NZTA

 

NOTE: While it is common to see four-axle mobile homes, the NZTA definition of a light trailer says “A simple trailer has one, two or three axles arranged close together in an axle set“. Accordingly, it is our practice to manufacture all 9m trailers with three axle mounts and place the one unbraked axle in the middle bracket position. If you want more, you can instruct us, but you assume responsibility to ensure it complies with regulations.

 

REGO: You buy the rego plate at AA or VINZ for $98 using form MR2B. Send the rego plate to our workshop so it is on the trailer to pass WOF.

 

Order with Deposit To place an order and secure a time slot, pay a $3,000 deposit used to lock your your steel & axle prices. Because prices have been going up, they are subject to change until the deposit has been paid.

Coordinate: Best to coordinate orders for the LGS steel framing and Expol polystyrene insulation at the same time so you can collect them on the way home towing your new trailer.

Collect: We tell you the delivery date. It is important you collect on the day, because we don’t have storage on site. If you fail to collect, there will be a charge to move the trailer offsite and a daily storage charge.

Loaner: You won’t need guards when you have a cabin on top, and if the only trip it will take is towing the trailer home, as a courtesy, we provide a loaner kit of guards and lights. $700 deposit which we fund if you ship them back within a week. If you want us to supply with guards and lights that you keep, tell us when placing the order.

Assembly: A few things to keep in mind.

• Steel expands in the sun. The trailer was manufactured in the shade of the workshop. If you park it in the sun when installing the floor, it may expand. Either work under shade or on a cloudy day.
• Steel droops. Before starting work, block up both ends so the frame is level and not bending down at the ends. When the cabin is installed, it will stiffen up.
• Allow overlap. Don’t build a cabin that allows rain water to drop onto the steel frame, or over time it will rust.
• Seal holes: If you have drilled holes in steel, protect them.

 

Keep it simple keeps costs down

We do one thing only. We make the trailer.

• Low overhead costs
• Lower steel costs
• Lower cutting and welding costs
• Lower axle and wheel costs
• We loan lights and guards
• Save on Steel Frame delivery costs

No overhead: Complexity in any business adds cost. The backroom office in a mobile home factory can easily require half a dozen clerical staff to manage supply chains, pay bills and account for taxes. By only making trailers, we can do our backroom management in a few minutes. This is why we only offer one product. Keep it simple.

Minimal inventory: All we buy are steel and axle kits, which, due to volume contracts, cost us less – savings we pass on to you.

Investment in Tooling: In fabrication, we invested in expensive tooling when we worked in the factory so we could lower the labour content of each trailer. That tooling was amortised by the factory contracts, so we can pass on the savings to you.  Less labour.

Less but stronger steel: In design, factory trailers are stronger, because they use longitudinal universal beams (UB) instead of RHS (rectangular hollow steel), but they also cost less because the trailer is not asked to do double duty as the cabin floor. Two long beams, four cross beams carry the full load of the cabin.

Separate LGS Floor: The cabin floor is made of light-gauge steel (LGS) as part of a FrameCad system that comes preassembled. This saves money in steel, cutting and welding – savings passed on to you. It also saves weight, important because your limited to 3,500 kg.

Simpler Draw Bar: Also in design, factory trailers do not use complicated triangular draw bars seen on caravans, boats or utility trailers. A mobile home is towed to site and would be unlikely to be moved more than once a year. Some will never move again. We make a removable draw bar that costs less in materials, cutting and welding, but has three other advantages:

1. We build a draw bar socket on both ends, so on site, it can be moved to the rear end for final placement on your site.
2. A removable draw bar provides security – harder to steal if the draw bar is hidden away
3. A removable bar does not take up space and you don’t trip over it

Lower axle/wheel costs: If you plan to tow your 3,500 kg tiny home after it is made, you will need three or four axles, one of which is braked, and if is over 9m, we upgrade to UB180-18 rails and build a bolt-on box section to extend length.

We weld on the brackets for three or four axles, and make the draw bar with a 3,500 kg rated coupler, but we only include one axle in the price. That will enable it to pass warrant, tow it home with a total GVM of 1,500 kg and park your trailer where you plan to keep it. If you need additional axles, we can order and install them at our wholesale price, plus shop rate to install.

