Need some advice before parting with money for a trailer for our Stanley 607. The car is about 12' 2" long from fromt to rear, (plus another foot for the hood (top in US parlance) sticking our over the back seats, and 5' 6" wide over the fenders.

I'm thinking about getting a 13' long bed Brian James trailer, load bed width options either 5'7" or 6' 1".

Are there long & wide enought?

Trailer load capacity is 1350kg or 1500kg which should be plenty enough as the catalogue weight for the 607 is 1750lbs (794kg).

Any advice appreciated.

Weigh the 607 yourself - the catalogue may be optimistic! And don't forget the weight of water, fuel and tools. You may also find that the point of reasonable balance of the trailer to get an acceptable nose weight requires you to shift the Stanley back or forwards a bit so don't be too mean with the length and preferably ensure that even the hood is within the length of the bed.

Mike



Edited 1 times. Last edit at 04/24/10 06:43AM by Mike Clark.

I firmly believe that with a trailer, the longer the better. I would go further and suggest a covered trailer, with the value of our cars, the theft of even a small sidelight can be devastating, I enjoy relaxing after a full day's rally knowing that the car is safe, dry and secure in it's locked trailer.
I also have a couple of fold out bunks that allow us to "Camp" in the trailer enroute to rallies, a necessity in Australia and MUCH better than a tent or flea infested motel.
The covered trailer also doubles as a mobile workshop, giving great confidence and stops me thinking "I will just finish the tour before looking at that problem...."

Mikes idea about weight distribution is also worth considering, even though I have air adjustable suspension on my car, but towing at speed requires good balance with only a slight positive weight on the towball.

Dave

Hi All

Secret of a stable trailer is a greater distance from the front axle to the draw bar, so a long trailer with the load well back but still balanced makes for a stable trailer even at speed, I like about 50lbs on the towing ball.

Depending on the car on the trailer I will fill or drain water tanks, likewise with the boiler to achieve the correct weight on the tow ball.

My big trailer with the 30hp on board, extra fuel, tools and all the bits and pieces you seem to need for a weeks touring is just over three tons in weight, but is still perfectly stable at 60 mph, you can avoid a pothole at the last minute without fear of the trailer pulling you about.

Peter, don't buy a trailer that will just do the job, for the little extra that it costs, buy something that has room to spare, all the best, Jeff.