My ideal car trailer. I know what I want, but does it exist?

Bartyfixedit

Bartyfixedit

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I have been thinking for some time about towing a Toyota Yaris behind my camper van. For me the only option I would consider is a trailer. The Yaris weighs in at a little under 1100 kg so I think would be fine on a single axle trailer.

In the past I have done recovery work and so I have quite extensive experience of all the different ways of using a trailer. I have also experienced a lot of the problems. Things like climbing in and out of a car while it is on the trailer, particularly when things are wet, I've also had some interesting experiences trying to drive a car on or off a trailer when the Ramps are wet and slippery.

So my ideal trailer, instead of normal ramps at the back, would just have small flap ramps just big enough to get the car wheels over the rear transom. Loading the car on or off the trailer would be achieved purely by tilting the whole trailer so that the rear of the trailer is on the ground.

In order for the jockey wheel to lift the trailer all the way such that the back is on the ground it may need the jockey wheel to be either high lift or mounted further back than normal, or both.

The trailer would have to have a 12 V winch, to both load and unload the car. Winch unloading would be made possible by the fact that the whole trailer bed is tilted to get the back on the ground. The winch would have remote control, preferably cordless. Cordless 12 V winches seem to be readily available for reasonable cost. The trailer would need a battery box to contain the battery necessary for the winch plus some form of split charging setup to charge the battery, all easily done.

I can see no reason why this setup cannot be easily built for a reasonable cost, yet I cannot see any of the manufacturers offering this. Have I missed some reason that it can't be done?

In light of what seems to be happening with A-frames at the moment it may well be time for the trailer manufacturers to be considering their products.

I would love to hear the opinions of those of you on the forum who have car trailers, or are considering trailers, to see what you think of my idea.

Thanks all,

David.
 
A Bateson tiltbed trailer would do all that but would be a four legger and your loaded weight would be just under 2 Tonne.
 
Ranger said:
A Bateson tiltbed trailer would do all that but would be a four legger and your loaded weight would be just under 2 Tonne.
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Thanks for that Ranger, I probably should have said that I have already looked at the existing, proper, tilt bed trailers which actually have a very complicated tilting mechanism such that the trailer can tilt while coupled to the vehicle. I had rejected these purely on the grounds of cost, as you say the weight would also be prohibitive.

Cheers,

David.
 
I seem to remember seeing a single axle trailer some years ago where the A frame unclipped at the front of the bed and swivelled from the axle area if that makes sense.
 
why on earth would you want to do that with a PVC :) you can park a panel van anywhere. I can get in any space a car does, have parked in tiny jammed car parks in Tuscan hill top villages and elsewhere without issue..just don't see the need to be honest. it will be nothing but expense and hassle

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I have seen trailers like you want except without a winch
They are very popular with the traders who sell Aixam cars in France at markets etc.
The trailer remains couple to the tow car though as once uncoupled it becomes unstable & the brakes are less than reliable in reverse.
They just pull out a pin & as as they reverse off the trailer it tilts, likewise as they drive on it tilts back again.
 
Judgemental said:
why on earth would you want to do that with a PVC :) you can park a panel van anywhere. I can get in any space a car does, have parked in tiny jammed car parks in Tuscan hill top villages and elsewhere without issue..just don't see the need to be honest. it will be nothing but expense and hassle
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Those of you who have the luxury of travelling off-peak may well be able to park your motorhome in Tuscan hilltop villages, try doing the same in July/August.

We have children and are restricted to school holidays. This means that the vast majority of places we wish to visit are very busy. Last year we had some magical times walking around Menton and swimming in the harbour. At the time we had a hire car, our PVC at over 6 m long would have been impossible to park since Menton are getting increasingly anti-camper.

There were a number of Italian villages around the lakes that we would have loved to walk round but there was nowhere to park the PVC. We tried, and after much driving round with fractious children seeing where they wanted to go but being able to get there we had to give up each time. Not a recipe for a relaxing holiday. We could have parked a car.

I will list some other reasons for towing a car:

1). When visiting cities such as Florence, Rome, Paris, the list is endless, you can take the car and park it. You can now enjoy the city without worrying that your pride and joy motorhome is being robbed/stolen since it has been left safe and sound on the campsite.

2). There are two of us with two children. It may well be that one of us will pop out and get the shopping while the other one stays at the camper with the kids.

