My Trailer Build - Car carrier

[09sr5]

New member here have only had a look in the last few days.

I'm planning a trailer and I'd like some feedback / critisism!

Specs I have been thinking of are:

5400mm * 1930mm deck space

Chassis: 100*50*3 RHS
Drawbar 100*50*4 RHS
Cross members & Rail Uprights 50*50*3 SHS
Rails 50*25*2.5 RHS

Axles 45mm
Hubs 6 Stud
Tires: Hilux SR5 alloy 30+ offset

Brakes 4 wheel electric
Suspension 7 leaf Springs - rocker style.

Gunna be a pretty big trailer!

I have brought the steel. I had allowed 1k for steel incl gst and was pleasently suprised to get the steel for $660 incl from geelong.

I am getting the suspension setup from a local place called Cobden tools & Trailers, am awaiting on their price. if it's within $200 of other quotes I'll go with them since theyre local.

So far the only thing I am not 100% sure on is axle width.

Wy rims are 7 inch but with the tires on they are 255mm wide and allowing for 30mm clearence and a 30 positive offset I have so far worked out 2328mm axle. Can somebody confirm this as right or wrong?

I am looking to make the trailer as wide as possible while using these rims and tires for the moment. I know the widish tires will reduce the deck width, but 1930 = 6'3" which is wide enough.

Any comments??

[SurfinNev]

Here's a link describing measuring axle length from an Ebay seller.

eBay Shop - Spinny Things Trailer Parts: TECHNICAL GUIDE (http://stores.shop.ebay.com.au/Spinny-Things-Trailer-Parts/TECHNICAL-GUIDE.html_)

Nev

[Yonnee]

Firstly, Welcome.

My first concern would be what you're going to cart on that sized trailer. The 45mm Slimline axles on 6 stud pattern wheels, even with load sharing suspension, will give you 2600Kg total capacity. Minus trailer weight, say 700Kg, giving you a payload of 1900Kg... barely enough for a late model Commodore or Falcon, let alone anything bigger.

If you don't want to go the extra expense of 12" Electric brakes, then suggest looking into Parallel bearing'd axles. Machined on 50mm Sq material, they'll give you 3200Kg for less than what you saved on steel costs.

The link to the ebay site has some good info, but don't try and give an overall length when ordering an axle, unless you know exactly whose brakes and hubs the supplier is using. Better still, contact a manufacturer, such as Melbourne Trailer & Caravan Supplies, direct. Give them a 'Face-to-face' measurement and they'll calculate the rest.

By my quick calculation, if your tyres are exactly 255mm, and are exactly 30mm offset, and sit exactly at the 2500mm legal outside width, then your face-to-face is 2305mm. You're measurement of 1930mm deck space is also what I came up with, but 30mm a side clearance is extremely tight on a tandem. Next time you see a loaded tandem turn a tight corner, you'll see why.

Looking forward to seeing progress shots.

Cheers,
Yonnee.

[09sr5]

Thanks for the good advice.

I am a fan of over engineering so lets have it!

Realistically 2t would be the maximum I would be towing. I like to have a car on the trailer, not hanging over the front and back which is the main reason for making the deck larger. I also carry bulky loads that dont weigh alot. example olive trees out of werribe, usually a few thousand at a time where the more space you have the better.

My vehicle is an 09 hilux deisel and is rated to tow 3.5t braked. I've towed a fairly large load before and she loves it. Being able to start in low range and change to high on the fly is great. Little less wear on the clutch. Interesting bit of trivea, I can do 9l/100 on the geelong road normally, towing an empty car carrierincreased to 11.4l/100 then with a 1500kg car on that only increased to 11.8l/100. Fantastic vehicle.

Anyway a bit off topic...

DIY Tandem Axle Kits (http://www.marshall-eng.com.au/DIY%20Tandem%20Axle%20Kits.htm#4.0_Tonne_ELECTRIC)

What would be wrong with the 2.8t kit. Why do they still rate it at 1.4t / axle even with the larger hub combination?

