Caterhams and Trailers
Discussion
I'm looking for some advice regarding getting a trailer for my 7.
I'm not getting out on the road much in it these days but I thoroughly enjoy trackdays, but being in South Wales I'm miles from most tracks and getting there and back is always a bit of an ordeal!
I've measured out my garage, I can just about fit a small trailer in there. (with a few cm each side, it's a double garage converted to a single, so space is at a premium).
I'm currently looking at something along the lines of a PRG Mini Sport, potentially with the tyre rack and storage box to make storing some equipment a bit easier (and storing the tyres in the garage since the trailer will pretty much fill the whole space!).
Couple of questions...
1. The Mini Sport has a load of options, what ones would you suggest as must-haves for a trackday trailer?
2. My plan was to park the trailer in the garage in reverse so I can get the 7 out without actually removing the trailer. How easy is it
to manoeuvre a twin axle trailer by hand? (especially since my garage has a 1 inch concrete step to get into it). Getting the 7 in there needs a bit of force by hand so I imagine it would be pretty difficult with a trailer.
Is it worth getting something like a caravan mover to help with it? Another reason to park it with the towing attachment facing the back is I can actually still fit a few things in the garage, which otherwise might not be possible!
I'm not getting out on the road much in it these days but I thoroughly enjoy trackdays, but being in South Wales I'm miles from most tracks and getting there and back is always a bit of an ordeal!
I've measured out my garage, I can just about fit a small trailer in there. (with a few cm each side, it's a double garage converted to a single, so space is at a premium).
I'm currently looking at something along the lines of a PRG Mini Sport, potentially with the tyre rack and storage box to make storing some equipment a bit easier (and storing the tyres in the garage since the trailer will pretty much fill the whole space!).
Couple of questions...
1. The Mini Sport has a load of options, what ones would you suggest as must-haves for a trackday trailer?
2. My plan was to park the trailer in the garage in reverse so I can get the 7 out without actually removing the trailer. How easy is it
to manoeuvre a twin axle trailer by hand? (especially since my garage has a 1 inch concrete step to get into it). Getting the 7 in there needs a bit of force by hand so I imagine it would be pretty difficult with a trailer.
Is it worth getting something like a caravan mover to help with it? Another reason to park it with the towing attachment facing the back is I can actually still fit a few things in the garage, which otherwise might not be possible!
I have a PRG MiniSport for my Caterham which has served me well. I'm not sure exactly which options I have, but I'd suggest considering:
- tyre rack
- rear support stands to allow you to drive the car on and off when uncoupled (I have a couple of home made wooden chocks that double as support stands).
- a winch to help get the car on if undriveable.
- ratchet straps and ties if you don't already have them.
- wheel chocks or something to hold the car down against.
maneovering a minisporter fully loaded with car etc... into a tight garage with a lip by pulling hitch first in (over a step) is not something i'd like to be trying !!
an alternative to full on electric set up - search for a trailer dollie... should help a lot... and may make it possible... at least if you get the trailer wheels into the garage... take off the dollie and push from the back of thetrailer to put the hitch tight to the wall - may be a solution ?
an alternative to full on electric set up - search for a trailer dollie... should help a lot... and may make it possible... at least if you get the trailer wheels into the garage... take off the dollie and push from the back of thetrailer to put the hitch tight to the wall - may be a solution ?
Wasn't planning on going as far as a Minsporter, just an uncovered trailer.
Yeah the plan would be to get the trailer into the garage and then drive the car onto it. I can make little ramps to get over the lip if needs be. It's mainly so I can get the car in and out if I want to without having to get the trailer out.
I'm also looking into widening the garage opening to give a little room for manoeuvring!
Yeah the plan would be to get the trailer into the garage and then drive the car onto it. I can make little ramps to get over the lip if needs be. It's mainly so I can get the car in and out if I want to without having to get the trailer out.
I'm also looking into widening the garage opening to give a little room for manoeuvring!
I think it's easy to sucked into the 'twin axle is best' frame of mind. The biggest set forward I made in towing Caterhams (I used to use twin axles) was to move to a single axle Brian James Micro Max - which is perfect size for a Caterham. Tows well, easy to push single handed and 400KG spare capacity. Now it just seems like madness to me to over specify trailer capacity - just my 2p worth.
