35 replies to this topic

[freaker]

i'm putting 2 rear half of a mini together to tow behind the estate of me and the misses; toput our wasp on for when we go on holiday...

freaker

[998dave]

I may, and this is only a possibility, weight the shell when it's cut down and braced etc before I put the subframe in, then work out weight subframe and bits I need add, (by throwing them in the trailer).

I think built it'll be less then 150kg, with gross weight of 350kg, giving 200kg cargo?

Emalee, do you know what yours weighs empty? Mine will be about the same, I imagine.

BrightPink, I was going to use a new standard mini boot seal, never had issues with mine leaking on the red or blue mini's so quite confident...

I was thinking if I have two identical squares with inch wide steel sides. (25mm x 25mm angle iron bracing), then I can have the hinges and latch set up to squeeze a rubber bead, (normally attached to the lid), and create a seal, will see how it goes...

Dave

[emalee]

no idea on the weight i'm afraid, its not overly heavy, if you think a mini weighs 750kg, and that includes the engine, interior, glass, front suspension etc, its way less than half the weight. i have to weigh my trailer down as i'm towing it as it bouces up and down at anything over 50, with two wheels (or camping gear etc) in its fine

less the lid, 2 people have pick it up and turn it upsidedown

as for the roof, one roof is about 3-4 inches too narrow, because of the taper of minis

[998dave]

Thanks, good answers.

three of easy easily lifted the shell in my first post two foot up to throw onto a flat bed, and the trailer will have less metalwork then that. (even with front and lid).
Add on subframe, suspension and wheels and it can't be more then 150kg all built.

And I don't think I'd have more then a 200kg of stuff in it, so should be okay.

Not sure what to do with my roof then, find another and make it the way you did, or cut it down the middle and try to get a strip of new metal shaped to fit. shouldn't be too hard if I cut and brace it then spot weld step by step up the length of the roof, finishing at the front edge, and clamping both ends before seam welding, and grinding flat.

D

[emalee]

Thanks, good answers.

three of easy easily lifted the shell in my first post two foot up to throw onto a flat bed, and the trailer will have less metalwork then that. (even with front and lid).
Add on subframe, suspension and wheels and it can't be more then 150kg all built.

And I don't think I'd have more then a 200kg of stuff in it, so should be okay.

Not sure what to do with my roof then, find another and make it the way you did, or cut it down the middle and try to get a strip of new metal shaped to fit. shouldn't be too hard if I cut and brace it then spot weld step by step up the length of the roof, finishing at the front edge, and clamping both ends before seam welding, and grinding flat.

D

if you can get another roof it will be much easier to get the curve at the back right,

and you have to be VERY carfull with it not warping when you are welding it, my lid has quite a bit of filler on to get straight!!!

[sixwheeler]

Made 2 or 3 many years ago, took a huge weight with no effort at all.

Put at least 10 big paving slabs in one, probably over 300Kg.

[998dave]

Six wheeler, you made two or three of them? had them all at the same time? isn't that overkill?

Have you photo's of any others, and did you find any good improvements or would you have done anything differently?

I was thinking the same sort of size as the one you've got there...

D

[sixwheeler]

Six wheeler, you made two or three of them? had them all at the same time? isn't that overkill?

Have you photo's of any others, and did you find any good improvements or would you have done anything differently?

I was thinking the same sort of size as the one you've got there...

D

The first on that I made was many, many years ago. That first one cut just behind the crossmember/half way across the doors. Made for a very big useable trailer but was very, very heavy. The nose weight was enourmous, it was a struggle to mive it when it was empty, it was unmovable by hand once there was something in it - not recommended.

The other two I did at the same time, about 8 - 10 years ago I think. One was blue and the other was red. I can't find any of the red pictures at the moment and I have no photos that I know of of the original one - looked the same as the smaller ones, just longer and had no boot.

When I put the front on I put a bit of small box section across the front to attach the front section too - this also left some holes at the front where the floor is corrugated - this was done on purpose to allow water to runout of the trailer.

The top of the sides were finished off by running a length of small box section down the sides, the rear window pillars were just plated and filled and the lip/seam at the bottom of the rear window was left intact.

The only really tricky bit is deciding how to sort out the tow bar. For a convetional car, if the towbar is a straight bar from the trailer then the tow hitch is too low - might me OK for mini though. You can see in the picture that I have mounted one bar on top of the other to try and get the tow hitch a bit higher, but even then it was a little low still and could have done with being a couple of inches higher so that it would tow horizontally.

