4.0 m Car Trailer with Hydraulic Ramp

Specify a 4m car trailer on how it loads, not on how it looks. Loading is where car trailers are won or lost. Slide-out ramps are cheap and they work fine until the vehicle you are loading will not start, the ground falls away behind the trailer, or you are on your own at night. A full-width hydraulic ramp changes that job entirely: the deck comes down as one surface, the approach angle drops, and a winch on the front plate pulls the car up without anybody pushing. That is the reason this unit costs more than a ramp-and-strap trailer and the reason recovery operators specify it.

Build and construction

The chassis is 100 by 50 by 5 mm open channel with a 76 by 38 by 5 mm A-frame, and the deck is 2.5 mm checker plate over it at roughly 400 mm ride height. A 400 mm fixed front stop bar sets the vehicle position and takes the load under braking. The axle is 1 020 mm on 8-blade heavy-duty leaf springs rated 1 600 kg, braked, through a 2 000 kg coupler, on 14 inch wheels with a 14 inch spare on the A-frame. Finish is 2K Duco. Tie-down rails run the deck length with four wheel chock rings and four side lashing rings.

Key features

• Full-width hydraulic loading ramp — the whole rear deck lowers rather than two narrow ramps dropping out, so low vehicles clear and wheel placement stops mattering.
• Front-mounted winch plate, included — the plate is fitted as standard even though the winch is an extra, so adding one later is a bolt-up not a fabrication job.
• Four wheel chock rings plus four side lashing rings — eight anchor points, which is what proper four-point wheel strapping actually needs.
• 2.0 m deck width — takes a standard passenger car track with working room either side rather than making you thread it on.
• 400 mm fixed front stop bar — positions the vehicle consistently and stops it walking forward under heavy braking.
• Braked single axle rated above GVM — 1 600 kg axle under a 1 500 kg rating, so the running gear is not at its limit with a car on it.
• Tie-down rails rather than welded hooks — strap position moves to suit the vehicle instead of the vehicle having to suit the trailer.

4m car trailer specification

Applications

Vehicle recovery and roadside assistance, motorsport and track day transport, dealer and auction stock movement, restoration and workshop collection of non-runners, and plant hire operators moving small machines that fit inside the deck. The hydraulic ramp is what makes it viable as a one-person operation rather than a two-person one.

Compliance and legal

Braked and rated at 1 500 kg GVM, so it must be registered and licensed. That GVM is the trailer plus its load, so confirm the mass of the vehicle you intend to carry before you buy: a mid-size sedan is comfortable, a double cab bakkie is not. Your tow vehicle rated braked towing capacity and tow bar rating cap the combination separately. Loads must be secured to standard and the vehicle must be strapped at four points.

What is included

• Trailer with hydraulic loading ramp fitted
• Front winch mounting plate
• Tie-down rails, 4 chock rings and 4 lashing rings
• 14 inch spare wheel on A-frame
• 60 mm jockey wheel and 12 V LED harness

Optional extras

• Electric winch, fitted to the existing plate
• Double-axle upgrade
• Colour: white, black, silver or custom

Delivery

More on how we get it to you is on the delivery page, cover is set out under warranty, and you can compare it against the rest of the Car Trailers range or against the 4.5 m Heavy-Duty Cargo Trailer 3500 kg. To price it up, request a quote.

Delivered nationwide from Hartswater and cross-border on request. Free nationwide delivery applies with code TSA26. Collection from Hartswater is available.

Tell us the heaviest vehicle you plan to carry and we will confirm whether this rating covers it or whether you want the tandem-axle unit instead.