Do you own a trailer....

[scooter]

If you go with the aforementioned spring loaded swing down jockey wheel, consider getting it mounted inside the draw bar, I have done this with mine, haven't found a disadvantage (yet) and it lets you not worry when jacknifing the trailer either side.

If you end up going for an 8 x 4, ensure it will fit 2440 x 1220 mm inside, some sheets are still actually 8' x 4', not 2400 x 1200 mm.

HTH..........cheers..............Sean

[journeyman Mick]

After having owned inumerable trailers, some of which were bought 2nd hand and the rest were freebies and having spent a lot of valuable time patching and repairing them my most important consideration would be rust resistance.

I finally built a trailer from scratch in 2000. All from galvanised stock. All the welds were painted liberally (after wire buffing) with a heavy cold Gal primer.. The floor is a full sheet of hardwood exterior ply which was liberally coated with epoxy on the underside and then glued into place with sikaflex. It gets a floodcoat of decking oil about twice a year. The trailer is still as good as the day I built it. Idecided against a gal steel floor as eventually the gal gets scratched enough for it to rust.

Mick

[Pulse]

The point about tyres and wheels is a good one. I overtook 2 semis and the blew a tyre (retread) while carrying a load of tiles. Lucky to get off the road safely. Bent the crap out of the mudguard when it delaminated and the whole trailer wobbles a bit now. Luckily the stud pattern was the same as the car! and luckily I had my socket set on the trailer also since the nuts were a different size than the car spanner.

Luck everywhere really

Pulse

[soundman]

Take a drive on any of our major highways on any weekend you are sure to see a trailer stranded with some sort of wheel/tyre problem.
cheers