Unbraked and Braked Trailer? - 600-700kg tow

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http://www.armitagetrailers.com/trailerlaw.htm

I'd get a braked trailer.
Horrible feeling when the trailer jack knifes the rig.
As far as I remember (as in the link above) no trailer in Germany over 750kg was allowed to be unbraked. Only The heaviest/biggest cars would have a 750kg rating. I would think the Forester would be border line. You might even find info in the vehicle manual.

edi
 
I may be wrong but most quads are almost the same dimensions anyway, generally the newer they are the wider they are.
My 1st quad i had 2 3" boards either side to stop it sliding about, now i coudlnae fit 1" up either side and still all hondas, new yamahas are equally as tight (well almost)
The smallest yamaha is now a 700cc machine

There is alsorts of heavy duty wheel clamps and hitch covers all will do the job, worth putting a locking hitch on it as well so u can lock it on ur motor while its at the roadside if ur out stalking

My trailer is braked 8x4 anyway so i doubt an 8x5 will be much heavier really, nt even sure if u an get 8x5 unbraked trailers?
But only wieght difference is 1 ft of flooring really
Do the unbraked not have lower sides? So catching bits of quad might not be so bad (as i can't remember hnking my quad on old trailer, but that would be an older narrower quad)

ejg. I think that might be the law here too, that every thing over 750 has to be braked
 
Edi

In the UK, same. 750kg including weight of trailer, must be braked.

Towing capacity of car is 2000kg as per manufacturer

It is only 650kg in the USA because they removed some features to keep the list price down. Upset a lot of Americans 😉
 
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As far as I know all cars have two towing weights, one is unbraked and the other for a braked one. 2000kg sounds like the braked weight to me but I might be wrong. Double checking might be a good thing.

David.
 
I tow a quad everyday, used both braked and non braked trailers. l would go for braked one, a trailer with a quad on can push you. I would also suggest getting a four wheeled trailer, easier to pull and manages bumps and potholes much better than a two wheeled one.
 
Ranger22 said:
I tow a quad everyday, used both braked and non braked trailers. l would go for braked one, a trailer with a quad on can push you. I would also suggest getting a four wheeled trailer, easier to pull and manages bumps and potholes much better than a two wheeled one.
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Any particular model you recommend?
 
My brother recently bought a 8x5 ifior, be a light plant trailer? braked single axle with ramp door, really good trailers i've had the 8x4 version for a good few years, prb done well over 100,000 miles with it now and still going strong. Althou beginning to think i should replace it, only probelm with them is the electrics but thats just wear and tear with age, same on most trailers

The probelm u have with twin axles trilers is shunting they about by hand if u have too, my old house was a tight space and u had to hand shunt it into shed, was a doodle with a single axle, would of been a nightmare with twins.

My other top tip depending on how many miles u do with a quad, if a doing a lot screw some plates to trailer floor where wheels will be as it amazing how they rub throu just with travelling my 2nd checker plate patches are almost worn throu now at the back.
Althou it makes it a pain to shovel hardcore out of thou as u always seem to catch them
 
I'm currently using a Graham Edwards 4 wheeler. It's ok, think they are going to be offering a heavier duty one which will take more rough treatment. I agree about lining the floor where the quad sits, the floors do wear quick if you don't.

Hand shunt a trailer, nah that's what a motors for!
 
Thanks for the advice so far. I am focusing on an 8ft x 5ft braked trailer. Plus wheel lock and tow ball lock. Aluminium base plate, low mesh sides, spare wheel, light guards.

There seems to be 3 main options:

Q8B (single axle)

GD85 (single axle)

LT85 (twin axle)

Not sure of the difference in costs, would expect the LT85 to be the most expensive.

Any further advice ?
 
Ranger22 said:
I'm currently using a Graham Edwards 4 wheeler. It's ok, think they are going to be offering a heavier duty one which will take more rough treatment. I agree about lining the floor where the quad sits, the floors do wear quick if you don't.

Hand shunt a trailer, nah that's what a motors for!
Click to expand...
Kenneth at trailer solutions in Dingwall is now a Graham Edwards dealer. Excellent trailers and preferred by a lot of people over ifor Williams.
 
