Box trailer tips and advice

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

Just to clarify this comment, are you saying that a tipper on a 7x4 is justifiable (but not on a 6x4)? Anyone else have thoughts on the manual tilt tipper?

Just my general opinion really, everything is justifiable if you use it frequently on a cost per need basis. If your a contractor doing daily tip runs yes go for it on a 6x4 etc (but then you'd have a bigger trailer??); if your a very very occasional user like me then.....

Undecided on tipper as it will add 50kg and $350...........

A lot of extra weight (FEL too!) so that cuts into your allowed load.

no... Personally I did not mind the small amount of shovelling for a once in a lifetime small job however I'm still relatively very fit for my age! Only you can ascertain your lifestyle needs and budget capacity. FWIW my income is very low so need to be savvy, hence I borrowed.

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

I would have shifted / tipped off at least 500 tonne with my tipper, pretty easy to justify it my end, only mistake was I should have done it 15 years earlier when I still had a good back

Down side of a tipper is mates you never knew you had come out of the woodwork! One of the reasons I put a Treg hitch on mine, oh sorry mate but you haven't got the correct hitch so you cant borrow it

Cheers Andrew

[frbprado Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close frbprado]

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Hey guys,

I am almost there. Got myself some hilux wheels so that I can use my prado spare with the trailer.

I have a question about the amount of steel in the chassis and the drawbar. If I ever take it offroad (not hardcore, but corrugated dirt roads) will SHS 50x50x2 be sufficient in the chassis (including the cross members) and RHS 100x50x3 in the drawbar. I'm more concerned about the chassis as the steel in the drawbar is already a lot.

@mjrandom , if I recall correctly you used steel channel and not RHS?

[gxl_d4d Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close gxl_d4d]

When I got my trailer built, the fabricator suggested thicker steel for the side rails of the chassis so the spring hangers would not tare away on corrugations. I believe he used 75x50x4 or 75x50x3. I can't remember. The middle cross members are 50x50x3 and the ends are 75x50x? (same as the chassis side rails).

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

My trailer uses a pipe drawbar/central core and high tensile rolled channel but, and this is a really big but, the body is integral to the design. It was designed this way from the outset and the body is a structural member. The whole thing was designed around this idea with stiffening gussets and plates to spread the suspension loads. It is not a separate ladder chassis with a box whacked on top. I cannot really comment on the materials you are suggesting though if I had to it sounds too light. So my only comment is see what the commercial trailer builders are using and follow their lead.

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

The drawbar on my offroad camper that I built is 100x50x2.5.

The main cassis rails are 50x50x3 and the cross members 50x50x2.5.

There is a bit more to the overall strength than just those members, but I have been over tens of thousands of km's of outback roads and goat tracks without issue.


2mm chassis rails might be stretching the friendship a bit.

Cheers Andrew

[frbprado Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close frbprado]

I cannot really comment on the materials you are suggesting though if I had to it sounds too light. So my only comment is see what the commercial trailer builders are using and follow their lead.

Hmm, this is what the commercial trailer maker is recommending. They are supposed to be pretty good, but that was also my thought - that it is too light.

I might go with another mob who will go 75x50x3 on the chassis front/rear/side/middle and 40x40x3 on the cross members. BUT this other mob only has 75x50x3 on the drawbar unless I go to 100x50x5 (which is their next biggest) which seems like overkill.

[frbprado Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close frbprado]

2mm chassis rails might be stretching the friendship a bit.

Yeah I think so. Speaking of friendships, I have already stretched the "friendship" a bit by asking them a tonne of annoying questions so I might just send them a slab of beer and go somewhere else. lol

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

75x50x3 for the drawbar should be fine, it's at the smaller end of the scale I would consider for offroad, but if your loading it and driving sensibly then should be fine.

100x50x5 is way overkill.

Cheers Andrew

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

If the drawbar is braced in the typical A frame the size you suggest should be fine. As AJ mentioned the cross members will be light at 2t, 50x50x3 would be a better choice than either the 2t or 40 square. But it depends on the design and how it goes together.

My frame was all floppsy bunny ears when I tacked it together which gave rise to many suggestions that I should have used an alternative cereal supplier for my engineering degree. I treated these detractors with the ignore they deserved obviously. A mate and I welded it out and we backstepped the welding opposite to each other without noticing. The frame then had a twist of about 50mm. Took full weight of the 140t hydraulic crane outrigger to straighten it. Then the body was welded on as a stressed skin. Load tested it with over 2t. Deflection well within limits.

Looks like I used the right brand of cereal after all.

A couple of others went light with 300plus RHS. Strength was fine, deflection (which is reliant on section size not strength of materials) was crap and they had to add additional members to stiffen the frame.

[frbprado Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close frbprado]

I'll see what they say tomorrow.

Any thoughts on slipper springs vs eye to eye? This other mob (which can do the better RHS sections) doesn't do eye to eye without adding a ridiculous amount on the price (ie. ~500 which is downright wrong!)

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

If you are taking it off road then eye to eye are the go.

I remember talking to a guy in the Kimberly that had slippers and he told me they were fine, the next day I saw him again with a smashed up trailer after one of his slippers slipped out

Eye to eye springs tend to be more expensive.

Cheers Andrew

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

Definately shackle springs, slippers are very prone to failure.

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

What about independent? Too expensive?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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

There are many styles of independent. They range from expensive to exorbitant. For a box trailer in my view completely unnecessary. I have seen quite a few of the rubber block style fail on what I would consider easy service. Just my view of course. Leaves are easy and you can get replacements just about anywhere.