Trailer Predicament

Orwell boy · 17 June 2016, 20:18

Hi all ,looking for a few opinions on my current predicament , fact is I bought a new rib and trailer less than a couple of years ago and right chuffed the whole kit was light enough to be on an unbraked trailer , "or was it ? "
Looked at it for a number of months scratching the old grey matter ,so eventually made a trip to the local weighbridge and yes no fuel or bits onboard it went 840 kg , ah not so good ! so whats to do ? Not wishing to chase the seller as I tend to be one of those guys ,I shook hands on the good deal so not going to go chasing that up as I feel just as responsible as the buyer of what I saw ,
triler is a extreme super roller unbraked so need to sought , felt I had a couple of options ,either fit braked axle and hitch or sell trailer and buy new for about 1000kg and sell current to get part of the value back , initially was down the new trailer route as seemed best priced option , this was questioned however as athough sums work for a basic replacement ,as soon as you start to add rollers and try to make it as good as what I have now ,the prices just go out of reality
so going the modify route ,what am I up against ? ,as want to be 100% legal as I,m too old to fight the law on the roadside ?

ShinyShoe · 17 June 2016, 20:29

So you'd need it replated. That needs a discussion with the trailer manufacturer - i.e. if they supply the axle will they / can they re-plate it? It may need VOSA tested to even do that these days.

Not clear to me if the axle is the issue or the whole trailer strength.

If you did it yourself I guess you can get it VOSA tested. But they are gonna want to know how strong the trailer chasis is...

HDAV · 17 June 2016, 20:41

If you can go to trailer manufacturer they do the same model with a braked axle and hitch and sell the bits or do an inhouse upgrade.

A gecko might shave 90kg off but if you want room for gear and fuel then braked is probably the answer.

treerat · 17 June 2016, 20:50

I have one of these and at the price this one i sit should do what you need then sell yours. I was in France last week and these are as common as an Indespension over here.

Time will tell but all seems ok so far - Galaxy Heavy Duty Braked Multi Roller Boat Trailer 1350KG | eBay

Orwell boy · 17 June 2016, 21:54

thanks guys for interest so far , I have considered vosa a test and to be honest at £90 I didn't think it was a bad option ,my trailer has weight plate but no ce mark that I can find , I have burnt my bridges a little with the manufacture as no way am I paying over £430 quid for an axle (1350 kg) plus 60 for shipping and I never go to their neck of the woods ,to be honest they offered me a fair price for a new trailer as they thought it was the best option ,but then when I wanted the same roller arrangement as I have that added another £100 which just took it outside my availiable funds ,Indespension have great offer on ebay for an 1100kg trailer at £1560 but again when u want to improve rollers it prices it away . I have seen these French trailers at keen prices but I do prefer the swinging rollers for easy loading ,however I reckon they must be very reasonable in france (any body crossed the channel for 1 ?
with regard to the ally unbraked that is worth investigation specially if I can weigh my trailer separate as I have a hunch it may be a lot heavier than the 170kg the plate suggests
out of interest my specs are trailer 170kg , rib (boat only) 310kg engine dry 165kg,s so 645kg plus oils battery steering =830kg

ShinyShoe · 18 June 2016, 00:09

Boat weights are usually plain hull so: no console, seats, anchor. Probably not even the lifeline on the toobs!

paintman · 18 June 2016, 08:18

Is it possible to buy the braked trailer & swap your rollers over to it?

A trip to the weighbridge can be a bit of an eyeopener - mine was a lot heavier than I thought it would be although it was well within the permitted max.

Poly · 18 June 2016, 08:39

Just to throw an extra complication into the mix... What is the maximum your license allows you to tow? And your car?

Chunk · 18 June 2016, 08:55

I had a similar issue and spoke with both the dealer and importer. The importer was very supportive and resolved the issue for me. He's a pretty honest and straight forward chap.
Poly may be able to shed more light, but I believe there's an obligation on the seller to make sure that your outfit is legal if it is to be towed (or they believe it will be towed) on public roads.

HDAV · 18 June 2016, 09:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orwell boy

f I can weigh my trailer separate as I have a hunch it may be a lot heavier than the 170kg the plate suggests
out of interest my specs are trailer 170kg , rib (boat only) 310kg engine dry 165kg,s so 645kg plus oils battery steering =830kg

How long is the trailer? 170kg steel trailer???? Hmm even gecko don't claim that.... Sure it's not 270?

http://www.geckotrailers.co.uk/singl...-16ft-unbraked

Orwell boy · 18 June 2016, 10:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by HDAV

yes ,trailer plate reads gross 750 kg carry 580kg so = 170kg trailer , if you look on ebay you can see same advertised ,however same weight for a trailer with 12 rollers as for 24 which I have ,not sure what these rollers weigh as never held one ,but I know when I asked indespension for four extras on front they derated the trailer by another 25kg
with regard to the boat weight being with nothing on it ,if you go on the highfield website and look at the spec and bring up the drawing of the specified boat ,then it shows a boat with centre console ,a frame and incorporated rear seat ,only different to mine is it has two bolsters instead of the leaning post

Poly · 19 June 2016, 08:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chunk

Poly may be able to shed more light, but I believe there's an obligation on the seller to make sure that your outfit is legal if it is to be towed (or they believe it will be towed) on public roads.

