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Subject Topic: Tow ball on trailer Post Reply Post New Topic
03/4/2010 at 10:24pm
 Location: None Entered
 Outfit: Outwell Bear Lake 6+ 5ft x 3ft trailer
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Hi,

   We have a 4ft x 3ft trailer to put our camping gear in and would like to add a towball to the rear to attach our Thule bike rack. Couldn't find any advice on Google about how to do it properly etc so does this mean we shouldn't be doing it? We were thinking of attaching it to either a piece of metal or wood then screwing this to the trailer frame so that the walls of the trailer weren't taking all the weight?

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks 

 



03/4/2010 at 11:04pm
 Location: west country
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sounds ok to me as long as its secure and does not obscure lights and number plate.

Do you have a drop tail board on the trailer - might interfere with it if you have.



-------------
Steve




03/4/2010 at 11:16pm
 Location: None Entered
 Outfit: Outwell Bear Lake 6+ 5ft x 3ft trailer
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Thanks Steve,

                   No,we don't have a drop tail board,but can't find any other posts either on here or anywhere on Google that says it's legal to do it. We've just been pricing up roof bars & cycle carriers-very expensive to do,whereas we already have a towball that we could just fit then attach our Thule bike carrier to that. I just would've thought that if it was a good idea then someone else on here would've done it already!!!

Cheers

 

    



04/4/2010 at 1:07am
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Hello

Witter do bike carriers that sit off the towbar and enable a trailer to be towed whilst also carrying bikes.

I understand that you are thinking of adding a towbar to the back of your trailer but I'm not too sure that is the right approach.

I have seen a couple of trailers that have in effect roof bars, on a trailer lid, which in turn had bike holders. That may be a better option ?



04/4/2010 at 1:27am
 Location: Midlands
 Outfit: Mondeo Avondale Gram
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Where you attach the ball to should be connected in someway to the trailers chassis. The sides are the aluminium trailers are not that strong & i would have my doubts as to whether it would take the strain of holding bikes.

As mentioned dependind in the towbar a towbar mounted bracket or mount them to the trailers A frame. What is the loading capacity of the trailer 200kg for a 4x3?

Adding the Bikes & brackets would use a fair sized chunk of that 75kg? or more?



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04/4/2010 at 2:05am
 Location: Argyll Scotland
 Outfit: 1997 Bailey Ranger 470 4
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The danger of adding any weight to the back of a trailer is that it would increase the lightlyhood of snaking. This can be just as bad on a badly loaded camping trailer as in a small caravan.

A better option is to get a local engineering works to make you up a frame that will bolt to the trailer chassis and up the sides of the trailer to carry a roofrack over the trailer that will in turn carry your bikes. That way the weight of the bikes are carried within the trailer load area.



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Lobey.


04/4/2010 at 6:48am
 Location: west country
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Quote: Originally posted by smudgebiscuit on 03/4/2010

Thanks Steve,

                   No,we don't have a drop tail board,but can't find any other posts either on here or anywhere on Google that says it's legal to do it. We've just been pricing up roof bars & cycle carriers-very expensive to do,whereas we already have a towball that we could just fit then attach our Thule bike carrier to that. I just would've thought that if it was a good idea then someone else on here would've done it already!!!

Cheers

 

    


But does it say it is illegal anywhere?

-------------
Steve




04/4/2010 at 8:09am
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You can't hang over 40kg behind a small trailer. You need some weight on the towbar, this would be pulling the rear of the car upwards. It would snake when you hit a bump & probabley go out of control. What you are proposing is a non starter.

Your best bet is either to mount bikes on car roof or fit bars across trailer & put bike roof mounts on those. If you have an Erde trailer or similar you can buy these fittings made for the trailer.

Post last edited on 04/04/2010 08:15:11


04/4/2010 at 8:54am
 Location: None Entered
 Outfit: Outwell Bear Lake 6+ 5ft x 3ft trailer
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Thanks everyone for your replies, we are going to follow your suggestions & try to fix a lid to our trailer & add roof bars etc.

 

Thanks again everyone




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