Best budget trailer for Westy

[cjdad76]

Just for intermittent use to / from track days maybe 8/10 times per year.  Many questions on this one:

1) Single or double axle?  Had experience of both and really no major preference other than a single would be lighter to push around my drive.

2) Used or new? They seem to hold their value so new might not be a bad idea, plus some used one's look like right dog's dinners - would want a genuine factory manufactured one for peace of mind!

3) Over the wheels / or bed between the wheels?  Higher CofG versus lower / wider I guess.  Also a bit worried about nose clearance when loading some of the higher, raised bed models.

4) Tilt bed or ramped?  As above - ground / nose clearance worries me with some of the different designs.  Any experiences with specific models?

 

Suggestions and advice would be appreciated.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Never owned a trailer, but have borrowed a few..

So, from my limited experiance!

1. double does give some peace of mind should you have tyre problems, I've never had a blow out, but even in my limited towing life, I have had a puncture on one of the wheels, towed perfectly well to the next services, even with one "flat" (and a heavy Mega S2000 sat on it).

2. It does astound me how well they keep their values. Personal preference on this, and what's available at the time, I guess.

3. Personally, between every time. So stable, and the Westfield sits high enough as it is.

4. Having had the luxury of a tilt bed the last half a dozen times, I loved it compared to ramps.

I'm sure someone with much more towing experiance will be along soon enough though.

[stephenh]

Mine is a Brian James, and well made. I prefer the twin axle, so stable. For manouvering, just jack the jockey wheel right up so the front wheels are off the ground.

[John Loudon - Sponsorship Liaison]

I've had both single and double axle trailers. The current single axle is my favourite - light to tow and easy to manoeuvre. Despite what people think, its also just as stable as any other trailer I've had which is mainly due to the weight distribution of the load. Get the nose weight correct ad you are on the right lines.

New or used is down to your budget but used ones can be quite often abused and neglected, especially electrics and tyres. Check it over and walk away if its rough.

Extra long ramps aid loading immensely. tilt beds just add to the overall weight and test your handbrake if loading alone

Mine is a Woodford lightweight single axle 11 ft long x 6ft1" wide which my car fits perfectly on and I am more than happy with it

 

[DE04*]

1)I have a 4 wheel trailer very stable when towing and you do get 4 wheels braking rather than 2 wheels and if you winde jockey wheel up enough so front axle comes off the floor very,easy to spin around.

2) The reason I went for a new trailer was because second hand trailer's do hold there price and the westy sits on the trailer in the garage,so I had to get the right size width to get through the garage door and the right length. Also if I want to work on the westy while on the trailer and put my arm underneath the westy you don't want a high lip on the trailer. So taking all these things into consideration it was easier to buy a new one.

3) I went for between the wheel's and a lower centre of gravity,but only slightly wider by a inch or so either side  than a Audi A3.

4) I got ramp's but paid a little extra and got slide out ramps much easier and if you do have a low car,I can see them being a right pain to put away under car. Also got extra long ramps helps with a low car. You can also winde up jockey wheel up when loading/unloading so it tilts the trailer up.

I bought a Brian James's A4 trailer and love it. Comes in various sizes width/length also 2 wheel(A2),check out the C2 and C4 as well. Hope this help's.

[Andy Banks]

If you find one, BJ MinoMax is ideal for a Westfield but they are rare. There is an alternate new from BJ of course so depends on budget.

Generally as others have said so basically down to getting the most bang for your buck but in my experience the things I'd want are:

• Good strong jockey wheel
• Long ramps or tilt bed
• Covered floor
• Tyre rack and/or other on-board storage would tip it one way if all the above were met but not essential for me personally

In direct response to your questions:

1. Twin axle

2. New great but a sorted second hander is fine (both of mine were)

3. Between, assuming you have no restrictions on width

4. Tilt otherwise extra-long ramps, even as an after purchase fit

[John Loudon - Sponsorship Liaison]

I forgot to add that single axle trailers are a lot less money than twin axle trailers both in used and new

[SootySport]

Used PRG Twin axle for me with long ramps and it just fits into a standard 7 ft. garage doorway.   

Having a puncture on a single axle trailer can be a disaster at a reasonable speed.  

[B.RAD]

Single axle, new/used is up to you, between the wheels, tilt is ok but I'd argue I can load mine with the ramps just as quick as using the tilt and the trailer is lighter without all the hydraulics. 

As John says, have owned my single axle Brian James trailer for 2 years now, covered thousands of miles and it's been great. I can pull it into my garage fully loaded - no way I could do this with a double axle. It's really stable towing and as it's light doesn't affect fuel or be too much of a burden to tow. So a big thumbs up from me!

[B.RAD]

8 hours ago, SootySport said:

Having a puncture on a single axle trailer can be a disaster at a reasonable speed.  

Have you experienced this Bernie? 

[Crash test dummy]

19 minutes ago, BCF said:

 I can pull it into my garage fully loaded - no way I could do this with a double axle.

You need more Weetabix . I could push my covered Minno into the garage with the car on no problem

[Crash test dummy]

17 minutes ago, BCF said:

Have you experienced this Bernie? 

In 20 years I've had two blow outs with four wheel trailers. On both occasions I was able to safely come to a stop without any drama, one of them on the M1 was a proper tyre shredder that would not have ended well if it had happened on a two wheel trailer. However the tyres on two wheel trailers are usually highly rated so the overall risk of a full blow out is probably less. 4 wheel for me though.

[B.RAD]

33 minutes ago, Crash test dummy said:

You need more Weetabix . I could push my covered Minno into the garage with the car on no problem

Ha ha! Yes I'd agree with that! Mine is on an uphill slope, with a lip to get into the garage just as the trailer is moving at its slowest, so it's quite a challenge. If the tyre rack has more than 4 wheels on it I really struggle, so I know anything bigger wouldn't be viable.

My single axle also has the benefit of having a folding hitch, so I can save even more garage space if needed!

[B.RAD]

30 minutes ago, Crash test dummy said:

In 20 years I've had two blow outs with four wheel trailers. On both occasions I was able to safely come to a stop without any drama, one of them on the M1 was a proper tyre shredder that would not have ended well if it had happened on a two wheel trailer. However the tyres on two wheel trailers are usually highly rated so the overall risk of a full blow out is probably less. 4 wheel for me though.

That's why I asked, I've heard people worry about having a blowout on a single axle but never come across anyone who's actually experienced it, I'd be really interested to hear a first hand experience.

[Kit Car Electronics]

I had a blowout on the offside of a single axle returning from a track day. I was on the A34 doing 60- the tyres were probably over 10 years old and a little cracked on the sidewalls, so it was my own fault. Sudden bang and flapping as the shredded side wall flailed around on the arch, but i was able to spot it in my mirror and pull onto hard shoulder without much drama. The worst part was fitting the new one with the traffic howling past. 

It didn't stop me continuing to use a single axle, I'm just a little more cautious about tyre age now.