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Thread: trailer tip

  1. #1
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    Default trailer tip

    just a tip for you guys building a trailer or doing one up or already have one and looking for some thing to do .
    you get some nice short shockies off a little vehicle ,off the front normally better , mate got a good set from the wreckers of a mitsy ute, anyway fit those to your trailer , you need to weld a few brackets on the axle and the box just make sure you have enough travel.
    a mate of mine did this to his 8 x 5 and it is the best trailer i have ever towed
    tracks better no jarring through the hitch to the vehicle and gets rid of most of the bounce all over the road deal when towing empty , kinder on the load you are carrying too
    it was only a single axle dont know how it would go on a tandem
    i have built 3 trailers and have not done this to any of mine because they were built before i found this out and i have been to lazy to do it to the box and boat trailers i have built so far.
    dont know if this has already been talked about in here cos this is the first time i have been in this section of the forum

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    Default Darn it, I thought you were talking about

    a tip (tipping) trailer. I used to have one, but loaned it to a friend when I shifted. When I finally got it back, two years later, the @@#%$** thing had been rebuilt, the tipping pivot removed, and the top part welded down to the chassis. I was FURIOUS!!!! (But was so glad to get the trailer back I didn't say anything). It was the best and most useful trailer we had ever had, and I want another. All I remember about it is that the top was welded to a piece of steel pipe which was threaded onto the axle so that it pivoted. It was balanced so that it was really easy to tip up, and was held down on the front with a pin which went thru two holes in a steel plate. Unfortunately, I can't weld, or I'd have a go at making one!

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by texx View Post
    just a tip for you guys building a trailer or doing one up or already have one and looking for some thing to do .
    you get some nice short shockies off a little vehicle ,off the front normally better , mate got a good set from the wreckers of a mitsy ute, anyway fit those to your trailer , you need to weld a few brackets on the axle and the box just make sure you have enough travel.
    a mate of mine did this to his 8 x 5 and it is the best trailer i have ever towed
    tracks better no jarring through the hitch to the vehicle and gets rid of most of the bounce all over the road deal when towing empty , kinder on the load you are carrying too
    it was only a single axle dont know how it would go on a tandem
    i have built 3 trailers and have not done this to any of mine because they were built before i found this out and i have been to lazy to do it to the box and boat trailers i have built so far.
    dont know if this has already been talked about in here cos this is the first time i have been in this section of the forum
    In my humble opinion, it depends on what springs are mounted on the trailer. If the trailer was built using standard, "off-the-shelf" trailer springs, then all the shock absorbers would do is stiffen the suspension even more. After all, a shock absorber is not designed to take any of the load of a vehicle on its suspension. It is purely there to reduce the oscillation (or bounce) of a vehicle's suspension movement. If you were to build a trailer using longer car springs, then shockers would definately help, and more than likely required, not so much to stop the bounce, but to stop it wallowing like a whale all over the road.
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    Plus any spring will only get advantage from a shock absorber when the load is to a level that makes the spring work/flex.

    Cheers
    regards

    David


    "Tell him he's dreamin."
    "How's the serenity" (from "The Castle")

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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by HandyAndrea View Post
    a tip (tipping) trailer. I used to have one, but loaned it to a friend when I shifted. When I finally got it back, two years later, the @@#%$** thing had been rebuilt, the tipping pivot removed, and the top part welded down to the chassis. I was FURIOUS!!!! (But was so glad to get the trailer back I didn't say anything). It was the best and most useful trailer we had ever had, and I want another. All I remember about it is that the top was welded to a piece of steel pipe which was threaded onto the axle so that it pivoted. It was balanced so that it was really easy to tip up, and was held down on the front with a pin which went thru two holes in a steel plate. Unfortunately, I can't weld, or I'd have a go at making one!
    Much the same as the draught horse tip drays were made .

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Calm View Post

    Plus any spring will only get advantage from a shock absorber when the load is to a level that makes the spring work/flex.

    Cheers

    Agreed. A trailer spring has to cope with quite a large range of weight. A trailer built to carry 1450Kg on single axle, can weigh as little as 400Kg empty. That's a 500Kg weight range that each spring has to work in, and to have the higher capacity, it's going to be stiff when unladen.

