Since there is no requirement for trailers to be MOT'd I would think the only risk you run, is by random police check. I would guess maximum axle weight is something that would have to be determined by a qualified engineer rather than guessing at it and making your own plate.
I would guess the regulations would be the same as apply to any modification carried out to your car.
Can someone help. I have recently purchased a single axle, braked vehicle transport trailer which has been made from an old caravan chassis. I have recently read that all trailers require a plate indicating the maximum axle weight, date of manufacture etc etc! My trailer has no such plate. What should I do? Can I just make my own plate, or is there some way of getting one?
It's well worth finding out what the law is exactly. Does this only apply to new trailers, or recently manufatured or... maybe not the diyer. However, even DIY trailers need to meet the regulations, you may not need to have a plate fitted and may not even be breaking any road laws but the problems start if an accident occurs and your trailer is examined and is found to not meet certain reguations, or to be overloaded etc. Could prove very costly if loss of life is involved. I'm not a lawyer or trailer expert at all so it's down to you. Find out the facts first. The caravan manufacturer, if known, may be able to provide some info. All the best Graham
If you haven't got such a plate, how are you going to decide what's a safe load, and could you justify your reasoning to your insurers or in court if necessary?
Unless you're talking about a trailer for transporting single-seat racing cars or Austin 7s, it's quite difficult to get hubs, brakes, and tyres that are up to the job with a single axle. Check the load rating of typical caravan tyres, and you'll see a 155R13 is rated at less than
500kg.
If, by virtue of its true age or degree of modification, your trailer is regarded as having been made after 1982, it must have a hydraulically damper coupler and brakes complying with some EC directive. After 1989, add in auto-reversing brakes, and the lighting requirements also get more and more complex with newer trailers.
Presumably you passed your test before 1/1/97, and don't therefore need to take a trailer test to tow over 75kg.
All the above info is very good advice. The axle weight (if a genuine caravan axle) is stamped on the centre rear of the axle tube. If you know the manufacturer either Alko-Kober or Knott, then you 'may' be able to ask the maker for a weight plate and 'maybe' able to up-rate the loading by changing to a different tyre (tires US!) type. Another thing you have to remember is that by virtue of it's design (except Lunar) a caravan chassis is wider at the back than front, the front of the caravan being supported on outriggers which take very little strain. The caravan body 'AND' the fixed furniture inside make up the rigidity of the whole vehicle and therefore very unsuitable for regular car movements.
Just a bit more info about the trailer in case anyone has anything to add.
1: I have no idea how old the caravan was, I never built the trailer.
2: It seems to be German. I say that because the towhitch has German writing on it.
3 The current tyres are rated at 400 kg. (ouch) but I do intend to replace those with more heavy duty ones.
4 I am transporting a Suzuki sj413 (950 kg as far as I know)
5 I have no doubts about the actual trailers ability to carry the weight, it has been very substantially reinforced. My worry is the axle and tyres
If they're only rated at 400kg, they could well be on rims which are unsuitable for beefier tyres.
Reasonably enough: and don't forget the springs, brakes, and hitch. Most cars have bump stops which act as a secondary spring, but many trailers don't, so if they're overloaded, you either bugger the suspension units or bend something. Brakes designed for a light caravan won't magically get twice as powerful. What are you planning to tow it with? Series Land Rover brakes don't always seem to have a great deal in hand to cope with half-braked trailers. Even relatively modern axles sometimes use barely adequate bearings: add in a few years of neglect and maladjustment (many use taper rollers), and your SJ413 may be their final straw. Trailer bearings can fail very rapidly and spectacularly, and you don't hear the warning rumble like you do with a car wheel bearing.
Well.... You may get away with it - thousands do, judging by the heaps of junk being dragged around the country at frightening speeds.
but the weight of the "very substantially reinforced" trailer has to be allowed for too, and if the 400kg rated tyres were original, the caravan must have been a fairly light one. So trailer weight, say 400-500kg, plus SJ at 950kg, maybe twice the original caravan weight?
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