I've posted recently in the Land Rover newsgroup, so apologies to anyone
who has seen a similar question there.
I'm looking to replace my old (dug out of a doctor's compost heap 25
years ago) boat launching trolley with a less rusty road going trailer.
The boat is 2.5 tons, 19 feet long and definitely not a trailer-sailer.
I've been looking and asking round locally and scanning ebay etc., but
most boat trailers of that capacity are huge and way out of my price
bracket.
I have talked to the nearest Indespension dealer, who is very helpful,
but I can't keep going back with more and more questions, so here I am.

A couple of trailers I thought about had hydraulic brakes, one with a
tow hitch actuator and one with just a few pipes and a temp tow hitch.
Are these things as expensive and difficult to sort out as I suspect? Is
there any good descriptive material anywhere about hydraulic trailer
brakes for use with ordinary vehicles?

I know it's a "How long is a piece of string" question but is there any
way of guessing the capacity of a trailer that no longer has any visible
markings? We are looking at 4 wheel units, but I particularly worry
about the to-the-towbar legs of an A-frame. This bends beautifully on
our 2-wheel trolley as we tow across fields ("it's part of the
suspension, sir") and has had to be reinforced.

Many industrial plant trailers have the right capacity, and I've been
looking out for one slightly longer than the norm to look at. Do these
rely on the bodywork to reach the required strength or could one just
hack away and replace all the upright bits with suitable props and the
floor with air and still end up with a high capacity fairly short
trailer?

--
Bill

Bill wrote:

I've posted recently in the Land Rover newsgroup, so apologies to anyone
who has seen a similar question there.
I'm looking to replace my old (dug out of a doctor's compost heap 25
years ago) boat launching trolley with a less rusty road going trailer.
The boat is 2.5 tons, 19 feet long and definitely not a trailer-sailer.

Just to clarify, the aim is towing (presumably by a substantial
vehicle) in a UK road-legal configuration?

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK


Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh.

Chris J Dixon wrote:

Bill wrote:

I've posted recently in the Land Rover newsgroup
The boat is 2.5 tons

Just to clarify, the aim is towing (presumably by a substantial
vehicle) in a UK road-legal configuration?

Presumably a lard roller, which can tow about 3.5 tonnes?

On 26/10/2010 17:12, Bill wrote:
I've posted recently in the Land Rover newsgroup, so apologies to anyone
who has seen a similar question there.
I'm looking to replace my old (dug out of a doctor's compost heap 25
years ago) boat launching trolley with a less rusty road going trailer.
The boat is 2.5 tons, 19 feet long and definitely not a trailer-sailer.
I've been looking and asking round locally and scanning ebay etc., but
most boat trailers of that capacity are huge and way out of my price
bracket.
I have talked to the nearest Indespension dealer, who is very helpful,
but I can't keep going back with more and more questions, so here I am.

A couple of trailers I thought about had hydraulic brakes, one with a
tow hitch actuator and one with just a few pipes and a temp tow hitch.
Are these things as expensive and difficult to sort out as I suspect? Is
there any good descriptive material anywhere about hydraulic trailer
brakes for use with ordinary vehicles?

I know it's a "How long is a piece of string" question but is there any
way of guessing the capacity of a trailer that no longer has any visible
markings? We are looking at 4 wheel units, but I particularly worry
about the to-the-towbar legs of an A-frame. This bends beautifully on
our 2-wheel trolley as we tow across fields ("it's part of the
suspension, sir") and has had to be reinforced.

Many industrial plant trailers have the right capacity, and I've been
looking out for one slightly longer than the norm to look at. Do these
rely on the bodywork to reach the required strength or could one just
hack away and replace all the upright bits with suitable props and the
floor with air and still end up with a high capacity fairly short trailer?


If you're going to tow two and a half tonnes of boat safely, you need a
proper boat trailer like one of these
http://www.snipetrailers.com/products3A.html - not something lashed up
with sealing wax and string.

A new one is going to set you back about 3 grand - but they are
available second-hand. Try a few boatyards, or Ebay.
--
Cheers,
Roger
____________
Please reply to Newsgroup. Whilst email address is valid, it is seldom
checked.

In message , Andy
Burns writes
Chris J Dixon wrote:

Bill wrote:

I've posted recently in the Land Rover newsgroup
The boat is 2.5 tons

Just to clarify, the aim is towing (presumably by a substantial
vehicle) in a UK road-legal configuration?

Presumably a lard roller, which can tow about 3.5 tonnes?

