip it OR a winch on a pedestal bar... IF you go the winch on the pedestal bar with some clever rigging the one winch can be used to both tip the trailer for loading as well as pulling the ATV up.

IF it was me I would be building it as a tandem.

If you go with leaf springs and swing shackles you wont need shockies. to Keep it manouverable dont go load sharing suspension but do watch the balance. My tandem is easy to move around when its balanced just right because I can just kick down the A frame and the back axle lifts clear of the ground, Punt the A frame around and keep on pushing. A landy isnt going to notice the extra drag if you're driving even remotely sensibly (and Ive jack turned mine with 3t of firewood on it on sand which is no where near sensible, reccomended or even advisable if you want a long life from the trailers springs, and bearings).

Fit good electric brakes and have the vehicle wired up at the same time. Ensure they include an over ride brake system (it wont always be on your car) and a manual locking hand brake. Fit a beeper to the hand brake actuator that will operate whenever there is power to the brake lights, aux power or tail lights from the vehicle and the hand brake is applied)

spec the same tyre or at least a compatible dimensions as your vehicle preferably the same rims, studs and nuts.

fit a battery tray and 4 jerry mounts in place 2 front 2 rear, sometimes balancing the trailer can be as simple as filling or emptying 2 jerries and it makes the difference between a floaty front end or a waggy trailer.

TIe down points.. Lots of em.

OK! I agree and would much prefer single axle, so I'll start researching single axle set ups at around 2t. I really don't mind the extra sheeting for a full box, considering it will most likely be ally and most of the time it will be carting soil etc. for the block (hardly ever rocks as it would damage the ally)

Sorry Dave, didn't see your post before my last. Yes, I have seriously considered the tipper option as I have had the privilege of this on my tray back cruiser (pic attached), but I didn't want to push the boundaries of fair barter. Maybe, I will consider the frame being built to suit and fit electric/hydraulics myself later.
When you say 'swing shackles' do you mean eye to eye or roller rocker?
Same rims, studs & nuts as a D4 is difficult to achieve I thought?
I will be going GOE 18"s later on as well, so sounds like the right way to go, but am unsure of how or how much extra $?
Are you meaning the beeper would be on the trailer and be a warning to you that the trailer hand brake is on? I don't get this bit?
I will be making sure I can have as many tie downs as well as jerry/gas/tyre or water tank options.
Nearly every trailer I look at on the net over 8x5 seems to be tandem.