Our tow car is a Hyundai i30 crdi manual. The van is 3.2 metres kind and 1.8 metres wide, 1.9 metres internal height. Home built by myself end 2015.
Tare 450 kg, gross 700 kg. No brakes. 2x single beds, shower toilet, kitchen, bag awning, 88 litres water, large hatch for easy access to porta potti, 12v only, 100amp battery, 120w roof solar, 90 w moveable solar, waeco cf18 mini chest fridge, storage under beds and toolbox now on drawbar. Camping shower solar bag for hot water.
Currently half way around oz at Carnarvon. We live near Euroa Vic. So far just one major issue. Made the mistake of having a bend in the drawbar. Queensland roads didn't help. It cracked. We engineering Cloncurry fixed it well.
Economy 8.5 to 9.5 L/100 kms.
Being so light I was really concerned. So in construction o added two heavy duty eyelets on top of the exterior walls centre so I can rope the van down in heavy winds. Also added a friction sway bar. Road trains passing going the other way have virtually no effect. And being streamlined helps.
Wall frame is 13mm steel tube with centre 30mm square tube "roll bar" for strength. Frame was extensively gusseted.
As a first attempt we are really pleased.
Aus-Kiwi said
12:36 AM Jun 6, 2016
The axle looks almost on centre ? No doubt it has light tow bar weight ? Looks good and good on you for building it yourself ., Well done ., is tow car diesel ? Top little engines if it is ..
Radar said
02:24 AM Jun 6, 2016
Great work, good to see, enjoy your self out there.
-- Edited by Radar on Monday 6th of June 2016 02:24:35 AM
Eaglemax said
05:00 PM Jun 6, 2016
Well spotted. The axle is only 80mm forward of centre. The van was meant for a vw trike with a ball weight of around 30 kg.
But the van weighed too much. The front wheel would be airborne at times.
So it is legal but had to add the toolbox and solar at top forward of axle to get a better coupling weight
Had my time again axle would be 150mm to the rear.
Tony
Eaglemax said
05:45 PM Jun 7, 2016
Yes Aus-kiwi its diesel . ha done 315,000km since new. Have just replaced the turbo and thernatic fan connector melted in Karratha. But 5.5 L/100km I'm not complaining.
ShortNorth said
09:52 PM Jun 7, 2016
Eaglemax wrote:
Our tow car is a Hyundai i30 crdi manual. The van is 3.2 metres kind and 1.8 metres wide, 1.9 metres internal height. Home built by myself end 2015. Tare 450 kg, gross 700 kg. No brakes.................................
If I was you I'd get a set of coupling operated mechanical OVER-RIDE BRAKES fitted to the van asap.
You say the van has a 450kg Tare and a 700kg gross (ATM) - it is well known that a trailer under 750kg does NOT have to have brakes.
BUT ............... have a close look at the rated towing capacities of your diesel i30 - the Hyundai specifications states a tow capacity of 1300kg braked............. BUT ONLY 500kg UNBRAKED.
So, as soon as you add more than 50kg payload into the van (and that includes the 88 kg of water), you are instantly OVERLOADING the i30. If you are loading the van up to your stated 700kg gross, then you are already 200kg OVERLOADED. It might tow OK, but if you have an accident, and the van is weighed and found overloaded, it will VOID your insurance.
Get yourself braked before it is too late !
Eaglemax said
05:29 PM Jun 8, 2016
Thanks for that. I am normally abreast if these things. Will organise it.
ShortNorth said
11:05 PM Jun 8, 2016
Hey, Eaglemax,
That's a great job for a home build, I bet you got a lot of satisfaction out of that !
I've got the 'sister' car to your i30, the Kia Cerato - in fact it is slightly less a tow car than yours - your i30 is 1300kg braked and 500kg unbraked - the Cerato is only 1200kg braked and 450kg unbraked.
When I was looking for a small caravan to tow with the Cerato, the Avan Aliner was the biggest I could tow, as the ATM of the Aliner is 1100kg, so 100kg less than the tow car max (a bit of reserve). The Cerato max ballweight is only 75kg, but I've measured the Aliner ball when fully loaded (with digital scales) and it comes in at 71kg, so just under. The Aliner comes with electric brakes as standard, so I had a Teckonsha Primus IQ controller fitted under the dash just to the left of the steering column - when adjusted correctly, the Cerato and Aliner brake nicely in unison - I've never had any drama in braking over the 4 years I've been using this combination, probably also because the car is heavier than the van, so the tail is not wagging the dog.
I also have a newish heavy duty 7x4 enclosed box trailer - it is only 240kg tare but has an ATM of 900kg - because the trailer is way over the Cerato limit for unbraked trailers, I had electric brakes fitted, other wise I could only tow 450kg. The big advantage with the electric brake controller with the box trailer, is that I can adjust the brake force to suit empty trailer (240kg), half loaded trailer (570kg) and the full 900kg trailer. The amazing thing is, my trailer builder set up the brakes to work best, when full at 900kg, at the same setting that the Aliner uses, so I can hook up and tow either the Avan or the full trailer without having to adjust the controller settings.
I'm fully aware that any trailer under 750kg does NOT have to have brakes, but have a look at the new Jayco J-Pod trailer, they sell it as 749kg ATM so it does NOT have to have brakes (and they don't even offer them as an option). But, then looking at the 'target market' for the J-Pod, small car owners, I don't know how Jayco sell any, as there are practically NO small cars that can tow 750kg unbraked. Any car big enough to tow 750kg unbraked can tow larger braked vans up to 2 tonnes or more, so most owners would buy a bigger van rather than a J-Pod. Jayco must be missing out on a massive share of the market - if they offered brakes as an option, I reckon they'd sell heaps more. Avan's equivalent to the J-Pod, the Weekender, has electric brakes as standard, so does not have the same small car restrictions that the J-Pod has.