The comments on the width and also the tire to chassis clearence has me worried now. I know there is a great deal of flex when turning. Is this in the rim or axle / spring itself? when i've towed other trailers it looks like the damn wheels will snap off with a 14 inch steel rim type setup and I was always mindful of avoiding sharp turns where possible.

How does a parrallel bearing deal with side loads?

[DJ’s Timber]

My vehicle is an 09 hilux deisel and is rated to tow 3.5t braked.

This is an interesting comment because as far as I know and according to Toyota Specs (http://www.toyota.com.au/TWR/content/static/74844.pdf) for both 4x2 & 4x4 you can only tow 2.25T Braked with a Hilux.

Maybe you're thinking of the Cruiser as they are rated at 3.5t?

[09sr5]

This is an interesting comment because as far as I know and according to Toyota Specs (http://www.toyota.com.au/TWR/content/static/74844.pdf) for both 4x2 & 4x4 you can only tow 2.25T Braked with a Hilux.

Maybe you're thinking of the Cruiser as they are rated at 3.5t?

Your right, std towing is 2.25t with HD tow bar it is 2.5t. 3.5 t? My bad typing quickly at that time of night.

[09sr5]

Ok so today I went and visited Marchall engineering. They measured the tires gae some helpful advice.

I have bought a 3.2t kit from them. They dont list it on their website but do have it as a kit.

The kit is:

2x 50mm square axles
1pr 3.6t 60mm 7 leaf rocker roller spring sets to suit 16" wheels Alko 6.5mm thick leaves
Tandem spring fitting kit (high tensile U bolts)
4x 10" electric hub drums using parrallel bearings
2pr electric brake assemblies
electric brake flanges
3.5t electric coupling
cable adjuster, cable, clipsetc
breakaway system


I need 95" axles

One thing that i need to do is send a wheel nut for the hilux alloy. They have a unique nut/washer so to be sure they have the right studs they need it.



Internal dimensions will be 1900 wide now, the tires were actually 245 wide and they are allowing 42mm between the tire and chassis Overall width will be 2474.

They are busy but really helpful people.

[Yonnee]

Thanks for the good advice...

...What would be wrong with the 2.8t kit. Why do they still rate it at 1.4t / axle even with the larger hub combination?
Technically, they'd run into some trouble advertising them as 2800Kg and listing the option of 16" wheels in the same section, if someone were to take them to task over it. Technically, it's a 2600Kg kit on "Off-road" tyres (15's or 16")


The comments on the width and also the tire to chassis clearence has me worried now. I know there is a great deal of flex when turning. Is this in the rim or axle / spring itself? when i've towed other trailers it looks like the damn wheels will snap off with a 14 inch steel rim type setup and I was always mindful of avoiding sharp turns where possible.
It's really a combination of everything that moves and flexes. The tyres flex, the alloy rims will flex a little, the springs, hangers, axles... Even if each one were only 5mm... that's a whole inch when added together. I wouldn't worry about it too much unless you consistantly overload the trailer. The ratings on the springs and axles are set with all this factored in.


How does a parrallel bearing deal with side loads?
Not quite sure what you mean by this question... The Parallel bearing setup is pretty much the same as a standard Ford/Holden axle bearing arrangement, but the outer bearing is the same as the Slimline inner bearing. The hub is cast to accomodate the larger outer bearing as well as the '2 tonne' grease cap, and the axle uses the '2 tonne' slotted nut. So where the weak link with the Slimline axle is the outer bearing journal, this is now enhanced with the larger bearing, hence the greater capacity.


Ok so today I went and visited Marchall engineering. They measured the tires gae some helpful advice.

I have bought a 3.2t kit from them. They dont list it on their website but do have it as a kit.

