SBS Trailer problems

[mick]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

In his first post he states that the trailer is nose down & crushing the front tyres, he the goes on in his second post to state that the hitch needs to come down 5" to sit the trailer level & mate to his towbar, I don't see how both of these statements can be true unless the trailer is riding on humungous wheels/tyres ( Land Rover 750s?) photo?


.....sh1t happens.......

Needs some of these

[whiskylee]

Wouldn't this sort the problem

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item...obalID=EBAY-GB

[boristhebold]

I wish he would just post some pictures so we can all stop speculating what the issue is.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by boristhebold

I wish he would just post some pictures so we can all stop speculating what the issue is.

I would be surprised if he did, it might lead to a true & correct answer to his problem, rather than the one he wanted😎 it's all gone strangely quiet from the OP.


.....sh1t happens.......

[hippyhunter]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Some interesting reading

I scraped a pass on my VOSA test , the bloke said a trailer that fails on a car will often pass on a 4x4.

With the trailer level the centre of the coupling has to be 430mm +/- 35mm to meet the regs.

Section 50A Couplings. Page 114 of the manual.

[CJL]

Originally Posted by hippyhunter

I scraped a pass on my VOSA test , the bloke said a trailer that fails on a car will often pass on a 4x4.

With the trailer level the centre of the coupling has to be 430mm +/- 35mm to meet the regs.

Section 50A Couplings. Page 114 of the manual.

Well the SBS trailers are at that height I've just measured, so it must be his car that's the problem then?

Chris

[NoMoreRIB]

Sorry been quite , not intentional . Just spent two days away on the River Orwell sailing. First holiday away for four years .
Hope the picture has come through.
I only have an Apple iPad and no computer .
I have spoken and emailed several Government Dept over this issue.
I have even wrote an email to my MP. Who forwarded it onto the relevant Minister who did reply but said in this instance he could not help.
I have even made an official complaint against one of them for not helping me properly.
The rules have been changed drastically since the EU interviened .
All vehicle tow bar are now supposed to be set at one height within close tolerances. There are variables set into the equation to allow for when the vehicle is loaded and unloaded.
These rules must be good for the consumer because then all trailer / caravan suppliers should make their goods fit that height tow bar.
i have been told by Vossa and the VCA you are not allowed to fit anything to the vehicles tow bar other than what's been designed for that vehicle. So drop plates cannot be fitted at all!
Or in my case it would need to be a drop plate inverted to an up plate.
Moving the axles along the main chassis rail which is level with the ground will not alter the hitch height at all no matter where you put the axles.
I did move the axles BECAUSE THE MANUFACTURER PUT THEM IN THE WRONG PLACE.
I had to move them forward 610 mm so that they were then in the exact place its type approval stated they should be in. Doing this helped me as the centre of balance on my boat is just about right at its middle and not at the rear like most R.I.Bs with heavy outboard engines on. My engine is a diesel inboard with the engine sat right in the middle of the boat ( that's front to back )
It's not confusing at all.
If the manufactures some of which already state on their websites that their trailers leave their factory set at the same height as all modern tow ball heights did the same thing there would be no need to have to use nothing but a Lamd rover with an adjustable tow bracket to tow different height trailer draw bars.
At the end of the day after spending £4000 on a new trailer I expect it to fit the vehicle I told them I was using.
I expect the trailer to have been altered a bit so it nearly fits my boat . South Cast boat Trailers specify that they are experts in supplying trailers for any boat .
In my case they failed miserably and will not help in any way shape or form. They will not even communicate . I am very disappointed with the company .
SBS have been very helpful.
Even though technically I am not directly their customer they are trying to help but have only come up with the idea of me paying extra to have the trailer altered so it will fit my vehicle.
I DO NOT AGREE THAT I should have to do that.
The trailer has a type approval given in this case by the VCA.
It states all of the relevant measurements when the manufacturer submitted a trailer for type approval . The following info is recoded for all trailers:- Hitch Height, in the case of a twin axles trailer , each axle measurement from the tow ball, the overall length , width, Tyre and wheel sizes ( the manufactures can put down a range as these can effect hitch height)
SBS did swop tyres and wheels to the other size mentioned on my trailers type approval to lower it by one inch. This is still no where near enough and the draw bar is still way too high.
If the photo is not attached and anyone would like one please send me PM with an email address and I will send a few straight away.
Thank you for trying to help but the rules have changed dramatically ove the last couple of years .
This is a serious issue that I can see many people falling foul of unwittingly breaking the law.
Although boat trailers have been in the past and are still made fully adjustable beware of doing so . Again I have been told yes you can do so but would need to offer it for reclassification to alter its type approval.

[hippyhunter]

The chassis' got to fit the boat, moving the load or the axle will only affect the nose/axle weight.