Yes, the idea is to be able to move the boat occasionally by road,
hopefully without pulling the back out of my Disco 300tdi auto. It would
be craned on and off the trailer unlike the earlier use of the old
launching trolley where we just hooked up to a tractor, drove it into
the "ditch" and waited for the tide to come in. Hence, of course, the
rust after 25 years.

I don't plan on doing any foolish speeds and would want something
road-legal. It's a long-keel small yacht of cast iron, oak and epoxy
ply, hence the weight. There are also hopes that we could store the
trailer undercover which makes huge ones a bit impractical. I reckon I
am looking for something of at least 3 tons gross capacity. Most boat
trailers like that are very long and very wide.

I have been looking at several trailers and reading, for example, the
load rating of the tyres and finding that these in no way match the
advertised trailer load rating. On the trailers that I can afford they
have usually painted over any load plates while hiding the rust.

We need to replace the trolley anyway, but personal circumstances with
family members mean we have horrendously reduced ability to just sail
the boat anywhere when we want.

--
Bill

On 26/10/2010 19:05, Bill wrote:

Yes, the idea is to be able to move the boat occasionally by road,
hopefully without pulling the back out of my Disco 300tdi auto. It would
be craned on and off the trailer unlike the earlier use of the old
launching trolley where we just hooked up to a tractor, drove it into
the "ditch" and waited for the tide to come in. Hence, of course, the
rust after 25 years.

I don't plan on doing any foolish speeds and would want something
road-legal. It's a long-keel small yacht of cast iron, oak and epoxy
ply, hence the weight. There are also hopes that we could store the
trailer undercover which makes huge ones a bit impractical. I reckon I
am looking for something of at least 3 tons gross capacity. Most boat
trailers like that are very long and very wide.

I have been looking at several trailers and reading, for example, the
load rating of the tyres and finding that these in no way match the
advertised trailer load rating. On the trailers that I can afford they
have usually painted over any load plates while hiding the rust.

We need to replace the trolley anyway, but personal circumstances with
family members mean we have horrendously reduced ability to just sail
the boat anywhere when we want.


Bill,

try uk.rec.sailing. You might of course find someone who's willing to
spend a few days sailing it somewhere with you... maybe even me.

Andy

try uk.rec.sailing. You might of course find someone who's willing to
spend a few days sailing it somewhere with you... maybe even me.


I think that's good advice. That said, a mate of mine has just built a
replacement boat trailer for a fraction of the commercial price. The trailer
which came with the boat was also rotting away, he bought new indespension
units and fabricated a frame more or less to the old pattern using (larger)
section steel tubing which he had to hand. He is a very competent and
practical guy, and his son has welding qualifications (which helps).

Bill wrote:

A couple of trailers I thought about had hydraulic brakes, one with a
tow hitch actuator and one with just a few pipes and a temp tow hitch.
Are these things as expensive and difficult to sort out as I suspect? Is
there any good descriptive material anywhere about hydraulic trailer
brakes for use with ordinary vehicles?

Hydraulic disc brakes on trailers aren't legal in the UK. They're
usually on imported American jobs and, while up to the job and more so
than UK drum brakes, aren't type approved so plod do you for towing 2.5t
on a trailer rated at 750kg.

--
Scott

Where are we going and why am I in this handbasket?

In message , Scott M
writes
Bill wrote:

A couple of trailers I thought about had hydraulic brakes, one with a
tow hitch actuator and one with just a few pipes and a temp tow hitch.
Are these things as expensive and difficult to sort out as I suspect?
Is there any good descriptive material anywhere about hydraulic
trailer brakes for use with ordinary vehicles?

Hydraulic disc brakes on trailers aren't legal in the UK. They're
usually on imported American jobs and, while up to the job and more so
than UK drum brakes, aren't type approved so plod do you for towing
2.5t on a trailer rated at 750kg.

Point of order.... hydraulic brakes are common on farm trailers. A servo
actuator feeds fluid from the main hydraulic system in proportion to the
pilot pressure from the tractor brakes. I have only seen drum type
though.

regards


--
Tim Lamb

On 27/10/2010 21:27, Tim Lamb wrote:
In message , Scott M
writes
Bill wrote:

A couple of trailers I thought about had hydraulic brakes, one with a
tow hitch actuator and one with just a few pipes and a temp tow
hitch. Are these things as expensive and difficult to sort out as I
suspect? Is there any good descriptive material anywhere about
hydraulic trailer brakes for use with ordinary vehicles?

