Discussion
Gents
I am in the market for a trailer to transport my rally car to various events, mainly over here in europe so some fairly long hauls are on the horizon. Any advice from experienced towers regards what to look out for when buying a suitable trailer and the best kind of set up to go for would be most welcome. I'm not after some of these you see advertised on flea bay that can also carry a traction engine, or any home made contraptions of questionable engineering integrity.Neither do I want to spend big bucks on something brand new, nice though that would be.just a reputable proven type from a proven builder, second hand.
Any thoughts?
Cheers
I am in the market for a trailer to transport my rally car to various events, mainly over here in europe so some fairly long hauls are on the horizon. Any advice from experienced towers regards what to look out for when buying a suitable trailer and the best kind of set up to go for would be most welcome. I'm not after some of these you see advertised on flea bay that can also carry a traction engine, or any home made contraptions of questionable engineering integrity.Neither do I want to spend big bucks on something brand new, nice though that would be.just a reputable proven type from a proven builder, second hand.
Any thoughts?
Cheers
Nothing wrong with a home built trailer provided it has been well thought out/constructed.
When it comes to towing something heavy like a car there are a few things to look for.
Trailer must be low for easy loading/unloading, and also to keep the center of gravity as low as possible.
Twin axles are preferable
Wheels must be braked
The wheels/track should be wide enough for you to get your car between them, and also long enough to where your car does not overhang.
Galvanised steel will last longer than painted.
When it comes to the tow vehicle, generally speaking the larger and heavier, the better. You might want to fit an oil cooler to your gearbox to keep temperatures down and fit the best brake pads/disks you can find.
A long wheelbase and short rear overhang help keep things stable.
When it comes to towing something heavy like a car there are a few things to look for.
Trailer must be low for easy loading/unloading, and also to keep the center of gravity as low as possible.
Twin axles are preferable
Wheels must be braked
The wheels/track should be wide enough for you to get your car between them, and also long enough to where your car does not overhang.
Galvanised steel will last longer than painted.
When it comes to the tow vehicle, generally speaking the larger and heavier, the better. You might want to fit an oil cooler to your gearbox to keep temperatures down and fit the best brake pads/disks you can find.
A long wheelbase and short rear overhang help keep things stable.
I used to have a home-made one (not made by me) and it did the job OK, although it needed some welding at one point. The disadvantage was that it was about twice the weight of a similar capacity commercially produced trailer which obviously restricts what you can put on it for a tow car.
If I was going to get one again, I'd probably spend the extra and get something like a Brian James (I don't know much about them but everyone seems to use them so they're presumably pretty decent). If you going to take it racing, you might find it useful to have a way of carrying extra wheels on the trailer; they're an arse to fix into the back of a car that's already full of tools and camping stuff.
If I was going to get one again, I'd probably spend the extra and get something like a Brian James (I don't know much about them but everyone seems to use them so they're presumably pretty decent). If you going to take it racing, you might find it useful to have a way of carrying extra wheels on the trailer; they're an arse to fix into the back of a car that's already full of tools and camping stuff.
XJR500bhp said:
I bought a trailer recently, it does the job but it's not great. I'll probably swap it for a tilt trailer soon, as getting lowered cars on is quite awkward, so bear that in mind
yes this is a real issue... there are lot of "car trailers" that sit above the wheels rather than between them, thus combined with short ramps make for a very steep breakover angle.Of the Brian James range my personal favorite would be the A2/A4 transporter's.
kambites said:
skyrover said:
yes this is a real issue... there are lot of "car trailers" that sit above the wheels rather than between them, thus combined with short ramps make for a very steep breakover angle.
A rather high centre of gravity too, I'd imagine!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCfFbQpmqWk
kambites said:
I guess the advantage in having the wheels underneath, is that you have a chance of fitting the trailer into a single garage. My trailer had the wheels on the sides and despite being fairly small (the bed would only just take my MGB) was well over seven feet wide.
I had a Brian James Minno which just went in my single garage(couple of cms either side) and had a fold up draw bar too. Use to load three motorbikes on it but use to have to pull it out the garage by hand and up a slope. Soon tired of that!
skyrover said:
yep... one of the contributing factors to this accident
I don't think the few inches extra height'd make a difference there, tbh. The root cause is the wrong nose weight causing that snake to get going.skyrover said:
...and the Oscar for cinematography goes to...I have a 18 foot tri-axle Brian James which tilts and has long ramps, I fit a Defender 110 racer and my big quad on it and it tows spot on all over France.
Have towed many, many thousands of miles and have found this to be the best for my usage, had Ifor Williams and am not keen.
Not yet found any car that will not fit on as regards ramp angle, it has a full set of sides and winch, not cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep but it does so many other jobs with a flat deck we even moved 150 bails of hay last year for a friend.
Brian James gets my vote all day long.
Have towed many, many thousands of miles and have found this to be the best for my usage, had Ifor Williams and am not keen.
Not yet found any car that will not fit on as regards ramp angle, it has a full set of sides and winch, not cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep but it does so many other jobs with a flat deck we even moved 150 bails of hay last year for a friend.
Brian James gets my vote all day long.
TooMany2cvs said:
skyrover said:
yep... one of the contributing factors to this accident
I don't think the few inches extra height'd make a difference there, tbh. The root cause is the wrong nose weight causing that snake to get going.skyrover said:
...and the Oscar for cinematography goes to...Incorrectly loaded trailer, excessive speed, high center of gravity and inappropriate tow vehicle are the main culprits
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