    Also, three reasons trailers aren't usually fitted with shockers;
    1) Cost. A new pair of shockers can be 1/5th the price of a whole trailer.
    2) Configuration. Most shockers work best vertically. Most trailers don't have the room to accomodate this.
    3) A leaf spring, as it flexes through its movement, rubs the leaves together. This friction acts as shocker does anyway. This works more on a trailer spring than a car spring because of its shorter length.
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    sorry fellas but it works we have done it , it is not an opinion its a fact ,
    this is on normal trailer slipper springs or bush type single axle .
    and shocks work from the top to the bottom of the stroke and any where in between so how ever much load is on the thing they are working .
    they do not stiffen the trailer at all they take out the bounce and jarring more so when empty than loaded.
    ok i dont build trailers for a living but i have built a few and my brother builds them for a living .
    the trailer i have towed with this set up was the local RACQ trailer and like i said it towed like no other .
    like i said you only need small light shocks ,
    if i am towing empty i drop some air out of the tyres stops some of the jarring bounce also,
    nother tip if you are towing any distance empty take the tailgate off and put it some where else the fuel saving is worth it

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by texx View Post
    sorry fellas but it works we have done it , it is not an opinion its a fact ,
    this is on normal trailer slipper springs or bush type single axle .
    and shocks work from the top to the bottom of the stroke and any where in between so how ever much load is on the thing they are working .
    they do not stiffen the trailer at all they take out the bounce and jarring more so when empty than loaded.
    ok i dont build trailers for a living but i have built a few and my brother builds them for a living .
    the trailer i have towed with this set up was the local RACQ trailer and like i said it towed like no other .
    like i said you only need small light shocks ,
    if i am towing empty i drop some air out of the tyres stops some of the jarring bounce also,
    nother tip if you are towing any distance empty take the tailgate off and put it some where else the fuel saving is worth it
    I find it difficult to work out what work the shockabsorber is doing if the trailer is empty and the springs are not moving. I think letting air out of the trailer tyres maybe giving you a false impression.

    The other option i see is the springs are a multi leaf spring which have long leaves for light loads and then as more weight comes on there are "ancillary" leaves which then come into use to carry the weight.

    I still maintain that the shockers stop/dampen the springs from "bouncing" but if they are not moving then they can't bounce. This means that the shocckers are not going in and out to do their job.

    Not trying to be argumentive but i hope you see what i mean.

    Cheers
    regards

    David


    "Tell him he's dreamin."
    "How's the serenity" (from "The Castle")

  9. #9
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    the springs are carrying a trailer full or empty they are carrying some thing . when they trailer hits a rough spot , a bump or whatever irregularity on the road the springs flex .
    how ever if you are in the city and only drive the freeways and such maybe you would not notice the full effect like we do out here on our roads ,
    re the tyre pressure when the trailer is empty the tyres hit a bump they are to hard and jarr the whole shabang , get a spare wheel with say 30 psi and drop it from 3 foot up then do the same with a tyre with only 18 psi .
    if you tow a trailer at any speed empty with hard tyres and hit a fair rut the trailer will bounce enough to lift off the road for a second ( only talking single axle here )and you will feel the jarr through the vehicle , the same rut the same speed with only enough air for the empty trailer weight and its a heck of a lot better and the trailer will not leave the road surface,
    think od the other extreme ,solid rubber tyres .
    mate i work on a lucerne farm and the difference in tyre pressure on tractors performance and more so ride is unbelievable same with our hay trailers and trucks , we have some implements with solid rubber wheel and in the lucerne paddock hit a rut and they feel like they are going to pull the back out of the tow vehicle .
    same with our acco twin steer and kenworth step deck combo empty ruff as guts loaded good as gold but its not practical to let all those tyres down for comfort , but on a box trailer its easy ,
    for a couple of years i would run from brisbane out to texas every second weekend with the box trailer loaded one way empty going back and when i found out these couple little tricks i did it every time cos it was worth doing , going back empty drop tyre pressure take tailgate off put it in the back of the waggon saving was about 8 bucks in fuel 18 years ago , and a more comfy ride with the trailer not jarring the waggon .
    for the non believers dont worry just forget i brought this up specially the shockies thing
    if you dont think it will work dont do it ,
    i know it does cos i have used a trailer with the set up .
    and i never brought it up for an argument either just passing on some thing that is tried and worked .
    no hard feelings to anyone ,

  10. #10
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    Texx,
    I'm in total agreement with you on the tyre pressure thing, and the tailgate trick as well. A tonneau cover on the trailer would pay for itself in fuel savings if the tailgate wasn't one that could be removed.

    But here's where I disagree...
    sorry fellas but it works we have done it , it is not an opinion its a fact ,
    this is on normal trailer slipper springs or bush type single axle .
    and shocks work from the top to the bottom of the stroke and any where in between so how ever much load is on the thing they are working .
    When a trailer is empty / unladen, the springs hardly move at all. So the shocker aren't actually doing anything.

    It all depends on the springs fitted to the trailer. Shockers would be perfect fitted to a well made 6X4 box trailer weighing 300kg, carrying a 200kg load, fitted with 3 leaf or 4 leaf trailer springs. But load those same springs with a 500kg load in the trailer, you will eventually snap a spring in half through fatigue.
    Too many projects, so little time, even less money!
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