Thread: Imported trailers, yay or nay ?

I've found that even the used NZ made trailers are too expensive compared to the imports and for what I need one of the imports will do me. I've had a look at some of the new Chinese trailers around and found some ok ones and some well below average. So far The Elite brand looks the best for galv quality & design and I didn't see anything that rang alarm bells unlike a few of the others.
Is it worth waiting to see if there's any deals going at the Field days.

Originally Posted by No good names left

I've found that even the used NZ made trailers are too expensive compared to the imports and for what I need one of the imports will do me. I've had a look at some of the new Chinese trailers around and found some ok ones and some well below average. So far The Elite brand looks the best for galv quality & design and I didn't see anything that rang alarm bells unlike a few of the others.
Is it worth waiting to see if there's any deals going at the Field days.

Was about to suggest that - although it might well be worth having a look at second hand ones as they are usually overbuilt and at this time you might well pick up a straggler in good nick going cheap, being sold by someone fleeing for warmer climates and different bullshit.

Check out vulcan trailers in Auckland, I have one - cheap enough and the tilt thing has been awesome with dumping loads. Seems to be holding up to the abuse, I was a carpenter and it held up to years of pulling tones of builders mix and stacks of ply wood and the odd pallet of fencing pales now it just helps me move furniture for buddies every so often

A trailer no matter what don't over load it.Amd if you think it's a cheaper built one then stay under recommended loadings.

Brought Elite 8x4 heavy duty with sides 7 years ago. Very pleased I got the HD version as the tiedown bars and full steps along each side are great. Would happily buy another one.
Only 4 small issues with it.
1) The white spare wheel that's horizontal on drawbar started to rust around rim/tyre lip where rainwater sat. Solved that with a $30 tyre cover.
2) The galv on the deck is showing signs of wear but given the many loads of gravel its carried and that it sits outside I'm fine with that.
3) The steel of the front and rear tail gates are folded in such a way that there's an internal lip that gravel, bark chips etc all sit in so it's a pain to sweep out.
4) When loaded (overloaded....) the tyres touch the guards before the springs hit chassis. Never a problem at landscaping places where they'll only sell 1 or 2 tiny scoops but at big quarry with huge loader generous loading happens :-) I'm thinking spring on frame better than tyre on guard, but maybe for longivity it's better the way it is.

Originally Posted by uk_exile

Brought Elite 8x4 heavy duty with sides 7 years ago. Very pleased I got the HD version as the tiedown bars and full steps along each side are great. Would happily buy another one.
Only 4 small issues with it.
1) The white spare wheel that's horizontal on drawbar started to rust around rim/tyre lip where rainwater sat. Solved that with a $30 tyre cover.
2) The galv on the deck is showing signs of wear but given the many loads of gravel its carried and that it sits outside I'm fine with that.
3) The steel of the front and rear tail gates are folded in such a way that there's an internal lip that gravel, bark chips etc all sit in so it's a pain to sweep out.
4) When loaded (overloaded....) the tyres touch the guards before the springs hit chassis. Never a problem at landscaping places where they'll only sell 1 or 2 tiny scoops but at big quarry with huge loader generous loading happens :-) I'm thinking spring on frame better than tyre on guard, but maybe for longivity it's better the way it is.

I had this happen with the trailer that I built/over engineered. I was picking up loads of topsoil and the operator wanted to leave early that day so he doubled the load so I wouldn't come back before he left. My springs and tyres didn't bottom out but the axle bent so much that the inside sidewalls of both tyres rubbed on the frame, I had to drive home (3km) like that so there was a massive cloud of burnt rubber everywhere.
The scary thing is I once had 2.6T on the scale at the tip and didn't have that issue so I have no idea how much he loaded me with.

EDIT, I saw the Elite trailers and they're very nice

The usual scenario is I want top quality but I dont want to pay for it, so go and buy a piece of crap and then complain about it....

Originally Posted by uk_exile

Brought Elite 8x4 heavy duty with sides 7 years ago. Very pleased I got the HD version as the tiedown bars and full steps along each side are great. Would happily buy another one.
Only 4 small issues with it.
1) The white spare wheel that's horizontal on drawbar started to rust around rim/tyre lip where rainwater sat. Solved that with a $30 tyre cover.
2) The galv on the deck is showing signs of wear but given the many loads of gravel its carried and that it sits outside I'm fine with that.
3) The steel of the front and rear tail gates are folded in such a way that there's an internal lip that gravel, bark chips etc all sit in so it's a pain to sweep out.
4) When loaded (overloaded....) the tyres touch the guards before the springs hit chassis. Never a problem at landscaping places where they'll only sell 1 or 2 tiny scoops but at big quarry with huge loader generous loading happens :-) I'm thinking spring on frame better than tyre on guard, but maybe for longivity it's better the way it is.

Is it axle over spring? If so you might be able to flip it and gain more clearance - worthwhile considering here that the clearance with the trailer loaded evenly and sitting on level ground is one thing, but travelling over uneven ground or traffic slowing objects means the axles don't carry the weight evenly and you might well end up with a tyre getting pinched under a guard without realising it and with a relatively lighter load than you think. A clearance issue like this is worthwhile sorting out...

