A New Trailer for the Ratbag ...

Gidday Folks

This has been an epic in the making!

[EDIT]

For a distillation of the design factors that I eventually came up with for my trailer and tent, see this post and the following post.

The fitting and commissioning of my camper trailer tent is in a separate thread, here.

[end edit]

My 7x4 trailer is just over 30 years old.
The tyres are also 30 y.o. ... 165x13.
The wheels are possibly 20 years older than that; probably Holden rims, I don't know.

About 10~13 years ago, I had the ladder frame replaced with 2x1" structural box. I also had the floor and half way up the sides replaced with 16 gauge galvanised steel.

The front has been converted to a drop front.

The spare wheel holder has mostly rusted through, and needs replacement.

The wheel bearings, axle, hubs and springs are in good serviceable condition.

The trailer tows straight and true at all speeds (up to over 130 km/h).

It really needs 3x new wheels and tyres, and an urgent replacement of the spare wheel holder bar.

After that, it needs some love and affection; some minor repairs that any competent handyman with a welder can do; some elbow grease with a wire brush and sand paper, and a repaint.

Beyond me, and even if it weren't, I cannot fit 16x6.5" Subaru wheels on it without replacing the axle; hubs; mud guards - you get the drift. Cost more for me to have someone else do all this than a new, purpose-built trailer!!

I have found someone this arvo who has helped me source proper hubs to fit my Subie steel wheels. Proper clearance. No extra over 'standard' hubs for the hubs, or the axle. This was a BIG hurdle!!

So. 6x4 box trailer with 18~20" sides, and a locking lid and 16x6.5" Subie wheels.

The company can do the whole job; including water/fuel jerry can holders; tool box; side mount spare wheel; side opening steel lid; gas bottle holder - including locking brackets all over the place.

Judging from the trailers under construction on the floor, they are not into making crap! Their "basic duty" trailer makes most "heavy duty" trailers I have looked at look lightly built ...

Have had a rough guesstimate. Will get a proper quote from them next week.

To be continued - as the story unfolds ...

 

[stilson]

What's wrong with the round 7 RB?
Left
Reverse
Earth
Right
Brakes - could you use this as a switchable fused 12V positive?
Stop
Tail

Am I missing something? I was just about to wire up my towbar.

 

[Ratbag]

The 7th pin is for the electric brakes.

If you connect your trailer to a car with a brake controller wired up, or have 12V connected to this pin on the car and connect it to a trailer with electric brakes, it will destroy whichever end is applicable ...

Hence the need to leave the seventh pin vacant. Bugger it!

The separate double pole 50A connector gets around this problem, as do the 9 or 12 pin ones.

So it comes down to the most economical solution that's satisfactory. The separate circuit fulfills this criteria.

 

[stilson]

Leave the 7 and add an Anderson plug?

 

[Ratbag]

That's effectively what all of these solutions provide, but in a better designed, more elegant package (IMHO).

Starting from scratch, I would be inc!lined to start with either the 12 or 9 pin solution (SCA stock all of them). These are the neatest solution.

Using a 7 pin large round with the (semi) separate 2 pin 50A gives the best compatibility and flexibility IMO.

Decisions, decisions ... :iconwink: :biggrin:.

 

[stilson]

Flexibility is key. In an emergency though I guess you could always have it towed without lights connected. The mchitch makes things a bit tough for another car to tow though.

 

[Ratbag]

^ Agree about the flexibility completely.

I too worried about the McHitch pin and compatibility with other vehicles, even to the point of contemplating carrying the old ball hitch and ball. Then I suddenly realised that removable tow tongues are interchangeable, and if they aren't for any reason, its simply a matter of removing the McHitch pin from one's own vehicle and fitting it the the rescue vehicle - DOH!!.

Since the McHitch pin is high tensile SS, my experience tells me that I'm FAR more likely to have problems removing the ball from the other vehicle. Hence my trusty German 15" shifter. I have even removed a couple of VW Kombi rear hub nuts with it, IIRC ... .

 

[Ratbag]

Got the new plastic storage boxes today. I also put some plastic thread covers over the bolts most likely to take bits out of my scalp ...

The two bigger boxes are about 2-3 mm too high with their lids on, so the lids will have to travel on top of the three smaller boxes. That way I can use the covers when I am camped. During stays, some of these boxes will be removed from the trailer. Otherwise, a perfect fit :biggrin:.

Some photos:

None of the boxes have anything in them ATM, so now I need to work out what goes where in them.

 

[Scooby2]

.... ahhh... so now for your 'system'..... a place for everything and everything in its place. If you go by feel and memory you won't need lights!

Best regards,

 

[Ratbag]

^ Thanks S2.

I suppose that there's a first time for everything ...

Also suppose that I might be able to do things by feel ...
After all, you are only as old as the people you feel are. Something like that anyway :iconwink:.

 

[Ratbag]

Preliminary thoughts on usage of the boxes:

1) non-perishable food storage (one of the large boxes?);

2) daily food stuffs - tea, coffee, sugar, salt & pepper, weetbix; things of this nature;

3) cooking gear, eating utensils;

4) camping and travelling clothes;

5) miscellany.

All the lights and such like camp gear can live in the yellow milk crate.

One of the reasons for the storage boxes is to protect the stuff in them from potential water damage if the trailer bed leaks under any circumstances. All the rest of the stuff in the trailer is either water resistant, or can be dried out without damage. The yellow milk crate also has solid sides and bottom.

All of the 5 storage boxes can be accessed or individually removed through the tent base board hatch.
The milk crate needs to be removed via the opening lid, as does the sun room walls and floor bag.

