"It looked solid until I started working on it up" is a phrase I've uttered way to many times in my life. :D I'm currently very close to finishing the quick "Re planking" job on a cheap old trailer I bought last year. So far it's been 2 months of spare time ! I knew the original wood was close to rotten when I got it, but I didn't realise that, under the old paint, the frame was like some kind of rusty metal lacework art installation ! So far I've built a slightly larger (And much stronger) replacement frame, and got a load of really tidy second hand composite decking boards to replace all the wood (SCR*W YOU WOOD ROT !!! :D). I noticed the hub bearings were a bit notchy, so got new hubs, and the tyres were showing their age, so I bought some new wheels too. The original parts on the trailer now are only the suspension, hitch, and lights. Most people reading that will think I was stupid not to just build one from scratch in the first place, But there's method to this madness. Here in the UK new trailers need to have a government inspection done on them, and they then need to have a chassis plate on them to show's info like their maximum loaded curb weight. The kicker is that if your car is only allowed to tow up to (As an example) 1500kg, you can't tow a trailer with a plate that says it's maximum LOADED weight is over that, even if it's unloaded and only tips the scales at 300kg. The usefull bits in all this is that older trailers built before 2012 have "Grandfather rights" to be on the road and don't need any inspection or a chassis plate, and with no chassis plate the maximum curb weight is whatever you say it is (As long as no individual component can be singled out as not up to the specified load). The government understands that identical replacement parts may not be available to replace worn out bit's on old trailers, so you're allowed to change and modify anything you like to keep the trailer roadworthy. They also don't specify what or to what extent these changes or modifications can be. So, If the police stop you, as long as you can keep a straight face when explaining that the 10x6' 2 ton trailer you're towing really is the 1990's home built 3x4' box you bought last year with some essential repairs/changes, you're golden. :D
Hi Reman Thanks for the comment, I didn't originally intend to rebuild the whole trailor but you reach a certain point in a project we're you're all in or your out. I'm glad to hear you're repairing a trailor of your own, it's a sad fact that the DIY community is becoming smaller each year - keep at up and you'll be finished in no time. I remember people making comments midway through the project like, why don't you just buy a trailor and save your self the effort or how much time have you spent so far - but these people just don't get it. You are also correct about the grandfather laws. I live in Australia and the original trailor was over 30 years old so like you explained, no compliance plate required. This was one of the deciding factors that led me to rebuild it from scratch as it will never need an inspection. Like you said "methods to our madness" Thanks for watching, Like / Share / Subscribe.
@Maximum DIY Yeah, most countries populations are now just consumers in disposability orientated societies. I have friends who take their cars to the garage and pay labour to have the windscreen washer fluid filled or the pressures checked in their tyres, and will call out the breakdown service without exception if they get a puncture. They don't want to get involved with "All that mechanical stuff" (........... WTF !?!?!). They've got zero interest in learning how maintain, let alone repair, what they already have. For my first car I bought one with a blown up engine, and another with a rotted body, then assembled one from all the best bits. I did this back then because it was the only way I could get a car that was within my financial means. I learnt a lot from doing this. Youngsters now have company's clambering over each other to offer cheap finance deals or car leasing plans, so half of them don't even "Own" their own cars. They're not about to pick up a spanner to work on it in that situation, so they don't ever pick up a spanner, period. It really does bug me that I'm related to people who think that there's nothing wrong with the idea of going out and buy a new TV because the old one stopped working, WITHOUT first even checking the fuse in the plug (Another quirky UK thing) or popping the back off to at least LOOK to see if it has a blown fuse on it's power supply board. They're the sort of people who's technical understanding consists of "Turned it off and back on. Still doesn't work properly so I need a new one"........... I personally think they're being almost hypocritical when they carefully sort their recycling, But buy a new moble phone and laptop every year, and run a lease cars for 3 before getting a new one.
