Trailer layout - time for a change?

[trammayo]

Rain hasn't stopped play - working under the cover of a tarpaulin - the trailer body is now virtually complete apart from making a couple of mounting plates for the Anti-luce fastenings.

Dry weather needed to paint the exterior and seal actual (or potential) leaks around bolt heads etc.

No.1 son goes back home to Scotland today so his invaluable help will be missed.

 

[trammayo]

Well, my son and his partner went home on the 29th of May. He was a tremendous help and I miss that aspect too. My PC was playing up before he arrived and he offered to have a look at it but, the need to get on with the trailer got in the way!

Anyway, the PC (replacement) is obviously up and running - thanks son - and I am able to post some photos.

To all intents and purposes, the trailer was fit for the road by Wednesday 5th of June.

I took it to a local quarry for it to be weighed and this was done free of charge. All up, with the layout, buildings and vehicles, the trailer grossed at 820kg. If I deduct the "non-fixed" items like jacks, packings, shutter stays, tool box, etc, it comes to 774kg. Overall, adding fourteen boxes of locos and rolling stock came in at 73kg - so I am under the axle weight of 900kg - and I could save a bit of weight here and there.

Still behind the gas tank, but repainted and awaiting the fitting of the end baseboards (which had to be shortened by 3.5 inches each).

I decided to paint a woodland background to each end - easily done without the baseboards in place ...

The baseboards are in place and the trailer awaits repositioning ready for towing. As the tow hitch was up against the back gate, the trailer had to be shoved towards the garage and angled so that it could be towed out - not so easy as it sloped down towards the garage and I managed to wedge the trailer against the garage doors! (no photos )

Tomas the cat has kept an interest in goings on, and has taken a liking to the insulators on the Bachmann telegraph poles..

The trailer opened up ready for testing purposes..

And this is how I (just) manage to get the trailer and the car in the drive!

Afew more pics to follow...

 

[playmofire]

A fine piece of work, Mick, which I'm sure will please all your many fans at the shows. And the scenery looks superb, and nicely disguises the angled strengthening battens.

 

[Tony]

well i for one cant congratulate you enough .....you put a lot of us to shame The time taken, the size, the weather and above all the madness of it all....so whens the English leg of the tour to start....could be the next "boxcar" project

 

[trammayo]

The trailer towed very well when I took it to be weighed - which I was pleased with - so this coming weekend shouldn't be a problem on its' first outing in revamped form.

Anyway the last of the pics .....

I still have to devise some form of "distancing" to keep onlookers from interfering with operations. The paling fence may be abandoned in favour of something supported on the trailer and sticking out from the body. Rope or bunting could then form the barrier.

As this Sunday's show at Newport, Co. Mayo, will be providing crowd barriers, I don't have to do anything until next week.

The other big job was moving the hay and the turf. My son gave a massive boost to that work with the bales and I moved the turf over a three day period.

With all this effort, I finf that I have lost well over half a stone in weight - which is another bonus I think

I haven't totted up the total cost of the conversion but there haven't been any major surprises (said he trying to revive his wallet) so I reckon, including materials in stock, it probably comes to around 500 euros.

On top of that, I now have two battery drills sans gears - although they were old (one was 12 years old!). C'est la Vie!

 

[trammayo]

Thank you Gordon and Tony. The fact that all is now "ready to go" means I can work on the scenic side of the layout making things better and more realistic (the station for one). That aspect will give me a lot of pleasure.

As for the English leg of the tour ......

 

[playmofire]

The new backdrop looks magnificent in the pictures - you can hardly tell where trailer ends and hedge begins. And that last shot is very nice.

As regards a "distancer", if the front shutter were reconfigured so half opened upwards and the other half downward to horizontal, that would do the job. However, it would reduce the protection the rain the present arrangement gives.

 

[dudley]

I have enjoyed the series , shame it's ended, or has it. Great job , well done.

 

[Gizzy]

Nice work; well done Mick....

 

[lone ranger]

Its been very interesting following your progress Mick, well done

 

[tramcar trev]

And how do you find the Grande Vitara? is that the diesel? I nearly bought one but it would not be allowed to tow my caravan...

 

[trammayo]

The new backdrop looks magnificent in the pictures - you can hardly tell where trailer ends and hedge begins. And that last shot is very nice.

As regards a "distancer", if the front shutter were reconfigured so half opened upwards and the other half downward to horizontal, that would do the job. However, it would reduce the protection the rain the present arrangement gives.

Thanks Gordon. The shutters are, as you say, part of the weather protection and are a small problem in their own right. My vertical reach and strength (reaching up) is quite limited and I now have to use step ladders to raise the shutters and fit the struts - although the shutters don't weigh much more than about 12kg.

I have thought that attaching some outriggers to the anti-luce fittings (like I did/do with paling fence to stop it being pulled away or over) is the answer. We have a bolt of cloth that we used as a skirt around the market stall set-up and thought that this might provide a barrier hung from the outriggers.

Watch this space!

 

[trammayo]

I have enjoyed the series , shame it's ended, or has it. Great job , well done.

Thanks Dudley - its ongoing (not sure if tracklaying is the correct thread location - Mods could move it somewhere else if they like) - just made the "legal" plate (weights, etc) and refitted it.

