sowen
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,245
Club RR Member Number: 24
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I have an old Brian James tiltbed trailer, for many years it's been sat unused (apart from having a car sat on it) at the end of my parents driveway completely inaccessible. I moved house earlier this year and now I've started using the trailer to move my project cars and offroader about.
Due to having to significantly downsize the space I use for storage and projects and being in a position to use the trailer periodically it will need to be kept accessible, and probably visible to the road. I believe trailers can be desirable to some of the lesser honest of folks out there so want to protect my investment.
Any advice and suggestions? The top idea is to disable it for storage, wheels removed, and maybe use it for parking on out the front of the house (we have a short driveway in the front with parking 'bays' being landscaped into the old front garden) and semi disguise with pot plants etc. I briefly looked into trailer insurance and it all seemed to be aimed at commercial operators. I'll likely only need it half a dozen times in the year?
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If someone wants it enough they'll take it. Basic security such as locks and/or chains will deter the semi-honest "borrower' and the opportunist thief but the professional will take it anyway.
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Definitely would not leave it visible.
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Depending on how much you need it/are likely to use it would it be better to sell it and hire one when you need it?
Not ideal if you use it a lot or may need to use it at short notice but if its just the occassional move then it might be worth considering.
I sold my trailer when I no longer had anywhere to keep and it while when I first had it I used it very reguarly now I only move something once every 2-3 years at most and so the last couple of times i've just paid a recovery firm to do it for me.
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bricol
Part of things
Posts: 284 
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I take the wheels off mine as both a security measure and to prevent the tyres aging prematurely - I store them in a nice dark shed - no signs of the cracking that afflicted the last set of tyres in only a few years. Leave it sat on the rear steadys - and as mine has a folding neck, the single front foot.
Ramps too go in the shed.
Big, highly visible locked cover over the hitch.
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Check with your home contents insurance. It should either be covered for anything up to a certain value or you can mention it specifically if they say that's required. I asked my insurance co. about my lawn tractor and they didn't seem phased (about £5k to replace).
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Not sure why a road going vehicle would be covered under household contents. My motor vehicle third party insurance covers trailers while in use but that's all I have.
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bricol
Part of things
Posts: 284
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I have had mine insured via one one of the specialist motor sport insurance companies in the past.
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With the advent of powerful battery grinders any form of lock or chain is no deterent to a determined thief, but is to an opportunistic one.
Removal of wheels would defeat an opportunistic one and slow down a determined one and require more extensive pre planning.
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thomfr
Part of things
Trying to assemble the Duett again..
Posts: 640
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I'm thinking also about this topic as my own car trailer is now (loaded with a project obviously ;-) ) parked in my dad's big shed so rather safe. But I do not know how long my parents will be living in their current big house with land and shed as they are both almost 80 yrs old now.. My space at home is ample but smaller so I was considering to tilt the trailer to a wall while not in use with a simle winch and cable construction and two "sliders"on one side of the trailer. Also considering that my space would be an open carport (with gate) and with a car standing beside it it would be at least take considerable more time to take away. Below picture are of smal trailers (from the web) but you will understand the idea: Thom   |
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73' Alfa Giulia Super
64' Volvo Duett
65' Volvo Duett
67' Volvo Amazon 123GT
09' Ford Focus 1.8
06' Citroen C4 Exclusive
71' Benelli Motorella
65' Cyrus Speciaal
The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys
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sowen
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,245
Club RR Member Number: 24
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The favoured option at the moment subject to measuring the space available is to dig out a little bit of my front garden, roll it in, and remove the wheels (or axles entirely) and let it down so the bed would be level with my drive. The hitch could come off too. Then just build up the garden 'stuff' around it and use it as a regular car parking spot.
It's been parked across the bottom of my garden since the summer. I was hoping it could live in the carport I built but the logistics of that are presently impractical and with the continuous rainfall we're getting I've churned up half the garden dragging it out!
I did briefly think of splitting the bed from the chassis so it became manageable lumps to tilt onto it's side for storage, but lack of firm level ground means that's a non starter
I don't really want to sell it as it's been really useful the couple of times I've used it and it's one of the few things left that I bought and fixed up with my passed dad.
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