... a grommet and came out with a brand new 2012 Neptun Pratik with high sides.

No I'm telling fibs. I did not go for a grommet. But I did buy a new trailer to replace my Franc 4x3 foot. Even with the high sided kit that only gave me 770 litres of extra space. Which was still double a normal car's boot size, but not enough when you camp with everything including the kitchen sink!

The new one gives me just over 1400 litres of space. It is a 6x4 foot with high sides, tarpaulin, jockey wheel and spare. Built in Poland and with great quality too have to say:

The Franc (with brand new plastic mudguards) will go on eBay soon. Shout if anyone is interested.

Hee Hee. :giggle:

Llani-itus is contagious!!

Looks good, but you'll need a bigger firepit now.

Hee Hee. :giggle:

Llani-itus is contagious!!

Looks good, but you'll need a bigger firepit now.

Yes, I call it Llani-itus too.

The worry is there that in having more space you take more things with (including a bigger fire pit) but I will try to contain myself. My fire pit is thankfully plenty big enough for its intended purpose so not upgrading that any time soon.

I'm going camping from this Friday in rain sodden Cumbria. Dearie me, I do pick my camping dates well.

According to the weather forecast the weather is going to change for the worse on Friday, so you do pick your dates, Johann.

At least I'm off Thursday to Saturday this week, then we are off in the van the next Thursday, down to the Gower.

According to the weather forecast the weather is going to change for the worse on Friday, so you do pick your dates, Johann.

At least I'm off Thursday to Saturday this week, then we are off in the van the next Thursday, down to the Gower.

I know... I will be driving up in the rain, setting up camp in the rain, camp in the rain... Nearly just like my week in Wales. But then I do pick my places too don't I, as it always rains in the Lake District and you know where... (Ok I'll go to the corner now...)

I've seen an earlier version of these and quality of the steel is excellent. That one lives on the seafront and there is no sign of corrosion after 4 years. I thought it was new.

One question...

Will the one you've bought fit something 4' wide?

His was sold as being 4' wide, but we couldn't get something 4' wide flat on the bed.

Looks good Johann! Does the trailer effect your mpg economy much? I hope the weather holds out, was monsoon conditions here (sunderland way) yesterday with a few flooded roads.

I've seen an earlier version of these and quality of the steel is excellent. That one lives on the seafront and there is no sign of corrosion after 4 years. I thought it was new.

One question...

Will the one you've bought fit something 4' wide?

His was sold as being 4' wide, but we couldn't get something 4' wide flat on the bed.

That is good to hear.

Well I have not measured the trailer! It should be 1140 wide internally which is in fact 3.7 foot. If you look on the website link I posted above for them you will see they make about three different widths of trailer in this length. So there might be actual ones that are four foot wide. This one is not as it is the narrowest one they do.

I have a lot of these to put camping stuff in:

http://www.tesco.com...p_GSF__203-8043

Easy to store in the shed and you just carry them one by one to the trailer (or car) and you're done.

In the old trailer I could fit 2 one way and 3 lengthwise. So 12 in total when 2 deep. In the new trailer I can fit 3 across and 4 down two deep - so 24 in total with 100mm left open above them all! I don't have 24 though, does not matter since the tents and fire pits and chairs and what not will go in the space left over. In the Yeti's boot without sliding the seats forward I can only fit 4. None will fit in the roof box as it is too rounded.

So it does not really bother me that it is not a real 4 foot wide. It was not sold as such as on the trailer company's ad, for there it was only advertised in metric sizes.

Looks good Johann! Does the trailer effect your mpg economy much? I hope the weather holds out, was monsoon conditions here (sunderland way) yesterday with a few flooded roads.

Thanks Husky. I looked at the weather beyond Friday and it seems Friday will be the worst with the rest of the weekend being partly cloudy with rain just now and then. Time will tell.

I've towed the Franc a few times fully loaded and did not really notice the difference in fuel consumption. Click on my signature below. That website tracks when I had the trailer on as well and you can see what the different consumptions were (if any).

Interesting that the 13inch wheel versions seem to have fuller "mudguards" (which is a strange name when you think about) - wonder if there is any difference with the different wheel size in use...?

Good photos by the way: Do the bikes go in there too, or on top of the trailer, or still on the top of the Yeti?

I saw those little mudguardlets fitted to the plastic mudguards as well... tiny aren't they! Cute though.