Hydraulic disc brakes on trailers aren't legal in the UK. They're
usually on imported American jobs and, while up to the job and more so
than UK drum brakes, aren't type approved so plod do you for towing
2.5t on a trailer rated at 750kg.

Point of order.... hydraulic brakes are common on farm trailers. A servo
actuator feeds fluid from the main hydraulic system in proportion to the
pilot pressure from the tractor brakes. I have only seen drum type though.

regards


Are they broad legal though - or maybe only allowed on vehicles which
don't exceed 20mph or something?
--
Cheers,
Roger
____________
Please reply to Newsgroup. Whilst email address is valid, it is seldom
checked.

On 28/10/2010 11:16, Roger Mills wrote:
On 27/10/2010 21:27, Tim Lamb wrote:
In message , Scott M
writes
Bill wrote:

A couple of trailers I thought about had hydraulic brakes, one with a
tow hitch actuator and one with just a few pipes and a temp tow
hitch. Are these things as expensive and difficult to sort out as I
suspect? Is there any good descriptive material anywhere about
hydraulic trailer brakes for use with ordinary vehicles?

Hydraulic disc brakes on trailers aren't legal in the UK. They're
usually on imported American jobs and, while up to the job and more so
than UK drum brakes, aren't type approved so plod do you for towing
2.5t on a trailer rated at 750kg.

Point of order.... hydraulic brakes are common on farm trailers. A servo
actuator feeds fluid from the main hydraulic system in proportion to the
pilot pressure from the tractor brakes. I have only seen drum type
though.

regards


Are they broad legal though - or maybe only allowed on vehicles which
don't exceed 20mph or something?

Sorry, that's supposed to say ROAD legal!
--
Cheers,
Roger
____________
Please reply to Newsgroup. Whilst email address is valid, it is seldom
checked.

In message , Roger Mills
writes
On 28/10/2010 11:16, Roger Mills wrote:
On 27/10/2010 21:27, Tim Lamb wrote:
In message , Scott M
writes
Bill wrote:

A couple of trailers I thought about had hydraulic brakes, one with a
tow hitch actuator and one with just a few pipes and a temp tow
hitch. Are these things as expensive and difficult to sort out as I
suspect? Is there any good descriptive material anywhere about
hydraulic trailer brakes for use with ordinary vehicles?

Hydraulic disc brakes on trailers aren't legal in the UK. They're
usually on imported American jobs and, while up to the job and more so
than UK drum brakes, aren't type approved so plod do you for towing
2.5t on a trailer rated at 750kg.

Point of order.... hydraulic brakes are common on farm trailers. A servo
actuator feeds fluid from the main hydraulic system in proportion to the
pilot pressure from the tractor brakes. I have only seen drum type
though.

regards


Are they broad legal though - or maybe only allowed on vehicles which
don't exceed 20mph or something?

Sorry, that's supposed to say ROAD legal!

I thought there were 2 types of hydraulic trailer brakes. The first
coupled into the sort of hydraulic system on tractors that is used for
whatever the tail lift type thing is that tractors have and also can be
used to link brake systems.
The second is what I was asking about, which I thought had a little
fluid reservoir by the tow hitch and which just actuated on overrun to
put on the trailer brakes. It's useful to know it's not road legal in
the UK, which would explain why I find it so hard to find info about
systems

I think I'll stick to rods and cables.
--
Bill

In message , newshound
writes


try uk.rec.sailing. You might of course find someone who's willing
to spend a few days sailing it somewhere with you... maybe even me.


I think that's good advice. That said, a mate of mine has just built a
replacement boat trailer for a fraction of the commercial price. The
trailer which came with the boat was also rotting away, he bought new
indespension units and fabricated a frame more or less to the old
pattern using (larger) section steel tubing which he had to hand. He is
a very competent and practical guy, and his son has welding
qualifications (which helps).
Thanks to Andy for the offer referred to here, but the problem is me.
It's all to do with tides and the relative who has to be assisted every
day and with me being the only driver etc.... It would be great to find
a "crew" if ever I get my life back. I used to dip into uk.rec.sailing,
so I'll keep an eye on that when I can.

As I said earlier, the local Indespension place used to fabricate
trailers at a good price but now just do minor repairs and sell new
units. I did price the various components, but it went beyond my price
range and I'd have to find a competent welder. I used to know a couple,
but they were older than me and at my age that's not good.

