TRAILER COMPONENT RATINGS

Before deciding which system is best for your trailer/vehicle, note that it all becomes irrelevant if the individual trailer components aren’t correctly rated for their appropriate loads.

Trailer components need to function as a whole to make the trailer suitable to carry specific loads safely. From the design of the chassis and drawbar, the spring and axle rating, the hubs, rims and tyres – right through to the safety chains and shackles – they should be rated equal to (or better still, exceed) the desired gross trailer loading.

For example – it is folly to build a single-axle trailer for 2,000kg GVM and fit 1,500kg rated hubs and stubs or 1,000kg rated springs. Murphy’s Law says the weakest part of your trailer will fail at the most inconvenient moment (rainy night with a fully-loaded trailer on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere).

Check the manufacturer’s recommended ratings for each component you fit to your trailer. The under-designed, un-rated or lowest-rated component will always be the weakest link on your trailer. Be wary of cheap or unbranded components.

Before fitting brakes to your existing trailer, ensure that all the other components are up to the task.