bigblue110 Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 just wondering wether any of you crazys out there have designed/doing the plans/making now, your own car trailer?? early stages of thought on the subject at the mo but would love to get hold of a set of drawings so i can get steel priced up as a comparison to buying, and to see where to start with the basics of a design as i dont have access to one locally to do so. not worried about the time/ effort as id be doing it myself. im thinking about going for a flat bed twin axle 1500~2000kg so it can be used to carry general carp around aswel so to not make it single use. any thoughts/ideas/drawings greatfully received cheers andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 Indespension used to do a manual with trailer build diagrams in it, one was a car transport trailer. http://www.indespension.co.uk/b2c/app/I00010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_d Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 I received today the VOSA newsletter which includes the pricing for IVA tests. In it are the prices for trailer IVA tests. From this I have to assume if you build your own trailer it will require an IVA certificate. £ 70 under 3.5 tonne £145 over. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forkrentfitter Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 don,t want to poo poo your project,but having built several in the past,you will struggle to build a decent legal trailer for what you can buy a secondhand one for,especially in the current climate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigblue110 Posted April 8, 2009 Author Share Posted April 8, 2009 cheers for the info guys western-have just emailed indespension thanks steve_d-did it give any spacifics on the test at all or simply indicate that it would need 1? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SacredDog Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 don,t want to poo poo your project,but having built several in the past,you will struggle to build a decent legal trailer for what you can buy a secondhand one for,especially in the current climate. I was thinking the same sort of thing. I think I would consider buying a secondhand one to do up & adapt to suit your own needs rather than build from scratch. That way you have a basis to work from. Colin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 cheers for the info guyswestern-have just emailed indespension thanks just realised I've got this plan in a old indespension manual it's a bit small but should give you a fair idea of the layout. here's a .pdf & jpeg copy. File0171.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landmannnn Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 This us site has an interesting page on making a trailer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigblue110 Posted April 8, 2009 Author Share Posted April 8, 2009 just the ticket, top men!!! cheers should be able to get me a rough price from that lot! apprciate the comment forkrentfitter, but that was the idea of the topic so i could establish a price comparrison between materials needed to produce one and buying one. i think the big cost is going to be coming from getting the axle setup componantry-been looking and it looks like the indespension stuff is the way to go but is bloody pricey. steel isnt such a problem as i know a little place that does nice cash deals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SacredDog Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 i think the big cost is going to be coming from getting the axle setup componantry-been looking and it looks like the indespension stuff is the way to go but is bloody pricey. steel isnt such a problem as i know a little place that does nice cash deals Yep, that was what I was trying to say as well. I think the majority of the cost would be in the components like Axles, Hitches etc. So I would be looking for a secondhand trailer with all the components you need either in excellent condition (or able to be refurbished) and if need be totally renew the framework (adapting where needed to suit your needs). But it looks like you are already thinking along those lines, so I will shut-up now Best of luck with the project, I hope to see your progress on here (with lots of nice pics). Colin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landmannnn Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 i think the big cost is going to be coming from getting the axle setup componantry-been looking and it looks like the indespension stuff is the way to go but is bloody pricey. steel isnt such a problem as i know a little place that does nice cash deals For axles why not consider a back axle off a front wheel drive van (2 of them) complete with leaf springs, shakles, shocks, brakes, tyres etc. They have the advantage that you can use the handbrake for the trailer brakes (hydraulic trailer brakes not allowed) All that would leave to purchase would be a hitch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 trailers IIRC must have auto reverse brakes fitted, car/van hubs/brakes are no longer permitted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landmannnn Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 trailers IIRC must have auto reverse brakes fitted, car/van hubs/brakes are no longer permitted. Oh yes, I remember now. If you go the van axle route you have to buy autoreverse back plates and glue them on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_d Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 ......steve_d-did it give any spacifics on the test at all or simply indicate that it would need 1? It is just a list of inspection fees. Took me by surprise as I have not heard of a trailer test before. Steve ETA Found the inspection manual here.....http://www.transportoffice.gov.uk/crt/repository/IVA%20inspection%20manual%20for%20O1-4%20Trailers%20V3%20.pdf#xml=http://www.transportoffice.gov.uk/cgi-bin/texis.exe/webinator/search/xml.txt?query=trailer&pr=crt&prox=page&rorder=500&rprox=500&rdfreq=500&rwfreq=500&rlead=500&sufs=2&order=r&cq=&id=499e46ee19 