Car Transporter Trailer Tips Needed Pls :-)

[Pistol Pete]

It does look strange being backed on (normally just required for mid engined cars) but if the nose weight is correct and it tow ok then should be fine.

I think you'd struggle to get the nose weight if it was a twin axle trailer with the car that way around.

[s2rrr]

Check your driving license ok for towing as they changed the rules a while ago with an additional bit for the newer licenses. The nose weight should be not higher than that recommened by the tow bar or car manufacturer usually about 80kg but in reality if you keep it lower say 40-50kg it means that when you are pushing it around uncoupled its not too heavy to manhandle. Double axles are pigs to push manually. The gearbox hoop will be the bit that grounds or the silencer. As mentioned if you lift up the front of your trailer on the jockey wheel you can get a better angle for clearance. Do you have tie downs on your rear wheels (at the front) if not I would as it may bounce over, you can't be too careful. Finally remember the absolute max speed limits for towing are 60mph (50mph on others) and never go in the 3rd lane as some think they can. Watch out for the usual idiots who think they can pull in and brake in front of you as you are holding them up pulling a trailer. Reversing is an art form practise it a bit and don't let your missus guide you down a dead end where you have to do a 20 point turn on a steep hill :d :d . Check your lights work as the boys in blue like to talk to towers and have a spare wheel, jack and wheel spanner ready which will do the trailer, you never know when that flat will happen.

Its easy really

Bob

[Dodgey]

Thanks all :-)

Received my winch today, plus grabbed some bolts from my local bolt shop. All sorted. She goes on fine with no clearance issues using the winch and the jockey wound right out. I've now got her balanced nicely with her facing forward.

I'm 43 so I'm exempt from the newer limits :-) I've towed plenty before, just not owned a trailer (I drove 40ft/38Tonne HGVs - on private land for 3 years when I was a warehouse manager, so I can reverse most things ;-) )

I've set it all up with around 65kg over the ball now, including the spare wheel. I can happily push the whole lot around with the car strapped on in my drive, which was the aim, and why I went for a single axle. I can now, the night before, load her up, push her backwards into my garage, lock it up, then open up, hitch up and leave at dawn for track days :-) The twin I rented was a pig to move, and a daft amount of weight for such a light car.

A

[alexander72]

happy days!!!

[Pistol Pete]

Yep i'm sure I can push my 1200kg caravan around easier than the empty 4 wheelled trailer.

[Zumbruk]

The secret with moving four wheel trailers manually is to jack the front up on the jockey wheel until the front pair of wheels come off the ground. Then it's a 2 wheel trailer.

Providing you've got positive nose-weight, it doesn't matter which way round the car is. On my 4-wheel, you wouldn't be able to get positive weight on the nose with the car that way round; the trailer sits level just on its wheels, with the jockey wheel wound up. I actually have to sit on the A-frame to hitch it up when it's unloaded.

[Dodgey]

Last thing I have to do it plate it now (was made by a blacksmith(. It doesn't have one. I've researched it, and the legal requirement is as simple as scrawling a number on with a marker pen indicating the GTW. Thing is, I have no idea.

I've looked up similar looking trailers and they seem to come in around 400Kg UW and 12-1400 GTW. Once I know this I can get a plate of the web and stamp it up. Seems I may have to put some effort into identifying my AL-KO internal suspension axle. That is the most reliable way of determining the trailer's towing capacity apparently.

Just admin now really :-) When I sell the car one day it will be the perfect trailer to go with it - nothing wider will fit on it! :-)

[dhutch]

I bought a blank plate of ebay, trimmed of the 'manufacter/model' bit and stamped it to the weight I wanted. Best advise I could get was simply to ensure the suspension and tyres where rated at the loads I was stamping.

I agree its uncommon to a front engined car on backwards as it often ended up with a lot of weight at the rear and even negative nose weight, but if the wheels are a decent way back so are all but under the engine anyway it might be better that way.

Whats the nose weight like if you put it on the other way round, but towards the back of the trailer? You wat to consider the interia as well the static weights.

I've never had wheel straps and tied it down as you have, but would trim the straps down assuming you dont plan to use them elsewhere.

Daniel

[AdamR]

ensure the suspension and tyres where rated at the loads I was stamping.

And make sure the load rating on the coupling matches, too!

[Dodgey]

I have loaded her with the car pointing forward now. I can get the correct nose weight either way. A testament to how well balanced my car is centrally I guess ! :-)

[Pistol Pete]

The secret with moving four wheel trailers manually is to jack the front up on the jockey wheel until the front pair of wheels come off the ground. Then it's a 2 wheel trailer

Even jacked up on two wheels the caravan appears easier, think it has more to do with having thimgs at the right height to grab hold of rather than at 18".

Yes, our westy (so presume most) is everso slightly tail heavy, 49% front 51% rear if I remember correctly.

[dhutch]

Yes, our westy (so presume most) is everso slightly tail heavy, 49% front 51% rear if I remember correctly.

Supprised by that. Ive not got axle weights for mine, but its notiable heavier at the front, when pushing it up into the trailer, over curbs, etc. I can get a rear wheel of the ground manually, but not a front.

Daniel

[Mark (smokey mow)]

Even jacked up on two wheels the caravan appears easier, think it has more to do with having thimgs at the right height to grab hold of rather than at 18".

Yes, our westy (so presume most) is everso slightly tail heavy, 49% front 51% rear if I remember correctly.

Mine's the same 49/51% until i get in i only have a 10kg difference front to rear with an empty car.

[Dodgey]

I found the plate on my trailer axle today, and checked everything else out. My axle is rated to 1000Kg, and my hitch at 75Kg.

I also weighed my trailer! using 3 bathrooms scales! :-) - came in a 350Kg.

So that gives me 650Kg load to play with, which is fine. I've read that my car should be around 520Kg ish. So lets say 600Kg. I'm still ok, and there will be a good leeway of around 150Kg which is a guess for the axle itself, with the hubs and wheels, which can be excluded.

So I'll plate her up as UL=350KG, with a capacity of 800Kg giving a GTW of 1150Kg

[dhutch]

I found the plate on my trailer axle today, and checked everything else out. My axle is rated to 1000Kg, and my hitch at 75Kg.

I also weighed my trailer! using 3 bathrooms scales! :-) - came in a 350Kg.

So that gives me 650Kg load to play with, which is fine. I've read that my car should be around 520Kg ish. So lets say 600Kg. I'm still ok, and there will be a good leeway of around 150Kg which is a guess for the axle itself, with the hubs and wheels, which can be excluded.

So I'll plate her up as UL=350KG, with a capacity of 800Kg giving a GTW of 1150Kg

All sounds good to me, other than spec'ing a capacity of 800kg, although I see the 150kg for the axle argument it seems very wrong that after all of that the gross weight (GVW, GTW is train weight) is more than the maximum axle loading, which may wel include the axles own weight anyway? I would suggest plating it at more like 600kg capacity. 350+600=950 which is just under 90% of the axle and hitch max loadings (1075*.9), allowing some scope for loading variation? Or if you where really worried the car would be over 600kg maybe 650 to give a ton and hence 75kg play, on the assumption you can set it very repeatably.

The above numbers are just a gut feeling, I have no knowlage of the requirments or industry, but in my mind for the plated max of the trailer to exceed the plated max of the axle is maddness, even if the axle plate where to have fallen off...

Daniel