O/T What trailer?

[Night Train]

I build my own to suit my needs as I can't really afford an Ifor Williams. I needed a dry box bigger the 8x4 ft and came up with this one. It is based on a caravan suspension, 50x3mm box tube chassis and 3mm aluminium sides all made to fit a LR Series roof for the top and front panel. Cost about £200 via Ebay for parts. It is 1300kg gross with 900kg payload.

I had to open out the door arch at the back as I kept banging my shoulders on them getting in and out.

The next trailer is going to be an open box extendable trailer for hauling long timber.

[madmatt]

I'm another Ifor fan, I worked in heavy plant engineering for a few years we ran leaf sprung Ifors along side rubber suspension Indespension trailers and the Ifors won hands down for maintenance, service intervals, value for money and build quality.

I've got the GX84g plant trailer its great. Sounds like you have got to much stuff for a sankey to me. Its worth noting you can have a Nato hitch on an Ifor too, its on the options list.

[Paul64]

I'm another Ifor fan, I worked in heavy plant engineering for a few years we ran leaf sprung Ifors along side rubber suspension Indespension trailers and the Ifors won hands down for maintenance, service intervals, value for money and build quality.

I've got the GX84g plant trailer its great. Sounds like you have got to much stuff for a sankey to me. Its worth noting you can have a Nato hitch on an Ifor too, its on the options list.

A sankey would be good on the tours for kit and camping equipment, but for my long haul trips and building materials I will need something bigger. Did you buy your new or used?

Cheers,

Paul

[Paul64]

I build my own to suit my needs as I can't really afford an Ifor Williams. I needed a dry box bigger the 8x4 ft and came up with this one. It is based on a caravan suspension, 50x3mm box tube chassis and 3mm aluminium sides all made to fit a LR Series roof for the top and front panel. Cost about £200 via Ebay for parts. It is 1300kg gross with 900kg payload.

I had to open out the door arch at the back as I kept banging my shoulders on them getting in and out.

The next trailer is going to be an open box extendable trailer for hauling long timber.

Very nice! Good as keeps everything dry and locked away.

[madmatt]

A sankey would be good on the tours for kit and camping equipment, but for my long haul trips and building materials I will need something bigger. Did you buy your new or used?

Cheers,

Paul

I bought mine new, to be honest they hold their money very well so i thought I'd buy new as it wasn't that much more than a second hand one, plus you then know the exact history of your trailer. I'm not a fan of sankeys. I'd like a single axle Ifor williams either the GD64g or GD84g, that comes on 600x16's they have a land rover stud pattern wheels gross at 1.5 tons weigh less than a sankey unladen and have a drop tailgate. There expedition history is proven as LR used one for its round the world challenge a few years ago. I think there is still info on IWT's website.

[Paul64]

I bought mine new, to be honest they hold their money very well so i thought I'd buy new as it wasn't that much more than a second hand one, plus you then know the exact history of your trailer. I'm not a fan of sankeys. I'd like a single axle Ifor williams either the GD64g or GD84g, that comes on 600x16's they have a land rover stud pattern wheels gross at 1.5 tons weigh less than a sankey unladen and have a drop tailgate. There expedition history is proven as LR used one for its round the world challenge a few years ago. I think there is still info on IWT's website.

So which of the Ifor's do you think would suit my needs. I take it they come at differing heights (tyre sizes) depending on the vehicle towing?

[jj_110]

A syou are in Germany why don't you have a look at local trailers?

westfalia i wouldn't recommend as they are too flimsy in my opp.

but there are saris trailers which do make a pretty good impression as my mate had one for a few years now.

also i found a company called 'unsinn' ( I'm not joking that really is their name). i went to look at their factory and their trailers are very strong and reasonably priced. also as you will be buying straight from the factory they are open to custom bits at little extra.

just have a look for them on the net an give them a call.

JJ

[Night Train]

If a Sankey isn't going to be big enough they aren't difficult to extend with a cut and shut both behind and in front of the axle to keep the balance correct. I was going to do that with a Sankey chassis myself but it was going to be a bit too extreme to tow behind my Octavia.