Loaner guards and lights: You need guards and lights to pass the first new-trailer, 3-year WOF. But once you get it home, the cabin replaces the guards, and unless you plan to tow it in the future, you won’t need the lights. So we loan a set with a $600 deposit, refunded when you return them.

Save on floor/wall/roof frame delivery: We recommend you will have pre-ordered your Steel Frame Direct floor/wall/roof framing. Then after you collect your trailer, drive to SFD next so they will load your pre-assembled panels on your trailer (should still be under 1,500 GVM) thus saving you the delivery cost of their panels. Be sure to bring plenty of strops and note that while SFD will assist in loading, you are responsible for them staying on and not being damaged. Otherwise, you can have SFD deliver them on their truck where they take on responsibility.

On smaller trailers

We are happy to manufacture smaller sizes, but there is little difference in price because we buy the same lengths and end up with cut offs (which you are welcome to take with you). A smaller trailer may use fewer axles, but that is built into the configurator.

Specs

Universal Beam: UB 150-14 | 75mm Flange 7mm / Web 5mm

(UB180-18 heavier option on request)

RHS Spreader 150x50x3

Drawbar Outer 100x100x4

Drawbar inner 89x89x5

2000mm Drawbar:  900mm in sleeve / 1100mm extended)

Coupler: 3500 kg – buyer specifies 1-7/8″ or 50mm ball 

New Zealand Standard Steel (material certificate supplied on request)

Welding Standard: Aus/NZ 9606 Part One

Paint: PPG R63 Red Oxide Primer

Wheels/tyre https://trailparts.co.nz/product/10391/x3758/

Height above ground: 570 mm (axle below springs)

Weight typically 550-600 kg

 

ON BRAKES – IMPORTANCE NOTICE TO CUSTOMER:

For the wholesale trade, All Welding Limited (AWS or Rob) manufactures trailers designed to infrequently carry a removable payload such as a cabin or tiny home, with a total Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) not to exceed 3,500 kg. However, when these trailers leave the workshop, they weigh approximately 600 kg (or less if shorter), and therefore fall under the 1,500 kg threshold that does not require a braked axle under New Zealand law.

A customer may contract to purchase a trailer with a braked axle pre-installed. However, New Zealand law requires that any trailer fitted with a braked axle must have its braking system connected and operational at all times while being towed.

For both loaned and purchased light / brake kits, AWS—acting as the wholesale trailer manufacturer—connects the electric braking system to Pin 5 (servo brake) on a standard 7-pin trailer plug. It is the sole responsibility of the customer to ensure their towing vehicle is correctly wired to activate Pin 5 and engage the trailer’s braking system.

Although for some vehicles the brake may be connected to Pin 6 (brake lights), doing so may cause the brakes to lock up when the trailer is unladen, as brake lights would activate braking even without a payload. If the customer prefers to use Pin 6, they must notify Rob in advance to request that the brake activation be shifted accordingly.

The customer acknowledges and agrees that they are fully responsible for ensuring the auxiliary trailer braking system functions correctly with their vehicle. The customer releases the supplier from all liability arising from failure to comply with these requirements, including but not limited to any damage, loss, injury, or regulatory enforcement resulting from improper towing or brake configuration.

The customer further acknowledges that the trailers supplied are long and wide light trailers, and as such, must be towed only by a driver who is competent and experienced in handling trailers of this size, in accordance with New Zealand Land Transport legislation and applicable safety standards. No special licence is required; however, the driver must be capable of safely operating a vehicle towing such a trailer.

The customer acknowledges and agrees that they are fully responsible for ensuring the auxiliary trailer braking system functions correctly with their vehicle. The customer releases the supplier from all liability arising from failure to comply with these requirements, including but not limited to any damage, loss, injury, or regulatory enforcement resulting from improper towing or brake configuration.

The customer further acknowledges that the trailers supplied are long and wide light trailers, and as such, must be towed only by a driver who is competent and experienced in handling trailers of this size, in accordance with New Zealand Land Transport legislation and applicable safety standards. No special licence is required; however, the driver must be capable of safely operating a vehicle towing such a trailer.