Motorcar Transporter 5 m

Two thousand three hundred and fifty kilograms gross, 1 740 kg of published payload, and a pair of axles rated 1 800 kg each. Those are the numbers that separate the Motorcar Transporter 5 m from a general purpose car trailer, and they are the reason it is bought for long wheelbase bakkies, light commercials and classic vehicles rather than for a weekend hatchback. TRAILERS SA supplies it from Hartswater in the Northern Cape.

How the Motorcar Transporter 5 m is built

The floor is sectionalised 2.0 mm zinc galvanised sheet steel in a U-shaped pressing, carried on a 76 x 38 mm rectangular tube chassis and A-frame. Two removable ramps travel on the flatbed floor, flush mounted tie-down rings sit in the deck so nothing snags underfoot, and multi-function LED lighting is published as standard. An auto reverse coupler makes reversing a long trailer bearable.

• 5 190 mm published inside length, 1 900 mm inside width
• Sectionalised 2.0 mm zinc galvanised floor
• 76 x 38 mm rectangular tube chassis and A-frame
• Tandem axles with independent Rubax suspension
• Override braking with an auto reverse coupler
• Two removable ramps carried on the deck
• Flush floor-mounted tie-down ring and heavy duty lashing hooks
• Multi-function LED lights and a 195 x 14 inch spare

Published specification

What the record does not publish

Three rows are missing from the manufacturer specification for this model and we are not going to fill them in with guesses. There is no separate deck or body length, only the 5 190 mm inside length and the 6 530 mm overall figure. There is no side height and no ground clearance. If any of those decide the purchase for you, say so and we obtain them from the builder in writing before an order is placed.

Payload, GVM and where responsibility sits

The plate reads 2 350 kg gross against a 610 kg tare, leaving 1 740 kg of published payload, and the axles carry a combined 3 600 kg rating well above that plate. The plate is what governs, not the axle rating. Braking above 750 kg gross, towing mass limits and licence classes are set by the National Road Traffic Act and its regulations, and this trailer is published with run-in brakes accordingly.

Strapping the vehicle down is the legal responsibility of the driver on every single trip. The trailer supplies the hardware, being flush floor rings and heavy duty lashing hooks, but the choice of straps, the load position over the axles and the check after the first few kilometres belong to whoever is towing. The National Road Traffic Act regulations also govern what your tow vehicle may legally pull, and at 6 530 mm overall this is a long trailer to place behind a short one.

Five metres against four

The shorter Motorcar Transporter 4 m publishes a 4 000 mm floor, a 2 200 kg plate and 1 640 kg of payload on 1 100 kg axles, and it is the easier unit to store and reverse. This 5 m version adds 100 kg of payload, a substantially longer load bed and much heavier axles, which is what a long wheelbase double cab or a panel van needs. Both sit in the car trailers category.

Why it costs several times a budget car trailer

A light car trailer at a third of this price is plated near 1 500 kg gross on one braked axle, and for a small car on a short trip that is enough. What the money buys here is a 2 350 kg plate, 1 800 kg axles under independent rubber suspension, 195 x 14 inch wheels, a galvanised floor thick enough to take ramp and jack loads, and a published tare and payload you can verify on a weighbridge. Rating, not badge, is what makes a load legal.

Delivery, warranty and ordering

Free delivery applies on orders over R20 000, which this comfortably exceeds, and collection from our Hartswater yard remains an option if you prefer to tow it home yourself. We are a retailer, not the manufacturer, so the cover here is the builder warranty, which we administer on your behalf, with the terms set out on our warranty page. Send the vehicle you plan to transport, with its mass and wheelbase, through the request a quote form and we will come back with published figures in writing.