Design & build your own car trailer for under $2500 Options

[GTR510]

So I wanted car trailer and I didnt want to pay $3000 for some used piece of shit or the base model poverty pack. The answer is to build it yourself of course.

I built a bike trailer at school so I knew what was required at a high level. To come up with the actual design I look at the hire ones and some pics from the net. The hire ones were simply to too heavy (like 700 - 800kg) and I wanted to keep mine under 500kg to ensure I could move it around and it wasn't an un-necessary burden on the tow car.

Anyway after much stuffing around in excel I came up the below design.

(IMG:http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/5306/designrs5.jpg)

Based on this design I came up with a list of materials and ordered all the stuff required. I bought the falcon rims off ebay and the rest was bought new from various sources.

The trailer was built from scratch in my garage by me with a sub $1000 welder & a 3" grinder to cut it all up.

I'm happy to answer any questions on the design and/or build of this trailer. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)


(IMG:http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/6343/dsc01083mediumlf7.jpg)
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(IMG:http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/6461/dsc01100mediumhf6.jpg)
(IMG:http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/6453/dsc01128mediumqm7.jpg)
(IMG:http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/747/dsc01131medium2di6.jpg)
(IMG:http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/3141/dsc01229mediumzv9.jpg)
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Finished & rego'd for less then 2.5K and all built at home with the most basic tools - It has travelled over 6000kms since completion and tows fucking awesome.

(IMG:http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/8346/trailer2so2.jpg)

[GTR510]

carrying dead weight to QLD (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

(IMG:http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/5005/dsc01558custommediumko9.jpg)

[OldmanDatto]

Well bugger me your trailer looks almost like mine I built mine around 2000 and all up cost $1350 but I used N12 rear hubs and brakes and can run any Datto wheel .Also trailer thieves love 5 stud trailers .tows at over 160k's without any sway and weighs in at 460K's with ramps and winch. Will post a pic when trailer comes home. The thing I did was paint the underside which helps prevent rusting. Cheers OMD

[boyracer]

What sort of weight do you carry on these trailers ? They seem to be on the light side ?

[Ratsun]

What sort of weight do you carry on these trailers ? They seem to be on the light side ?

It was purpose built to carry datsuns (length, weight and width). So I guess anything up to around 1200kg's which is what my 180b almost weighs and its towed that without issue on 2000km round trips.

No commodores or falcon shitboxes will ever ride on this trailer.

[GTR510]

Anything up to 1500kg I'd be comfortable with. The trailer is actually very rigid, significantly more then I expected actually when building it.

[boyracer]

My mates have a couple of trailers with the 4 main beams out of 75x50x4 RHS and all the smaller stuff as 50x25x2.5. I'd call that as the minimum for 1500kgs worth. The trailer you've shown here I wouldn't feel comfortable with more than 1100kgs, on it.
A stock 180B is only 1085kg (according to the VIN plate)

[GTR510]

Everyone is entitled to there opinion and I won't deny you of your own but close to 7000km's of towing says you are wrong.

DO you have any engineering calcs to back up your position on the material required. Thankfully two of mates are qualified mech engineers and they have checked it out and were comfortable with the material used, the quality of the welds & my proposed load rating.

The best bit is the trailer belongs to me and your car/s will never be on it so I guess we won't have to worry about your concerns.

[Stephen]

Snap ?

[boyracer]

If it's all been checked, that's all good. I know a Mechanical Engineer has looked over the trailers here as well, but I can't say that smaller sizes were considered and found lacking, just that 75x50x3 was chosen as the required member. As far as checking for material strength, there is staying within the material's Yield stress and then there is conforming to the structural standard, where stresses aren't used and it's based on maximum deflections (resulting in much lower stresses for 'inifinite' design life). I'm also a mechanical engineer and to my mind (no calcs as yet) that material is too light. But the issue has been raised, the people reading the post can make up their own mind.
My piece has been spoken.

[Ratsun]

My mate finally took the initiative and got the winch mount welded on and mounted

[disimonson]

Car hire Sydney can rent a car from Budget car hire.