To be fair the ply wood is coated in something and is pretty hard wearing. But with a quad u have all the wieght in the same 4 places,
If u go for a 8ft trailer make a frame for the front (i just used some scrap 6x2 timber that lifts out when needed) to stop the bike wanting to move forward so its just tight to back door and gives u a wee bit space for storage/carcasses

There could be a big price difference between braked and unbraked trailers. Edwards and brain james are all pretty good trailers but all decent money too

Depends how often u are really going to use it, if its just 1/2 times a month to go stalking on decent A roads i'd probably save my cash and go with an unbraked trailer, which will do the job fine. Esp if u can pik up a 2nd hand one, chances are light will be knackered but cheaper/esier just to put a tail/light board on it
The braked trailers really come into there own on narrow country roads when u meet a car on a blind corner and ur both travelling slightly too fast on an A road i've never really had to brake hard enough for the trailer brakes to make any difference
 
countrryboy said:
To be fair the ply wood is coated in something and is pretty hard wearing. But with a quad u have all the wieght in the same 4 places,
If u go for a 8ft trailer make a frame for the front (i just used some scrap 6x2 timber that lifts out when needed) to stop the bike wanting to move forward so its just tight to back door and gives u a wee bit space for storage/carcasses

There could be a big price difference between braked and unbraked trailers. Edwards and brain james are all pretty good trailers but all decent money too

Depends how often u are really going to use it, if its just 1/2 times a month to go stalking on decent A roads i'd probably save my cash and go with an unbraked trailer, which will do the job fine. Esp if u can pik up a 2nd hand one, chances are light will be knackered but cheaper/esier just to put a tail/light board on it
The braked trailers really come into there own on narrow country roads when u meet a car on a blind corner and ur both travelling slightly too fast on an A road i've never really had to brake hard enough for the trailer brakes to make any difference
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The girlfriend is paying a 1/3rd of the price of the trailer and she is pretty adamant she wants braked. She will probably use trailer once a decade but that's life.

For me, the IW Q8B looks like a winner.
 
Okay, if it's for a trailer with a quad on, that's exactly what I have. It gets used a lot, taking the quad to do rounds feeding pheasants. I have an Ifor Williams P6e trailer which fits the quad perfectly. It's relatively easy to push about with the quad on, on tarmac. I can push it up onto my drive from the road up a small incline with a little effort. They aren't braked, but I genuinely don't feel it on my car, to the extent I sometimes check I did put it on when driving. Okay, I've got a Discovery 4, but I suspect your Forrester would be quite happy too. As for needing brakes on a sloping drive, mine has a little slope and my brake is a house brick under one wheel. Perhaps if the slope was a bit more, the two brick handbrake method could be used.

I'm not sure they come as standard with a jockey wheel if you buy a new one. I've had mine for about 7 or 8 years now and it just came with a leg at the front, but the jockey wheel will be around £30 and just goes in the clamp where the leg is. The advantages are that it's strong, light and lasts. Despite the damp mud always present on my trailer's floor, it's as solid as when new. What's more, it isn't quite as wide as the car, so towing it is just that bit easier.
 
To save on the learning experiences... hitch/unhitch load/unload on the flat.
Quad can be useful for shunting the trailer around
 
Don't know in the UK ,but here a non-braked is control free, a braked trailer has to go to technical control every year. 750 kg behind a Subaru shouldn't be a problem unbraked.
 
I would definately go for a braked trailer - not needed for light loads, but doesn't take long to get up to 800 kgs etc. I have towed plenty of trailers in my life including very long trailers with unsectioned rowing racing 8's - 65ft long and (taking them into central london was interesting to say the least) , and braked is just so much better. Four wheels also tow much better as well, although a bit more difficult to manoever - if empty and moving by hand just wind the jockey wheel up or down so weight is on one set of wheels.

Plywood floors - light and tough. Make sure it is a good exterior grade and will last a long time unless you leave it parked with water and leaves puddling in it. Always leave a trailer so that water can drain off, and in a place where it gets plenty of airflow.
 
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