The kit is:

2x 50mm square axles
1pr 3.6t 60mm 7 leaf rocker roller spring sets to suit 16" wheels Alko 6.5mm thick leaves
Tandem spring fitting kit (high tensile U bolts)
4x 10" electric hub drums using parrallel bearings
2pr electric brake assemblies
electric brake flanges
3.5t electric coupling
cable adjuster, cable, clipsetc
breakaway system

I am a big fan of Rocker Roller springs. Much less wear and tear, and less maintenance than a shackle set. Simpler to set up too.

One critical thing with one of these kits... welding the brake flanges to the axles. To avoid brake dramas further down the track, it absolutely imperative that they have the correct setback, and are square. In my vast experience with Electric Brake troubleshooting, a major cause of lack of brake performance was due to incorrect adjustment. And this is nearly impossible to achieve with incorrectly aligned flanges.

Find out if Marshall's have a jig and get them to weld them on. Otherwise, be very vigilant in your measurements in setting them up. Check, re-check, tack one corner, check, re-check, tack opposite corner, check, re-check... repeat two remaining corners, then weld.

[09sr5]

I will pay them the $150 to assemble then!

Thanks for the heads up.

Ok so a build thread is useless without pics...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0159.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0160.jpg


Steel for the chassis cut and laid out in approx positions. My shed is small I know and I promise I didnt make it to suit the shed! I fluked that bit. I havent cut the front and rear cross members yet. They are the offcuts from the chassis rails.

[09sr5]

I assembled the chassis rails and cross members and tack welded in place. Measured up corner to corner to corner to check for squareness. Then welded the cross members top and sides. will flip the chassis over tomorrow and weld the bottom.

I need to send a wheel nut to Marshall engineering in Bacchus marsh who are the crowd I am buying the kit from. The hilux alloy uses a unique wheel nut with a shank and washer. Marshalls want to make sure they put the right studs in the hubs. Transferred them the money and set the ball in motion. The axles take 7 - 10 days apparently as they custom make them.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0164.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0163.jpg

[Bazzmate]

That's awesome!!
Looking forward to seeing the rest of the build.
Thanks for letting us in on all the action.
Cheers

[09sr5]

Flipped the frame over today and welded the undersides of the cross members.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0165.jpg

Came to a minor hitch

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0166.jpg

Had to go out the other door which was a minor inconvenience. Anyway.

Cut some corner gussets from the 100*50 RHS

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0167.jpg

And cleaned up

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0168.jpg

and welded in place

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0169.jpg

as it sits now

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0170.jpg

Tomorrow I will cut the drawbar and mount. I spoke to Marshall engineering and they have gone ahead and ordered the hubs with M14 studs without getting the wheel nut yet. If it is wrong they will get the right ones and put the others on the shelf. Hoping it's right otherwise it'll be a delay. I dont have a set of calipers to measure the studs.

[SurfinNev]

I'm not sure if you need M12 or M14 studs but make sure they also get the length right. Too short and you will not have enough thread engagement and too long will bottom out in the nut before the rim is seated on the hub.

Nev

[jatt]

One critical thing with one of these kits... welding the brake flanges to the axles. To avoid brake dramas further down the track, it absolutely imperative that they have the correct setback, and are square. In my vast experience with Electric Brake troubleshooting, a major cause of lack of brake performance was due to incorrect adjustment. And this is nearly impossible to achieve with incorrectly aligned flanges.


Totally go along with that. Thats one thing on the horsefloat project that I left for the trailer place to do. Then its a simple matter of checking ones clearances on the trailer frame wrt the wheels and weld the spring mounts up etc....

See if u can smoke the tyres up on the maiden voyage :B Those electric brake sure are effective.

[Kyle]

Nice Chassis.

Their very helpful over at Marshall's. I've got a few bits from them and a couple of mates have bought kits from there, very helpful and more than happy to answer any questions or give advice. Just like you Yonnee!

