Whilst i can throw a spanner around I'm not engineer or innovator and there are some properly clever people on here so I'm hoping that someone can help.

I have a single axle car trailer (proper, not homemade) that lives in my garage with my locost on top. The garage is 2.5m x 5m and the trailer is 2.1m (outside of each arch) by around 3m.

Having the trailer in the garage takes up space, means I can't really work/jack up the car and I constantly smash my skin shins on it

I'd like to make a contraption that will enable me to store my trailer on it's side.

This is my plan -

Make some solid wooden blocks that the trailer frame will sit on once the weight is taken off the wheel. (I'm told storing the trailer on the face of the wheel itself is a no no).

I plan on having an electric winch in the base of the middle of the wall with the cable going up through a pulley fixed to the wall, with the cable then going over the trailer to the opposite side. When the winch is on, the far side of the trailer will lift until such point the sides end up on the wooden blocks and then carry on going till its entirely on its side.

I plan on making some brackets on the wall to ensure the trailer doesn't fall over etc but my wife (and several friends) are concerned I've not properly considered the safety implications of the winch/pulley/forces involved of lifting the trailer up itself.

I'm hoping someone can help me with all those concerns - will my plan work? Is it flawed? Do I need proper structural calls worked out? Are there better ideas... etc

Thank you to anyone that can help, in advance.

Storing trailer tents and folding campers on their side is a well tried option. The manufacturers even sell the kits.
Have a google for 'trailer tent side storage' for some pics.
Not sure on the actual operation of them as I never bought them for mine.

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Originally posted by balidey
Storing trailer tents and folding campers on their side is a well tried option. The manufacturers even sell the kits.
Have a google for 'trailer tent side storage' for some pics.
Not sure on the actual operation of them as I never bought them for mine.

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On its side will still gobble up room, how about winching it up to the roof then have a couple of chains to lock it off once up there?

I chopped about the roof trusses in my garage so I could run a two post lift, if you are only putting up a trailer then you would not even need to do this.

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Originally posted by mark chandler
On its side will still gobble up room, how about winching it up to the roof then have a couple of chains to lock it off once up there?

I chopped about the roof trusses in my garage so I could run a two post lift, if you are only putting up a trailer then you would not even need to do this.

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Two post is great, does not swallow lot of room, load the car twisted so you can work on corners of space is tight.

My little car and trailer live above my TIn top all year round, turns a single garage into a double when you stack cars.

Ah see that's the problem. I have a home made trailer and I can lift it up onto is side on my own. This is how it used to live on my driveway to prevent easy theft.

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Originally posted by bi22le
Ah see that's the problem. I have a home made trailer and I can lift it up onto is side on my own. This is how it used to live on my driveway to prevent easy theft.

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I was going to suggest lifting it to the roof too, pretty east to do I would think.

1 electric winch attached to a frame that sits in the center of the trailers balance point, pulley on the roof with the winch cable going through. Hoist it up then as Mark said, bolt some chains to the roof joists that hook/bolt/attach to the trailer so that it cannot be lowered/fall until they are released.
Take the wheels off too as you'll proably bash your head on them! They can be stored on top of the trailer to keep them out of the way.

Like this kinda thing that sits under the rails of the trailer... made from some decent steel box section


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Or chop it and make it do this like mine...
The chassis also splits apart so I can carry it round to the back garden and tuck it out of the way


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[Edited on 14/1/17 by Matt21]

The weight of it was shared between the wheel face and wood chocks at each end. I am able to take the front triangle section off which when it is on its side reduces the weight and makes it balanced.

Personally I am not worried with it being on the face. The wheels can take 425Kg in normal use, there would be a fair amount of loading on the bearings as all of this goes round corners.

200kg static on the face would cause little issue in my eyes.

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Originally posted by daveb666

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Originally posted by bi22le
Ah see that's the problem. I have a home made trailer and I can lift it up onto is side on my own. This is how it used to live on my driveway to prevent easy theft.

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Did it rest on the wheel face?

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My trailer sits on its side in the garage. Hardly takes any room. I unbolt the axle and tip it up then the axle sits against the wall after I've taken the wheels and mudguards off...

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Originally posted by coozer
My trailer sits on its side in the garage. Hardly takes any room. I unbolt the axle and tip it up then the axle sits against the wall after I've taken the wheels and mudguards off...

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