Another trailer question
So now have the trailer home (the seller delivered so I didn't have to wait for the electrical adaptor to arrive).
It's called a Caddy 535 - main use is to move road scalpings from where the delivery truck delivers, 1 mile away, to where most of the potholes are - and this seems to be able to cope with about 500Kg at a time.
http://www.caddy-trailers.co.uk/caddy535.php
Problem is that the top of the trailer ball on the G is 20 inches above ground level whereas the top of the trailer hitch socket on the trailer is 10 inches above ground level. It couples up OK but means that the trailer is nowhere near level (it's much lower at the back than the front).
I'd be happy with it being a bit lower at the back than the front (helps raking out the scalpings into the holes) but it seems to me that it's a bit extreme.
Never towed a trailer before so maybe it's supposed to be like that but if not is there something manufactured that raises the hitch on the trailer closer to the 20 inches of the G Wagon ball?
Mark
Sounds like you will need to fabricate some kind of spacer to raise the level of the trailer coupling. The ball is not height adjustable on the OEM hook.
Maybe your trailer was for a car?
The link you posted says it's rated at 425 kg load, by the way.
All of the trailers I've used with a G have been made to order - one of which was stolen just 5 minutes after bringing it home, while it was still attached to the G.
Hi Mark,
To raise the suspension on standard trailers isn't a big deal as most of them have solid axles or easily mounted independent wheel brackets. On one of mine I had the same problem as you and went down to the local metals supply place and bought two 3" box sections, cut them to the same size as the stock bolt pattern, drilled the new holes and got it galvanised. Having bought new, longer, bolts I just put it all back together again and the trailer now sits level.
Hope that helps,
Ph
There is a standard for Ball heights but... 4x4 are exempt. Hence G's tow ball is way too high.
“coupling ball is 50 mm diameter and when measured from ground to ball centre should be between 350 and 420 mm (vehicle fully laden - but not with trailer attached) in accordance with BS AU 113c or ISO 1103”
Coupling should be 385 to 455mm when the trailer is laden
= 435mm 2002 ML500 measured with unladen car and 10mm taller tyres
Sure the G was even worse (but 31" tyres lift it a bit) at about 450mm?
So.. fix G is hard work (I have a variable height mounting plate weldment which I actually do not use).. or fix trailer by lifting the hitch (watch out for brake rod alignment) .. but messing trailer means you cannot use it with a "car". I choose to live with the mismatch but watch out for it with twin axle trailers as it will overload the rear trailer axle/tyres
any pictures with the trailer attached to your 463 ?
Have you tried reversing yet... that short a trailer is going to very unstable (short compared to G) and a royal PITA.
The 2 off 50mm x 50mm x 5mm box section works but I would put 2 strips of 50 x 5 down the side to ensure it cannot slide sideways so much i.e. so that the strip extends below the new boxes so that it captures the side of the draw bar of the trailer as the existing hitch does. This is all fine until you jack-knife the trailer and put the twist into the draw bar.. When you take the hitch off.. investigate if they have stop tubes inside the draw bar.. if so you need to put stop tubes inside your boxes (so that doing the bolts up they pinch the stop tube not crush the box section). That trailer draw bar is galvanised steel.. no aluminum in there.
Maybe better way is to level it at the trailer axles.. so same spacers but hidden under trailer... what is not seen is not questioned. Or split it .. 2" at axles.. 2" at the hitch.
Legally you are all at sea .. as all trailers since 1992? need CE marking and approval .. as do car hitches fitted to cars made from about 2000? .. so use on the public highway is not permitted.
If it was me .. I would go get a real trailer.. putting 1/2t in that is an ask.. gettting a longer trailer would make it easier to reverse, more level as it would be longer .. and less trips/runs per job.. and if it was an older trailer you could modify it with a bit more leeway . Of course you have the trailer now..
I do a similar job of maintaining 1/2 mile of farm track. I use a pre 1992 1t trailer (that I made) behind a old Quad bike but only do it at 1/2t to 3/4t a load. It is easier getting on/off bike to move between potholes. I buy Type 1 crushed rock by the 16t load. I used to load it up by hand but now have an early JCB 2CX which levels the road and load the trailer.. it gets old when you have to load by hand. Storing the hardcore on a concrete helps as you can then get the hand shovel under the pile and also get a heavy tarring shovel as you soon wear out a standard 1mm thick one.. happy potholing! .. oh last tip.. do a pothole filing in the wet but leave it 5mm proud and do it in the wet to see where the level is.. then do a second filing about a week after in the streaming rain to fill all the little puddles .. it is tyres splashing through water that destroys the road surface so remove all the puddles you can and drain all you can..
Many thanks mgrays - especially about the tip re stop tubes although the trailer arm is U section so no stop tubes for that bit. .
And yes - reversing is fun/frustrating, especially as I can't see the trailer until it's already started turning.
Probably not going to use on highway anyway - trailer probably pre-dates CE marking and approval but hitch does have correct markings (rated to 750Kg).
A couple of the neighbours have expressed an interest in helping at the weekend - they're younger than me so may let them to the trailer filling and I'll stick to transportation.
Mark
Mark,
A couple options we've used back home would be an adjustable receiver or cutting off the tongue (with receiver) from an old trailer and double clamping it to the top of the tongue. That raises your receiver, but only advisable on light trailers. Not sure of the rules you guys have to deal with so maybe it's not an option.
Shame the chairman does not come on the forum, he could answer that question and give you some advice, as that's his business (Trailers). He has one on the back of his AMG that can take a small trailer up to a couple of tonnes. MAybe drop him a PM for advice?
Spider1V
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any pictures with the trailer attached to your 463 ?
As requested - no laughing allowed.
2nd picture shows how far out I am with trailer exactly level.
raising the hitch by 4 inches would make it almost level - so 2 thoughts:
I get some sort of Z shaped piece made to bolt on to the trailer arm where the hitch currently sits to raise height by 4 inches and maybe extend the length of the arm by a bit at the same time.
I just bold on a couple of pieces of 2" x 2" box tubing to the top of the trailer arm and then bolt the hitch on to the top of that.
Not sure how much strain either of these "solutions" would have to take. Not sure if 2" x 2" aluminium box tube would be strong enough.