A few people who live in the village have asked if I would tidy/maintain their gardens for them whilst they are back in the UK. i'm quite interested in doing this as it will give a little extra income throughout the year. However I would need a small trailer to move my mower, brush-cutter, chainsaws and hand tools around. It would also be used to take the canoes to the local lake about 12km away.
So, I know nothing about trailers, what should I look for in a trailer? Is wheel size, suspension, etc important for a small trailer to tow locally?
Keep an eye on Gumtree and local paper for a wee erde 142. Brilliant wee trailers, parts are plentiful and cheap, I got mine for 100 quid 5 years ago, sold it a few months back for 150.
They also go under another name, canny remember it though.
A small trailer can be harsh on mowers but if it's not a heavy pro mower it's not such a big deal. I'd look for a flatbed trailer with short sides. An 8ft ifor or indespension. These two will hold their value forever if bought used. No need for brakes. As with many things, bigger is better. An 8x5 will be more visible in your wing mirrors for parking than a tiny halfords thing.
Make sure it's secure;pikeys love stealing trailers.
Don't go too small, much easier to reverse if you can see the mudguards in the mirrors. A tiny one can be impossible as by the time it appears in the mirror its halfway to jack-knifing, and you can't watch both mirrors at the same time!
I've been watching for second-hand ones for a while, anything that looks vaguely descent is expensive enough to make the Erde's look like a good option. Some (all?) can be stored on their tailgate with the hitch pointing up in the air which is useful for me.
They do various tipping, ramped, high sided and top box styles. Just had a thought, if I do buy one, the BC cycling discount should apply 🙂
Beware uk content - in uk a lot of dumps, sorry civic amenity sites, charge for trailers /over a certain size
Short/short wheelbase trailers are difficult to reverse
What is the dump like -is can you get one with a drop back /side and sweep crap straight into dump
For canoes consider on/off and how they will sit - H frame with pads at each end, etc
Dad had an I for williams drop tail with H front for his gardening,
My dad does just this after years with van with big trailers. Go for one with 7-8' load area, this will be about the max for an unheated trailer, good size but still easily towable with a small car. Ideal add a ladder rack if it doesn't come with one. Also you will ideal want a tailgate that works as a ramp. Mesh on the upper section as it lessens wind resistance.
They can be expensive especially at this time of year.
Just watch the unbraked trailers, although they can be up to 750kg without brakes, they can only be half the kerbweight of your car. So a small hatchback with kerbweight of 1000kg, you can only tow 500kg unbraked trailer. An Erde 147 weighs 95kg not including a spare wheel, hardtop or tailgate etc so you could soon be down to just 350kg capacity before you've filled it with tents and canoes!
Thanks everyone. Some really useful advice as ever.
Our local tip has a max internal length of 1.5m on trailers , anything big and your into commercial / trade waste permits .
spooky_b329 - Member
Just watch the unbraked trailers, although they can be up to 750kg without brakes, they can only be half the kerbweight of your car. So a small hatchback with kerbweight of 1000kg, you can only tow 500kg unbraked trailer. An Erde 147 weighs 95kg not including a spare wheel, hardtop or tailgate etc so you could soon be down to just 350kg capacity before you've filled it with tents and canoes!
It's more complicated than this - you need to check your car's spec sheet. My car weighs 1200kg, and is rated to tow 450kg unbraked and 1200kg braked.
If looking for a new one then there are companies that build them to your spec. I was looking for one a while ago and a local company would build one to my design and measurements. They could also build with removable attachments for bikes, motorbikes, canoes or pretty much anything you want. Prices were cheaper that the ones you see parked outside the local Halfords. I ended up buying one from the local classifieds for £40. Server me well for about 6 years acting as a builders skip until we changed cars and no longer have a tow bar. The regs have tightened at the tip making it a lot harder to dispose of trailer fulls of rubbish. You now have limited visits and only at certain times on certain days meaning it's a pain in the rear.
In the end I filled mine up with rubbish and gave it away for free as it needed a load of work to keep it road worthy. I just made sure I got covert photos of the collector, their car and reg and them driving away just in case they dumped the rubbish in the nearest country lane.
I looked for ages then went and bought an Ifor Williams new
Reckon it will hold value
Some of the second hand ones were going for ridiculous money
Get a twin axle 8x4/5
If you buy a small erde one you'll soon be wanting bigger
It's also ideal for large sheets ply, fence panels etc
Mesh sides would be good if you have a large hedge trimming job
Look at this range
http://www.iwt.co.uk/products/general-duty/general-duty/
If I am reading correctly that you are not in the UK then probably get local advice. Trailer brands are not international to the extent cars are. More importantly the rules (e.g. on "MOT", insurance, registration etc) is not harmonised across Europe.