Also with the electric brakes, don't do what I did. Replaced the old mechanical brakes on my caravan with electrics (along with springs, axles ect). Fitted everything up, jumped in the car and headed off for a test drive, jumped on the brakes and nothing. Well almost nothing, they barely worked, figured the new shoes and drums needed to bed in. So kept driving and braking, including riding the brakes by pressing the button on the brake controller, after 1/2 an hour the brakes felt no better.

Rang a mechanic mate to help me trouble shoot the problem. After going through a range of things he then said "did you clean the machine oil of the new drums before installing?", did I what, woops!
Machined bare steel surfaces are coated with oil to stop them rusting.
The shoes had completly glazed over and the drums were looking a bit average. A good scuff with some emery paper on both shoes and drums, then wiped clean with some prepsol and I was locking wheels 2 minutes later down the road.

[Yonnee]

...very helpful and more than happy to answer any questions or give advice. Just like you Yonnee!:B



Also with the electric brakes, don't do what I did. Replaced the old mechanical brakes on my caravan with electrics (along with springs, axles ect). Fitted everything up, jumped in the car and headed off for a test drive, jumped on the brakes and nothing. Well almost nothing, they barely worked, figured the new shoes and drums needed to bed in. So kept driving and braking, including riding the brakes by pressing the button on the brake controller, after 1/2 an hour the brakes felt no better.

Rang a mechanic mate to help me trouble shoot the problem. After going through a range of things he then said "did you clean the machine oil of the new drums before installing?", did I what, woops!
Machined bare steel surfaces are coated with oil to stop them rusting.
The shoes had completly glazed over and the drums were looking a bit average. A good scuff with some emery paper on both shoes and drums, then wiped clean with some prepsol and I was locking wheels 2 minutes later down the road.

That's a new one for me. In all my years at AL-KO and Melbourne Trailer & Caravan Supplies, I never once witnessed any sort of protective coating being placed on the hubs and drums, either before or after the machining process. Cast Iron does not rust the same way steel does. Maybe imported drums are coated for their journey here to Australia, or some retail places may think they're doing the right thing if the drums are going to sit on the shelf for a while, but unless they're immersed in water or left outside, then they're perfectly fine unprotected.

Glad you got yours working Kyle. :; :2tsup:

Y.

[Kyle]

Maybe imported drums are coated for their journey here to Australia,

Y.

Correct. They are imported drums and the entire drum had been sprayed with an oil.

[09sr5]

Cut out a plate to mount the hitch to tonight. Standard 4 bolt mount for a trailer coupling. Plate is 5mm steel

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0194.jpg

Cut out the draw bar from the 100*50*4 and sitting in place

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0197.jpg

How the hitch plate is mounted. Remember the trailer is currently upside down.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0196.jpg

Need to call tomorrow and find out an eta on the running gear. I don't really want to flip the trailer if i dont need to. Also i need to wait for some less windy weather. Mig + gas doesnt really work in the howling wind!

[Yonnee]

Just a thought...
I've always welded the two closest edges of the end of the drawbar together. Always seen it done, always done it. The way you've got it set up would probably be OK with the thickness of the coupling plate that you have, but any major twisting of the trailer while it's being towed is sure going to test the strength of your welding.

[09sr5]

Thanks for the advice Yonnee. My other pics were a bit deceiving without the cross member shown.

Heres what I did today

Welded on the draw bar

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0207.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0206.jpg

An idea of how it will look with wheels

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0204.jpg

Axles and stuff is still a few days away. Studs turned out to be 12*1.5

[Yonnee]

That should help. :2tsup:

Coming along nicely.

[buildspacetrain]

Looking great. Your at the same stage as I am with my trailer. Lots of satisfaction to see it all coming together.:) I used 8 mm plate for my coupler mount and welded the ends together as Yonnee has suggested. Also the 2 front bolts on the coupler go through the plate and the top of the drawbar too. Are the corner gussets on similar type trailers, as I thought of putting some on mine but not sure if Im going overboard on the engineering. Have you got all the info on where to mount the centre hangers for the springs and measuring everything from the front end of the drawbar? Is that a transmig 165 you've got there? I bought one a while ago but haven't had a play with it yet. I'm still on stick. If you've got a second or 2 could you give me a few settings you use on various thickness' of steel.
Keep the photo's coming.
Cheers.
Richard.