[madmatt]

So which of the Ifor's do you think would suit my needs. I take it they come at differing heights (tyre sizes) depending on the vehicle towing?

You need to have a good idea of the weight of the stuff you need to move and the volume to give the size of bed required then look at the www.iwt.co.uk and see what trailers are suitable.

[green110]

I think I am right in saying that tyre sizes and towing height are only incidentally connected. Particularly for double axle trailers it is important to get the hitch height right; the conventional advice is to use an adjustable hitch (Dixon Bate). I've got one of these on the back of my 110 but I must admit I have never adjusted it (although I'm soon going to have to do something about the wear in it - the shunting and clunking is starting to get annoying). I am however boringly particular about getting the load in the right place and then strapping it down really well.

Gus

[Paul64]

a syou are in germany why dont you have a look at local trailers?

westfalia i wouldnt recommend as they are too flimsy in my opp.

but there are saris trailers wich do make a pretty good impression as my mate had one for a few years now.

also i found a company called 'unsinn' ( im not jokin that really is their name). i went to look at their factory and their trailers are very strong and reasonably priced. also as you will be buying straight from the factory they are open to custom bits at litttle extra.

just ave a look for them on the net an give them a call.

JJ

Thanks JJ,

Just had a look at their website (unsinn) and yes they do look good. I like the look of this one

http://www.der-anhaengerpark.de/produkt_details_db.html?pk=1

Can you see a price list anywhere on the website?

Do you live in Germany?

Cheers,

Paul

[jj_110]

No i cant find a price list for any of their stuff either apart from the 'used' section.

there i found this:

http://www.der-anhaengerpark.de/angebote_d...;mode=gebraucht

that might be of some use to you and its pretty cheap.

if you want prices on new stuff you probably need to give them a call.

I am a German living in Liverpool now but my parents still live in Germany, a little town called aachen.

you in the army over there?

JJ

[Paul64]

no i cant find a pricelist for any of their stuff either apart from the 'used' section.

there i found this:

http://www.der-anhaengerpark.de/angebote_d...;mode=gebraucht

that might be of some use to you and its pretty cheap.

if you want prices on new stuff you probably need to give them a call.

i'm german living in liverpool now but my parents still live in germany, a little town called aachen.

you in the army over there?

JJ

I will give them a call in the week. They are a long way south, but could combine with a weekend in Bavaria.

I'm not in the army but work with them.

Cheers,

Paul

[Paul64]

I think I am right in saying that tyre sizes and towing height are only incidentally connected. Particularly for double axle trailers it is important to get the hitch height right; the conventional advice is to use an adjustable hitch (Dixon Bate). I've got one of these on the back of my 110 but I must admit I have never adjusted it (although I'm soon going to have to do something about the wear in it - the shunting and clunking is starting to get annoying). I am however boringly particular about getting the load in the right place and then strapping it down really well.

Gus

I do have an adjustable hitch, but even on the lowest level looks too high for some trailers. Thanks for the info. I will obviously try before I buy.

Cheers, Paul

[Night Train]

If you do find a way to set your hitch to a very low level make sure the bottom of the hitch plate is well braced back to the chassis otherwise it could flex or bend under towing and braking loads.

[Paul64]

If you do find a way to set your hitch to a very low level make sure the bottom of the hitch plate is well braced back to the chassis otherwise it could flex or bend under towing and braking loads.

Thanks, it does look pretty sturdy with a bracing bracket too. But as you say it is not ideal having the weight shunting and pulling at the lower end. Surely having larger tyres helps address the height issue to a certain extent?

[Night Train]

Depends, a manufaturer may use differing tyre sizes but will still make sure their hitches are at their standard height. Changing tyre sizes on a trailer could cause more problems then they solve so it would be best to check hitch height at running weight for both vehicle and trailer. There have been adjustable height hitch trailers made but I don't know who by.

[Paul64]

Depends, a manufaturer may use differing tyre sizes but will still make sure their hitches are at their standard height. Changing tyre sizes on a trailer could cause more problems then they solve so it would be best to check hitch height at running weight for both vehicle and trailer. There have been adjustable height hitch trailers made but I don't know who by.

I will check it out before I buy. However, several forum members appear to have Ifor's and cant all have standard height suspension.