The trailer manufacturer is constrained by the construction and use regs, they can't produce a trailer that doesn't meet the 430mm ish coupling height.

Which begs the question why car/towbar manufacturers don't make their stuff to conform.

Dunno if it helps but a 2005 Iveco Daily van half full of welding gear gives a coupling height of just over 450mm

[whiskylee]

No pictures?

[whiskylee]

Treemendos

You say the trailer is 127mm (5 inch) too high.

430mm legal height + 127 mm = 557mm is this correct ?

Without the boat on the trailer is the height still 557mm ?

[NoMoreRIB]

http://www.rib.net/forum/attachment....1&d=1434600715

Hope picture is now showing??

[Max...]

Originally Posted by treemendos

http://www.rib.net/forum/attachment....1&d=1434600715

Hope picture is now showing??

˙˙˙dn-ʇǝs ɹnoʎ ɥʇıʍ ǝnssı ןɐʇuǝɯɐpunɟ ǝɹoɯ ɹǝɥʇɐɹ ɐ ǝʌɐɥ noʎ

[Fenlander]

Is that attached to the tow vehicle or how it sits unattached? Do you have to stand on the trailer hitch to force it down onto the vehicle? Does it try and lift the vehicle once hitched?

BTW nice hull.... proper boat.

[69cmw]

If it's the same Towbar I had on my Mercedes ML, you can't alter it, put a drop bar etc etc on it as there either Westfalia or Oris factory fit and are either detachable or the newer ones are electric folding.

[paintman]

If that is unhitched, what weight have you got at the hitch?

ETA. A bit of digging on the net produces this.
Understanding all about tow ball height… | Caravan Chronicles
If the car towball is at the correct legal height & the new trailer hitch height with the trailer level is outside the spec given for use with your vehicle then seems to me that the trailer doesn't comply with regs for use with your vehicle type - and is therefore not suitable for use with your car - & I would say that is an issue for the seller to address.
BUT the EU reg does mention offroad vehicles & it seems there may be an exemption for them in respect of hitch heights & that could explain the height of the hitch on this trailer. I.E suitable for use with 4x4s but not others.
Which would appear to be a Sale of Goods Act issue as not fit for purpose - you've told the seller what your towcar is & you've been sold an item that doesn't fit your tow car.

If they won't play then you may have to reach for a solicitor, but where you'd find one that understands this could be another matter!

CAVEAT. I could be talking utter tosh so best check!

[Pikey Dave]

[QUOTE=paintman;682628]If the car towball is at the correct legal height & the new trailer hitch height with the trailer level is outside the spec given for use with your vehicle then seems to me that the trailer doesn't comply with regs & I would say that is an issue for the seller to address.
QUOTE]

Basically that is what the OP is claiming. BUT it's all about weight distribution & balance. The op seems to think that he can take a trailer straight from the factory, plonk his upside down boat on it & drive off into the sunset, without performing any adjustment or setting up. It ain't gonna happen Boat trailers can often take a frustratingly long time to get right, you can set them up roughly just to get you on the road, but they can take endless tweaking to get just so. As CJL stated early on in the thread, it's about expectations.

[paintman]

Mine's on a twin axle trailer, rides level & noseweight is correct.
I'm towing with a Classic Range Rover with Dixon Bate adjustable towball mount & centre of ball is 460mm above ground.
If the OP's trailer is level when unhitched, the jockey wheel is off the ground and with the correct noseweight showing at the hitch - which would suggest the loading is correct - & the hitch is outside the EU reg dimensions in the link then it's not suitable for use with the car for which it was sold.
Whilst I appreciate some fine tuning may be necessary TBH if I buy something brand new for a specific purpose & the seller is aware of all the parameters I don't expect to be messing about with it.

[whiskylee]

This is why I asked for the drawbar height without the boat loaded !

SBS would not be manufacturing trailer heights outside the standard tow hitch heights ! As another ribnet member has the same trailer and confirms that his trailer height is within standard tow hitch height.

The whole set up looks totally wrong from the photo, not in the slightest road safe !! And it really seams that for the op to tow a huge un stable load with learning difficulties beggars belief

The op needs to send detailed photos into sbs and seek advice from them, please don't be a danger to yourself and other road users

[paintman]

Don't see the 'learning difficulties' as an issue as we have no idea of what or the severity. Dyslexia didn't seem to impair Richard Branson!

The other pics show the trailer behind a 4X4 & if you read the link, the reg says the heights do not apply to off-road vehicles.

As you say though, the whole thing looks completely wrong. I do wonder what SBS were told & if they've seen the result?

[paddlers]

Just measured my ML swan neck type tow ball with half a tank of fuel, 460mm to the top of the ball.