In my last post, I suggested you use mechanical over-ride brakes, but before you dive in and add brakes, also do a comparison with fitting electric brakes, you might find them a better option for your circumstances.
Regards, Brian
Eaglemax said
09:18 PM Jun 9, 2016
Thanks Brian
I own a trike I am now selling (google trike roof YouTube.....its the yellow one with a roof). That trike and my i30 used to tow a chevron rv guppy, a cloned avan weekender but the guppy had a sink and fridge. Yes it had electric brakes.
Then we had a motorcycle camper called a Detour. It weighed 180kh tare. 320 loaded. It had magnetic electric brakes. They never li kef up but pulled you up easily. The electric connector came from the brake light of the vehicle to a relay then to the trailer brakes . worked very well without the need for a "controller".
Having a controller is good but if you have two tow cars it could be unessessary.
We have just purchased a JBA falcon sports v6 convertible which will once registered (its a 2001 kit car) be our main tow car. That dies not have a stipulated towing weight from the manufacturer resulting in being able to legally tow the weight of the tare of the car....1100 kg. A towbar and subsequent frame strengthening will be carried out even though we only plan to tow our homemade van.
The trike is now for sale. The van was originally meant for the trike but went over weight. So, keep the van sell the trike, buy a car with a heater lol.
I've been involved with road laws and ADRs all my life so the unbraked limit on the i30 eluded me. So be it, magnetic brakes are the go for me, I'm familiar with them and know how to connect them up.
The i30 crdi has done 315,000 kms and only recently blew the turbo. Then a main seal and melted the thermatic fan connector which caused a little over heating as it failed in hit weather so wouldn't rev over 3000 rpm as fail safe I suppose. The little diesel has saved me around $10000 in costs over 8 years so $2000 for a turbo is OK.
Tony
Great work, good to see, enjoy your self out there.
-- Edited by Radar on Monday 6th of June 2016 02:24:35 AM
If I was you I'd get a set of coupling operated mechanical OVER-RIDE BRAKES fitted to the van asap.
You say the van has a 450kg Tare and a 700kg gross (ATM) - it is well known that a trailer under 750kg does NOT have to have brakes.
BUT ............... have a close look at the rated towing capacities of your diesel i30 - the Hyundai specifications states a tow capacity of 1300kg braked............. BUT ONLY 500kg UNBRAKED.
So, as soon as you add more than 50kg payload into the van (and that includes the 88 kg of water), you are instantly OVERLOADING the i30. If you are loading the van up to your stated 700kg gross, then you are already 200kg OVERLOADED. It might tow OK, but if you have an accident, and the van is weighed and found overloaded, it will VOID your insurance.
Get yourself braked before it is too late !
Hey, Eaglemax,
That's a great job for a home build, I bet you got a lot of satisfaction out of that !
I've got the 'sister' car to your i30, the Kia Cerato - in fact it is slightly less a tow car than yours - your i30 is 1300kg braked and 500kg unbraked - the Cerato is only 1200kg braked and 450kg unbraked.
When I was looking for a small caravan to tow with the Cerato, the Avan Aliner was the biggest I could tow, as the ATM of the Aliner is 1100kg, so 100kg less than the tow car max (a bit of reserve). The Cerato max ballweight is only 75kg, but I've measured the Aliner ball when fully loaded (with digital scales) and it comes in at 71kg, so just under. The Aliner comes with electric brakes as standard, so I had a Teckonsha Primus IQ controller fitted under the dash just to the left of the steering column - when adjusted correctly, the Cerato and Aliner brake nicely in unison - I've never had any drama in braking over the 4 years I've been using this combination, probably also because the car is heavier than the van, so the tail is not wagging the dog.
I also have a newish heavy duty 7x4 enclosed box trailer - it is only 240kg tare but has an ATM of 900kg - because the trailer is way over the Cerato limit for unbraked trailers, I had electric brakes fitted, other wise I could only tow 450kg. The big advantage with the electric brake controller with the box trailer, is that I can adjust the brake force to suit empty trailer (240kg), half loaded trailer (570kg) and the full 900kg trailer. The amazing thing is, my trailer builder set up the brakes to work best, when full at 900kg, at the same setting that the Aliner uses, so I can hook up and tow either the Avan or the full trailer without having to adjust the controller settings.
I'm fully aware that any trailer under 750kg does NOT have to have brakes, but have a look at the new Jayco J-Pod trailer, they sell it as 749kg ATM so it does NOT have to have brakes (and they don't even offer them as an option). But, then looking at the 'target market' for the J-Pod, small car owners, I don't know how Jayco sell any, as there are practically NO small cars that can tow 750kg unbraked. Any car big enough to tow 750kg unbraked can tow larger braked vans up to 2 tonnes or more, so most owners would buy a bigger van rather than a J-Pod. Jayco must be missing out on a massive share of the market - if they offered brakes as an option, I reckon they'd sell heaps more. Avan's equivalent to the J-Pod, the Weekender, has electric brakes as standard, so does not have the same small car restrictions that the J-Pod has.
In my last post, I suggested you use mechanical over-ride brakes, but before you dive in and add brakes, also do a comparison with fitting electric brakes, you might find them a better option for your circumstances.
Regards, Brian