How big and what material should you make the trailer deck from?
The chassis of the trailer is going to need to be made from steel, I don’t think this is avoid able. Aluminum will fatigue and crack on corrugations, that’s way no camper trailers have aluminum chassis’. So we are only looking at trailer deck.
Deck material
Deck material and sides affects the trailer in 2 ways; weight and usability.
If you choose to make the trailer deck from steel it’s going to more resistant to abuse but weigh more. But make the trailer deck from aluminum it wont handle abuse but will be much lighter. A wooden deck will not last in the whether and can be very slippery.
As I mentioned in the GVM article aluminum is strong enough for general use, treated with care it wont let you down If you use ute tray back style aluminum flooring you could save considerable weight, with fantastic usability.
Length of the trailer deck
Don’t make the trailer to long, it’s too easy to go “Well I’m building it, let’s go BIG”. Just make it long enough for your needs, to keep the weight down and maneuverability.
What are you going to tow? Remember you still need to be mindful of your GCM.
The quad is 1,200mm wide and a side by side is about 2,500mm (not including tray over hang). If I wanted to fit 2 quads and a side by side this should fit on 4,900mm. This is getting very long though and I wouldn’t consider going much past this.
If you just want 3 quads on, you only need 3,600mm etc. I think for 3 quads would be the smallest I would consider building.
Be mindful of your axle placement, there are lots of camper trailers out there with single axles placed to far back and this puts massive draw bar weight on your vehicle. Draw bar weight is included in your GVM and excessive weight ruins the ride handling. At www.trailersauce.co.nz they recommend 75mm rear of centre.
Width of the trailer deck
The width of the trailer should be similar to you tray somewhere between 1,800 – 2,000mm – as the wheel track really determines the width.
Trailer deck recommendation
Next topics
Deciding on trailer Springs
Choosing trailer brakes
Which coupling/hitch for a hunting trailer coupling
Perfect Hunting Trailer Type
Wheels for a hunting Trailer
Trailer finish and accessories
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