There are no topics left to discuss that have never previously been covered on rib.net : http://www.rib.net/forum/f8/towing-w...tml#post493005

However I read the OP as suggesting that it was a private sale, so unless the sale was very recent then getting anyone interested in prosecuting might be difficult. If it was a new boat and trailer from a dealer then I'd be back at them pointing out it is not fit for purpose...

Chunk · 19 June 2016, 18:12

That's the one, knew I'd read it here but couldn't recall where 👍

Orwell boy · 23 June 2016, 08:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by HDAV

checked trailer weight this week and went 200 kg so now know trailer is 200 so boat without anything goes 630 kg , looking at keeping weight to min so thinking about uprating to 1000kg axle and hitch (should add about 35kg,s from catalogues I reckon ) leaving me say 850kg all up so +90 litres (kg) of fuel poss , will go for vosa test and replate accordingly ,,,,, Pity I cant buy a 750kg trailer weighing 120 kg , would be so good ,carbon fibre trailers ltd ????

beamishken · 23 June 2016, 10:09

I think if I was in your position I'd carefully check the prices of new trailer and all the parts to convert yours it might be just as cost effective to sell the existing trailer and buy a new one ready to go.
Once you factor in the cost of test and the time and effort doing the work and actually attending the test centre it may not be much different.
I've always found used boat trailers sell for good money so it might be the best option

Nick Hearne · 23 June 2016, 10:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by beamishken

I think if I was in your position I'd carefully check the prices of new trailer and all the parts to convert yours it might be just as cost effective to sell the existing trailer and buy a new one ready to go.
Once you factor in the cost of test and the time and effort doing the work and actually attending the test centre it may not be much different.
I've always found used boat trailers sell for good money so it might be the best option

+1 for that

JA1000 · 23 June 2016, 13:26

Caveat Emptor I'm afraid however, there is bound to be a decent second hand one out there I to buy and then sell yours.

Mind you how many Boston Whalers ( is that a swear word on here?&#128538

do I seen running round on unbraked trailers and that is not a light boat!!!
🏋🏻

Orwell boy · 23 June 2016, 22:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by beamishken

I think if I was in your position I'd carefully check the prices of new trailer and all the parts to convert yours it might be just as cost effective to sell the existing trailer and buy a new one ready to go.
Once you factor in the cost of test and the time and effort doing the work and actually attending the test centre it may not be much different.
I've always found used boat trailers sell for good money so it might be the best option

T hanks to all with this angle ,and yes ,ive mulled this question a thousand times , and yes its close ,reckon I can get parts and test for £550 , new trailer have to consider indespensions summer special at £1560 as best , so leaves me to need 1K from my £1400 (list) price two year old dunked 12 times extreme ex750 unbraked unit , can it be done mmm I,m thinking not
But even more than that I love my current trailer light ,loads of rollers make it simple single handed load and unload ,my trailer has 24 smooth running rollers and future weight should be sub 250kg ,the inde has 8 rollers and weighs at 300kg ,shuffleing cars and trailers is quite a frequent pastime on my drive so manouvreability is quite important

HDAV · 11 July 2016, 11:20

What did you do in the end?

Orwell boy · 13 July 2016, 21:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by HDAV

What did you do in the end?

could,nt get the new trailer /sell the old one theory to work for me in the end ,looked for good second hand braked but seem to fetch silly money ,even when they need a new axle ,front hotch and rollers ! ... have now ordered a 1000kg al-ko braked axle and al-ko hitch to the exact same fittings as the current unbraked axle , the new hitch which is 450mm longer than unbraked will allow me to push the towing beam back under the trailer say 400mm onto a new additional cross beam which I have sent away for galvanising ,so this should strengthen the whole thing up , I,m hoping to finish up adding max 50kg,s to the trailer weight leaving 250kg trailer ,630 (empty) boat ,so 120 kg,s for fuel (90litre inboard) and a further 30kg,s for gear , all a bit close but best to keep the weight as close as possible to the axle as too firm suspension will not be good for bumping the engine and transom , on target so far for £500 (so even if I buy a couple of rollers for my new crossbeam ) just the type approval test which I think is £93
Of course if you take my time into account then you,d grab that indespension on offer on ebay (£1560) every time ,but for me its all hobby pleasure ,plus I have a close friend in the trailer game who has helped with great discounts on parts