Thread: Alloy truck tray for trailer

I have been toying with doing similar to carry a moke to rallies and other times as a toy hauler for a couple of quad's. I have a 4.530m x 2130m alloy truck tray which i would like to use but getting a lot of confusing information as to how to put this into a car trailer for rego and the size steel bars to use.
Has anyone done this? The alloy tray is a kind of clip lock and ribbed about 40mm deep?

Welcome aboard Wallie.

Turning an alloy tray from a truck into a trailer has been done many times, and really it's as simple as fabricating a rolling chassis that complies with the requirements in VSB1, then bolting on the tray, and taking it to the RTA for rego. Now that may sound a little simplistic, but it shouldn't be that hard. What can be difficult is understanding the VSB1, and then trying to second guess the NSW RTA as to what extra hoops they want you jump through for their own sadistic pleasure. They seem to be the most difficult registering authority to deal with in Australia, even going so far as to make up their own set of rules that the trailer should comply with before they'll give you a set of plates.

However, if what you're proposing is to fabricate a car trailer, probably a photo of the alloy tray might help us better understand what your issues might be.

Thanks Yonnee, I have some idea of how to proceed but will always accept better ideas. Getting an image is no prob, posting it might, will confuse me though.

wallie

Below are a couple of images of the alloy tray 4530mm long, 2130mm wide. I was toying with leaving the 2 alloy channels currently on it but to adapt them onto a steel frame seems to be more difficult than removing them and running with a 3 steel 75 x 50mm box (1 in centre and 2 over the springs). Unsure what guage would need to run this length for support. Would run a lighter guage 50 x 50 around the outside initially to have tie downs on and later for wall supports when i close it in.
Wallie

Under tray 1.jpgTruck tray 1.jpg

Looking at all the fixings between the alu channel and decking, which forms a system, re-doing that with steel seems like a fair chunk of work in itself. You'll add some height, but I'd have thought a steel frame underneath the channel will be less work. You could still add a centre run of RHS, but I'm not sure what the actual benefit would be given the decking looks pretty stiff.

Ok.
The size of that tray is a bit of a pain, because it's too wide to have the wheels outside the tray, but you're losing 370mm over what you can have legally on the road. The biggest issue with having the wheels under the tray, is ride height. One option is using 6.00 x 9 alloy rims & tyres as used on boat trailers, however this does limit your options on brakes.
The tray itself is going to have a fair bit of rigidity, so what I would suggest is a base chassis made to the same width as the two longitudinal rails on the tray is all you need. (A base chassis being drawbar, side rails, front, centre & rear cross rails.)

Alternatively, rather than trying to fully enclose this tray, you could build just a flat top tray trailer for practice, then use the proceedes from selling it to fund a more purpose built enclosed trailer.

Thanks, i am trying to get away from adding height and have found out that the tray does seem to be able to support considerable load. I am looking at removing the alloy channel and running a steel frame underneath that supports the axles with cross bars only. Just working on what size RHS and guage to use.

Originally Posted by RustyArc

Looking at all the fixings between the alu channel and decking, which forms a system, re-doing that with steel seems like a fair chunk of work in itself. You'll add some height, but I'd have thought a steel frame underneath the channel will be less work. You could still add a centre run of RHS, but I'm not sure what the actual benefit would be given the decking looks pretty stiff.