Box trailer tips and advice

[frbprado Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close frbprado]

I'm looking to buy a box trailer, mainly for camping and gardening (hauling compost, mulch, green waste etc).

Looking at getting a 6x4 hot dipped galvanised custom made at Michael's Trailers in Healesville.

Other options that I want include
- smooth floor instead of checkerplate (for easier shovelling, less damage to furniture etc)
- manual tilt tipper
- front and rear tailgates
- tiedown rails on tailgates

I was thinking about going 7x4 but it would mean paying yearly rego and assuming the life of the trailer is 20 years, it would basically add 60% to the cost of the trailer (20 years x $54 = $1080)

Does anyone have any tips/advice on box trailers or trailers in general for a Prado? Any other recommended trailer makers?

Thanks in advance.

[macaroon1 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close macaroon1]

$54?? (for 6 months)? Yearly it would surely be more @ the $100 mark?

FWIW I just borrowed a 40YO home made trailer for some landscaping and it's saved me a shed load of dosh. Gonna give the guy wine though. They are such frigging handy things! It has all the above but not the manual tipper mode which personally for anything below 7x4 I would not bother with. The cost would be too much unless your body restricts you from work? The rest of the list all seems great though.

Try and get a mate to maybe pay half the yearly rego as they do spend a lot of time collecting rust. I may offer to do this with his as he already has 4 other regos and he's retired/pension.

Can't give you any other tips though. I was looking a few years ago for a second hand one and the prices were very lofty indeed so yes try and get it ticking all boxes. Some members (Prado2004 et al) have built there own!!

[BlakMoth Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close BlakMoth]

The rego on my camper is only $78 a year. Very happy with that


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[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

High sides, tie downs inside, clean floor with mudguards outside, LED lights, Prado wheels or equivalent, same track as the Prado, I like shocks on the axle some people think they are superfluous, shackle leaf springs (cheap and easy to fix), long drawbar (easy to reverse), tie down rails outside, removable head board and tailgate, unistrut in headboard and tailgate to fix 'things' to. Galvanised or at least gal sheet. Tub liner inside.





Then you can get 20+ years service like this one.

[nanbar Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close nanbar]

High sides, tie downs inside, clean floor with mudguards outside, LED lights, Prado wheels or equivalent, same track as the Prado, I like shocks on the axle some people think they are superfluous, shackle leaf springs (cheap and easy to fix), long drawbar (easy to reverse), tie down rails outside, removable head board and tailgate, unistrut in headboard and tailgate to fix 'things' to. Galvanised or at least gal sheet. Tub liner inside.





Then you can get 20+ years service like this one.

Now thats a trailer

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

If you make your own trailer as I did or get one custom made you can set it up to do more than just cart rubbish to the dump. I use mine to transport the kayaks, mulcher (big mother of a thing) and so on. Used to carry the ride on but for some reason the tractor won't fit.

Kayaks with the trailer in flow through configuration (pre birthday)



Camping with the kayaks on top



Unistrut on the head board and tail gate lets me fit the extra spare, gas bottle and other bits and pieces on the front and back. A plate on the drawbar allows me to fit the bike rack too.

[frbprado Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close frbprado]

If you make your own trailer as I did or get one custom made you can set it up to do more than just cart rubbish to the dump. I use mine to transport the kayaks, mulcher (big mother of a thing) and so on. Used to carry the ride on but for some reason the tractor won't fit.

You actually sent me the details for your trailer a while back. Sadly I don't have the time nor skill to build

Can you tell me what types of things you use the high sides for?

$54?? (for 6 months)? Yearly it would surely be more @ the $100 mark?

Yeah, in VIC a light trailer pack (for trailers 3m+ and theoretically 200kg+) costs $54 AFAIK

[r4ndll Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close r4ndll]

Camping with the kayaks on top



Unistrut on the head board and tail gate lets me fit the extra spare, gas bottle and other bits and pieces on the front and back. A plate on the drawbar allows me to fit the bike rack too.

How do you find the dust ingress with that top?

Trying to decide if I get a cage and canvas top or a hinged hard lid for ours.

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

High sides are good when you pack for camping, a lot of stuff sits in there that is low weight without having to be otherwise constrained. Also trips to the dump with general detritus means more stuff inside! Plus if I decide to get a camper trailer pack the height is already ok which will give more space under should we decide to go that way. Still not sure because we are happy with the set up we have now but for a cape trip or other dedicated run I would likely add a camper pack and drop back on the extraneous gear we tend to take for a 2+ week camp.

Dust does get in but all the stuff that you want dust free is in sealed containers/bags and the rest doesn't matter. The front and back will get foam on the edges again (took what was left off to paint) but the canopy is just a firm fit over the top edge of the trailer.

When we were in WA most of the places we would go camping had waterways (Lake Jasper etc) so we bought an inflatable boat. The foldup boat trailer would be fixed at the back on a unistrut frame, boat inside with the tent and gear and the 9.9hp Yamaha opposite the gas bottle. Worked a treat.

I worked out the other day that the trailer has close to 100,000km on it. Not bad for something that originally cost $600 to make. Original body and chassis but upgraded springs and axle about 8 years ago and then new bearings and hubs last year plus two upgrades of electrics.

I should have added reversing lights to the list I originally posted.

[frbprado Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close frbprado]

Ouch. I just called the trailer joint with regards to high sides. +$350!

[shodown Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shodown]

Anyone got the plans they used for their trailer build?

[D4D Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close D4D]

Call Europe trailers, $ but you will have it for life and you're supporting an Aussie company using Aussie steel.

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

I built a full hydraulic tip trailer, best thing I ever did I reckon, saved me an enormous amount of shovel work over the years.




MJ is on the right track though, make it as versatile as you can, the more you use it the less the cost is of a concern.

OH and don't get a pneumatic jockey wheel, as you can see in the picture above they tend to go flat, which is a pain.

Cheers Andrew

[nanbar Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close nanbar]

Something like this is what I would like. Trik Trailers in Bayswater reckons it would cost btw $3000-$3500.

[nanbar Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close nanbar]

Something like this is what I would like. Trik Trailers in Bayswater reckons it would cost btw $3000-$3500.