Car Parts and Accessories

Trailers Wheels

The wheels of ordinary luggage trailers are a lot smaller than those of the average motor car, meaning that they do more revolutions at the same speed. But a trailer used only occasionally will not go through many sets of tyres. For practical purposes, some of the heavy-duty safari trailers carry the same size wheel and tyre as the tow-vehicle.

Spare wheels are usually fixed under the chassis near the back, but on a safari or off-road trailer this would reduce clearance so they are fixed either to the side of the trailer or to the lid. Many are tied onto the roof-rack, which makes them vulnerable to theft; most owners simply store them inside the trailer. If this is not practical, then some sort of lock-up device is called for.

Off-roaders tend to choose items that have many uses, so some carry a hefty length of chain and a padlock. With the spare wheel locked inside, you can chain the trailer and all its contents to a tall tree. A good, lightweight alternative to carrying a spare wheel is to keep an aerosol can of puncture sealant handy, although, depending on the size of the tyre, you might need a big one!

Trailers Suspension

Suspension on any trailer is basic by modern standards and usually consists of leaf springs of various carrying capacities; the strength of the suspension is in direct proportion to the size of the load.

Although most safari or off-road trailers keep to two-wheel configurations, the larger luggage trailers often go to four. This makes for better directional stability and provides better support for the chassis, as the ends of the springs on either side are further apart.

Trailers Mudguard

Mudguards stop stones from flying up and hitting any following vehicles, but on the more robust trailers they also double-up as steps and supports for jerry cans of fuel or water. The mudguards on most trailers are not designed to carry much weight, and habitual misuse of them will produce cracks along the top edges and provide a foothold for the onset of rust.

If you’ll be travelling in convoy over untarred roads or patches of gravel near roadworks, know that rocks and stones thrown up by the wheels of speeding vehicles can achieve surprisingly high velocities and be extremely dangerous. Mudflaps have a dampening effect on their trajectory and help keep them close to the ground.

Trailers Luggage Racks

For the long-distance traveller or accessory-hungry holidaymaker, a luggage rack that fits onto the trailer’s lid may be the ideal place to store canoes, bicycles, tents, tables or more camping gear. If the rack is strong enough and of the right dimensions, you will be able to find a tent that fits it, so the whole entourage can end up sleeping ‘airborne’ on top of the vehicle. One such tent on the market even has extensions that form a side-tent. A word of caution at this stage: the more you put on the lid of the trailer the heavier it will become. Gas- assisted lifters may help, but unaided access to the luggage inside may still be difficult — if not impossible — for certain members of the party.

Trailer Variation

The top-of-the-range safari trailer is truly the ‘ultimate’ outdoor vehicle. Hugely impressive, it exists in a rarefied atmosphere all its own. Priced accordingly, it will be made from stainless steel, have a built-in bar (stock it yourself), insulated nose cone, shock absorbers, fridge or cooler box, fully equipped kitchen with gas stove, water and fuel tanks (with external fitted taps), gas struts on the lid, a generator, storage bins over the wheel housings, spare wheel, corner stabilisers and a full range of roof-top tents that can sleep up to six adults.

The axle ‘track’ will be made to match that of the towing vehicle. Custom modifications, within reason, may be included at little or no extra charge. If this isn’t enough, you may choose from a wide range of optional extras, which may include crockery/cutlery sets, secondary battery systems and lights, toolboxes and over-run braking.

Several models of these vehicles exist, and can handle the worst terrain in Africa. Other useful variations on luggage trailers are tailgates that flap down so that heavier objects need only be lifted to floor level when loading. They also make the use of ramps much easier. Extra-high sides with large rear doors allow taller objects, such as cupboards and boxes, to be transported in a secure environment, while mobile kennels fitted with gauze-covered windows permit animals to travel in relative comfort.

There’s even a trailer that has a raiseable roof and fabric walls with windows to accommodate couples who don’t mind sleeping very close together on a sort of mobile double bed. This option would be more comfortable than a tent and, depending on whether or not you choose the collapsible tent model, it requires little effort to put up.

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