Newbie Toad on a Trailer on the Road

[TrevChrizy]

Hi All toad users,
Having just purchased a trailer to fit my toad and about (lockdown permitting) to hit the road, is there any advice I can use, for example arriving at campsite, loading and unloading, driving conditions and what generally to look out for?
Many thanks TrevChrizy

 

[Speve]

That’s the same trailer as ours once you get used to moving it around, it’s easy just wind up the jockey wheel when empty until front wheels are off the ground, t will be much easier to move.
just be careful when reversing not to lock around to tightly to avoid damage to rear of van

 

[Alex and Lesley]

TrevChrizy as Speve said if you lift up with the Jockey wheel until the front axle of the trailer is off the ground you will move the trailer about with ease. If you are moving the trailer on gravel a lot say at home it might be an idea to get a pneumatic jockey wheel. Have you got any room left on the Trailer that would allow you to have the car further back from the overhang showing in your picture?

 

[TrevChrizy]

I can move the car slightly back, but as my entrance is tight, most loading will carry out on the road, good point about the pneumatic jockey wheel. We have a couple of local sites booked, so shouldn’t need the trailer, but I’ve a trip up to a Lincolnshire and to see relatives in Cornwall later.
I plan to travel up to Scotland next year, if you’ll have us as I will be retired at the end of this year and hopefully the year after a big trip around Europe? but all written in pencil at the moment, who the hell knows where we will be at what stage, just got keep the mind active and as I’m in lockdown and furlough, all you can do is think and plan!
Thank you for all the advice, I had surgery a while back and it reminds you life is precious, so make every day count cheers Alex and Lesley, keep safe.

 

[Lorryman100]

We use a trailer for our Smart ForFour car and have had zero issues getting parked on a pitch so far. The set up is quite long but under 12m and is really stable. Very easy to reverse and to load and unload the car, takes longer to tie the car down than it takes to hitch up and load the car. Then again 10 years driving an artic car transporter may have given me a slight edge over others. As to the pitch if it is small and I need both the car and the trailer in the pitch I turn the trailer around and park the car on it. The trailer is a twin axle so I just raise the jockey wheel and push down on the drawbar lifting the rear wheels of the ground and it it is light enough to be manhandled into position.
When arriving at a site I drive to the pitch and unload the car then reverse the trailer into the pitch and drop it before parking the Motorhome. If we don't need the car then it stays on the trailer reversed onto the pitch and dropped. I sometimes use the car to carry some load as I lost around 140kgs of load capacity when the tow hitch and extension was fitted (70Kgs) and the 70Kgs of nose weight when towing the car on the trailer. The trailer is a Woodford trailer and the position of the trailer wheels to the drawbar hitch is ideal for a rear engine Smart car.

Also if you have the Vanbitz alarm system fitted you can use the Bicycle/Accessory lead to secure the trailer to the motorhome alarm system when parked up,

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[wigster]

Sorry and i really dont mean to offend anybody but arent they all back to front caravans . Only my opinion of course people are free to do what they want and fair play to them .

 

[Alex and Lesley]

wigster Having towed Caravans before I know which combination I would rather be driving. Also the setup time for us is minutes on pitch compared to hours for some with a caravan combination and of course we do have the choice of leaving the car and trailer at home. On the non flippant side I know what you mean though as we hummed and hawed about this, when we got the motorhome in 2019 we bought a scooter and thought that this would be plenty along with pushbikes to get around with, sadly however it was not to be as the scooter wasn’t even started last year and has a total of 74 miles recorded on the speedo! Then last year we added the car and trailer, and it has been a revelation, we now take it everywhere with us and the little car done 3000 miles with us last year and we only done half what we managed in 2019.

 

[EuroTrotters]

As I’ve said above trailers are great specially in Europe but with the MoHo, car and trailer that’s three things to try and store on a pitch hence why I said above to call ahead and ask.

This is why I went for a A frame for U.K. use easier to setup and store.

Shame some bright spark can’t design a lightweight foldable space saving trailer like a transformer in disguise lol.

Saw one on eBay some time ago. Got snapped up

 

[wigster]

Alex and Lesley , i totaly understand what you are saying thats why we bought a 5th wheel , park and put kettle on etc , and have the pick up to run arround in . We still have our old hymer with a 125 bike in garage in case we change our minds .

 

[Speve]

I tried a pneumatic jockey wheel unfortunately bought one with plastic rim and on first trip out the tyre came off in a site that we were late getting to it was dark and the trailer was even harder to move around.
so ditched that idea i find on gravel I don’t use jockey wheel at all and it moves around quite easily.

If you are moving the trailer on gravel a lot say at home it might be an idea to get a pneumatic jockey wheel.

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[Speve]

Sorry and i really dont mean to offend anybody but arent they all back to front caravans . Only my opinion of course people are free to do what they want and fair play to them .

Everyone to their own as has been said on many threads over the years

 

[Alex and Lesley]

I tried a pneumatic jockey wheel unfortunately bought one with plastic rim and on first trip out the tyre came off in a site that we were late getting to it was dark and the trailer was even harder to move around.
so ditched that idea i find on gravel I don’t use jockey wheel at all and it moves around quite easily.

Hi Speve I considered a pneumatic jockey wheel myself but became aware that you had to be very careful as there were a lot with plastic wheels that were not rated to support the weight involved. I also considered a motor mover but have not gone down that path but tbh I haven’t found it necessary anywhere we have been at all.

 

[M50]

Have you weighed the nose weight when driven on compared to reversed on ?
reason for my asking I’m waiting to put my fiat 500 on my trailer when I can get in the storage lockup

 

[minesapint]

Hi All toad users,
Having just purchased a trailer to fit my toad and about (lockdown permitting) to hit the road, is there any advice I can use, for example arriving at campsite, loading and unloading, driving conditions and what generally to look out for?
Many thanks TrevChrizy

Best advice go to Tow A Frame, and get an A frame fitted. The whole trailer thing is a pain.

 

[Speve]

Hi Speve I considered a pneumatic jockey wheel myself but became aware that you had to be very careful as there were a lot with plastic wheels that were not rated to support the weight involved. I also considered a motor mover but have not gone down that path but tbh I haven’t found it necessary anywhere we have been at all.

As I said we haven’t had a problem either it gets easier with use and the pneumatic tyre hangs down further so better off without it.?

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[Speve]

Have you weighed the nose weight when driven on compared to reversed on ?
reason for my asking I’m waiting to put my fiat 500 on my trailer when I can get in the storage lockup

I found with our Panda it’s best driven on as you can then adjust nose weight easier, once you have done it a couple of times it’s easy, in fact we had four people and moved trailer complete with car on it with very little effort If balanced correctly.

 

[tonyidle]

I've towed a Smart on a trailer for the last 5 years or so at first behind a 6M Hymer and now behind an 8M Le Voyageur. I've had no issues (unless you count me driving 60 miles with the trailer handbrake on) and have never forewarned a site or been asked to park the trailer anywhere special. On only one occasion I parked on the trailer (my choice - wasn't asked to do so). Most car trailers have rear steadies so cause no problem when driving on hitched or not. It's single axle and I have a motor mover I never seem to get around to installing. I manage to reverse it into position then unhitch and re-position the van without great difficulty (sometimes takes 3 attempts but I've nothing better to do) .