Well while everyone down south seems to be getting snow the sun has been out to play up here so I thought I better crack on with my trailer build that I was meant to start 2 years ago.

I very nearly laid out £1k for a brian james before christmas but just couldn't justify the outlay for the amount of use it will get, So I went back to the original plan of basing it on a caravan chassis that I bought from Seabass a couple of years ago.

Started out looking like this:


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My old scrap heavy trailer happened to have a very nice Indespension triplelock hitch so after the neck had been slightly shortened on the caravan chassis this was transplanted by the hooded one (my eldest) despite it looking like he's trying to steal it.


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I had some steel runners pressed by Nicol Mackay down in prestwick, who by the way were extremely helpful despite being a huge manufacturing co, the sales bloke even took me for a wander round as I took an interest in what they were making. These were slaved on along with front and rear crossmembers.


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Couple more cross members fitted, wheels and mudguards slaved on.


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Where the trailer lives I was forever breaking lights so i wanted them up and out of the way so I had a steel channel pressed so the lights and no plate will be up a bit higher, I have fitted hinges so this will swing out of the way for loading.


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I also have a running cost list for anyone who's interested

Chassis: 75
Steel Pressings: 160
Steel Angle: 34
2 x new tyres: 76
2 x rear lights (used led items off here): 15
Bolts, nuts and washers: 26
Cable, 2 x marker lights, hinges, 2 x prop stands, 2 antiluces: 40
Shotblast and paint of old wheels: 20 (mate rate)

Running Total of £446, remaining cost of galvanizing will prob take it to near £600. However my old trailer which is made of 4mm steel tread plate is getting weighed in and I have 2 nearly new trailer wheels and tyres to sell so I anticipate £100 ish back into the pot.

Looks good, I made my trailer from caravan chassis, mine's twin axle and tilt bed and although I bought bits at the right money I ended up having over a grand in it. Lots of work, but worth it.

How do you guys do for insurance while towing these things. These trailers are as good if not better than some of the pro jobs and a lot cheaper. My insurance company said yes we will insure you while towing what make is it? Can you get an IVA for one of these?

Looks really good!

This is the trailer build diary I did last year. It's a bit heavier duty but I made it with the metal I had available...

http://www.rhocar.org/index.php?showtopic=33534&st=0




[Edited on 12/3/13 by richardm6994]

I checked with the insurance when I took the policy and as long I kept to within my license category (under 3.5 tonnes total) and the trailer is road legal I'm covered. To the letter of the Law it should now be IVA'd but seeing as its a stupid uncontrolled system I will be sticking with my data plate on the hitch. My trailer was built in 2009. I'm merely refurbishing it

You're trailer looks great Richard, nice to see one with some colour

cheers mate!

as with all projects of mine, it started life as being a simple job but then got carried away and 6 months and about £500 later it was finally finished!

Painting it was well worth the effort. All it took was me and my old man 1 sunny Saturday to do it and it transformed the look of the trailer!

Very nice work. That chassis looks like it made the build nice and easy.

I have been wanting to build something pretty much like what you have done for awhile. I despise that the US attitude towards trailers and towing is that "the trailer needs to be larger than your garage" and "it needs to be towed behind a gigantic truck" so essentially no one sells a light car trailer. Last time I checked F=M*A regardless of country....

Have you weighed it yet?

The caravan chassis made it a very simple build indeed, only prob was the neck was too long so it had to be shortened and new crush tubes made up, but even that was straightforward. I haven't weighed it yet but I'm hoping for 200-250 kg all up when galvanized. I only have a 1.8 Zafira to tow with so weight is a big consideration. My old trailer is 500-600 empty. The kit was trial fitted today and its fits a treat, there is 15" of space to play with to get the balance and nose weight bang on, I'm going to get a couple of chocks made up to mark ideal position.

I've finished the build today, has all been broken down into bits and all been deburred ready for when I get chance to get it to the galvanizers.

Trailer is now finished!

Picked it up from galv after the easter weekend and finished assembly this morning, just have some load resistors to wire in to stop the indicators going mental and some reflectors for the back. Ive updated the cost sheet for anyone whos interested. Total came in at around £500 all in which is around half the cost of an equivalent brian james.

Its light too, the galvanized bits were 140kgs so with the axle, wheels etc I estimate it to be 225kgs all up, the zafira is certainly happier towing it than the old one!

Chassis: 75
Steel Pressings: 160
Steel Angle: 34
2 x new tyres: 76
2 x rear lights (used led items off here): 15
Bolts, nuts and washers: 26
Cable, 2 x marker lights, hinges, 2 x prop stands, 2 antiluces: 40
Shotblast and paint of old wheels: 20 (mate rate)
Galv 140
Scrap refund of old trailer -80


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[Edited on 4/4/13 by sdh2903]

Looks good, you need some cheap ramps now or planks of wood.

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Originally posted by sdh2903
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