trailer storage

Author
Discussion

stranger12

Original Poster:

14 posts

153 months

Sunday 13th April 2014
quotequote all
Hi All,

I am in a bit of dilemma and hope people can give me an idea of what I could do .

I basically do some track days on my car and as it stands, I have to pay £70 for trailer hire everytime and have the stress of ensuring the trailer is not damaged.
This is because they claim any damage against my insurance which as you know once claimed the premium will go sky high. so normally sleep in the car which is not great.

so my best options are :
1. buy a trailer to tow my 328i bmw

2.get a car transporter.

the option 1 is the best as it costs around 1-1.5 k for a decent one but my issue is storage, does anyone has any idea on where it can be stored or kept safe ? I have today just found out I could store it in caravan sites and quite pleased but I am in north london and charges are a bit high. found one place with 24 access, camera etc for £480 per year

2nd option is to get a beavertail or flat bed but the cost of getting the car is 3-5k plus mot and insurance and ... which the cost will go into 1000s per year for the car to stand there and do nothing.

what would you have done if you were me ? continue to rent or buy a trailer?

how much should a expect to pay for a trailer that can tow my 1.5 ton bmw and what are the brands out there?



TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

125 months

Sunday 13th April 2014
quotequote all
stranger12 said:
I basically do some track days on my car and as it stands, I have to pay £70 for trailer hire everytime and have the stress of ensuring the trailer is not damaged.

the option 1 is the best as it costs around 1-1.5 k for a decent one but my issue is storage
I am in north london and charges are a bit high. found one place with 24 access, camera etc for £480 per year
How many track days do you do a year? Because JUST the storage for that would pay for seven rentals a year, even before you look at the purchase cost and maintenance.

stranger12 said:
how much should a expect to pay for a trailer that can tow my 1.5 ton bmw and what are the brands out there?
A grand is starting money for anything not particularly foetid.

Brian James is the biggest name in car transporter trailers.

Oh, and I presume you've got a fairly large towcar to be dragging two ton (with trailer) about, yep?

ajondyh

680 posts

123 months

Sunday 13th April 2014
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I have a trailer and although I do just about have room to keep it it takes up a large footprint which is space I could happily use. I have been weighing up options like this too. I also thought about getting an engine hoist/crane and modding it so the trailer could be stored on it's side, but not sure whether it would work.

jonnyleroux

1,511 posts

259 months

Sunday 13th April 2014
quotequote all
Where do you do your trackdays? We are storing clients cars on-site at Donington Park for a grand a year, no cost if you want to use the car at Donington and £125+VAT if you want to use it anywhere else in the UK (any BaT event, or any third party event where the BaT truck is headed with the Caterhams).

Just something to consider if you only do a few track days a year and don't want the hassle of needing a trailer and decent tow car.

Jonny
BaT

stranger12

Original Poster:

14 posts

153 months

Sunday 13th April 2014
quotequote all
i may do 5-10 depending on budget if the car is ok and ...
but the thing with rental is , most drift days are on wednesday and that means I have to pick it up during working hours(9-6 or 8-5 depending on whom I am renting it from) then obviously I won't be back the same day by the time they close thus what can be a one day job turns into a 3 day job .

for instance if I am going for car track or drift track day on wednesday, I have to travel 30 miles on Tuesday evening to pick it up and then return it on thursday morning . this is a nightmare as I have to take time off and also sleep in the car.

with my own trailer and places which offer a 24 hours access , i could wake up at 5-6 am , go there pick it up and return it at 7-8pm. you see now why I am willing to buy one ?

in addition if I need to take the car to mechanic etc , it doesn't mean I have to pay for 1 day of using the trailer, I will just pick mine up. that it.

based on above I have justified the cost even if it means I may do 2-3 track days a year ( very tight on budget)


in terms of brand etc, I have seen some trailers out there costing 1300 or less and are 5 meter long which is what I need. would I be safe going with any trailer which looks strong ? or should I look for known brands which are obviously more expensive .

in terms of maintenance, I can do all of the works on the trailer which I guess will be brake and hitch servicing, is that it ?

what is a typical maintenance cost for owning a trailer?



stranger12

Original Poster:

14 posts

153 months

Sunday 13th April 2014
quotequote all
forgot to say , my tow car is 530d 05 model and can tow 2 ton braked according to the specs so should be fine .

spyderman8

1,748 posts

155 months

Sunday 13th April 2014
quotequote all
I'd stick with renting the trailer - you don't have to maintain it, insure it or worry about it getting stolen.

TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

125 months

Monday 14th April 2014
quotequote all
stranger12 said:
forgot to say , my tow car is 530d 05 model and can tow 2 ton braked according to the specs so should be fine .
Legal, yes. (Presuming pre-97 licence).
Fine? Rather you than me...

Since the kerb weight is ~1650kg, that's going to be VERY tail-waggy at the slightest provocation. The rule-of-thumb 85% is about 1400kg.

stranger12

Original Poster:

14 posts

153 months

Monday 14th April 2014
quotequote all
I have passed my B+E so should be legal smile

stranger12

Original Poster:

14 posts

153 months

Monday 14th April 2014
quotequote all
what trailer would you go for? any specific brand?

magooagain

9,910 posts

169 months

Monday 14th April 2014
quotequote all
I have a twin axle Iffor Williams car trailor. It's maximum load is 2.1 tons plus wieght of trailor 500kilos. My track car is about 1,200 kilos. So no problem with overloading. But i would never want to put my car on a single axle trailor that is at its wieght carrying limit.

I tow alot and can vouch for Iffor Williams for quality. Brian James is also a good make.

Go onto thier websites and take a look at the various types.

But dont buy to small a trailor. Remember the rule of thumb that the tow vehicle must be heavier than the total wieght of trailor and its load.

radical78

398 posts

143 months

Monday 14th April 2014
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your tow car is fine. maintainance costs very little. depreciation is nothing can easily get your money back years later. cheapest storage is a farm yard for a small fee. only problem with owning a decent trailer is theft

iguana

7,025 posts

259 months

Monday 14th April 2014
quotequote all
stranger12 said:
what trailer would you go for? any specific brand?
Not much difference between brian james, Woodford, prg, ivor williams as the largest uk players, brenderup big name in eu.

But are also really good trailers from names you've never heard of, ive run an rm car trailer commercially for couple of yrs & it was ace & on the fleet at the mo ive got a Polish huge double trailer that I don't even know who made it & its been ace.

Don't underestimate the costs to bring a tatty trailer up to a good level, ive just sorted the most used & in need of tlc one of mine on the work fleet & with all brake cables, a wheel bearing all brake shoes, pair of lights, some electric cables & some little odds plus 2 tyres the bill was a grand.

As said prev, biggest issue with car trailers is theft, secure storage & all the locks you can get are a must & even then I've heard of really fort knox type security measures being bypassed, barns broken into cars& even tractors being moved out the way chains cut locks bashed in just to steak a single trailer worth £1500 odd

Elderly

3,486 posts

237 months

Tuesday 15th April 2014
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ajondyh said:
I have a trailer and although I do just about have room to keep it it takes up a large footprint.
My B. James trailer has a folding tow pole instead of the conventional 'A' frame.

Having said that, my trailer gets almost no use; I drive my track car to 99.99% of track days and as space is the least of my problems, the folding tow pole is of no benefit to me either rolleyes.

Mrs Muttleysnoop

1,412 posts

183 months

Tuesday 15th April 2014
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Check out your local home store type place. Two local ones to me have secure, alarmed,CCTV 24/7 access, outside storage for cars, caravans, trailers etc.

Edited by Mrs Muttleysnoop on Tuesday 15th April 08:39

Gaz Walton

32 posts

138 months

Tuesday 15th April 2014
quotequote all
Other idea is to buy one and the rent it out as well, this will cover your storage costs and in time pay for the trailer itself

spyderman8

1,748 posts

155 months

Tuesday 15th April 2014
quotequote all
Gaz Walton said:
Other idea is to buy one and the rent it out as well, this will cover your storage costs and in time pay for the trailer itself
But then you will probably need liability as well as theft insurance!

stranger12

Original Poster:

14 posts

153 months

Tuesday 15th April 2014
quotequote all
can you not put this on the owner car insurance as some rental places do ?

TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

125 months

Tuesday 15th April 2014
quotequote all
spyderman8 said:
But then you will probably need liability as well as theft insurance!
Not to mention the hassle factor of the guy who has it just before your track day returning it battered and late...

LouD86

3,278 posts

152 months

Tuesday 15th April 2014
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Storage wise - why not park your 3 series on it? Bingo, space stores two vehicles. Wheel clamps, hitch lock, and a couple of other sneaky deterants stop it being stolen. Thats what I do with our trailer. There is always something parked on it, sometimes the towcar!