Thanks DCL, I was looking at single axle trailers also. One of the reasons I picked the PGR trailer was it actually had smaller dimensions than the single axle Brian James!
I've got no real reason to pick a twin over a single, I just assumed it would be more stable? (though I guess with the weight of a 7 it's no big deal either way).
Looking to make my life easier in terms of moving it around so happy to consider single axles too.
It'll be used with a Dacia Duster for the time being until I change my car to something that can actually tow. We do have use of my inlaws VW California, but unfortunately neither myself or the other half have the correct licence to tow with it, so we'll need to do the additional towing test.
I've got no real reason to pick a twin over a single, I just assumed it would be more stable? (though I guess with the weight of a 7 it's no big deal either way).
Looking to make my life easier in terms of moving it around so happy to consider single axles too.
It'll be used with a Dacia Duster for the time being until I change my car to something that can actually tow. We do have use of my inlaws VW California, but unfortunately neither myself or the other half have the correct licence to tow with it, so we'll need to do the additional towing test.
Having the trailer facing into the garage obviously makes loading/unloading easier. Never had an issue with pulling a trailer and car combo into a garage with a level surface but with even a small lip on the garage floor I think would make this nigh on impossible for one person alone.
Although I now have, to me, a dream double garage the driveway has a 10% decreasing to a 6% upward slope to the garage so I had a mounting pedestal made and bolted a 12v winch to the garage floor which easily pulls the trailer and car into the garage in a matter of minutes. the winch is powered by a 12v 110ah leisure battery.
Although I now have, to me, a dream double garage the driveway has a 10% decreasing to a 6% upward slope to the garage so I had a mounting pedestal made and bolted a 12v winch to the garage floor which easily pulls the trailer and car into the garage in a matter of minutes. the winch is powered by a 12v 110ah leisure battery.
OP, I did exactly what you describe for a couple of years with a Brian James Minno and my Westfield. My drive is gravel and on a slight slope, so getting the trailer out on my own was a bit of an effort, but otherwise it worked pretty well. The only things I'd add over and above what's been said:
- You may need some 'helper' ramps for driving on and off the trailer in the garage, or wind the nose right up on the jockey wheel. I found that the extra step between the garage floor and the driveway meant the car would often ground going over the hump between ramp and trailer.
- Depending on available space, I found it a bit of a faff getting back from a trackday having to unload the car from the trailer, park the car, unhitch the trailer, move the trailer into the garage, re-attach the ramps then drive the car back on the trailer. Not the end of the world but it did grate after a while (particularly if I arrived late after a long drive home and was trying to do this quietly to avoid disturbing the neighbours!)
Brilliant, thanks for the replies, these are just the sort of things I was looking to hear. Especially regarding getting the trailer back in after a trackday, I hadn't even thought of that!
I like the idea of mounting a winch to the floor, that would really make moving it easier.
With regards to using something that might be a little easier to manoeuvre, has anyone heard (or seen?) one of these?
http://www.allytrailer.co.uk/home/storage-applicat...
I like the idea of mounting a winch to the floor, that would really make moving it easier.
With regards to using something that might be a little easier to manoeuvre, has anyone heard (or seen?) one of these?
http://www.allytrailer.co.uk/home/storage-applicat...
seiben said:
If you're going to get a trailer, get one with brakes unless you're towing with something substantial! That flimsy looking tea tray won't solve any of the aforementioned issues, it'll just be a pig to tow and still just as much hassle to load/unload.
Yeah that's what my general googling said about un-braked trailers. I thought it was worth mentioning though as it was a bit different to the other options.I'll have to have a good think about all these options! My drive is on a slight slope (nothing major but it is there). Getting the trailer into the garage will be the hardest part since there won't be much clearance on the sides. I'm looking at ways to make the door opening larger (there is a little space on both sides but not a huge amount. (Converting it back to a double would be the sensible option but I'd loose my office, unless we added an extension above the garage that's probably not a cost-effective option).
Thanks for the advice everyone!
seiben said:
If you're going to get a trailer, get one with brakes unless you're towing with something substantial! That flimsy looking tea tray won't solve any of the aforementioned issues, it'll just be a pig to tow and still just as much hassle to load/unload.
