Our “Best Bang for Buck” Trailer – simple, strong, and cost-effective

These are the perfect budget-friendly build. Especially for someone who wants to just tick the box of having a frame with some wheels under their tiny home.

We take big, strong 200UB18 beams (whereas others use 150UB14 beams at half the strength!), put some wheels under it, and call it a day. Less labour, less cost. These trailers are a particularly good and cost-effective fit for existing cabins with a timber framed sub-floor. We drill holes in the beam free of charge and you screw the floor joists directly to the beams. Easy.

Key Features:

• Structural Steel Universal Beams
  These trailers use structural steel universal beams (UB), or “I-Beams,” instead of standard RHS (box section) steel. Universal beams provide greater strength for the same weight of material. While RHS is excellent for building truss systems — which can achieve higher performance for the amount of steel used — truss fabrication is labour-intensive. UB trailers therefore offer a practical, cost-effective solution for builds that don’t require the absolute maximum strength of a truss frame.
• Reversible / Removable Drawbar
  Take two pins out, and the drawbar easily slides out. Put it under the trailer for long term dry storage, or, optional add on: install it to the rear of the trailer for more easier positioning / pushing the cabin hard-up to a fence, for example.
• Versatile Axle Options
  Supplied as standard with one axle, but with mounting brackets for up to three axles. If you will be towing the trailer only, then you only need one axle, and there’s no need to pay for more than you’ll be using. If you will be moving your house at all, even only on-site, then you will likely need multiple axles. We can offer some advice here. Get in touch if you’re unsure.
• Removable Lights and Mudguards
  Purchase a set of mudguards and a light bar and keep them, or you can borrow ours. Give us a deposit (equal to the purchase price) which we will give back when the lights or mudguards are returned back to us. This way, you can have a WOF’d and registered trailer, and save up to $550 by not having lights/mudguards that do nothing.

Corrosion Protection – a quick discussion

Structural I-beams need surface treatment to protect against corrosion. They can be painted directly, but the factory millscale on the steel will eventually peel, meaning the trailer will need to be wire-brushed and repainted in a few years time.

The most effective and cost-efficient way to remove millscale is sandblasting, which strips the steel back to bare metal. Once cleaned, the steel should be primed and ideally top-coated. A DIY topcoat is fine, but proper surface prep makes the biggest difference to how long the protection lasts.

For cost comparison, sandblast and paint typically comes in at around $85 + GST per square metre of steel. As a guide, each metre of 200UB beam has an approximate surface area of 0.77 m² (including both flanges and the web). This means that a 10m UB trailer will be around $1,300+GST to sandblast and prime, plus handling and freight…

By comparison, pre-galvanised or Duragal steel cost more up-front but come ready-protected against corrosion, with no additional painting or sandblasting required.

Here is a quick pricing table to showcase cost differences.

Pricing Calculator: