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How do I order a Tuff Trailer?

Simply Order Online! You can go to the Contact Us page on our website & call to the closest agent to you to clarify any questions you may have about the trailer or to find out when you can pick it up.

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Do Tuff Trailers deliver?

Yes! We deliver to the following locations & anywhere in New Zealand

Auckland (Heards Landscape Supplies)

Waikato - Captain Compost

Bay of Plenty Wide

Hawke's Bay - Expressway Landscape Supplies

Whangarei - Morgan Engineering

Taupo - Tomo's Mowers

Fielding - Direct to agent

New Plymouth

Wellington

Gisborne

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Deliveries outside the listed areas can be arranged but may have additional costs outside of standard delivery fees - all delivery charges are calculated at checkout.

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I live near the ocean and my trailers don't last very long!

We highly recommend Hot Dipped Galvanised Trailers. Have you noticed that nearly ALL Boat Trailers are galvanised to help them survive rust and corrosion caused by salt water. Similarly, galvanised Trailers have a longer life and also have a much higher resale value, as they are harder to chip and can take some pretty hard knocks and less likely to rust. If you live close to the ocean it makes sense to wash the salt off the trailer on a regular basis as an added precaution.

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Can I have a different colour?

We manufacture Hot Dipped Galvanised Trailers only, which are much better value for money as they have four times the life of a painted Trailer. Most painted Trailers come in a Hammertone finish, which is applied directly onto black steel without any preparation whatsoever, so scratch very easily causing rusting in a very short time.

 

How do I know if it is a quality trailer?

This is a great question, as there are plenty of Trailers out there that are simply not roadworthy and some do not even comply with basic NZ Standards or basic Engineering logic. Our trailers are built by an experienced engineering company with  20 + years of history, bearings greased and exceeds/complies with all applicable NZTA standards for trailers. 

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Do Tuff Trailers make custom made trailers?

No. We only manufacture Fully Welded Galvanised Trailers in the most common size with cages. Our Trailers have an amazing range of features and specifications unmatched by other manufacturers.

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Who arranges registration and warrant?

All Tuff Trailers come with 3 years WOF & 1 year registration included in the listed price - meaning that the price you see for the trailer you are interested in is the price for your trailer to be fully road legal, in your name and ready to drive away! 

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Do I need to regularly clean my trailer?

Yes. Refuse should not be left in the trailer and after use the trailer should be cleaned particularly inside. Always wash your trailer down after carrying any acidic or alkaline materials. This includes grass clippings and fertilizer. If you use your trailer near salt water, corrosive chemicals or materials wash it down after use. Doing this regularly will increase the life expectancy of the trailer.

 

What is GVM (gross vehicle mass) and Tare weight?

The total mass of the trailer and load combined. The un-laden weight of the trailer plus the weight of the load carried is the Gross Vehicle Mass.

Tare Weight is the unladen (empty) weight of the trailer.

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What does 'heavy duty' mean?

This means a serious product that can take the punishment expected. We build our heavy duty Tuff Trailers with 2.5mm Checkerplate steel for stronger sides, floors, and mudguards. We have more cross members (approx 1 every 30cm on average) plus an additional full length middle support bar. Also thicker and longer drawbars, solid steel axles (not hollow) and higher rated springs and tyres are all standard.

A Trailer is only as good as it’s engineered and built. The key areas that fail are the wheel bearings, floor, drawbar or springs. In nearly all cases of failure, it is because the Trailer is constantly being overloaded and/or the Trailer was poorly maintained or unroadworthy in the first place.

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Do I need to service the trailer?

Yes. For general maintenance, some things to consider are:

Check the following –

• The tyres are inflated to the specifications on VIN plate and are road worthy;

• The wheel bearings at least every 6 months and have them replaced or regreased as required;

• The lights – turning indicators and tail lights – are all functioning. Do this EVERY time you tow the Trailer;

• The tailgate hinges and locks are secure and functioning;

• The safety chain is not touching the ground or rusted and the "D" shackle bolt is safe and secure;

• The axle springs are not rusted and are sitting on the support seat and bolted securely.

 

Do you fit towbars?

No, you will need to have a towbar and lighting socket fitted prior to collecting your Tuff Trailer. A single 7 pin plug is all that is required for a trailer.

 

Do I need a spare wheel?

We provide a New Spare Wheel as STANDARD on all our Trailers.
There is no legal requirement to carry a spare wheel however, it is a good idea and we highly recommend that you leave the spare on the Trailer. Make sure you carry the right tools and a suitable Jack for the Trailer. Some people carry a can of "tyre repair foam" with them and this is fine if the tyre goes flat, but not if the tyre is otherwise damaged.

 

What is Hot Dipped Galvanising?

Hot-dip galvanising (HDG) is the process of coating fabricated steel by immersing it in a bath of molten zinc. There are three fundamental steps in the hot-dip galvanizing process; surface preparation, galvanising, and inspection.

 

Surface Preparation

When the trailer arrives at the galvanising facility, it is hung up by an overhead crane which enables the trailer to be lifted and moved through the process. The trailer then goes through a series of three cleaning steps; degreasing, pickling, and fluxing. Degreasing removes dirt, oil, and organic residues, while the acidic pickling bath will remove production mill scale and iron oxide. The final surface preparation step, fluxing, will remove any remaining oxides and coat the steel with a protective layer to prevent any further oxide formation prior to galvanising. Proper surface preparation is critical, as zinc will not react with unclean steel.

 

Galvanising

After surface preparation, the trailer is dipped in the molten (500 C) bath of at least 98% zinc. The trailer is lowered into the kettle at an angle that allows air to escape from the RHS tubular shapes or other pockets to ensure that the zinc can flow into, over, and throughout the entire unit. While immersed in the kettle, the iron in the steel metallurgically reacts with the zinc to form a series of zinc-iron intermetallic layers and an outer layer of pure zinc.

 

Inspection

The final step is an inspection of the trailers coating. A very accurate determination of the quality of the coating can be achieved by a visual inspection and as zinc does not react with unclean steel, it would leave an uncoated area on the trailer. Additionally, a magnetic thickness gauge can be used to verify the coating thickness complies with specification requirements.

 

Coating Benefits

Hot-dip galvanising provides a number of benefits to the steel trailer it protects. The metallurgically-bonded zinc-iron alloy layers not only create a barrier between the trailer and the environment, but also cathodically protect the steel. The cathodic protection offered by zinc means the galvanized coating sacrifices itself to protect the underlying base steel from corrosion. The tightly adhered coating, which has a bond strength of around 3,600 psi, is also extremely abrasion-resistant as the intermetallic layers are harder than the base steel. Even if the coating is damaged, zinc's sacrificial action will protect exposed steel up to 7-10mm away.

 

In addition to the cathodic protection offered by hot-dip galvanising, there are a few other characteristics of the coating which provide longevity. First, reaction in the galvanising kettle is a diffusion process, which means the coating grows perpendicular (horizontal) to the surface, ensuring all corners and edges have at least equal thickness to flat surfaces. Furthermore, the complete immersion in the zinc bath provides total coverage of the Tuff Trailers, including the interior of hollow structures. Finally, the zinc coating naturally develops an impervious layer of corrosion products on the surface, know as the zinc patina. The patina, cathodic protection, complete coverage and all of these other features, provide hot-dip galvanised steel with a long, maintenance-free service life.