Trailer tyres/security

[norseman]

I'm about to purchase a 6x4 car trailer & wonder what your thoughts are on 2 queries.

1) having owned a couple of VW Beetles in my time I recall having a problem 'cracking' the front wheel nuts, due to the car's lack of frontal weight allowing the wheel to rotate under pressure applied to the wheel brace & think this might also be the case if a trailer wheel needs to be changed (?)
2) thoughts on the most effective theft protection for a trailer stored within partial sight of persons passing the property ?

TIA folks.

 

[jj4091]

Aren't trailers supposed to have their own brakes these days.

 

[Mottie]

I'm about to purchase a 6x4 car trailer & wonder what your thoughts are on 2 queries.

6x4 car trailer? Who's car will you be carrying - Noddy's?

 

[jj4091]

6x4 car trailer? Who's car will you be carrying - Noddy's?

Perhaps he means metres or a camping trailer for the car

 

[Mottie]

Perhaps he means metres or a camping trailer for the car

Nothing on the road is 4 metres wide and I wouldn’t think a camping trailer would have 4 wheels.

 

[norseman]

Sorry if my wording caused confusion.

This is a single axle general purpose trailer with a design gross weight of 750kg, hence unbraked.
The term 6x4 (ft) refers to the load bed area.
Unladen weight is around 150kg.

 

[Mottie]

Was the Beetle wheel off the ground or on mud when you were trying to undo the nuts? I can’t imagine a deflated wheel turning on the spot while trying to undo the wheel nuts.

 

[norseman]

Was the Beetle wheel off the ground or on mud when you were trying to undo the nuts? I can’t imagine a deflated wheel turning on the spot while trying to undo the wheel nuts.

Indeed it did, with the car on a concrete driveway!
With the rear engine/transmission layout there's very little weight on the front wheels unless of course the 'boot' is full of luggage etc.

I'm thinking one answer might be to place a small chock behind/ahead of the tyre & reverse/pull the trailer (still hitched to the car) hard against it?
When it comes to security you can only make life difficult for a thief so I'm thinking a security chain through the chassis & padlocked to a ring-bolt set in the concrete,. Even with a hitch lock fitted 2 or 3 fit blokes could simply lift & carry the trailer to a waiting truck/van.

 

[jj4091]

When it comes to security you can only make life difficult for a thief so I'm thinking a security chain through the chassis & padlocked to a ring-bolt set in the concrete,. Even with a hitch lock fitted 2 or 3 fit blokes could simply lift & carry the trailer to a waiting truck/van.

I did that with mine and the generator in my lock up garage. Fortunately it was never tested.

 

[Mottie]

When it comes to security you can only make life difficult for a thief so I'm thinking a security chain through the chassis & padlocked to a ring-bolt set in the concrete,. Even with a hitch lock fitted 2 or 3 fit blokes could simply lift & carry the trailer to a waiting truck/van.

Can you hide a simple tracker on it - air tag or similar, just in case someone makes off with it although small domestic trailers are not very pinchable by specialised gangs. They are more after the large Ifor Williams type trailers.

 

[Diver Fred]

To secure the trailer - how about one of these ?

 

[norseman]

Can you hide a simple tracker on it - air tag or similar, just in case someone makes off with it although small domestic trailers are not very pinchable by specialised gangs. They are more after the large Ifor Williams type trailers.

Possible I suppose though the basic meccano style construction of a trailer doesn't really leave hiding places.
Shouldn't be too difficult to deter your average scumbag & any 'specialist' will have it away regardless.

I could always chuck a camo net over it & make it less obvious

 

[norseman]

To secure the trailer - how about one of these ?

Good thinking, only problem is that the storage facility is a friend's rented property, so the landlord may not be amenable.
Thanks for the suggestion though.

 

[norseman]

Having purchased a trailer appropriate security arrangements are now in hand.

Q I'm planning to install locking wheel nuts, are the wheel studs likely to be the same thread/pitch as cars ?
Wheels are 13in with 155/70 tyres.
TIA

 

[Burnerman]

Not quite as obvious as you'd like them to be, I'm afraid!
Trailer hubs use 10, 12 and 16mm studs / depending on the make, but most are 12mm
Car hubs use 12 and 14mm studs most of the time, so do check things out before jumping in.
Halfords do stock a variety of both sizes.
John