All Purpose Trailer

This trailer design came up after using one similar when I worked in the mines in Western Australia.

It had a welder-generator on it and all of our welding equipment, oxy acetylene tools etc.  It was dragged around with a 10 ton truck at times so took a beating but handled it well.

So I bent it all up and cut all the chassis steel up in WA as well, it ended up moving to NSW with me and then on to New Zealand’s lower South Island. Being flat packed it didn’t matter and it never did take up much room.

I got to thinking one day, “I’d better weld this steel up and turn it into something useful.”  So I ordered all the running gear, axles and
hubs, lights tow coupling and all the required parts.

It was about then I started to think, “If I make the trailer deck 1750mm wide I would get a 2.5 ton excavator on it.”  So 3.5 ton running gear was needed.  I had planned to buy an excavator down the track track but it still hasn’t happened yet. 

Then I welded up the deck chassis and tacked the sides on that I had previously bent up.  They didn’t look right and I didn’t have the equipment to bend new sides at the time so got some help from the guys at Farra Engineering.  Once I got those new sides on the trailer looked right so I was really pleased.

Next I got all the suspension hangers attached and guards on, made up front and rear doors and put them on, added attachment points for wiring and then drilled the ends of all the RHS ready for galvanizing.  I had to go to Christchurch to get the galvanising done, but the trailer was back before I knew it.

Galvanizing is quite expensive and I’m not sure I’d do that again but obviously would if a customer wanted it.  For me, paint is okay,   Sure, it chips, but it’s just a trailer.

I started putting it together, attached all the suspension and axles, hubs went on, brakes, wires run and set up.

I had some Land Cruiser tyres that I had off an old truck of mine – the one I wish I’d never sold – that I sued.  They were quite big and made the trailer sit up, but that’s what I wanted and it was good to be putting those trusty tyres to good use.

The lights and coupling batter for the brakes came next.  The deck was made from Plytech Trans-Tex.  It’s a great product and I’ll definitely use it again.

Just when I thought I was just about done, I decided to make a create for it – something I could use for carting sheep around, but mainly for firewood. I think without having a measure up I can get about 5 cubic meters in it so it’s a good size.

What would I do differently?  I would never build a trailer that size for myself again. It was 2600 mm long in the tray and 1750mm wide.  But the overall width was 2400mm which, for me, is too wide,.  It sticks out about 200mm on each side of the Holden Colorado I drive.  I think the better way is to build a platform trailer, or flatdeck as they are also known, 2 meters wide but the same width as the ute.  The tyres being underneath gives you so much more room.

Anyway, watch this space because I am going to be building another one soon – much better in design with silent suspension and a few other good ideas.