Thread: 3.5 Tonne Capacity Car Trailer: is Longer & Wider Better?

Originally Posted by gromit

I deliberated over getting a car trailer, problem is unless you are using it a every month it's money tied up that could be used for something more important. It sits there devaluing with the wife asking why you need it.....
Problem is that the servo rental trailer isn't rated high enough and is often in such a state that you're worried about it even being safe.

I towed my Dormobile from the top of VIC on a rental trailer, it towed well although possibly over the max weight for the tow vehicle. I understand the risk and I'm not suggesting that you follow what I did.

One option is to track down someone near you that hires heavy duty trailers, you'll need a brake controller fitted to your tow vehicle. Then work out how often you might actually need it and go from there.

I ended up inheriting a trailer designed for towing a Suzuki Jimney behind a motor home. A shorty fits on it perfectly but because the trailer is so narrow most cars are too wide. I added 500mm to the front and a 500mm beaver tail to the rear so it will take a LWB but it's only rated to 2 tonne.
I towed my Series I to Cooma in 2018 on it and it's been used by a couple of people for long distance LR moves. A Series I shorty was loaded on it and put over a weighbridge and came in at just under 2 tonne so a LWB will be overweight.

IMG_1583 by Colin Radley, on Flickr

Colin

Colin there are Electric Brake Controllers available now that are remote.
There is a phone App and you just have your phone cradled on the dash and set the brake application rate on it, 1-10.
I am told they just pick up that the vehicle brakes have been applied via the brake light circuit.



Cheers, Mick.

This worked back in the early 1970's, but i wouldn't do it today.
8 x 5 box trailer with the tailgates down.

Cheers, Mick.

Originally Posted by mick88

Colin there are Electric Brake Controllers available now that are remote.
There is a phone App and you just have your phone cradled on the dash and set the brake application rate on it, 1-10.
I am told they just pick up that the vehicle brakes have been applied via the brake light circuit.



Cheers, Mick.

Hi Mick,
The issue is the lack of use.
I haven't used the trailer for 2 years. Handy to have but difficult to justify spending more on something I don't use (hard enough justifying the rego).

We have a second Territory with a brake controller but I have to pay for the fuel, mine is being run on business so the company pays the fuel.
I may buy a harness and move the controller to my Territory at some point.



Colin

Originally Posted by mick88

This worked back in the early 1970's, but i wouldn't do it today.
8 x 5 box trailer with the tailgates down.

Cheers, Mick.

Can confirm, this still works.

Originally Posted by gromit

Hi Mick,
The issue is the lack of use.
I haven't used the trailer for 2 years. Handy to have but difficult to justify spending more on something I don't use (hard enough justifying the rego).

We have a second Territory with a brake controller but I have to pay for the fuel, mine is being run on business so the company pays the fuel.
I may buy a harness and move the controller to my Territory at some point.



Colin

Colin,
our car-trailer gets used by us several times a year behind the motorhome, plus i have a few "selected" mates who use it occasionally and pay me with a slab, so that works out ok. I know what you mean about rego's, we have three cars on full reg, four trailers, one tractor n primary producer rego (did have three, but sold two), plus five on the club permit scheme. We get a Christmas Card from Vicroads
The joys of owning motor vehicles i suppose, maybe i should collect stamps or coins.


Cheers, Mick.

Originally Posted by mick88

Colin,
our car-trailer gets used by us several times a year behind the motorhome, plus i have a few "selected" mates who use it occasionally and pay me with a slab, so that works out ok. I know what you mean about rego's, we have three cars on full reg, four trailers, one tractor n primary producer rego (did have three, but sold two), plus five on the club permit scheme. We get a Christmas Card from Vicroads
The joys of owning motor vehicles i suppose, maybe i should collect stamps or coins.


Cheers, Mick.

Mick,
Similar here.....3 on full, 5 on permit, two trailers.

Loathe to let the trailer go because I'll probably need it within a month....

When I extended the bed SWMBO asked why I needed to have a longer load bed because there was no way I was getting another Land Rover. I said it's in case one of the others breaks down but I must have hesitated so she doesn't believe me.


Colin

Lionel, I usually fabricate my own trailers, but a large car tandem is heavy work to turn over for welding underneath etc., unless you have a suitably equipped workshop. I looked into purchasing a second hand trailer, and even placed some wanted to buy adds on local buy, swap, n sell mediums, but second hand car trailers are worth gold, and the ones i looked at were absolute rubbish, poorly fabricated home made units, modified pieces of junk, caravan chassis's made into trailers, etc., etc., and they all wanted the world for them.
As the main purpose for the trailer was to transport 88" Land Rovers, and the series 3 88" is listed as weighing 2953 lb (1343 kg), a 1990 kg GVM trailer would serve the purpose, so i looked around and found a new one to do the job, and settled on a 14'6" long unit from a mob in Melbourne.
As Slunnie stated, one with a side framework is a far stronger unit, and a box type configuration would be very handy, but then the added weight becomes an issue when your in a marginal weight range. Also there are advantages of not having side rails, as the trailer can be used as a work platform (poor mans hoist ) for some jobs like servicing wheel bearings, etc. I have even used it when replacing shackle bushes, far easier than doing it on the garage floor.
It is normally towed behind our historic motorhome.
The trailer does get plenty of use for purposes other than carting Land Rovers.

Cheers, Mick.

This is my trailer. I deliberately built it as a dangerous/(probably illegal) trailer. As in the bed is longer behind the axles than infront. No-one at VicRoads seemed to notice when I registered it.



The 2meter long ramps and extended tail act as a lever and allow me to load cars with pretty much no ground clearance. ie: dead hydraulic citroens (124" wheelbase .... 1/2" ground clearance with fully inflated tires).

I only let a few specific friends borrow it as I'm concerned someone..... er, "less sensible" will someday use it and load it tail heavy (by centering load over the bed rather than the axles). with a trailer this size, if your tail heavy you'll end up upside down on the side of the road. As suggested above, this trailer is someone elses modified crap. Its quite flexible as it has no side walls and is made with angle iron. It originally had a huge coolroom mounted on it. I dragged this off and sold it. Though the trailer is long and flexible, it is still very strong. The chassis is made of 10mm BHP gal angle. the drawbar is the same stuff, but doubled up. so its quite "bendy" when loading/unloading, but way within the elastic limits of the huge 10mm angle iron frame.

seeya,
Shane L.