I've recently bought one of these "flimsy tea trays", after using a 4 wheel BJ minno previously.Its easy to move around my gravel drive without giving me back pain jip. It fits in my very small garage (BJ/PRG wouldn't fit). Its very stable towing, and no wider than the tow vehicle which is useful. Its very well engineered and a clever design (I got it 2nd hand - is like new). The tilt mechanism is brilliant. It has 4 wheels (2 pairs of 2). It came with a winch so I can pull it into the garage onto a tow ball mounted on an axle stand when the 7 is on it.
It is unbraked, which made me nervous when purchasing. But given the low weight and efficiency of modern tow car brakes, I'm ok with it. Its not "a pig to tow" so far. You do need to check unbraked towing capacity of tow vehicle, but you don't need a truck.
Interesting to hear your experience. What do you tow it with? My westy was admittedly on the more lardy end of the scale (around 580kg) and I was towing with a medium sized estate car, so for me stability in the trailer was much more important than saving a bit of weight in manoeuvrability. I'll happily stand corrected if my view is wrong 
I tow with a small petrol SUV softroader. Trailer is 160kg only. My 7 is about 515. Max is 750, 700 for my tow vehicle.
It does look "different", but for me fitting it in the garage and being able to move it around easily was important. I am not planning to cruise at 80 leptons with it, and plan to keep a close eye on the nose weight. I also dismissed it initially as looking flimsy/two wheels (no, its got 4 but arranged like an aircraft) and being unbraked. I'll put sone trust in unbraked tow limits having a safe margin. My father (retired precision engineer) looked it over carefully, and was impressed by it. If I end up in a ditch with the 7 up a tree and the trailer in the river I'll report back.
It does look "different", but for me fitting it in the garage and being able to move it around easily was important. I am not planning to cruise at 80 leptons with it, and plan to keep a close eye on the nose weight. I also dismissed it initially as looking flimsy/two wheels (no, its got 4 but arranged like an aircraft) and being unbraked. I'll put sone trust in unbraked tow limits having a safe margin. My father (retired precision engineer) looked it over carefully, and was impressed by it. If I end up in a ditch with the 7 up a tree and the trailer in the river I'll report back.
framerateuk said:
Brilliant, thanks for the replies, these are just the sort of things I was looking to hear. Especially regarding getting the trailer back in after a trackday, I hadn't even thought of that!
I like the idea of mounting a winch to the floor, that would really make moving it easier.
With regards to using something that might be a little easier to manoeuvre, has anyone heard (or seen?) one of these?
http://www.allytrailer.co.uk/home/storage-applicat...
Geek alert! - I remember reading the build blog on the Fisher FuryR1 in the bottom pic - about 2003 IIRC....I like the idea of mounting a winch to the floor, that would really make moving it easier.
With regards to using something that might be a little easier to manoeuvre, has anyone heard (or seen?) one of these?
http://www.allytrailer.co.uk/home/storage-applicat...
Edited by Turn7 on Tuesday 16th April 19:53
Here are some pictures of my Caterham/Trailer/garage combo.
Note the wooden chocks that double as supports for the rear of the bed to ensure the trailer doesn't tip when driving on and off it in the garage. When towing the chocks sit on the front of each side of the bed such that the front wheels roll up to them.
Note the wooden chocks that double as supports for the rear of the bed to ensure the trailer doesn't tip when driving on and off it in the garage. When towing the chocks sit on the front of each side of the bed such that the front wheels roll up to them.
On the twin vs single axle debate. Is it possible to fit a wheel rack to a single axle trailer?
I have a BJ Minno with wheel rack and tool box for my Caterham. It feels pretty nose heavy especially with 2 sets of wheels on the rack and 40L of fuel in the storage box. I’d imagine the twin axle makes it just about OK but i’d have thought a single axle would be too heavy on the tow bar with any extra weight on the front?
I have a BJ Minno with wheel rack and tool box for my Caterham. It feels pretty nose heavy especially with 2 sets of wheels on the rack and 40L of fuel in the storage box. I’d imagine the twin axle makes it just about OK but i’d have thought a single axle would be too heavy on the tow bar with any extra weight on the front?
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