Originally Posted by No good names left

I had this happen with the trailer that I built/over engineered. I was picking up loads of topsoil and the operator wanted to leave early that day so he doubled the load so I wouldn't come back before he left. My springs and tyres didn't bottom out but the axle bent so much that the inside sidewalls of both tyres rubbed on the frame, I had to drive home (3km) like that so there was a massive cloud of burnt rubber everywhere.
The scary thing is I once had 2.6T on the scale at the tip and didn't have that issue so I have no idea how much he loaded me with.

EDIT, I saw the Elite trailers and they're very nice

Similar thing here, but you might be able to get wider offset wheels to increase the clearance. Its when the axle takes more weight on one tyre that you run into issues - the tyre on the high side with the weight on it gets ground onto the tub of the trailer and possibly goes POP... Converted a mates work trailer to having brakes - custom built caliper brakets etc and found out that the calipers and tyres had this issue (insufficient clearance to the sides of the trailer tub). Had to scallop into the tub to get the calipers into position, bloody mongrel of a design. Trailer was built to absolute maximum dimensions and minimum clearance to do it. Having brakes on it totally changed the behaviour of the trailer on the road though, stopped all surging and shoving and turned it into an absolute kitten to tow. Was a real bitch before the mod.

Originally Posted by blip

The usual scenario is I want top quality but I dont want to pay for it, so go and buy a piece of crap and then complain about it....

C'mon, what's your point haha. I'd take free over paying if it was possible, my money in my pocket is better than my money in someone else's pocket.

Originally Posted by No.3

Similar thing here, but you might be able to get wider offset wheels to increase the clearance. Its when the axle takes more weight on one tyre that you run into issues - the tyre on the high side with the weight on it gets ground onto the tub of the trailer and possibly goes POP... Converted a mates work trailer to having brakes - custom built caliper brakets etc and found out that the calipers and tyres had this issue (insufficient clearance to the sides of the trailer tub). Had to scallop into the tub to get the calipers into position, bloody mongrel of a design. Trailer was built to absolute maximum dimensions and minimum clearance to do it. Having brakes on it totally changed the behaviour of the trailer on the road though, stopped all surging and shoving and turned it into an absolute kitten to tow. Was a real bitch before the mod.

This wasn't a trailer issue, just way overloaded for a single axle. I wouldn't have tried if it was any further.

Tyres hit top of wheel guard if heavily overloaded. When sensibly loaded there's plenty of clearance. I won't be modifying it. If I was bothered and often taking overloading risks I'd either insert a bump stop, or more likely hire/buy a higher rated trailer.

I think you're both missing the point I was making - what my experience with in repairing trailers damaged like this is that the load was on the evenly loaded and heavy side but within limits for the trailer in all but one case, and it that one case the load was an awkward piece of machinery with most of the mass on one side but still technically within mass limit for the trailer.

What caused the damage in a few of the cases, is the trailer being towed over "traffic calming" devices where the trailer only went over one lump and not both or being dragged over uneven ground where one side of the axle took a lot of the weight for a short amount of time. I suspect with the traffic calming lumps, it's the drop OFF the lump that did the damage. It basically caused an overload of the leaf spring on one side, causing the wheel to either strike the guard or whatever was over the top of the wheel and get damaged, or the wall of the tyre shoved into the side of the trailer by one spring collapsing into overload and basically turning inside out (what we used to call Ranger bum after the early PX rangers turning their leaf springs inside out and sagging like an old lady). I've had to chop out and replace a couple of axle stubs from this - bent back and out of alignment among other damage.

It's a bit of a design limitation with a basic single solid axle and leaf spring layout, without shock absorbers or stops of some form the leaf springs don't load share side to side very well and you can get some horrific angles and lift on wheels without realising it. Not something you HAVE to fix if you don't want to, your trailers and all but it's something to be aware of as it could be happening more regularly and with lighter loads than you might expect if you are seeing it at all.

Greetings All,
I had a homebuilt 8 x 4 trailer for around 40 years. It had Landrover wheels, hardwood deck and heavy RHS frame and was heavy as. I towed it with a Landrover and later a Navara. It had got to the stage that it was getting hard for me to move so when I downsized to a Jimny recently it was replaced with a Kea 5x4 which only weighs about 170 kg. I can push it around with one hand. It is a small trailer granted but does everything I need. One size does not fit all with trailers.
Regards Grandpamac.

My current trailer is a dog of a thing, spent several years as the undercarriage to a custom built trailer being used to tow ship refuelling hoses on a wharf. The top with the gear attached to it was chopped off, basically leaving a frame with sides behind with a tail and head gate. A mate moved the axle back, welded the tail and head gate onto the sides as running boards, and the guts of it was tidied up the minimum needed to WoF it. It is really too narrow as it's not quite 1200mm wide inside, but it is light and will take the quad (just). It is also able to be dragged by the quad so it spends most of it's time being used as a garden trailer and the quad as a garden tractor... It will take 1/2 a cube of gravel just. I think Prescott was responsible for the original iteration of it... Ugly but effective you might say (when you don't have a trailer and you need one it's the best thing you've seen haha).