Thread: My Trailer Build

Thats one long trails

What are you using it for.

It is going to be a glider trailer

How long is it? Longest and strangest car towable trailer we have had in the yard was one for a dragon boat. Dont think the machinist was overly impressed in having to make a cover for it!!!!

The trailer Is 10 meters not including the draw bar os will be about 11.5 meters finished

That's not long! You still have another Metre up your sleeve, legally...

Seriously though, good looking start.

Single axle or Tandem?

And you're aware of your axle placement for this length trailer?

Hi it will be a tandem rocker setup. the trailer is about 500 mm more than i need but this will let me adjust the position of the aircraft in the trailer to get the balance right

Originally Posted by kats1719

Hi it will be a tandem rocker setup. the trailer is about 500 mm more than i need but this will let me adjust the position of the aircraft in the trailer to get the balance right

I can recall reading on this forum somewhere that there is a bit of a technique used to determining the final positioning of springs and axles when getting the load balance right on a boat trailer. The same theory would apply to a glider I guess? Get the spring/axle location right and position the glider in the same spot every time, you can't go wrong.
Sorry, I haven't got the time to look for it but maybe someone else can help us out.
Thanks for sharing your build!
Cheers.

Will it have a taller section at the back for the tail? Interesting to to see where the wing fits into the trailer. What kind of weight would one be looking at for a glider of this size? My knowledge of gliders is pretty limited so there will be lots of questions. Jatt

There is a standard "rule of thumb" for axle placement for most trailers, usually 1/2" to the rear of centre for every foot of body (excluding drawbar), however, in this case that won't apply, as the maximum rear overhang (centre of axle group to rear of trailer) is 3.7M

If you were to do the above calculation, a 10M trailer would have the centre spring hanger 4590mm from the rear, but cannot be any more than 3700mm.

As for boat trailers, the boats usually have a fairly weighty motor at the rear, and these motors vary in weight depending on size, so you'll find just about all boat trailers have bolt-on spring hanger/mudguard components, which can be adjusted fore & aft to obtain the correct ball weight.

Hi guys the trailer will only be caring about about 500 kg the glider weight is 380 kg so the load is not a lot. Glider trailers have special dispensation on the overhang rule we can go to a maximum of five meters

I stand corrected. The rule was ammended by some states in '99 to allow imported glider trailers to be used here without modification. The trailer must only be used to carry the glider and/or its equipment, or towed empty. (You can't legally use it to go down to Bunnings to collect long lengths of timber...)

You may be required to carry an Information document put out by each state registering authority. I've placed some relevant links to each one here.

Axle set made but not bolted in to position yet haven't quite figured that bit out yet.I don't wont to drill a hole throw the frame so i will have to come up with a clamp off some kind. Started to fabricate the drew bar it has to tilt at the front of the trailer

Hi Kats.

Your trailer looks like a version of the medium to larger boat trailers.

2 pieces. Carriage and frame.

I rebuilt the carriage on my boat trailer a couple of months ago.The 2 parts are held together by u bolts.This also allows adjustment of axle position for weight distribution.

Welded to the carriage frame are 200mm lengths of 6mm, 50x50.
Finding it hard to explain so hopefully these photos will help.






Rod

.

Welcome aboard Rod, and nice work on the framing.

Kats1719, Rod's attachment of the 2 halves of his boat trailer is how most boat trailers are manufactured. They're built as a big meccano set that can be hot galv. dipped in separate pieces, then simply bolted together with galv 'U'bolts. Clamping one piece to another like this allows infinite adjustment of the pieces to accomodate all manner of varieties of boat configurations. You could use a similar idea to attach your undercarriage frame to your main frame, allowing you to adjust your balance point to where you need it.