Bike will go on Yeti for now. Neptun do not make a solid metal cover on gas struts for this trailer. So I've contacted these guys to see if they can make me one (well first to get the cost). Such a cover will have rails on it for bike racks/roof box.

http://www.ambrowtra...ifications.html

Something like this bit with generic U-channel on to fit any of my bike racks and things:

http://www.mariotrai..._1303291755.jpg

http://sarmajor.com....ingTrailer2.JPG

http://www.njalumini...-Cover-side.jpg

http://www.motorbike...o_2260_ramp.jpg

I think that the little mudguardlets are only there to stop mud being thrown forward onto the towing car - to hell with what's behind

Neptun make a bewildering range of seemingly similar trailers though don't they? Some are just ever so slightly wider than the next model or has a box only a little bit higher. What I really don't get (and this is not just related to them) is why anyone would want to buy a twin axle unbraked trailer? Like this one:

http://www.neptun-tr...6,n7-236-2.html

The upper total weight still stays 750kg. So after adding all the mass of those extra wheels and suspension, all you do is to drop the permissable payload from the 633kg on mine to 498kg!!! Eh?! What on earth is the point of a twin axle unbraked trailer then apart from looking pretty?!

They do get bigger mudflaps though and higher standard sides (on the one pictured - I'm sure somewhere in their range will lurk a low sided twin axle too):

...why anyone would want to buy a twin axle unbraked trailer?...

The only possible advantage I can see is that it would spread the load on mud or grass.

It would also mean that the trailer will sit and park level while loading/unloading without one of those jockey wheels. We use an old trailer of unspecified origin to haul camping gear to and from our often muddy corner of a field every Le Mans.

The top (Sterling board/tarpaulin) is removed to reveal a mass of kit and the tail is dropped to reveal two side by side ex campervan fridges under a stainless top. That carries two big gas rings and provides a surface for the preparation of industrial quantities of bacon/egg based refreshment.

As it is we have to balance the weight so as to avoid instability-always successfully so far.

Since the trailer only goes from south of Falaise to Le Mans and back annually we cannot really justify any thing as splendid as yours.

It would also mean that the trailer will sit and park level while loading/unloading without one of those jockey wheels. We use an old trailer of unspecified origin to haul camping gear to and from our often muddy corner of a field every Le Mans.

The top (Sterling board/tarpaulin) is removed to reveal a mass of kit and the tail is dropped to reveal two side by side ex campervan fridges under a stainless top. That carries two big gas rings and provides a surface for the preparation of industrial quantities of bacon/egg based refreshment.

As it is we have to balance the weight so as to avoid instability-always successfully so far.

Since the trailer only goes from south of Falaise to Le Mans and back annually we cannot really justify any thing as splendid as yours.

As to keeping a trailer level whilst loading: I'd rather buy a £30 jockey wheel that weighs a kilo or so than permanently cart around all that weight of a second axle (that reduces my payload in the process!)

That Le Mans trip with that workhorse trailer sounds great! Love the fridges and what not living permanently in it. The Australians and South Africans love multipurpose trailers like that. New ones are just too darn pricey here in the UK. £10,000 and up!!! Yikes.

What a second axle will also do is enhance the stability of the outfit, with some people that is essential if they are carrying bulky loads that may not be too heavy but bring the centre of gravity much higher. That trailer will also need an height adjustable hitch so as to allow for different hitch heights whilst keeping the load equal between the axles. Unless it has a balance beam between the two axles.

Ian

But Gromit, it's the wrong trailer and it's gone haywire!!

Edited 25 June, 201214 yr by countryboy

Might be for those who do a lot or reversing. My experience is that twin axle trailers behave better than single axle trailers when being reversed. The seem less likely to turn of their own accord.

Having said that, the bigger the trailer the easier they are to handle. I much prefer to manouvre my friends 18ft trailer than my 6ft one!

Doesn't make any sense, no brakes!

Slightly off topic but maybe useful;

I had a car trailer with twin axles and it was a bitch to manoeuvre by hand until an old timer told me to wind the jockey wheel up so that one axle is off the ground, simples.

Fred

Someone once showed me another way: he put his weight on the draw bar to lift the rear axle off the ground and whipped the trailer through 180 degrees. Quicker than winding up the jockey wheel, if you're strong (or heavy) enough.