I'm sure there's more to come

 

[trammayo]

And thanks Gizzy and Jerry (for putting up with my ramblings). I lost all the images of the construction of the trailer in 2008, but this Forum, and its members, gave me the impetus to record my efforts again. Thanks once again to all those of you who have shown an interest and offered suggestions

 

[trammayo]

And how do you find the Grande Vitara? is that the diesel? I nearly bought one but it would not be allowed to tow my caravan...

Hi Trev! The Vitara? Believe it or not, our original car was a Suzuki Wagon R! It pulled the trailer as first built (the trailer brakes really held it back going down hill - the effect had to be felt to be believed!).

That little car did 27 mpg towing and I thought if I got something bigger and a diesel, it might be more economical!

Wrong! What it does do is tow effortlessly. You don't know the trailer is there UNTIL you look at the fuel gauge.

I think its an Izusu engine (2.0TD). If I drive as though time isn't a problem, it will do 37 mpg off tow. Towing its down to to 20mpg!!!!!!!!

But, unlike a diesel landrover, you can have a normal conversation as you drive. I have got out of wet fields wuith the trailer whilst everybody else was being towed out!

I have only once been stuck and that was in 9 inches of mud going up a 1 in 10 slope and the trailer acted as an anchor.

Expensive to repair (no Haynes Manuals telling you how not to do it) as there are not many pattern parts available. Wishbones and the ball joint are all one so, sloppy ball joint means wishbone and two bushes. I suppose thats where landrovers score - loads of pattern bits around (but I don't like the sound of weaving sheds - apologies to LR lovers).

But I like it.

 

[beavercreek]

Excellent job, as always, Mick. It does you credit.
If there was a trailer layout like yours travelling around our area, I know for a fact that it would inspire 'kids' old like us and young 'uns to venture into the world of G scale.
Well done that man!!!

 

[tramcar trev]

And how do you find the Grande Vitara? is that the diesel? I nearly bought one but it would not be allowed to tow my caravan...

Hi Trev! The Vitara? Believe it or not, our original car was a Suzuki Wagon R! It pulled the trailer as first built (the trailer brakes really held it back going down hill - the effect had to be felt to be believed!).

That little car did 27 mpg towing and I thought if I got something bigger and a diesel, it might be more economical!

Wrong! What it does do is tow effortlessly. You don't know the trailer is there UNTIL you look at the fuel gauge.

I think its an Izusu engine (2.0TD). If I drive as though time isn't a problem, it will do 37 mpg off tow. Towing its down to to 20mpg!!!!!!!!

But, unlike a diesel landrover, you can have a normal conversation as you drive. I have got out of wet fields wuith the trailer whilst everybody else was being towed out!

I have only once been stuck and that was in 9 inches of mud going up a 1 in 10 slope and the trailer acted as an anchor.

Expensive to repair (no Haynes Manuals telling you how not to do it) as there are not many pattern parts available. Wishbones and the ball joint are all one so, sloppy ball joint means wishbone and two bushes. I suppose thats where landrovers score - loads of pattern bits around (but I don't like the sound of weaving sheds - apologies to LR lovers).

But I like it.

Thats good, we had a petrol V6 years ago and towed a small van with it but it had 3 clutches replaced during warranty. Suzuki parts are expensive, cest la vie generally they are a good car though... Landrovers; well yes a brilliant car but the prices they want for them here puts them out of the range of all but the truly affluent....
I drive a Kia Sorento CRDi now, it can tow 2800Kg and has a 5 year unlimited Km warranty, alas its the dealers that let me down. Already we have had a new turbo fitted under warranty which again blew up last year 3000km from home...
Try youtube for "How To" videos, I find it an invaluable reference if you do your own servicing... eg;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoVUz0jXjc0

 

[trammayo]

Thats good, we had a petrol V6 years ago and towed a small van with it but it had 3 clutches replaced during warranty. Suzuki parts are expensive, cest la vie generally they are a good car though... Landrovers; well yes a brilliant car but the prices they want for them here puts them out of the range of all but the truly affluent....
I drive a Kia Sorento CRDi now, it can tow 2800Kg and has a 5 year unlimited Km warranty, alas its the dealers that let me down. Already we have had a new turbo fitted under warranty which again blew up last year 3000km from home...
Try youtube for "How To" videos, I find it an invaluable reference if you do your own servicing... eg;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoVUz0jXjc0

Ah dealers - no longer on the hoof holding up the stagecoach - just waiting for you to come to them.

Never thought of youtube. Clever! My trouble is I'm cream crackered for getting down to service brakes and the like. Apart from bits and pieces I use the local garage.

 

[trammayo]

Thanks for your kind words Mike. Its something I enjoy and it's surprising how much interest there is in the trailer at vintage shows.

 

[Dtsteam]

Thanks for an excellent thread - I'm really impressed with the fact that you can build your own trailer. 2013 is definitely a year for heroic feats of engineering on this forum.

We hired a Vitara a few years ago and SWMBO drove it round the Icelandic coastline - dirt roads, snow and ice. She isn't very tall and wasn't happy with the bigger alternatives on offer, but the Vitara turned out to be ideal. No sat nav though - mind you as a true explorer she wouldn't wimp out and use it anyway