[09sr5]

I'd love a 165, unfortunatly it's a 135. I didn't have a lot of money when i bought it and it was the biggest 'known reliable' brand i could afford.

Definitly go for the gas. I've spent ages using gasless wire and its chalk and cheese vs having gas. Pretty much go off their charts for welding settings. At the moment I am using High - 2 on the switches with a wire speed of 6.5 with .9mm wire. Gives a nice hot weld. Some thinner stuff I weld i've turned the wire speed down to 5 but generally 6 - 6.5 is a good place. This is for welding 3mm steel. After this I wouldnt mind getting a 200amp mig.

The centre mounts are 8.5" back from the centre point of the chassis. it's a little over 17'

[09sr5]

Looking great. Your at the same stage as I am with my trailer. .

Any pics?

[DJ’s Timber]

Any pics?

He has some in this thread here (http://www.woodworkforums.com/f184/trailer-long-loads-111868/) :;

[09sr5]

haha yeah I seen that. early morning and i was about to head to work. bit slow at that time!

[09sr5]

Picked up axles, springs, breakaway kit and brake controller.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0210.jpg

spot the difference.

Not happy!

Welded suspension hangers on today and mounted one axle.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0211.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0212.jpg

#### photo

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0213.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0214.jpg

Also found that there are only enough nuts and spring washers to mount one axle. So I'll need to get more sent along with two 7 leaf springs

[Yonnee]

Love the spring set... :rotfl:

Not only did they supply a 6 leaf set, but one to suit passenger car wheels, not Off-Road wheels. (See how in the first picture, the 6 leaf set has the centre spring bolts much closer together?) So you'd better make sure they send you the right off-set springs too.:doh:

[09sr5]

I sent a copy of the pic to Marshalls and got a call at 8am the next morning. Very apologetic and they will courier a set of springs to my door. I told him i'd just pick up from the nearest depot instead. They've been great so far and apart from this can't fault their service.

I fitted the wheels and I am 4mm narrower than the 2500mm so that was good.

[09sr5]

I ended up driving back to Bacchus Marsh to swap the bit over. They tried to make me take $40 for fuel but I refused. I got two stubbie holders instead. lol.

Made some good progress today

Mounted the other axle.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0222.jpg

Welded on hitch plate and mounted hitch. I jibbed bunnings $1.76 by buying 4 2.5*1/2 inch bolts with the nuts wound onto them instead of paying the 44c each for them. Score.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0223.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0224.jpg

Ran the parkbrake cable and adjusted.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0226.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0227.jpg

and flipped it over!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0228.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0229.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0230.jpg

[Dave J]

Nice trailer,
Just a bit of advise
I'd be getting some high tensile bolts for the hitch.
Years ago we put hardware bolts in a trike split rim. The mate ended up in hospital for a few days after the bolts sheared and it exploded. He had months of recovery, 22 years on he still has trouble whith that leg.
Dave

[09sr5]

Update. Unfortunatly iPhone was taking some very average pics tonight!

Welded on the jockey wheel. Decided to mount it on the inside of the draw bar instead of the usual place on the outside of the A arm

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0253.jpg

In this pic you can see how it will sit when folded up. The handle has to sit at the top which is a fool proof feature i guess

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0256.jpg

Welded a plate in for the breakaway battery to sit on.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0254.jpg

Breakaway battery and switch mounted. How this system works is the brake controller provides power to the brakes normally and a seperate 12v line charges the battery. The battery has a 12v feed line into the brake power line with the plunger switch in between. In the event the trailer detatches from the tow vehicle the plunger is pulled out which causes the battery to put 12 v (full lock up power) to the brakes. The requirement is that the brakes must apply and remain applied for 15min as well as lighting the brake lights.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0261.jpg

