question Penman Trailer

[aceofhearts]

I have just put a deposit down on a Land Rover 110 Tithonus and the owner has 4 x Penman trailers also for sale. I don't know much about trailers but I was hoping on getting some opinions on whether it is worth picking one up at the same time.

 

They want £1500 each for them but I think there is room for a little negotiation. They look like nice solid pieces of kit and in almost new condition.

 

What do you think?

 

 

 

 

 

[fv1609]

I think if you search the MOD site for FOI requests someone has asked for the associated AESPs. This was on the basis that he wished to tow & maintain one safely, so to that end he needed all the available technical information. Anyone can download it from the site.

[ferretfixer]

The Penman's are starting to Dribble out onto the Civvy Market. They are quite expensive at present, in my Opinion.

Due to the fact that there aren't a huge amount around. However, like the Sankey widetracks. The prices will drop, when more & more are released! ......

[Highland_laddie]

No idea what this is like as a trailer, but it is the current UK Mod Landrover trailer. Whether it will suit your needs only you can decide. Price wise you could easily spend that on a similar commercial trailer e.g. Ifor Williams. They do come up for auction at Witham SV the government disposal agent, and sometimes go for less (appears a lot less but you have 20% vat to pay) and then you have to go and collect. So it may make as much sense to buy it as part of the deal on the Land Rover. That way you can check it over and get anything rectified.

 

ultimately though it your call.

[SLEEPER]

I have looked after these for quite a few years. Body work wise they are quite robust. The problem you will have is the brakes. A lot of these trailers spend their lives outside with very little use. Siezed calipers are the norm in the last few years. Carwoods rebuild them. Pretty simple really to repair.I once needed a trailer plug, a whole wiring loom turned up. Good luck look for a good one that might have been stored inside.

[SLEEPER]

Just to add these trailers were £16,000 pounds new. I had to do some write off action a while back. The whole hitch had sheared off after being rear ended. Chassis was untouched.

[iano]

how does the auto reverse bit work? Is it contained inside the pintle ? And could I fit one on my mk3 sankey WT? Cheers 

[ditechspain]

Reply to iano

Re Hydraulic disc brakes

Probably too late for you.

They’re very different in their auto reverse function to the civilian disk brakes used in the US and Australia/NZ, although it looks as if they should work with their civilian hydraulic tow hitches, subject to them pumping enough fluid.   

The calipers are free to slightly rotate following the wheel rotation and in reverse this prevents the pads being effective. 
The exact mechanics are set out in

Army Support Publication 2330-E-202-302

Made available on the web under an FOI request. 
 

The system has the benefit of being entirely mechanical and not relying, as the civilian ones do, on an electric lockout solenoid cutting hydraulic flow when the reversing lights operate. The solenoid supposed to release when power is cut. Mine hadn’t when I later removed it to check my suspicions. And I’d been descending the Pyrenees. 
 

Having fitted a U.K. road legal version of US Deemaxx discs to a boat trailer, I wish I’d seen this, as a suitable mechanical handbrake lever was surprisingly difficult to source.