Trailer


Well... I installed the bumper/trailer hitch on the Rav4EV, so what's the next logical step? Build a trailer of course. I used to have a 4x8 utility trailer that weighed in at 575 pounds EMPTY. I used that trailer for everything, back when I had a truck to tow it. These days, my biggest car is the Rav4EV. I wanted a smaller, lighter trailer that I could easily tow with the Rav or with our Civic. The Civic is rated to tow exactly NOTHING, and the Rav4EV is rated for at least half that -- so I needed a substantially smaller and lighter trailer. This trailer started out as a bare-bones kit (silly me - I thought it would arrive all assembled and ready to go. A week later I had the wheels built up and installed!), and it has grown as ideas come to me. The four walls register with each other via upside-down gate hinges. The sides can remain in place while the front and back walls are removed (for carrying longer items). The trailer will be used for dump runs, trips to the lumber yard, bringing large appliances home, dragging the gas BBQ and blender down to the local park, and camping. Having a utility trailer is like having a pickup truck. Hard to live without it once you've had one.

Specs:

Things I learned:


First, here is a shot of the installed Rav bumper/hitch with my new, lower rise ball mount (not shown in the trailer pictures). Also visible is the air nipple that allows me to check/adjust my spare tire pressure without crawling under the car. (I swear those scratches in the endcap are NOT visible except in a flash picture!)

Hinge detail.

Hauling a load of chargers for the EAA.

On to trailer #2. SportsRig


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