7 pin plug wired up. The yellow stuff is a hard plastic a that is commonly used in hydralic equipment where hoses move and rub and is wrapped around hoses to stop damage.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0259.jpg

Floor folded up! 5 sheets of 2400*1200 checkerplate were needed. 4 full sheets were used the 5th was cut down leaving some leftover to make mud guards from. All joins in the checkerplate meet at the cross members.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0258.jpg

Tomorrow the mig will get a workout welding the floor together. I will need to lift the trailer on its side to weld the floor to the cross members. Welding upside down sucks. Then to fold up the mudguards and mount.

I got a Vin from vicroads and have stamped it on the drawbar. When it's finished I need to get it weighed and take it to vicroads for a rego.

[09sr5]

Nice trailer,
Just a bit of advise
I'd be getting some high tensile bolts for the hitch.
Years ago we put hardware bolts in a trike split rim. The mate ended up in hospital for a few days after the bolts sheared and it exploded. He had months of recovery, 22 years on he still has trouble whith that leg.
Dave

Took your advice! Got another 4 high tensile bolts. The post above is a direct copy of what i posted on a car forum/club i am part of. Just so you know that I know you guys know how the electric breakaway works. The guys in my car club mostly dont.

[Dave J]

Looking good, any idea of what it will weigh when it's finished?
When I had guards folded up for a custom box trailer years ago, I got the sheet metal bloke to fold the outside edges of the guards 20mm 45deg-20mm 45deg to give the edge an angle instead of the boring 90deg most trailers have. Since then I have seen trailers with up to 50mm on the 45 angle and a 10-20 edge which also looks good.
Keep up the good work.
Dave

[Yonnee]

I'll put my $0.02 in regarding coupling bolts. Having spoken at length to Trigg Brothers Couplings about this very issue, whenever they test their own couplings (in-house testing to Australian Standard), they only ever use quality mild steel bolts, as under impact load (as in an accident) they will stretch, whereas higher tensile bolts are more brittle and can shatter. And the higher the tensile strength, the more brittle they are.
Personally, for a trailer that size, I would use high tensile bolts, but only to grade 5. For a small box trailer, only ever mild steel, BUT... only if I knew where they came from! I would have no problem using Ajax bolts for example, but I doubt that I'd trust mild steel Chinese bolts.

[Camoco]

Hi Yonnee,
Hi tensile bolts being brittle are really only a problem if they have been treated by a third party. From there you can get what is called hydrogen embrillement and the tensile strength of the bolt is compromised with often spectacular results.
The "chinese" bolts may be as good or not, but often they are post treated and not in the same factory and the quality can be questionable.
It is this reason taht some think hi-tensile ARE a problem, where as it is the source that IS the problem. Stay with known quality brands and do not post treat them and they will be fine.
Treated bolts by the quality manufacturer will be fine.

Cheers Cam

[09sr5]

Looking good, any idea of what it will weigh when it's finished?
When I had guards folded up for a custom box trailer years ago, I got the sheet metal bloke to fold the outside edges of the guards 20mm 45deg-20mm 45deg to give the edge an angle instead of the boring 90deg most trailers have. Since then I have seen trailers with up to 50mm on the 45 angle and a 10-20 edge which also looks good.
Keep up the good work.
Dave

I estimate 800kg.

I thought about your idea but the guards I was doing myself so to do a 45 and 45 was just a bit of stuffing around for me.

The bolts ... well you all have me confused!!!

I got the second lot of bolts (HT) from cobden tools and trailers and it is what they use so thats good enough for me. Not ignoring the advice from here however!

A couple of things done today.

