Light weight car trailer info wanted

[Old Man Wattsy]

I'm considering whether to buy/build a single axle light weight trailer that weights no more than 500kg that I can use to haul my Fulvia Zagato around during the restoration process.

Before I go to talk to some local trailer builders, I’d like to see a few photos of similar light weight trailers that weight no more than 500kg.

Currently our main car is a Subaru Liberty (aka Legacy) which we don’t plan to change for a few years. It has a towing capacity of 1.5tonnes. Most commonly available trailers in OZ are twin axle and weight about 750 to 800kgs which leaves a body weight of 700kgs if I tow the Zagato behind the Liberty. Whilst this is OK at the moment as the engine and transmission have been removed, it cost me about $120 per day each time I hire the trailer.

Hope someone can help with a few photos or, better still, a plan.

Regards, Mick

[fay66]

I'm considering whether to buy/build a single axle light weight trailer that weights no more than 500kg that I can use to haul my Fulvia Zagato around during the restoration process.

Before I go to talk to some local trailer builders, I’d like to see a few photos of similar light weight trailers that weight no more than 500kg.

Currently our main car is a Subaru Liberty (aka Legacy) which we don’t plan to change for a few years. It has a towing capacity of 1.5tonnes. Most commonly available trailers in OZ are twin axle and weight about 750 to 800kgs which leaves a body weight of 700kgs if I tow the Zagato behind the Liberty. Whilst this is OK at the moment as the engine and transmission have been removed, it cost me about $120 per day each time I hire the trailer.

Hope someone can help with a few photos or, better still, a plan.

Regards, Mick

more to the point what is the legal position on car trailers in OZ, does a single axle meet Construction and Use Regulations? what about braking?

Brian

[Old Man Wattsy]

Brian,
Good questions.
Firstly, I have seen cars in NSW on single axle trailers so I had assumed that, subject to the capacity of axle/wheel and the certified strength of the trailer, it should be registable. However I will check further.
Secondly, you are correct about the brakes. I should have said that the trailer needed brakes for the Liberty to have a towerable capacity of 1.5tonnes.
Regards, Mick

[riczag]

I cannot comment upon construction and use regulation in NZ. Personally, I do not think that single axle trailers are very good for something as large and as heavy as a car. It is difficult to get the right balance and this loads the tow bar/ball/hitch.

Of course much depends upon how far you intend towing the car. In the UK, A frames are quite popular for short journeys with small/light weight vehicles. These generally have no braking system but with a light car that is often not a serious problem especially on fairly flat roads. One merely needs to drive at a sensible speed and anticipate braking situations. The advantage of the A frame is its lightness and the towing vehicle is kept on its 4 wheels thereby not adversely loading the tow bar/ball/hitch. It is also by far the cheapest option.

[riczag]

Re my last post, I meant Oz not NZ. Sorry.

[KeppelmanJ]

National regulations aside, I'm sure it's fine to build a trailer with one axle for a Fulvia Sport. I did it myself for a Zagato racecar. My car weighed 1850 wet and the trailer 1100 pounds. There was no problem finding an axle and tires (6 ply) rated for that and it's a much easier trailer to handle in shops, storage, etc than one with 2 axles. You definitely want brakes and you want a manual control too so that you can actuate the trailer brakes on downhill runs when needed so that the trailer stays behind you! Car loaded, you want 10% of the trailer weight on the tongue to ride properly. A very gratifying project, I found, and it pulled and followed along perfectly. Some of my hauls were over 1k miles. It's a big cutting and welding job though. If you find yourself serious about it send me your address by pm and I'll mail you a sketch of what I did.

[Old Man Wattsy]

Johnny,
Thanks for the offer as I'd be interested to have a look at your sketch.
Regards, Mick

[Rick]

Single axles don't offer safety against a blow out which can whip saw one into a ditch in a flick of the eye... Just want to make sure you get to the next level of "Old". Tandem axles for me.

[KeppelmanJ]

Single axles don't offer safety against a blow out which can whip saw one into a ditch in a flick of the eye... Just want to make sure you get to the next level of "Old". Tandem axles for me.

Hence the 6 ply tires. Tires have come a very long way. Personally, I've been driving for some 50 years without a single "blowout". One fast leak that I can remember, and that was on the truck not the trailer. Tandem axles are a real pain to move around once off your tow vehicle.

[Zsport1.3]

I have to agree with Rick. I've had a wheel ripped off my four wheel trailers (rock or pothole probably) and didn't notice until I turned on to the motorway and got to 60 mph. Snaked a bit at that point. Made it all the way to the circuit at 50mph.

A couple of summers ago I was 200 yards behind a caravan on the M3 when it had a blowout. Started snaking immediately and after a couple of passes it spun the whole combo around until they were facing the oncoming traffic in the fast lane. Luckily everyone was paying attention and avoided them but I think they had to change their underwear after that.

I'd go for 4 wheels every time. Yes they are trickier to set up right and they are a bit heavier.

[riczag]

Single axles don't offer safety against a blow out which can whip saw one into a ditch in a flick of the eye... Just want to make sure you get to the next level of "Old". Tandem axles for me.

I was once driving in Wales, it was raining heavily (not uncommon in Wales). There was a long straight down hill section followed by a long uphill section leading to a medium speed right hand corner. I was driving fast (I shall not say at what speed and you may guess that there was little extra that the engine would give) and just at the start of the uphill section, I noticed a small twitch on the steering. I did not immediately back off but it did concern me a little such that I backed off more than normal for the right hander. Sure enough when I put the car into the corner, the steering felt all wrong. Any way, I got round safely (perhaps more luck than skill). Stopped and had a look at the car. The front right hand tyre had blown out. There was a hole the size of an orange. The road was a mountain road rarely wide enough for two cars and it was unsafe to stop on it and block the road. I had to drive a couple of miles before finding a verge to pull over on, so that I could change the wheel.
I then got out of the car, got the jack and spare wheel out of the boot and began jacking up the car. All the time it was pi**ing it down with rain and I was getting really wet (probably only had a T-shirt on). After some time, I thought that it was a bit strange that I was not lifting the tyre off the ground. Initially, I put this down to the tyre being fully deflated such that I would have to jack more than usual. In the end the jack was fully extended and the tyre was not off the ground. It was so wet that the jack was pushed into the ground rather than lifting the car off the ground! I then had to pack up everything and drive another few miles until I found a gravel farm track to pull over onto and then change the wheel.
My experience is that I had a front tyre blow out at high speed in the wet and apart from a small twitch on the steering, one would not have known about it. Perhaps I was fortunate that the next bend was a right hander and this loaded the left hand tyre which was OK. It might not have been so much fun the other way around.
Of course, a blow out on a trailer is a different matter and can lead to a serious incident but it is rare for tyres to blow out.