Thread: trailer plans

Aluminium plate would be heavy not on the springs but on the hip pocket

I used cypress pine seconds floor boards , easy to install , wont rust, easier to sweep clean than checker plate, light , doesn't damage anything slid across them , cheep, etc
Trailor lived in the open and only replaced them once after 16 years.








The trouble with life is there's no background music.

Mate of mine has an all ally trailer, purchased Airforce surplus (figures). It is excellent, specially the load capacity. Also has very high ground clearance like a 4WD.

He has the inside sprayed with a special texturing epoxy to protect the panelling - the only worry with it is dropping something heavy & pointy that will punch thru' the floor.

I think you will find if you intend to completely build a new trailer it will need to conform to an increasing number of Australian standards before it hits the bitumen. No standards compliance -no rego.
If you are the constructor you shall be required to fix a plate to it giving your name and contact details. Check out any new commercially built trailer to see what I mean. If you build it your name and liability is on the line for the life of the trailer.
A more viable option may be to bite the bullet and replace the floor. If it is still registered it should not need inspection. Having said that it not a bad idea to go over the rest of it for general condition.Some trailers are really road hazards.

If I needed a new one I don't think I could go past a new hot dipped galvanised jobby, but thats only cos i got too many other projects on, but thats just me.

Grahame

The fella next door replaced the floor on his trailer with a single sheet of ally. He glued it in, so no screw or welds to rust out. Its great.
The trailer can be full of dirt swept out and its ready to go camping. My trailer has a checker plate floor. The checker plate profile ensures that dirts and water are always trapped somewhere. The thing is designed to rust. I hate it!
Its a new ally floor for me, when it finaly gives up the ghost.

Originally Posted by Grahame Collins

If you are the constructor you shall be required to fix a plate to it giving your name and contact details. Check out any new commercially built trailer to see what I mean. If you build it your name and liability is on the line for the life of the trailer.

Grahame

No, this is NOT the case, well not in Victoria anyway.

I built my own trailer last year, and for the Compliance plate, all that is required for the manufacturer name is "H-MADE" for home made.

You do however need to provide proof of purchase of the raw materials used to construct the trailer. No invoices - no proof of ownership - no rego.

You need to get it weighed before getting the rego, and you also need to call Vicroads the day before to get a VIN number, which also must be stamped into the plate along with "H-MADE".

Not at any time was the name of the person who constructed the trailer requested.

It was all very stressful before the event, but all went well at inspection.
I suppose if it looks like a crap job it could be a different story though...

Get your self a copy of VSB-1 (vehicle standards bulletin) and read it well. (http://www.dotrs.gov.au/transreg/vsb/index.aspx)
This is pretty much the bible to ensure compliance.

Smeds.
I built a trailer out of gal steel and used cold gal paint on all the welds. It has lived outside for over 5 years now and everything is still fine, including the sheet of 15mm hardwood ply that I glued in as the floor. Aluminium is not the wonderful material that a lot of people think it is. Sure, it doesn't rust but it's prone to fatigueing and stress cracks, it's soft enough that the floor will stretch and get waves in it and it's quite expensive. If you want to build a new one I'd recommend gal steel.

Mick

Thie circumstances I described prevailed in Queensland a decade or so ago. I believe there was a spate of home built trailer accidents. There were trailer accidents caused by amatuer welders welding across the trailer drawbar and as the trailer flexed a crack devoploped and failure occurred .

There were enough accidents to warrant the transport department looking very hard at home builders. I built a tandem trailer based on a wrecked caravan chassis and the hoops the department put the thing through were something else. It sailed through inspection anyway because we took no shortcuts.
T assumed wrongly from that point, that the rules forthe home trailer builder would only get tougher.

My apologies for mis informing the contributor but safety comes first in my fabrication efforts Always.
Grahame

Thought I would bring an old thread back to life

Is this the standard I should be building my trailer against in Victoria:

http://www.dotars.gov.au/roads/safet.../vsb_01_b.aspx

My 8' X 4' 6" trailer already has a compliance plate and registration. If I moidfy it to be wider and longer do I need to get it complianced again?

I am looking at making it 10' x 6'.

Brenton

You would need to notify Vicroads on that as it would be modified from the original, anything that has been made longer or wider has to re-inspected.

If the original compliance plate is a manufucters plates, that one will no longer be legal.

You will also have to get it re-weighted and will probably need to look at getting the springs upgraded as well.

I would reckon it would be cheaper to sell the smaller one and buy another one in the right size.

I don't know how the rules in states stand after 20yrs but I built mine from a kit and beefed it up with a longer draw bar and extra steel under to eliminate the wavy base syndrome.

I also placed the checker plate smooth side up. Much easier to shovel and sweep.

So what is involved in getting the trailer re-registered as a new size and possibly weight? What is the cost?

The trailer is rated at 750KG currently and will not carry anymore weight than this once I have built it.

How is the Gross Trailer Mass weight on the wheels of the trailer calculated?

The GTM is the weight of the load and the trailer combined, so if your trailer weights 300KG which also includes the rims and tyres, you can only carry 450KG.

Anything over this weight must have brakes fitted to the trailer.

As for getting the trailer re-registered and cost, you would be best to enquire at Vicroads or go to a trailer manufacturer

Thanks DJ.

Actually, I just checked the trailer and it has a GTM of 1250KG.