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Old 14-07-2010, 22:58   #31
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SO...
"If you need 2 straps to secure a load, I use 3."
Why when you need 4 wheels on a trailer would you think about using 2 not 5????????
LOL????????????????????[/QUOTE]

i think that has to be the best posting of the thread
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Old 15-07-2010, 09:32   #32
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Worst ever.........


Drivers with seat belts on in the front and the kids loose in the back, sometimes lying on the back parcel shelf or in the rear of an estate car, no seat, no belt.

No,worst ever woman SPOON feeding child in front child seat while in overtaking lane on a dual carriageway with adult male seated comfortably in the back seat. Oh yeah,this was in Ireland
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Old 15-07-2010, 11:46   #33
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This thread has deviated somewhat from the original question and now appears to have turned into a discussion about driving, and whilst I agree that a short drive on any UK road will present you with a number of sights that would horrify you, I feel I have to speak up for the common man and declare that in my experience these transgressions are commited in equal measure by what might be considered as proffesional drivers.

Who here hasn't seen that poorly navigated articulated lorry perilously moving between the hard shoulder and driving lane, or the Sprinter driver, who percieves the name on his van as an instruction as he tailgates some poor micra driver in effort to get to his normal cruising speed of 90mph. Then there is the transit van full of builders where the passengers all have their tired legs resting on the dashboard. The horrors comitted by company car driving sales execs and reps is of course legendary, whom oblivious to all other dangers and road users think they are on the third floor of the office block they are desperately calling, texting or emailing with some pointless and non urgent communication.

Makes you think doesn't it? Maybe not...

Alan
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Old 15-07-2010, 22:19   #34
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TONUP

your right mate some of the worst driving i see on a day to daqy basis is from lorry drivers and company car drivers, I see one or the other doing something 'arrestable' almost daily.

today whiles towing a trailer a shirt and tie wearing rep in a saab estate overtook me them pulled back in too soon forcing me to slam on the brakes and swerve, while i was going straight ahead on an island.

the usual is HGV's heading for saisburys 2 inches off my back bumper while i am doing 55 on a single track road (on which a comercial T2 is limited to 50, and they are imited to 40.

I think they beleive harrasing me will make me speed up, NO it make makes me slow down! it may also make me follow them into the loading bay for a 'little chat' one of these days rant over

as for the thread going awry - don't they allways?

as for the trailer wheels - take the lot off
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Old 15-07-2010, 22:41   #35
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am sure for truck drivers its a bigger fine/issue using mobile phone
without handsfree.

best thing is how often is their mate sat there doing nothing, ok
could be personal call, but if work then surely mate should handle it.

was well put that folks can afford a 60k car but the h/f for the phone,
crikey most phones come with a wired ear piece and mic on the wire
since they can do mp3 etc, certainly my smart phone does, the mrs
has a sony ericson, classed as a walkman or whatever variety and
that had a stereo ipod stlye ear pieces andmic too. couple of quid
if not.
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Old 15-07-2010, 23:22   #36
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i see what you men about the wheels though, i have a twin axel trailer that gets used for shifting all sorts of stuff around and when it is empty the front wheels seem to just skim the floor or even hover above it due to tow ball heights.

i have also noticed a bit of play in the bearings of these two wheels and wonder if there is any conection between this and them hovering off the groud and occasional touching when they are not moving and the ground is?
But Plank, as has been said already, that absolutely screams out to me that you should be getting the ride height right, not fannying about taking wheels off.

Your trailer is clearly being pulled down at the nose because the hitch is too low (unless its damaged - see below), which means that when its loaded, theres a lot more pressure on the front pair of wheels than the back, increasing the load and the likelihood of tyre damage etc..

On the assumption that the drawbar isn't bent from overloading (because unless you are driving a car with lowered suspension it ought to sit level, thats why 4x4s and vans need drop-plates) then if its feasible, you need to bolt a new drawbar underneath the existing section to raise the front of the trailer when its hitched.....

I had a twin axle 8x6x6 box trailer with the same problem, fitted with an Al-ko swan neck drawbar which turned out to have been overloaded or damaged in an earlier life....I had the bar removed and the fitting plate cut off and rewelded straight and it lifted it 3-4 inches to dead level!

You need to fix the root of the problem, not address a symptom I think...

what are you towing it with?
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Old 15-07-2010, 23:33   #37
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But Plank, as has been said already, that absolutely screams out to me that you should be getting the ride height right, not fannying about taking wheels off.

Your trailer is clearly being pulled down at the nose because the hitch is too low (unless its damaged - see below), which means that when its loaded, theres a lot more pressure on the front pair of wheels than the back, increasing the load and the likelihood of tyre damage etc..