The overhang of the rear seat was cut away and the spotwelded seam was beaten over. Same with top seam/parcel shelf, it was just beaten over.

The boot can be removed, I just liked the idea of a lockable compartment on the trailer.

One thing that I will say for them is that it is almost impossible to reverse with one on. I have no trouble reversing a big trailer very acurately indeed, but those little mini trailers well and truley beat me!

I don't think that I would have done anything differently, except for making the tow hitch at the right height - but that is just a minor niggle.

[998dave]

Hi,

Firstly thanks for the long answer and answering my questions, it's led to a few more though.

I was thinking of taking the cross member out of the floor, and rewelding it to make the front lower brace of the trailer, then an angle iron rail accross the top, and a thin gauge steel front. Can you see any issues with such an approach, I figure the cross member will follow the shape of the floor and tunnel.

I was going to use angle iron to stregthen both sides, and across the back over the seat back, then a single flat plate over the parcel shelf to make it a waterproof recess. with drainage onto rear seams.
A matching angle iron square, (but upside down), will be used to brace the lid, made out of a mini roof. When closed the two angle iron squares will sandwich a rubber seal, hopefully making it waterproof.

Solid lid will close and be latched by a locking mechanism controlled within the top of the boot. Making the entire trailer lockable, also a lockable tow hitch to keep it connected to the mini.

Did you build this to tow behind a mini or a different car? I'm trying to work out the tow hitch.
Plan was to put the bar out of the transmission tunnel, (well exhaust tunnel), similar to yours, and see how it aligns with a tow bar height for a mini, adjusting if necessary.

I'm quite looking forward to using the angle grinder and welder this weekend, really should tidy up the work on the blue mini first. just attach tail light wiring, weld a sill, and refit exhaust and fuel tank.

D

[sixwheeler]

Hi,

Firstly thanks for the long answer and answering my questions, it's led to a few more though.

I was thinking of taking the cross member out of the floor, and rewelding it to make the front lower brace of the trailer, then an angle iron rail accross the top, and a thin gauge steel front. Can you see any issues with such an approach, I figure the cross member will follow the shape of the floor and tunnel.

No need for the cross member, just use box or angle across the flat bit and a couple of tags on the tunnel.

I would use some box section (for the sake of the little bit that you need you could probably get it from B&Q) down the sides and across the front. This creates a box that rests around the top of the trailer giving it some rigidity with the sheet of steel on the front holding it all together and rigid.

It will be difficult to do this neatly with angle.

I was going to use angle iron to stregthen both sides, and across the back over the seat back, then a single flat plate over the parcel shelf to make it a waterproof recess. with drainage onto rear seams.
A matching angle iron square, (but upside down), will be used to brace the lid, made out of a mini roof. When closed the two angle iron squares will sandwich a rubber seal, hopefully making it waterproof.

You don't want drainage anywhere near seams - it'll rust!!

Did you build this to tow behind a mini or a different car? I'm trying to work out the tow hitch.
Plan was to put the bar out of the transmission tunnel, (well exhaust tunnel), similar to yours, and see how it aligns with a tow bar height for a mini, adjusting if necessary.

No, I was bored and had 2 scrap minis....

[998dave]

Cool thanks...

Luckily next to my local B&Q, is a metal stock place. So I was going to buy a few metres of angle from them.
I may do it in inch or half inch box section though. Would make for a neater job as well I guess )

I guess it'll depend how I get on - may come back with many more questions, but it's hometime now so I'm off...

D

[998dave]

Got my angle iron, and think everything is going to work, superb!

Any more thoughts or ideas?

[wendy woo]

Mine is painted and all ready to have its 3 burner gas bbq in the top and a 3 way gas fridge in the boot. It matches my mini but also gonna sling a tow bar on my camper van to tow it on there as well. Should get a few laughs at the VW meets.

[998dave]

wendy,

sounds similar to what i was going for - any pics?

Dave

[mini1976]

You should note on the weight of the trailer that you can only tow up to half the kerb weight of the vehicle if the trailer is unbraked.

So if a mini weights say 700kg the max you can tow would be 350kg.

Everything you put in the car other than the driver and some fuel has to come off the kerb weight. So if you have a car full of 3 people and a boot full of stuff, then if say they all weighed 75kg each and 25kg in the boot you would have to take 250kg of the kerb weight. This would mean the most you could then tow is 225kg.

If you make the trailer braked (which you could if you are keeping the subframe) you can then tow up to the kerb weight.