Got some saddle clamps for the cables and mounted.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0263.jpg

Welded floor sheets together. Took a couple of hours to do that and a bit of playing to get the welder settings right. Only tripped a 20amp circuit breaker once. I thought the welder would need some time out but it didnt bat an eyelid.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0264.jpg

And welded side rails

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0265.jpg

Also today wired up the controller in the ute. Pretty simple, the controller has 4 wires, two to the battery with a 20amp self resetting circuit breaker, a signal wire from the brake lights and a power line to the trailer wired into the service brakes pin of the trailer plug. The hilux already had the service brakes wire but it was not nearly big enough. Each brake uses up to 3 amp so the wire needs to run 12amp. There would be a lot of voltage loss if I used the factory wire which is the most common cause of electric brakes not working. I have used 2x 12 guage wires. I still need to upgrade the earth from the vehicle plug as it's still the factory 16guage wire which is only enough for lights.

Folded up some guards from the remaining checker plate. I did this by griniding most of the way through the checkerplate and bending by hand. Worked fairly well. The downside was I had to run a weld along the folds where bending the normal way this wouldnt be needed.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0284.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0276.jpg

Welded checker plate into the tail light housing and mounted tail lights and wirewd up

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0281.jpg

How to keep brakes on. Commonly used to stab AU falcons with.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0280.jpg

[Yonnee]

...Commonly used to stab AU falcons with.
ROFLMAO
And deservedly so...:2tsup:

[Yonnee]

What other light are you running. You do realise that with a trailer that big, you'll need a Red/Amber in each corner.

[09sr5]

Well i might be a little on the slow side but when I read the vic roads regs i find them hard to follow :no:

The lights I have so far are:

Brake and indicator lights
Number plate lights
2x red/orange lights for side clearence to go on the guards
a bunch of red/white reflectors.

What else do I need?

[09sr5]

Another small update

Put on side rails

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0291.jpg

Front rail made but not mounted. Wind picked up in a hurry so had to leave that.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0292.jpg

Nailed this guy on the road too.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0286.jpg

[09sr5]

ROFLMAO
And deservedly so...:2tsup:

It's a bit of a personal joke with mates, we're all into falcons and one friend has an AU wagon he bought to wreck. It is terminally affected by rust after 10 yrs in a seaside town but only had about 90,000km on it. we'd taken the motor out and put it in his EB (thing flys now).I was walking past his wreck with a crow bar in hand took the opportunity , stabbed it a few times and kept walking. My mates were in fits since it was so random.

Anyway here's a website that lists a current car we're working on. Should be interesting.

www.e21build.com (http://www.e21build.com)

[Yonnee]

Well i might be a little on the slow side but when I read the vic roads regs i find them hard to follow :no:
They can be pretty vague, but it used to be my job to know them, so the VSB1 was my bible for a while.


The lights I have so far are:

Brake and indicator lights
Number plate lights
2x red/orange lights for side clearence to go on the guards
a bunch of red/white reflectors.

What else do I need?

OK, the regulations state that any trailer over 2.1M wide overall, requires "end outline markers" to show the external dimensions of the trailer. Therefore technically, yours requires a Red/Amber light mounted at the front and rear of each side (to mark the four corners), and, a pair of white lights facing the front of the trailer. However, there's a loophole that also states that if there's no place to mount a front Red/Amber or White lamp, such as a boat trailer, then one Red/Amber on the guard in the middle of the trailer is acceptable. But if you do have the front Red/Amber, then it can also double as your front White lamp. So, it depends on the Vicroads officer registering your trailer as to whether they'll let you get away with only the one, seeing as your does have sufficient structure to mount lights at the front.
Personally, when I build my own car trailer, it will be lit up like a Christmas tree. One at the front of the trailer, one at the front of the guard, one at the rear of the guard, one at the rear of the trailer, and a side repeater indicator on the side of the guard between the two wheels. I watched a car nearly clean up a trailer that was pulled out of a side street. It only had rear taillights, and because it turned towards us you couldn't see it till it had passed us. So I am a big fan of lights on a trailer.