You need to fix the root of the problem, not address a symptom I think...

what are you towing it with?
no mate the tow bar it too high hence the front wheels being just off the gound when it is unloaded, there is nowt wrong with the trailer or the tow bar other than this, if i adjusted the towbar height the other 5 trailers / caravans i tow regularly would sit too low and that is more important to me than ths one. A droping plate acts like a plough when off road and takes time to set up and remove every time (some times three or four times a day) and adjustable height sytems allways have a fair bit of play wich makes for an uncomfortable tow or even cracked crystal glass and china when towing my 'house'.

my thoughts where - on a vehicle where drop plates are now 'outlawed' how would one get around this issue?

as for my small trailer ' 8 x 4' twin axel, it has had years of such abuse and i'm not too fussed as i'm getting a new one soon. I also have another plan! i certainly can't be arsed with taking wheels off.

I only tow one trailer regulary with a 'pin' hitch and I may get rid of this and then i can fit a normal ball and this will then be lower, smiples.

oh, and i was talking of towing with my T2 thoug the issue seems pretty much the same with all 4x4's it does the same with our ranger too.
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Old 15-07-2010, 23:41   #38
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no i didn't mean use a drop plate Plank, more like another drawbar on the trailer underneath the existing one.

My Ifor William sits level as anything and only needs the jockey wheel raising an inch or two to back the T2 straight under it on the standard towball...
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Old 15-07-2010, 23:47   #39
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no i didn't mean use a drop plate Plank, more like another drawbar on the trailer underneath the existing one.

My Ifor William sits level as anything and only needs the jockey wheel raising an inch or two to back the T2 straight under it on the standard towball...
i've allready 'kind of' done that by taking the hitch off and spacing it away from the draw bar and then using longer bolts to refit, changing the pin and ball combo for a ball would easily make up for the rest - but, it's going on ebay soon and i will see how the new trailer rides first.

I allways keep pin hitch on as i once went to our local tip and somone had left a trailer there to be thrown in the scrap, the tip blokes couldn't lift it so they asked me if i wanted it. No one else could take it as they didn't have a pin hitch. I put it on ebay and sold it for £190! so i still live in hope
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Old 16-07-2010, 07:48   #40
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I allways keep pin hitch on as i once went to our local tip and somone had left a trailer there to be thrown in the scrap, the tip blokes couldn't lift it so they asked me if i wanted it. No one else could take it as they didn't have a pin hitch. I put it on ebay and sold it for £190! so i still live in hope
jammy sod!!
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Old 16-07-2010, 22:32   #41
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dont knnow about lowering coupling on trailer, but certainly seen a
caravan where the coupling had been raised so didnt tow excessively
nose up on back of a truck.

have you ever seen a tar trailer, where the coupling flexs, can only describe
as s sprung diamond shape arrangement so the trailer is level regardless
of hitch height on the tug and therefore the tar doesnt spill out....

seen plenty of artic trailers where leading axles are skimming ground as
trailer is unladen, maybe with metal suspension which cant be raised like
air bag type can.

sometimes the trailer is designed for a low riding tractor unit but on a
regular unit so trailer inclined considerably.

my caravan rides slightly nose up on the troll, but atleast know has good
nose weight than sitting nose down which ok is the best theory but on
a twin axle will lead to rear axle not doing ts share of the load.
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Old 16-07-2010, 22:56   #42
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Quote:
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my caravan rides slightly nose up on the troll, but atleast know has good
nose weight than sitting nose down which ok is the best theory but on
a twin axle will lead to rear axle not doing ts share of the load.
surely this means if nose is up then the front axel is not doing its fair share
(as in my small trailer)?

I have never noticed them tar trailers i will have a look tomorrow as i have to visit a big flat roofing company who run lots of propane heated tar trailers, i am going there to buy propane.
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Old 16-07-2010, 23:15   #43
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ok maybe no more nose up than most are nose down,
hitch seems to need lot of winding up on jockey wheel
to clear ball, but good nose weight brings car and van
down to roughly level.

buying? propane.

what as in exchanging bottles or refilling your own lpg
style?

gather you can get a 'special' regulater/adapter to fill
regular calor bottles, at petrol stations that do lpg
providing you are allowed or discreet??
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Old 16-07-2010, 23:20   #44
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no just exchanging bottles i have half a dozen 19k propanes for refil and they do me a very good price.
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Old 16-07-2010, 23:22   #45
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no just exchanging bottles i have half a dozen 19k propanes for refil and they do me a very good price.
cost us £30 each at the caravan site
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