a presentation about automotive trailers

1. TRAILERS
BY
A.Jayanth joseph
Karthik
R.Karthikeyan
C.Hariharan

2. WHAT IS A TRAILER
 A trailer is generally an unpowered vehicle pulled by a powered
vehicle. Commonly, the term trailer refers to such vehicles used
for transport of goods and materials.
 Some trailers are made for personal (or small business) use with
practically any powered vehicle having an appropriate hitch, but
some trailers are part of large trucks called semi-trailer trucks
for transportation of cargo.
 Certain can be towed by commonly accessible pickup truck or
van, which generally require no special permit beyond a regular
driver's license.

3. TYPES OF TRAILERS
 Travel trailer
 Semi-trailer
 Full-trailer
 Close-coupled trailer
 Motorcycle trailer
 Powered trailer mover
 Livestock trailer

4. Travel trailer
 A custom made popup camper.Popup campers are lightweight,
aerodynamic trailers that can be towed by a small car . They are
built to be lower than the tow vehicle, minimizing drag.
 Others range from two-axle campers that can be pulled by most
mid-sized pickups to trailers that are as long permittable laws
 Larger campers tend to be fully integrated recreational vehicles,
which often are used to tow single-axle dolly trailers to allow the
driver to bring small cars on their travels.

5. TRAVEL TRAILER

6. SEMI-TRAILER
 A semi-trailer is a trailer without a front axle. A large proportion of
its weight is supported either by a road tractor or by a detachable
front axle assembly known as a dolly.
 A semi-trailer is normally equipped with legs, called "landing
gear", which can be lowered to support it when it is uncoupled.
 . A road tractor coupled to a semi-trailer is often called a semi-
trailer truck or semi, or in the UK an articulated lorry. The fifth
wheel on a truck connects to a semi trailer Kingpin
 A semi-trailer leads to more weight on the driven axles of the
tractor than a truck plus trailer combination,

7. SEMI TRAILER TRAILER TRUCK

8. SEMI TRAILER TRUCK

9. MOTORCYCLE TRAILER
 A motorcycle trailer may be a trailer designed to haul motorcycles
behind an automobile or truck. Such trailers may be open or enclosed,
ranging in size from trailers capable of carrying several motorcycles or
only one. They may be designed specifically to carry motorcycles, with
ramps and tie-downs, or may be a utility trailer adapted permanently or
occasional
 Another type of motorcycle trailer is a wheeled frame with a hitch
system designed for transporting cargo by motorcycle. Motorcycle
trailers are often narrow and styled to match the appearance of the
motorcycle they are intended to be towed behindy to haul one or more
motorcycles. universal joint to enable the trailer to lean and turn
with the motorcycle

10. MOTORCYLE TRAILERS
ENCLOSED TYPE: OPEN TYPE:

11. POWER TRAILER MOVER
 A powered trailermover is a powered vehicle made to push and
pull trailers that require lifting on one end before maneuvering.
 Some are also called trailer pushers or powered trailer pullers.
 The powered mover is capable of pushing and pulling an RV, a
camper, an equipment trailer, or a boat.

12. TRAILER WINCHES
 Trailer winches are designed to load (or unload) boats and other
cargo to and from a trailer.
 They are made up of a ratchet mechanism and cable. The handle
on the ratchet mechanism is turned to tighten or loosen the
tension on the winch cable. There are both manual and
motorized trailer winches.

13. LIVESTOCK TRAILER
There are a number of different styles of trailers used to haul
livestock such as cattle and horses. The most common is the stock
trailer, a trailer that is enclosed on the bottom, but has openings at
approximately the eye level of the animals to allow ventilation. The
horse trailer is a more elaborate form of stock trailer.
They usually have adjustable vents and windows as well as
suspension designed to provide a smooth ride and less stress on the
animals. In addition, horse trailers have internal partitions that
assist the animal in staying upright during travel and protect horses
from injuring each other in transit.

