Towing a 20ft shipping Container?
Discussion
Sunday morning pondering....
A couple of years ago I got a 20ft shipping container for work.
We had it all lined with ply inside, painted, carpeted and led lighting. Turning into a mobile (ish) exhibition centre, whilst having the outside suitably painted and branded for the campaign we were running. It was linked to International Trade hence using an iconic shipping container rather than a normal exhibition unit.
We took around the country, contracting the moving out to a haulage company. All went well.
Not been used for awhile, one of the barriers being the cost of moving. So what is to stop me putting it on the back of a triple axle braked trailer and towing it behind a Hilux pickup?
Challenge will be getting it on and off the flatbed, that and the legalities...
Container is fundamentally empty so probably ways about 2,600kg.
Anyone done it?
A couple of years ago I got a 20ft shipping container for work.
We had it all lined with ply inside, painted, carpeted and led lighting. Turning into a mobile (ish) exhibition centre, whilst having the outside suitably painted and branded for the campaign we were running. It was linked to International Trade hence using an iconic shipping container rather than a normal exhibition unit.
We took around the country, contracting the moving out to a haulage company. All went well.
Not been used for awhile, one of the barriers being the cost of moving. So what is to stop me putting it on the back of a triple axle braked trailer and towing it behind a Hilux pickup?
Challenge will be getting it on and off the flatbed, that and the legalities...
Container is fundamentally empty so probably ways about 2,600kg.
Anyone done it?
Looks complicated but from the link below I think you'll need something bigger than a Hi Lux to tow that.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploa...
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploa...
jimbouk said:
Ok ditch the hilux and use a 3.0 Touareg, I think that can can tow 3,500 kg
Can probably stay on the trailer, could just use a rented hiab to lift it on, but looking for pistonhead ingenuity!
I think without a C1 + E entitlement the limit is 3,500 Kg total (tow vehicle and trailer combined).Can probably stay on the trailer, could just use a rented hiab to lift it on, but looking for pistonhead ingenuity!
jimbouk said:
So what is to stop me putting it on the back of a triple axle braked trailer and towing it behind a Hilux pickup?
Nothing really. Use something like a Discovery with 3.5t towing capacity, and make sure you get a light trailer otherwise you'll be overweight. Id find an old flatbed you can either weld the shipping container to, or mount some twist locks on there if you really need to take it on and off. More sensibly would be to get a small 7.5t truck and mount it on the back, you'll probably have enough weight limit to mount a hiab on the truck. With a 2.6t container, you really dont have much weight limit spare for the trailer itself.
40ft behind a pick up no problems.......
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIEEd10apF0
New Container trailer on ebay in Southampton......
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SHIPPING-CONTAINER-20-AN...
And 4 heavy duty jacks to demount?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIEEd10apF0
New Container trailer on ebay in Southampton......
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SHIPPING-CONTAINER-20-AN...
And 4 heavy duty jacks to demount?
It's too wide. Your limit for a trailer as you describe is 2.3 metres (iirc), the container is 2.5 metres wide.
You might get away with adding the diagonal over-width markers but it's asking for a pull by the police.
Is it honestly only 2.6 tonnes? That seems light to me.
ETA: spot of googling suggests an empty container is 2200 kg so maybe weight isn't much different to your estimate.
I still think you may run into problems with the width from a legal perspective.
You might get away with adding the diagonal over-width markers but it's asking for a pull by the police.
Is it honestly only 2.6 tonnes? That seems light to me.
ETA: spot of googling suggests an empty container is 2200 kg so maybe weight isn't much different to your estimate.
I still think you may run into problems with the width from a legal perspective.
Edited by Super Slo Mo on Sunday 12th February 15:56
You probably need a heavy duty 20ft trailer with a decent sized winch (at least 12000lbs) and preferably a tilt bed.
The bed will need sit over the wheels in order to fit the shipping container and not like a regular car hauler which has the bed between the wheels.
As you'll be pulling a big rectangle, I would suggest a goose neck for stability but you might get away with a dove tail if you have enough weight on the tow vehicle.
I expect that the type of trailer that you'll be looking at will weigh at least 5000lbs and the shipping container itself is at least 5000lbs.
I have one of these with a 454CI V8 and an 03 Ford F350 with a 6.8l V10. I think that will find that the first hill you come up in a hilux will probably probably put an end to your towing aspirations which is a better prospect than the Toureg which might make it up the hill with the torque that the engine produces but will unlikely keep it together on the way back down.
The bed will need sit over the wheels in order to fit the shipping container and not like a regular car hauler which has the bed between the wheels.
As you'll be pulling a big rectangle, I would suggest a goose neck for stability but you might get away with a dove tail if you have enough weight on the tow vehicle.
I expect that the type of trailer that you'll be looking at will weigh at least 5000lbs and the shipping container itself is at least 5000lbs.
I have one of these with a 454CI V8 and an 03 Ford F350 with a 6.8l V10. I think that will find that the first hill you come up in a hilux will probably probably put an end to your towing aspirations which is a better prospect than the Toureg which might make it up the hill with the torque that the engine produces but will unlikely keep it together on the way back down.
Super Slo Mo said:
It's too wide. Your limit for a trailer as you describe is 2.3 metres (iirc), the container is 2.5 metres wide.
Actually, the maximum width is 2.55m (since 2010, EU standardisation shenanigans), and 20ft ISO's are only 2.44m wide. It'll fit on an appropriately rated 96" wide trailer, pending vehicle GTW limits.I'd say you would be OK. Weight wise with the right trailer you'll be fine, and width wise I tow boats that are u ok to 2.8m wide. I think the width restriction is based on the width of the trailer so so much the width of the load, so hence a boat on a normal width trailer can be alot wider than something like a caravan. That would rule welding the container to the trailer which I imagine would make it part of the trailer rather than a load.
Vehicle wise I use the works LR defender 125ps to tow up to 3.5t and whilst not quick is doable. My boss has got a SDV6 Discovery and that barely knows there the weight behind it.
The only other consideration would be a tachograph if it's for work purposes. If you get stopped the police might be satisfied until a smart arse VOSA (or what ever they are called now) chirps up then things can get expensive, even more soif you have an accident.
Vehicle wise I use the works LR defender 125ps to tow up to 3.5t and whilst not quick is doable. My boss has got a SDV6 Discovery and that barely knows there the weight behind it.
The only other consideration would be a tachograph if it's for work purposes. If you get stopped the police might be satisfied until a smart arse VOSA (or what ever they are called now) chirps up then things can get expensive, even more soif you have an accident.
scorcher said:
40ft behind a pick up no problems.......
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIEEd10apF0
That's probably a Chevy 3500 with a Duramax 6.6 liter V8. The new ones have more than 900ft/lbs of torque and have a max towing ability of 23000lbs. One ton trucks are commonly used to haul large loads and I've had several cars shipped around the country by owner operators running one ton trucks attached to 3 car haulers.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIEEd10apF0
It's not uncommon here , and the trucks are built to handle it.
To my knowledge, there is no European or Japanese car manufacturer in the 3/4 ton or 1 ton pickup truck business. Transits and sprinters can be configured for 1 ton payloads but they're not going to pull a goose neck.
Fabric said:
Super Slo Mo said:
It's too wide. Your limit for a trailer as you describe is 2.3 metres (iirc), the container is 2.5 metres wide.
Actually, the maximum width is 2.55m (since 2010, EU standardisation shenanigans), and 20ft ISO's are only 2.44m wide. It'll fit on an appropriately rated 96" wide trailer, pending vehicle GTW limits.
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