Traveller 10 Tandem

Two axles change how a trailer behaves long before they change what it carries. The Traveller 10 tandem trailer puts the same 3 610 mm closed body on a pair of Rubax axles rated at 1 500 kg each, lifting gross vehicle mass to 1 740 kg and published payload to a round 1 000 kg. TRAILERS SA lists it in both the Sputnik and the SLK body.

What two axles change on the Traveller 10 tandem trailer

The obvious gain is rating: 1 740 kg gross against 1 525 kg for the single-axle version, and 1 000 kg of legal payload against 925 kg. The less obvious gains matter more on a long haul. Load is spread across four contact patches instead of two, so tyre and bearing loads drop. Pitching over corrugations settles rather than builds. A puncture on one wheel leaves three carrying, which is the difference between changing a tyre at the roadside and losing a load. The cost of all that is 140 kg of extra tare and a longer wheelbase to manoeuvre.

Published specification

Figures below are the builder published figures. Rows spanning both columns are identical across the two bodies.

Standard equipment

• Body and roof in 0.9 mm corrosion resistant electro-galvanised sheet steel
• Sides stiffened by formed hat sections against drumming and vibration
• Pad-lockable doors at the rear and on the left side, on heavy duty hinges
• Two Rubax axles with run-in brakes and a heavy-duty coupler
• Floor ring holders for strapping the load down
• Two adjustable extending rear support legs for levelling on uneven ground
• Pad-lockable spare wheel holder with spare wheel included
• Multi-function LED lights and an adjustable eight inch jockey wheel

Payload, GVM and braking

Plan on 740 kg tare, 1 740 kg gross and 1 000 kg of payload. A trailer of this mass must be braked, and the builder publishes run-in brakes across both axles. Before ordering, check the braked towing capacity in your vehicle handbook, because it is the lower of trailer rating and vehicle rating that governs what you may legally pull, and a bakkie rated at 1 500 kg braked cannot lawfully tow this trailer loaded to its plate. Towing mass, braking and licence requirements sit in the National Road Traffic Act and its regulations rather than with any dealer.

Sputnik body or SLK body

The two bodies share tare, gross mass, payload, axles, brakes, body length, inside width, side height, ground clearance and both door openings. Three published figures differ: the Sputnik runs 4 540 mm overall on a 2 045 mm width with seven ring holders, and the SLK runs 4 480 mm overall on a 2 080 mm width with nine. The Sputnik listing also specifies a five stud wheel where the SLK listing states only the tyre size. Beyond that the builder does not publish what separates the two shells, and we are not going to invent a story to fit the price difference. If it matters to your decision, ask us on the quote form and we will get it confirmed before you order.

Tandem or single axle

If your loads are bulky and light, the Traveller 10 Sputnik gives the same body on one axle, less tare and a lower price. Choose the tandem when the load is dense, when the trailer runs long distances loaded, or when a blowout must not end the trip. Other twin-axle vans are listed on the tandem-axle closed body trailers archive.

What the extra money buys

Our budget closed body range sits at roughly half this price and is genuinely useful for lighter duty. What you pay for at this level is the running gear and the paperwork behind it: two rubber-sprung braked axles rated 1 500 kg each, galvanised sheet through body and roof, a heavy-duty coupler, and plated tare and GVM figures you can defend at a weighbridge rather than an approximate mass on a delivery note.

Delivery, warranty and ordering

Pick your body above, then order online or call the yard. Delivery is free on orders over R20 000, and collection from Hartswater in the Northern Cape is open to you if you would rather inspect a trailer of this size in person. Coverage is on the delivery page. TRAILERS SA is a retailer and not the manufacturer, so the unit carries the builder warranty, which we administer on your behalf, as set out on the warranty page.