14. TYPICAL HORSE TRAILER

15. Hitching a trailer
 A trailer coupler is used to secure the trailer to the towing
vehicle. The trailer coupler attaches to the trailer ball. This forms
a ball and socket connection to allow for relative movement
between the towing vehicle and trailer while towing over uneven
road surfaces. The trailer ball is mounted to the draw bar, which
is usually removable. The draw bar is secured to the trailer hitch
by inserting it into the hitch receiver and pinning it. The three
most common types of couplers are Straight Couplers, A-Frame
Couplers, and Adjustable Couplers.
 A trailer hitch, fifth wheel coupling or other type of tow hitch is
needed to draw a trailer with a car, truck or other traction engine.

16. COMMON COUPLINGS USED

17. FIFTH WHEEL COUPLING
 The fifth wheel coupling provides the link between a semi-
trailer and the towing truck, tractor unit, leading trailer or
dolly. Some recreational vehicles use a fifth wheel
configuration, requiring the coupling to be installed in the
bed of a pickup truck as a towing vehicle.
 The coupling consists of a coupling pin (or kingpin) on the
front of the semi-trailer, and a horseshoe-shaped coupling
device called a fifth wheel on the rear of the towing vehicle.
The surface of the semi-trailer rotates against the surface of
the fixed fifth wheel, which does not rotate.

18. FIFTH WHEEL COUPLING

19. TRAILER STABILITY
 Trailer stability can be defined as the tendency of a
trailer to dissipate side-to-side motion. The initial
motion may be caused by aerodynamic forces, such as
from a cross wind or a passing vehicle.
 One common criterion for stability is the center of
mass location with respect to the wheels, which can
usually be detected by tongue weight.
 If the center of mass of the trailer is behind its wheels,
therefore having a negative tongue weight, the trailer
will likely be unstable.

20. TRAILER DECKING
 Trailer decking is typically either aluminum, wood, or steel. In
addition, Rumber has been recommended as an alternative trailer
decking solution. Rumber is "lumber" made from recycled tire rubber
and plastics. According to the manufacturer, it's durable, non-slip, easy
to clean, impervious to water, UV-resistant, and it will not crack, rot, or
split.
 Unfortunately rumber shouldn't be used for car trailers. The material
can't take the concentrated weight that a car can place in such a small
area without additional crossmember support, the original use for
rumber was for horse trailers.
 Therefore, steel decks or wood decks are the choice for car haulers.
Steel decks are much easier to maintain and do not "rot". Wood decks
are much easier to repair.

21. Advantages of all-aluminum trailers :
 Light weight
 More load capacity
 Less rolling resistance equals better gas mileage.
 Non-skid tongue and groove aluminum extruded
flooring.
 Low maintainence surface.
 Maintains its value.

22. Advantages of wood decking:
 Won't rust, can rot. Lighter than steel.
 Your load won't slide around as much, and the deck won't get
oily and slippery when hauling cars leaking fluids. Although,
diamond-plate decks help with slipping.
 Wood can loosen, crack, and warp. Fluids soak in, leaving a
mess.
 With a wood deck, you can screw things down to secure them.
 Pressure treated decking can last up to 25 years.
 Cracked or broken planks can easily be replaced.

23. Advantages of steel decking:
 Cheap to purchase.
 Won't rot, but will rust if not suitably painted.
 Provides a strong durable working surface with low
maintainence and upkeep.
 Comes in a variety of surfaces: smooth, checkplate, grate,
etc.
 Easy to modify, add accessories to, repair, change the
appearance of.
 Stands up to the abuse of dragging wrecks or loads on to it.
 Surface may become slippery in wet or snow conditions.
 Subject to rusting, can be powder coated or epoxy painted
to resist rusting at a premium.

24. Advantages of open trailers:
 Less weight.
 Oils and fluids leak onto the ground, rather than onto your
trailer.
 You can work under the car while it's on the trailer.
 Are much easier to see what is all around it when empty.