Home built trailer

Once again some truly invaluable advice especially as regard weights and access to the local.tip.

I'm having a row bar fitted next week at an accredited centre so I will ask all about self building etc.

Not sure if anyone saw the news story of a lady who was hit by a disconnected caravan not far from where I live. Makes one take this towing lark seriously, even for a light use type.

Many thanks and if anything crops up at the tow bar centre I will post here.

Regards plasma

For my IW trailer I carry a wheel clamp which is always fitted to the rear axle of my twin axle, a hitch lock even though the trailer has its own lockable hitch fitted, a healthy length of chain and a pad lock to attach the trailer to my car when at rally's and a removable trailer lights cable so that none of the lights will work.

Martin P

Many years ago, my brother wanted a small trailer for livestock. he worked for the council, so collected all the old angle iron bedframes. With four Mini wheels and Indespension units, I made him a trailer based around 4 x 8 foot plywood sheets. The brakes were connected diagonally, so that if one cable broke, it would still have a working brake on each side. The sides and front were 4 feet high, with a central kingpost and two diagonal braces, so effectively a space frame, light, but very stiff.

Must have been mad, but rode on the trailer frame when it went out for a test run along a country lane!

Glad I didn't fall between the framework.

Can't do that sort of thing, now, even if you know what you're doing, unless you have been certified, at a great cost, by someone who probably is less well qualified than you are.

Howard

Presume driver is old enough to have a driving licence that covers towing.

Son and heir was towing 12 ton trailers when 16 years old at work (farming) but could not tow a wheelbarrow sized trailer behind his car as he had not done a towing test to get the necessary category added to his licence.

Yes a little crazy ! My Grandson was the same had to take a trailer test to tow with anything other than a tractor -- cost him around £600 for the "training" !!

John

Prompted by Plasma to add the slightly off topic comment I recently had a tow bar fitted and a couple of weeks later came to use it to take my engine for a steam test, hitched it up tried the lights only to find nothing worked ! Cancel steam test and off I went to the tow bar fitters he check it out and returned saying that the electrics had been turned off in the vehicles management system ask me if the car had been into a workshop it had it fact and when in there they had done a software download ! It cost me £40 to get it reset the dealship said they would not cover the cost long story but they paided up in the end

H

Ok. So tow bar fitted professionally this morning with all paperwork and guarantees in order. Lovely book on towing from Highways agency with lots of helpful information.

Asked about self building and the chap said, no problem, as long as you're not building them commercially just carry on.

They supply everything you need off the shelf. May cost same as buying a shiny new galvanised tin one but mine will be bomb proof and built as I need it with a loading ramp etc.

Need to start drawing now.

Regards plasma

Plasma, I'd look a bit deeper into it and make sure that your latest info is correct.
I'm not entirely sure I'd trust someone in a shop for legal advice.

I think he's partially correct in that commercially built trailers are normally submitted for type approval, thus obviating the need to present each one for an IVA (Trailer)

Have a look at this guidance, but remember it is only that, as they have been known to get the finer nuances wrong.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/individual-vehicle-approval-iva-for-light-trailers-help-to-get-a-pass

See also This Link

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/iva-manual-for-categories-01-02-03-and-04-trailers

From what I can make out, it's an EU directive, but don't blame the EU as it originated as a UN policy,
The EU were merely delegated as our representatives to the UN to come up with suitable harmonised legislation, rather than having to send our own civil servants there.

And another link here

https://www.vehicle-certification-agency.gov.uk/vehicletype/trailers.asp

Bill

Edited By peak4 on 13/08/2019 13:54:12

I agree with Bill, I have a friend who works for a company building special trailers and he sorts out the paperwork, tests etc for all of the trailers, when asked he can quote the rules off pat and all trailers, factory or home built now have to be checked over before they can be used.

Martin P

It's not just a shop, this is an accredited towing centre with facilities to undertake trailer safety checks etc. So I am confident the advice given was accurate and reliable. Especially as they could have said it's more trouble than it's worth building your own and sold me 500 quid worth of new trailer.