Cheers, Paul

[Night Train]

Yeah, Ifors are pretty good and they usually end up being towed by commercials as well so height should be fine with them. I am just a little tight and mostly skint so I tend to make or adapt everything if I can.

[Paul64]

Yeah, Ifors are pretty good and they usually end up being towed by commercials as well so height should be fine with them. I am just a little tight and mostly skint so I tend to make or adapt everything if I can.

The difference is you are obviously good with the spanners, but I'm not! I do like the idea of something lockable though. I believe these canopies can also be bought as an extra.

[Night Train]

There are plenty of closed box options on trailers but also there are companies that make canopies for pick up bodies and, I suppose, trailers. I don't know how secure removeable canopies would be though as I've never used one myself.

[BogMonster]

I bought mine new, to be honest they hold their money very well so i thought I'd buy new as it wasn't that much more than a second hand one, plus you then know the exact history of your trailer. I'm not a fan of sankeys. I'd like a single axle Ifor williams either the GD64g or GD84g, that comes on 600x16's they have a land rover stud pattern wheels gross at 1.5 tons weigh less than a sankey unladen and have a drop tailgate. There expedition history is proven as LR used one for its round the world challenge a few years ago. I think there is still info on IWT's website.

Unfortunately if you opt for a twin axle you can't get LR pattern wheels, I tried that for mine but they said they were only available for the single axle versions with the much lower gross weight, the twin axle GD's come with 165R13s. I need the facility to carry a fair quantity of gravel etc in mine occasionally so wanted the 2700kg capacity. A 3/4t Sankey will carry 1.5 tons of gravel though it does "sit a bit low", no prizes for guessing how I know that. "Yep just fill 'er up" is a dangerous thing to say in a quarry

There is a pic on IWT's website of the trailer behind a Discovery 2 on the round the world expedition, http://www.ifor-williams-trailers.co.uk/products/genpurp.htm , I remember the write up when it first appeared (in LRO I think) and they said the trailer performed very well.

The only other observation I have on IW's is that the flatbed version with drop sides is a bit flimsy in terms of the box strength, Dad has got one and the brackets supporting the drop sides bend quite easily, which was one reason I went for a GD, that and the much lower loading height, I also want to carry a motorbike occasionally.

[Paul64]

Unfortunately if you opt for a twin axle you can't get LR pattern wheels, I tried that for mine but they said they were only available for the single axle versions with the much lower gross weight, the twin axle GD's come with 165R13s.

I wonder why you can't get LR pattern wheels on the double axle?

I sent off 4 e-mails yesterday asking for quotes on the GD85 model, 3 UK companies and 1 German. Only had one reply, and guess which of the 4?

Yes, with their usual and prompt efficiency it was the German company. They have even offered free delivery which is good as the factory is a long long way from here. I must admit I wouldn't mind pulling one first to check height compatibility with my 110. I was also thinking about the possibility of the frame and plastic cover option rather than the metal canopy which is a lot more expensive. Much less secure but at least everything will remain dry.

[Night Train]

I wonder why you can't get LR pattern wheels on the double axle?

I can only imagine that it would be due to the larger diameter of the wheels pushing axles further apart. This would lead to the suspension and braking components being non standard to the company parts bin.

Twin axles usually require the suspension to be linked to share the load equally between axles and with leaf springs this is usually a balance beam between the back end of the front spring and the front end of the back spring. The company's existing spring lengths would not then allow larger wheel and tyre diameters to be fitted in this format and so longer springs would need to be stocked together with longer brake cables or rods and longer mud guards, etc.

I have seen plant trailers that do run twin axles with Land Rover pattern trailers but they have been very old.

[madmatt]

I never intended to imply that Landy wheels were availiable on twin axle trailers. Both the GD64 & 84G are single axle trailers. Both are less than 300kg empty but gross at 1500kg so thats a 1200Kg payload.

Its worth noting that the Uk is only just getting going again after the Hols. I bet IWT factory doesn't open until the 7th. A lot of their dealers here do not seem to like emails. its just the nature of the beast a lot of the dealers are ex farmers that are not keen on modern technology.