In the foreword it talks of the new regulations for 'trailers coming into service' coming into force 29th Oct 2012 so you have a while to build it always assuming there isn't already some other reg you need to comply with. If it doesn't start till 2012 why put it in the 2009 price list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 Are twin-leading shoes / drums sufficient as an auto-reversing mechanism? Indespension are expensive - but you can make something similar by taking a non driven van axle and sawing it in half. Attach the two sawn ends to pivots to make two swinging arms. Part of the way along the arms, fix a pair of engine mounts to act as springs between the swinging arm and deck. A rubber engine mount acts as both a spring and damper and by changing their position along the length of the arm, you can change the stiffness of the setup. It might be worth buying a cheap knackered trailer as a source for the major bits. The hitch etc soon stacks up the price. Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoggyN Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 The cheapest way to get a set of road legal running gear is to use a caravan or folding camper chassis . Either to use as is, or as a source of matched components. The twin axle jobs do tend to go for a premium though. I was surprised to find that the rules on building trailers are quite strict. Auto reverse brakes and hydraulically damped hitches being two requirements. A rough example on Ebay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Train Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 It is just a list of inspection fees.Took me by surprise as I have not heard of a trailer test before. Steve ETA Found the inspection manual here.....http://www.transportoffice.gov.uk/crt/repository/IVA%20inspection%20manual%20for%20O1-4%20Trailers%20V3%20.pdf#xml=http://www.transportoffice.gov.uk/cgi-bin/texis.exe/webinator/search/xml.txt?query=trailer&pr=crt&prox=page&rorder=500&rprox=500&rdfreq=500&rwfreq=500&rlead=500&sufs=2&order=r&cq=&id=499e46ee19 In the foreword it talks of the new regulations for 'trailers coming into service' coming into force 29th Oct 2012 so you have a while to build it always assuming there isn't already some other reg you need to comply with. If it doesn't start till 2012 why put it in the 2009 price list. I just found this document and on the bottom of page 5 it mentions trailers submitted for inspection on or after 29th April 2009. Not sure how that relates to the 2012 date. Any new braked trailers built must have a spring damped hitch and auto reversing brakes. This isn't the same as having twin leading shoe brakes as the mechanism works differently. To test this effect on my trailer I applied the trailer hand brake. This brakes the trailer against both forward and backwards motion. However, when enough force is applied to reverse the trailer the brakes disengage and the trailer is free to reverse. The brakes reset when the reversing force is removed. There are many regulations around trailers that need to be adhered to when building a new trialer regarding size, weight, tyre loading capacity, lights and reflectors. I found the NTTA site very helpful and also the Haynes Trailer Manual. The Haynes is a little simple and 'lite' but it has stuff like wiring colour codes and dimensions in a format that is easy to have in the workshop while doing a build and locating lights and checking overall dimensions. To achieve a cheap build, like I have, you need to be vigilent on Ebay for a good hitch that is rated for the maximum weight of your trailer. The ones I have normally sell at over £250 but I found new ones that I won for £22.50 and £40.00 respectively. For both trialers I used the same caravan suspensions from Ebay both bought for £15. These were the centre sections of a caravan chassis cut out with the trailing arm, springs, hydraulic dampers and brake linkages all intact ready for a good clean and then a new chassis built up on top. I was prepared to travel to distant out of the way little villages to buy as the prices were lower as no one else wants to collect when the seller is in the middle of nowhere. I prefered these to the Indespension axle type as I wanted proper springs and dampers and also the ability to change the width of the trailers. However, for a car transporter, as long as the axle is wide enough you won't have this problem. The bigger problem is finding a matching pair of axles. Some sellers only show one axle but in reading the listing they sometimes have a pair to sell at twice the winning bid. Sometimes it is cheaper to just buy a half built trailer with the correct capacity axles and hitch, and then put a new hitch on anyway. It is also worth looking at whole but old caravans for sale and then stripping it down yourself and selling off some of the interior parts to recoup the cost. I have made sure both my trailers were complete before the April 2009 date just in case. I now only need to get the second one weighed and then I can have plates made up giving date, weights and dimensions. The only other things left to do really are to get new tyres with a higher load rating and to fit the detatchable crane onto my extending pole trailer. Both my trailers came in at under £200 each to build using mainly scrap and Ebay bargains. Built with 50mm x 3mm box section, Land Rover roofs and 2400mm x 1200mm x 3mm aluminium sheets found in a skip. Built with 60mmx 8mm angle for the chassis, 70mm x 3mm and 60mm x 5mm box section for the extending pole and two folding pallet crates as the body giving adaptability. The crates cost £5. Unloading trees. The pallet crates are 1000mm wide and 1200mm long. Drawbar fully extended. This adds 2m to the 2.4m main chassis. A heavy ladder frame is yet to be added at the front, in these images, to support the crane and long lengths of timber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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