You'll also need up to 3 Amber reflectors on each side of the trailer too. One within a metre of the rear of the trailer, One in the middle third, and One within 3 metres of the front of the coupling. If any of these dimensions overlap, you can place the One reflector in the overlap. (If the trailer is less than 9 metres long, then the front of the middle third is within 3 metres of the front of the trailer.)

[09sr5]

Maiden voyage tonight!

Welded on the two safety chains. Two are required for this weight. I forget what the actual stipulation is but yeah.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0311.jpg

The thin wire cord is the breakaway switch cable.

Flattened the battery on the car. I had the lights on and trailer plugged in while i finished off the electrics. I wondered why the LED's were going a bit funny when the indicator flashed. Dead battery lol

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0310.jpg

In the end I put four clearence lights on each side along and a turn indicator on the guard.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0313.jpg

I can charge the breakaway battery if the car is in reverse.... I still need to upgrade the cars earth wire in the trailer plug and also run an ignition switched 12v charge wire to the reverse light pin of the plug. The trailer will be earthing through the draw bar at the moment, it's not ideal but it works. Today was raining and I wasn't going to lay under the car!!

First tow was great. Electric brakes are awesome. I can hang the trailer sideways by giving it a flick and punching on the brake overide. Looks awesome. I've never towed with electric brakes before - it is so different. It's like braking as normal and with a bit of help from the trailer. Definitly worth the coin.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0316.jpg

Pretty dodgy photo. The brake controller is on the right. 1V is basically stopped, 13v is wheel smoking. As you decellerate the amount of power that is put to the brakes is according to decelleration. Hard braking will put more power, less will apply less. The slide which you can just see over rides that.
The switch to the right with the green light is inline with the signal from cars brake cuircuit. When the brake switch opens power goes to the controller. I have set this up so I can switch this off so when theres no trailer the brake controller wont work, and when the switch is on the green led lights when the peddle is pushed. This means the controller back feeds power to the brake cuircit of the vehicle when the slide override is used meaning tail lights come on.

[09sr5]

Also tommorrow is rego day. 10:30am

All I can say is:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/karlth/IMG_0302.jpg

[09sr5]

Rego Done. Very simple process. I got it weighed, came out to be 940kg. I forgot to take the slip in the guy took my word for it, measured the overall length and width that was it. Showed him a receipt for the running gear as proof of ownership, all good. So so simple.

[Yonnee]

Mate, top job!! Makes a huge difference when you, and others can see it behind you.

Not a bad controller the Dexter either. And once you've had Electric... you never go back!

And Rego can be pretty easy, as most Vicroads officers don't know all the trailer reg's. But it's better to be correct anyway, as the onus is always going to be on you, the manufacturer.

[buildspacetrain]

Congratulations. Fantastic job, really looks the part. :2tsup: The best job is the one you do yourself. I was wondering how the rego process went for when I do my trailer. It sounds fairly simple. Am I right in saying that you ring up vicroads and get a VIN number, make an appointment, get it weighed, and take it for inspection? What did you stamp the VIN number on the drawbar with and what size? Any problems with the compliance plate? Sorry about the questions.
Cheers.

[Yonnee]

Hey BST.
There is a separate VIN section to Vicroads, but you just ring the 131171 number and ask to be put through to them.

As for the VIN on the trailer, you can scribe/engrave this on the ID (VIN) plate that you buy. In addition, (it is only "recommended" by the regulations, but not compulsory) you can add it onto the trailer somewhere, either by letter/number stamps or as I do, weld it on. Bear in mind, that the VIN system is a way of tracing stolen vehicles, and it only take me a day or so to remove and replace a drawbar, so I always add my VIN numbers onto another rail on the trailer where it cant be got at with a grinder, is not easily replaced, and even out of sight unless you go looking for it. That way, even if thieves change the VIN plate, the VIN number is still elsewhere on the trailer.

[buildspacetrain]

Thanks Yonnee. Good advice. Will put the number on the main frame somewheres.
Cheers.