Thread: Car Trailer Dolly Q's

my pajero weights a feather short of 2 ton (1.97 tons) but its actually rated to tow 2.5 tons, im unsure what weight the trailer will come out at but hopefully around 300-350kg that leaves me a decent margin for a vehicle to be towed but its all up to the mechanic who does the blue slip inspection on what he decides the GVM will be so i plan on hulky bulking the trailer with extra supports

the rego on the vehicle being towed is a good point i think it does need to be registered but if it doesnt have rego and i find a nice car in VIC ill just get a permit they are much easier to get in VIC than NSW and tow it home

unfortunately living in sydney cost an absolute bomb for an example if my car broke down in the next suburb a tow'ie will charge around $80-$120 last time i was quoted, getting a car transported from albury to sydney depo to depo i was quoted last week $650 i can build the trailer for slightly more

im the kind of guy who loans his stuff out so the trailer would see a bit of use having a huge family of cousins and friends it would save people a lot of money, just my mum and my sister i think both pay around $200 each a year just for NRMA road service because they get a free tow if broken down and stranded

If you can get a permit why not just drive the bastard home?

I know it's a bit more than you need, ATM but if the Pajero has the good towing capacity, why not build a proper car trailer. That way, it can still be used to pick up a broken down car, haul long lengths of steel, timber etc. No hassles with rego. insurance, police etc. Later you could make a cage for it and use it to move the MIL out of the house and into a retirement village You should be able to run hydraulic brakes, so that anyone could borrow the trailer, without the need for electric brake set ups etc.
Kryn

soundman the car will be unknown unheard of running before i make the trip and it could be as far as the VIC boarder so if i was to drive it home and it broke down we would be stranded, im aback yard mechanic but i cant do much without parts on hand and in country NSW could be a almighty mission finding a car wreckers with parts in stock and for a 4wd at that

plus i like the cool factor of building and owning my own car trailer and not paying RRP of $3000 i love anything DIY ive always grown up wondering how things work and ive always been a tinkerer

Kryn that would be unreal ive thought about the idea but i dont have a large slab of concrete to lay it all out on, atm im using my shed floor a 3x3 meter area to tack my frame together for my dolly trailer but its cramped,i do have a decent size backyard but its sloped with a small flat area i tried the whole adjustable post and water level using a clear hose but it was more of a pain in the ass than it was worth setting up, where as a nice large concrete slab one could knock up a square and level frame in no time

since this is a car towing trailer it'll need brakes i was looking at the 9" electronic drum brakes on ebay i was hopping to match them up with 13" wheels and a 4" drop axle i worked it out the other day i would still be above the minimum 100mm ground clearance for registration

I don't have a flat spot in my back yard, but as long as you have a spirit level available, there shouldn't be a problem. I've set up a lot of jobs on sites, without the luxury of a flat slab.
Basically all that is required is a spirit level, wedges (not the type from KFC) a few blocks of wood, to act as packers to lift the frame off the ground. Set up one end level across the back for example, then layout your side pieces, to get the length, then do your front rail, setting it level. Tack the pieces in place and square it up, tack the remaining joints, check your levels again, attach your drawbar at this point, as they will help hold the frame square.
Tack in the rest of the cross members, suspension etc, I find it better to tack in all the pieces first, then weld all joints. Don't weld all the joints but stagger them, as to minimise distortion.
Kryn

u make it sound easy Kryn lol

should be ok as long as the front wheels are strapped down well. will require lights of course. and make damn sure that the steering isn't locked otherwise apart from the extra weight particularly when braking should all be good-have seen interstate A frames hooked up to the chassis-frowned upon in Victoria (requires a licensed driver in towed car (unless laws have changed)I gather that the A frame makes the towed car act like a trailer.

yeah cheers wood


ok so im looking at new material, i priced 50x50x5mm $130 per length can a LOTOS mig 175amp weld this thickness? other options are 50x50x3mm $60 per length on ebay or 50x50x2.5mm also on ebay $34 per length

do u guys think anything less than 5mm material will support the front wheels of a 1.5-2 ton vehicle and tow it? i think from memory the 45mm square axle is rated to 1400kg so the trailer frame will need to support this much weight at max capacity

picked up some steel today the main draw bar is 65x65x5mm, the side draw bars are 50x50x3mm, rear rectangle frame is 65x35x2.5mm, i plan on placing the axle between the rectangle frame and the draw bars i will cut slots for the axle in the draw bars and tie it all together

any comments as to what im doing?

trailer overall length is 3 meters and so far frame width is 1.97 meters wide

what a total^$*( up unbelievable after going to buy the steel today RMS finally emails me back saying a tow dolly is illegal in NSW however i can use a towing A frame i thought u beauty ill build one of those than comes the bit u need to jump thru the hoops to get it, first off the A frame needs brakes? i donno about this.... than u need both vehicles, the tow and towing cars inspected for a match up for towing and i think someone needs to sign off on it too

i may just build a flat bed with the steel i have on hand now

http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/documents/...ame-towing.pdf

As Malcolm Fraser said "Life wasn't meant to be easy", Kryn said "It wasn't meant to be this *';^ing difficult either!!!!!"
What is legal in one state, is not legal in another, regarding A frames.
Kryn

Originally Posted by KBs PensNmore

As Malcolm Fraser said "Life wasn't meant to be easy", Kryn said "It wasn't meant to be this *';^ing difficult either!!!!!"
What is legal in one state, is not legal in another, regarding A frames.
Kryn

yeah bugger, but looking at A frames i could knock one up, i looked on the front of my 4by (4wd car) and it has two of the attaching hooks that the A frames attach to and i was just looking up manufacturers of A frames and one is running a brake coupling with a length of braking cable that attaches to the cars underside of the brake peddle so u can legal tow a 2 ton car as it legally has brakes lol smart idea

but getting it passed certification and than getting new cars passed for towing might be a problem ill wait to here back from RMS to find out how long it takes to get each car passed

the A frame is a even better option to the dolly trailer as the A frame will pack away in the car boot, they seems to be common in the UK but theres attach to the bottom of the suspension which RMS doesnt allow or i'd just order one of theirs for 120 pounds, what i mayconsider doing is buying one from the UK and modifying it to suit RMS rules

Originally Posted by KBs PensNmore

I know it's a bit more than you need, ATM but if the Pajero has the good towing capacity, why not build a proper car trailer. That way, it can still be used to pick up a broken down car, haul long lengths of steel, timber etc. No hassles with rego. insurance, police etc. Later you could make a cage for it and use it to move the MIL out of the house and into a retirement village You should be able to run hydraulic brakes, so that anyone could borrow the trailer, without the need for electric brake set ups etc.
Kryn

seeing as i have some of the material now do u think if i was to build the full sized trailer i could use 70x50x2.5mm tubing for the frame? i will use what i have on hand being 50x50x3mm for the very first cross member at the front of the rectangle section of the trailer and the rear and use the 70x50x2.5 for main side rails and cross members?

looking at this design here looks simple to build http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/tandem-ca...item41951e0b79 minus the side upper rails which i dont like

Hi Gazza, how much of the 75 X 50 and 50 X 50 do you have, as I can then work out a basic plan for you. Do you plan to put in a full floor, or just on the sides for the wheels? What length is the RHS. I would suggest that you use 100 X 50 X 3 RHS for the drawbar.
Kryn