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We had an erde trailer a 101 that we bought in 1999 and only got rid of it this year because we wanted somethng bigger   we bought it from halfords in inverness when were camping up there assembled it in a friends garden in helmsdale then towed it right round the top of scotland and back to norfolk.

 In all the years we had it we never had any problems at all. it has been to the four corners of the country and been abused on lots of occasions and it took it all in its stride if fact it lasted better than the cars that towed it. the only thing I ever did to it was put new tyres on it and check the wheel bearings every so often.

  So all in all I would say theres nowt wrong with erde trailers or 8 inch wheels!  Theres a picture of it in my gallery.

Quote: Originally posted by Francais on 02/8/2012

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I would say a good size is 120cm x 200cm x 70cm for internal size.

We got something a little smaller at 110cm x 150cm x 70cm for just the two us, for fun I added a good size roofbox and trailer tongue box. and of course we now fill the thing to capacity.

I would always say go for 13" wheels on a good size trailer, for us this was a no brainer as we tow along the French autoroutes at 81mph, UK motorway is 60mph max.

Max all up weight for an unbraked trailer in UK is 750kg and in France is 500kg, something worth noting if you intend to tow in France. one of the reason I went for a slightly smaller trailer, as the next size up would have reduced my load capacity for France.

To be fair it's the ideal size for us and stores neatly in the garage without taking to much room up.

It's easy to manhandle at the campsite, and easy to unhitch and rotate, should the need arise such as making a wrong turn down a dead end street.

Photo in gallery.

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Quote: Originally posted by bbwales on 08/8/2012

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Hi,

I managed to buy a trailer which was used to carry a large electric wheel chair after stripping it down and carrying out a few modifications I now have a very useable trailer with a built in kitchen, it has 8 inch wheels and it has never caused me a problem. Did 3000 miles around Europe last year and 2000 miles this year.

I am going to build a new one this winter to match the car.

Photo in my thread European Road Trip 2012 and 2011.

Regards

Bob

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Out of interest do all you guys have suspension on your trailers ?  I bought a 5' x4.5' off of the bay which I've done up and it seemed to work great for it's first outing but it doesn't have suspension (just a solid axle). Have got some leaf springs I could fit but not sure if it's really worth the effort - does suspension really make much difference when the trailer is loaded up ?

Cheers

As most people have said, I'd agree that the biggest you can afford is best.

But don't look at it as empty space you have to fill with new equipment, look at it as space you can use to free up room in the car; why have the boot filled to the window and the kids sitting on bedding and surrounded by potential flying objects?  I use the trailer not to carry more stuff but to carry what I have more safely.

And I wouldn't get too hung up on the wheel size either; a few people have this notion that an 8" wheel has to rotate faster than a 10" or 12" to cover the same distance (and therefore putting more stress on the bearings) but they seem to forget that the tyres add to the diameter too; so an 8" wheel with a nice tall tyre actually has a very similar overall diameter to a 10" wheel with a normal road tyre and will rotate at a very similar speed.

I don't think I'd be too worried about brand or make, it is only a camping trailer after all, but do look out for one that's been looked after and serviced properly but that is only common sense.

Quote: Originally posted by Hoppers on 09/8/2012

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And I wouldn't get too hung up on the wheel size either; a few people have this notion that an 8" wheel has to rotate faster than a 10" or 12" to cover the same distance (and therefore putting more stress on the bearings) but they seem to forget that the tyres add to the diameter too; so an 8" wheel with a nice tall tyre actually has a very similar overall diameter to a 10" wheel with a normal road tyre and will rotate at a very similar speed.

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A 500 x 10" trailer tyre isn't exactly a normal road tyre is it?

My point was to not get hung up on wheel size; every wheel has to have a tyre and it is the overall diameter that governs the speed of rotation, not the wheel size.

There was a long discussion about it elsewhere, including your very own picture of a 10" wheel and tall tyre being bigger than a 12" wheel with lower profile tyre, which kind of proves what I was saying!

here, I think

Quote: Originally posted by moppetsdad on 03/8/2012

We had an erde trailer a 101 that we bought in 1999 and only got rid of it this year because we wanted somethng bigger   we bought it from halfords in inverness when were camping up there assembled it in a friends garden in helmsdale then towed it right round the top of scotland and back to norfolk.

 In all the years we had it we never had any problems at all. it has been to the four corners of the country and been abused on lots of occasions and it took it all in its stride if fact it lasted better than the cars that towed it. the only thing I ever did to it was put new tyres on it and check the wheel bearings every so often.

  So all in all I would say theres nowt wrong with erde trailers or 8 inch wheels!  Theres a picture of it in my gallery.

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I got an an ifor williams bv64e camping trailer. Big with rolling shutter door. None of the fiddly extensions or plastic folding lids. I had those on previous trailer and the folding arms damaged my gear.

A solid ifor williams product which i wd reccommend.




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Johnny