3). Sometimes one of us needs to get away for a couple of hours. Our oldest son is autistic and can get too much to handle without time to decompress.It may well be that one of us takes our youngest son somewhere that we could not take our oldest.

4). The Yaris is a second car and purchased cheaply. It is not our pride and joy, it is a workhorse. If it gets the odd little knock or scratch in some of the historic villages it is not the end of the world. I can't say the same for the camper van , Or a hire car. The last hire car we had we spent all of our time worried that someone would scratch it as we didn't take the extra insurance at €45 a day..

5). The car uses a lot less fuel than the van when exploring an area. I consider this to more than offset any extra fuel used towing.

6). We cannot use bicycles on the road as our autistic son can panic, particularly if he sees a dog.

7). The Yaris, being a small car, unlike any tow car, is very easy to park in busy times. It is very rare that I can't find somewhere to park the Yaris.

8). My wife works and I look after the children. Very often I will take the children in the camper van and my wife will stay at home working, to then join us a few days later in the car. With the trailer we could all travel back together with the car on the back, instead of travelling back with two separate vehicles.

I'm sure I can think of more but that'll do for now.

I am well aware that there are disadvantages to towing a car, mainly crossings and tolls. The prospect of towing or manoeuvring a trailer holds no fear, I have towed small trailers with large vehicles and large trailers with small vehicles.The added costs of tolls and crossings are a concern I have to admit, but having a truly memorable holiday can easily warrant the extra cost.

When it comes to camper vans we all have to make the compromises that best suit us. In our case towing a small car on a trailer gives us the best compromise, particularly for our main holiday in July/August.

It is not our intention to always take the car. We are planning to go to northern Spain at Easter for a couple of weeks; Even if we had a car and trailer we would not be taking it.

I have seen that there are a few anti towing people on here, It would be nice to hear from some of the Pro towing lobby.;)

Cheers all,

David
 
We tow a smart car on a trailer for many of the reasons you have mentioned.
Our van is 7.5 mts so it suits us to stay on a site and use the car,shopping ,visiting small towns etc makes life a lot simpler and as we are holidaying simpler suits .
image.jpg
 
Errr.....wrong

I agree certain areas around italian lakes etc...are not motorhome friendly but we always manage to find a spot. we also travel mainly high season as wife works in education and have been doing so for 25 years year in year out, Italy this summer our 11 th on the trot. I have had coachbuilt in the past that I can understand your frustration, and why we down sized to PVC again in 2011. You dont say age of family but presuming their young. once they can cycle, if you have the will for it, situation would improve. We just drive near where we want to visit if driving in not practical, and cycle of bus it in...

I wouldn't of bothered posting again, just correcting your assumptions :)

P.S. 22 of those year with children

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Last edited:
The Ifor williams CT115 is more or less what you are describing although there wouldn't be enough spare weight for a winch with battery etc. Having said that, I have never had an issue driving on or off rain or shine, and yes it will tilt up at the front enough to be very low at the back.
 
Hi,We have a smart trailer with winch and battery box with motor mover,so when we go to a pitch we can move the car still on the trailer to the side of the van to unload if needed,we do take ours to spain,as we like to go up in the mountains etc,the trailer is only six inches off the ground so no big problem,regards H.:)

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happypre65 said:
Hi,We have a smart trailer with winch and battery box with motor mover,so when we go to a pitch we can move the car still on the trailer to the side of the van to unload if needed,we do take ours to spain,as we like to go up in the mountains etc,the trailer is only six inches off the ground so no big problem,regards H.:)
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I have emailed Smart trailers to see what they think of the idea. I'll report back when they reply. Cheers David.
 
Bartyfixedit said:
....................
6). We cannot use bicycles on the road as our autistic son can panic, particularly if he sees a dog.
..............................
David
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Judgemental said:
................................ once they can cycle, if you have the will for it, situation would improve.
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Do you ever bother reading other peoples posts before trying to impose your own ideas, even though they're wrong?

Malcolm
 
emjaiuk said:
Do you ever bother reading other peoples posts before trying to impose your own ideas, even though they're wrong?

Malcolm
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I thought I had? it was either edited and added later or I missed it..wouldn't be the first time :). but I don't think OP wrong? I just didn't get it. I also think under the circumstances 4 in a panel van a bit of a squeeze, but that none of my business
 
yes sorry . silly of me.
 

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