I'm reading through some of the links but typical of .Gov documents it's as clear as mud.

As posters have said before a well built trailer will be stronger than many ready built pressed steel ones.

Plasma

Plasma,

I've just texted my friend, see previous thread, the following message, If I want to build a trailer from scratch would I need to get it tested, his answer was yes if you wanted it to be Legal it would need to go for an IVA check.

Martin P

Hi Martin.

Thanks for that enquiry, ts good to have your friends input.

I will wade through the guidance documents to sort the wheat from the chaff.

I will check before I commit to buying the parts and starting to build anything.

Regards plasma

I think this is the legislation, but I'll stand to be corrected. A word search on "trailer" elicits about 150 matches, but "individual vehicle approval" only about 50, so may be a better place to start.

On one of the links I posted earlier, there is reference to trailers built US and Canadian standards also being accepted, provided they were built over there, approved and subsequently imported, as their standards, whilst different, are considered to be sufficiently rigorous to ensure safety. This again relates to it being a UN requirement/recommendation, rather than just the EU getting all bureaucratic/authoritarian.

I'm sure Plasma is aware, but not that far from him is a DVSA weighbridge, where I've regularly seen vehicles in for what appears to be an inspection as well as a weighing; I was always a bit nervous going past on the way to a rally with my Harvey Frost Towboy and a lot of ironmongery in the back of the Landrover.

Personally I might just pick up a plate off ebay just to keep in stock should I ever need one.

In one of the caravan and camping magazines recently there was a piece where the police stated they are going to step up road side spot checks on trailers etc, if you buy an off the shelf spec plate what are you going to stamp on, my Ifor williams has the serial no and its gross weight, this includes the empty trailer weight. If you build a trailer you will still need to get it weighed because if you get pulled and it goes on a weigh bridge and its over your guessed weight who's fault is that, they will then have a field day and check everything. I'm more than happy to comply with the rules hence why I recently derated my trailer.

Martin P

Looks like buying a new trailer is more cost effective and easier to navigate than a home build.

Plasma

There is a photo of an unacceptable light arrangement (obscured with doors open) in the .Gov "pass the IVA test" page

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/individual-vehicle-approval-iva-for-light-trailers-help-to-get-a-pass/individual-vehicle-approval-iva-for-light-trailers-help-to-get-a-pass

About half way down, it's obviously a minature railway layout. Trailler looks professionally made, galvanised etc, but still a fail. Possibly modified from a drop down ramp to spit doors.

Robert G8RPI

If the regulations originated with the UN then the presumption is that they would want to apply them worldwide, I assume that would then include the continents of Asia and Africa, I wish them good luck with that! I am not against regulations, I think they serve a purpose in promoting safety and standardisation, a good thing for everyone’s wellbeing, but in all honesty I can’t see compliance in any form within third world countries.

Dave W

What's immediately achievable and what remains a goal may be two different things.
We are, for better or worse, stuck with the legislation that applies in the UK.
If anyone's really bored with the weather, here's a couple or vaguely relevant links that make interesting reading
I don't doubt that Plasma, or most other folks on here, is/are perfectly capable of building a trailer to the relevant regs. and getting the IVA for £70

Link -1 https://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/1501960_E_ECE_INF_2015_2_WEB.pdf

Link-2 https://www.fiafoundation.org/blog/2015/september/meet-un-car-safety-standards-worldwide-by-2020-motor-industry-told

Bill

Why do we think it originates with the UN? Seems improbable to me.

As regards getting them tested, my wife was hit by a trailer carrying a car along the motorway, no longer attached to the vehicle towing it, the towbar had snapped. Very lucky she is still with us. Why would we not want something capable of carrying a couple of tons at high speed not to be tested? A 2te trailer at 50 mph has more than 200 times the kinetic energy of a Kalashnikov bullet. Many of us are perfectly capable of welding up a trailer, but there are those who think they can and can't.

Edited By duncan webster on 14/08/2019 15:58:42