Thread: Trailers in Thailand

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

Originally Posted by Roelfle

Josef is a German ?

Luckily for him, I think he's Dutch (or was it Swiss?).

Pretty sure he's German, all his tow-hitches, suspension arms etc come from old contacts there anyway. In-laws may moan about the ratchet straps chafing a bit, lol!

My trailer can hold 3 x 1,000cc Sport-Touring bikes and cost me 30k three years ago. 800Kg nett weight so no need for a braking system, which would of course be a bit more. It seemed a bit steep at the time, but his after-sales service is second-to-none, and only one spot of bother with it, which was my own fault anyway.

Travelling back with it fully loaded from Cm one night, rushing, roadworks and a huge gulley running right across the road I didn't see in the headlights until the last moment. Too late. Suspension on the pickup bottomed out, trailer was fully loaded and bounced higher than the top of the pickup bed, saw the wheels in my cab mirror! Held up though, got me home and a few more trips up & back, with just 1/2" suspension drop on the wheel that hit the deck first, taking all the weight from what must have been a 3' fall. They're solid, I can attest to that. Tows like a dream too, still, even after all the abuse I've given it!

I take it back once a year for a service, won't go into all the freebies he's given me in case others expect the same. Suffice to say he's a damn fair bloke. Keeps right on top of his Thai fabricators, everything produced with typical German attention to detail. For example the bed is lowered between the wheel arches unlike most, so only sits 12" off the ground, making it a doddle to load yourself, I can have all three bikes on & strapped down in under 30min, only need the missus to hold the odd ratchet strap. In hindsight well worth the money. Was going to add a photo but too thick to figure it out.

Are trailers still illegal in Thailand ?

They are not illegal but they need registering the same as a vehicle
I nearly bought one not long ago
I have seen a few for sale on baht sold

Originally Posted by stickmansucks

Are trailers still illegal in Thailand ?

I am not sure that they were ever illegal. If you read upthread you will see that there are plenty of TD posters that have purchased and registered trailers here in Thailand.

If you are looking to purchase a trailer I can recommend Respo Trailers. They will be able to make sure that the trailer is registered in your name.

I do not recommend that you try to build your own trailer and try to register it or try to import a trailer yourself as you will get tied up in paperwork and red tape.

I found one reason why trailers are not common, at least on new pick-ups. Mitsubishi, for one, will not honour their warranty if a trailer is used. They are probably fed up of Thais trying to haul back-hoes and the like if they can use a trailer.

I had a trailer hitch added when I bought my Prajero but the garage wouldn't wire it up. They said, if they did it would invalidate the warranty. I can use a trailer on the farm and down the dirt tracks but not on the highway. I don't want to lose out on the 5-year warranty so I'll wait a while before hitching a trailer for the highway. No problem, as I wanted it mainly for towing stuff to and fro from farm.

Anyone else know of these manufacturer restrictions?

I really do not believe that they could really refuse to honour their warranty for this reason. Usual Thai bullshit that I do not listen.

lol, sell a vehicle with a stated towing capacity but warranty is void if towing a tralier.

someone is dribbling bullshit.

No problem with attaching a trailer or they wouldn't have fitted tthe hitch. It was fitting the electric cable they refused. No cable means no trailer for highway use.

I will ask all the garages in the area and find out what the problem is..If there is one.

Meanwhile I am still looking for a trailer. I'll try the place in Udon that was mentioned when I get time. It won't be until the New Year now.