I'm off for a day out tomorrow to look at another possible, so fingers
crossed.....
--
Bill

":

A couple of trailers I thought about had hydraulic brakes, one with a
tow hitch actuator and one with just a few pipes and a temp tow
hitch. Are these things as expensive and difficult to sort out as I
suspect? Is there any good descriptive material anywhere about
hydraulic trailer brakes for use with ordinary vehicles?

Hydraulic disc brakes on trailers aren't legal in the UK. They're
usually on imported American jobs and, while up to the job and more so
than UK drum brakes, aren't type approved so plod do you for towing
2.5t on a trailer rated at 750kg.

Point of order.... hydraulic brakes are common on farm trailers. A
servo
actuator feeds fluid from the main hydraulic system in proportion to
the
pilot pressure from the tractor brakes. I have only seen drum type
though.

regards


Are they broad legal though - or maybe only allowed on vehicles which
don't exceed 20mph or something?

Sorry, that's supposed to say ROAD legal!

I thought there were 2 types of hydraulic trailer brakes. The first
coupled into the sort of hydraulic system on tractors that is used for
whatever the tail lift type thing is that tractors have and also can be
used to link brake systems.
The second is what I was asking about, which I thought had a little fluid
reservoir by the tow hitch and which just actuated on overrun to put on
the trailer brakes. It's useful to know it's not road legal in the UK,
which would explain why I find it so hard to find info about systems

I think I'll stick to rods and cables.
--
Bill

I am a bit puzzled I can remember when my firm had several Landrovers which
towed Eezion trailers which had hydraulic brakes. They had a master cylinder
which worked by the movement of the towbar on the overrun and the police
were always around, it being Heathrow. Good job they did not know how heavy
a 747 engine was!
Is this a new law?

Robbie

In message , Roger Mills
writes
On 27/10/2010 21:27, Tim Lamb wrote:
In message , Scott M
writes
Bill wrote:

A couple of trailers I thought about had hydraulic brakes, one with a
tow hitch actuator and one with just a few pipes and a temp tow
hitch. Are these things as expensive and difficult to sort out as I
suspect? Is there any good descriptive material anywhere about
hydraulic trailer brakes for use with ordinary vehicles?

Hydraulic disc brakes on trailers aren't legal in the UK. They're
usually on imported American jobs and, while up to the job and more so
than UK drum brakes, aren't type approved so plod do you for towing
2.5t on a trailer rated at 750kg.

Point of order.... hydraulic brakes are common on farm trailers. A servo
actuator feeds fluid from the main hydraulic system in proportion to the
pilot pressure from the tractor brakes. I have only seen drum type though.

regards


Are they broad legal though - or maybe only allowed on vehicles which
don't exceed 20mph or something?

Many farm tractors have 40kph gearboxes nowadays. Just as well if you
are travelling near a sugar beet factory.

If the OP is struggling with the trailer cost, I doubt he is up for a
JCB fastrac:-)

regards

--
Tim Lamb

On 26 Oct, 17:12, Bill wrote:
I've posted recently in the Land Rover newsgroup, so apologies to anyone
who has seen a similar question there.
I'm looking to replace my old (dug out of a doctor's compost heap 25
years ago) boat launching trolley with a less rusty road going trailer.
The boat is 2.5 tons, 19 feet long and definitely not a trailer-sailer.
I've been looking and asking round locally and scanning ebay etc., but
most boat trailers of that capacity are huge and way out of my price
bracket.
I have talked to the nearest Indespension dealer, who is very helpful,
but I can't keep going back with more and more questions, so here I am.

A couple of trailers I thought about had hydraulic brakes, one with a
tow hitch actuator and one with just a few pipes and a temp tow hitch.
Are these things as expensive and difficult to sort out as I suspect? Is
there any good descriptive material anywhere about hydraulic trailer
brakes for use with ordinary vehicles?

I know it's a "How long is a piece of string" question but is there any
way of guessing the capacity of a trailer that no longer has any visible
markings? We are looking at 4 wheel units, but I particularly worry
about the to-the-towbar legs of an A-frame. This bends beautifully on
our 2-wheel trolley as we tow across fields ("it's part of the
suspension, sir") and has had to be reinforced.

Many industrial plant trailers have the right capacity, and I've been
looking out for one slightly longer than the norm to look at. Do these
rely on the bodywork to reach the required strength or could one just
hack away and replace all the upright bits with suitable props and the
floor with air and still end up with a high capacity fairly short
trailer?

--
Bill

A couple of locals round here have made their own trailers using the
chassis of a wagon. Cut the front end off and welded up a towbar
using various bits purchased.