Any/all suggestions/ comments welcomed, of course ... .

 

[pezimm]

Ratbag, how much suspension travel do you have before your tyres hit the mudguard?

Going by the first photo on your post above (#187), not much...

 

[zippo]

There was a thread on ExplorOz where one camper-trailer was set up with storage under the bed area in (for want of a better term) milk crates. He didn't have a flip-top arrangement like yours, but simply hooked them out through the tailgate opening with a "hook-on-a-broomstick".

 

[Ratbag]

Gidday Pedro & Zippo

Ratbag, how much suspension travel do you have before your tyres hit the mudguard?

Going by the first photo on your post above (#187), not much...

More than it appears in that photo ... Thank goodness! Not quite as much as I would have liked, however ... Can't recall the clearance ATM. The clearance between the inside of the tyre and the tub is pretty minimal because of the much bigger wheels as well. I have parked it at an angle of about 30+ degrees without any change at all in this clearance.

Before I fitted the tent, the P/S one managed to just touch the guard when fully loaded and doing the Halifax "Road". I have welded a piece of 1/4 plate into the spring retainer at the slipper end on that side. It only just touched under pretty serious provocation! The trailer is slightly lopsided, which is very much accentuated by replacing the 165 13" wheels with 215/60 16" ones ...

The springs are long and wide by modern standards (about 1,100 x 65, IIRC) and 6 leaves each. If this becomes a problem, I can over-sling the axle, and either fit different springs, or change the vertical position of the spring hangers.

Way back in the 1980s, I had roughly 0.8-1.0 cu.m. of damp sand in this trailer, and it all but put the springs in contact with the perimeter frame, but not quite. That amount of damp sand weighs a between 1,200 to over 1,450 Kgs, depending on the amount of water ... Not counting the weight of the trailer at the time (quite a lot lighter than it is now!). I'm not really worried about the springs, or the wheel clearance either, much as I would like the latter to be a bit more than it is.

The springs were rated at 610 Kgs each when new; i.e. 12 cwt each. Way in excess of the legal GVM of an un-braked trailer. I reckon they will do the job, and, more importantly, so does Jimi. I certainly hope so!

There was a thread on ExplorOz where one camper-trailer was set up with storage under the bed area in (for want of a better term) milk crates. He didn't have a flip-top arrangement like yours, but simply hooked them out through the tailgate opening with a "hook-on-a-broomstick".

It would be a right proper PITA having to do that IMO.
My trailer lid was made to open such that it was accessible even when the tent is fully erected; and the tent was chosen so that it opened on the opposite side from the lid for the same reason.
The tent base board also has a large hatch (about 685 x 1090 mm) through it under the mattress. This allows easy access to all the boxes in the roof rack without having to venture out into the dark and possibly cold and wet! :ebiggrin:

I have put an enormous amount of thought into how this will all work. Made some mistakes along the way. Thankfully only minor, and about $600-700 to rectify ...

 

[Scooby2]

I don't see the most important piece of equipment RB... Maybe it's to be transported in the back of your vehicle. Last in, first out should always be your favrit most comfy camping chair!

 

[Ratbag]

^ Good point, S2.

Like the card tables, they weren't really comfortable anywhere else, so they form a "ridge line" on top of the card tables under the travelling cover proper. Tarps (actually, ground sheets ... ) both between them and the travelling cover and the tent so that nothing gets holes where there shouldn't be any ...

I bought 2 Coleman chairs when on special at Ray's last year. Nice to be able to offer anyone foolhardy enough to visit me something to sit on ... :iconwink: :lol:

Our old director's chairs are well past their use by date. The modern ones fold up so much better and have a carry bag too.

 

[Ratbag]

I think I have solved my fridge problem :biggrin:.

Being a 3 way, it needs to be pretty level to work. It's too high to fit in my trailer, or in the cargo area with a shelf over it. I wish they made the damn things lower! IMHO such a fridge only needs to be high enough for a 1.25L drink bottle to stand up in. Mine's about 50 mms deeper than that. I wouldn't care about losing the capacity (it's 35L).

Anyway, following up on a suggestion made by my SWMBO, I have found that it can be put sideways on the back seat behind the passenger seat. This means it opens towards the P/S door, and its rear with all the heat exchange stuff is open.

This also puts it close to both the secondary battery, and the centre car accessory socket.

I will make a ply shelf with the appropriate padding so that it sits level when the car is level. Making this a little wider than absolutely necessary and attaching an upright section at the rear of the shelf (i.e. along the centre line of the car) will allow packing other stuff on the back seat without blocking the heat exchanger air flow.

Took a couple of photos. Will edit, upload and post later.

 

[Ratbag]

^ Photos

Larger version

 

[zippo]

I hope you have a decent system for holding it down in the event of ....
(and the battery box too).

 

[Ratbag]

^ Built in baby seat tie down points are useful for other things too. I also have a couple of Land Rover tie downs that attach under the rear front seat bolts. I haven't fitted them yet.

While realising that it CAN happen to me, the last three accidents that I have been involved in were all between 30 and 40 years ago, and all involved someone else running into me when I was stationary ... Since then I have driven over 400-500K+ kms. I might still be a bit of a larrikin and hooligan at times, but I am a careful one ... :iconwink: .

It is also rather hard for either the battery box or fridge to move from where they are. They are wedged in pretty tightly.

Thanks for mentioning though. Both will be tied in when fitted properly.

 

[Robbks]

SIlly question,
why not fold the seat and sit it on a hard flat base to begin with...
much better use of space, you can pack things hard up against it, or access the seat hinges and factory tie down points.