Tiny house trailers in Australia are becoming increasingly popular. Whilst most often used for ‘tiny homes’ or ‘tiny houses on wheels, Tiny house trailers can be used for multiple purposes, including as a home office, guesthouse, or mobile storefront. They are most popular with singles and couples that are looking for a smaller home.
Tiny houses built on foundations are limited by location, land availability, and local legislation whereas tiny houses on wheels offer a more flexible option. There are many advantages to building a tiny house on wheels, so it’s no surprise that more people are choosing this option. The main advantage is mobility where you can be free to live anywhere in the country you please.
Another appealing advantage of building a tiny house on wheels is that it is classed as a vehicle, rather than a dwelling, and therefore not subject to the usual construction codes and requirements enforced when building most homes.

Trailer Parts
There are several different tiny house trailers in Australia available in the marketplace. To understand the differences, it will help first to understand the different components of a tiny house trailer.
Tiny house trailers have certain major parts including:
Trailer chassis & Main Frame: The trailer chassis and main frame support the majority of your home’s structure and weight.
Wiring Harness: The wiring harness or wiring loom is included with tiny house trailers, most have a standard 7 pin plug. This is how you will hook up your tiny house to an electrical source.
Coupler and safety chains: The coupler locks onto your vehicle when you’re ready to tow it. Mandatory safety chains are strong metal chains that connect from the tow vehicle to the trailer.

Tongue: The tongue is a small part that helps with towing and adds stability for your tiny house on wheels.
Axles & fenders: Axles are the metal rods your tires rotate around when you’re driving. The two axles on a tiny house trailer have an outer suspension to absorb large bumps. Tiny house trailers come with fenders to protect the mainframe and wiring harness.
Runner Beams: Tiny house trailers come with runner beams for strength and load balancing. The runner beams are located between the main frame and the axle.
Cross Members: Cross members stabilize the tiny house and allow it to be towed. They’re usually made of steel and can either be welded or bolted into place depending on how your tiny house trailer is built.
Taillights: These are a safety requirement in Australia, your tiny house trailer should have at least 2 tail lights fitted to the back for when you’re reversing.
Important Considerations when looking at Tiny House Trailers in Australia

When evaluating your options you need to factor in:
Type and weight: Tiny houses trailers are available in different types, dimensions, and weights. The maximum weight a trailer can support depends on its length and other design specs.
Build Style: Tiny house trailers are available in different styles but the most common is the “build on top” style. We will explore these more below.
Length, width & height: Tiny Houses can be up to 12.5m in length, have a width of up to 2.5m, and a maximum height of 4.3m.
Trailer coupling: There are several different trailer coupling options and the best one will be determined by the type of vehicle that will be towing your tiny house. The tow vehicle in turn will be determined/limited by how heavy your tiny house is. Trailer coupling options include override brake coupling, sway control coupling, Ring-type coupling, Pintle and off-road coupling for 360-degree articulation, and a tow ball latching system.
Types of trailers
If you’ve been watching lots of tiny house videos you may have noticed that internationally there are quite a variety of different tiny house trailers on the market. You may have come across terms like gooseneck, removable gooseneck, bumper-pull, flatbed, deckover drop deck, and others.
Here in Australia the market is a little more limited and whilst there are certainly many variations available within the market, the three main types you will see here in Aus are the flat bed trailer, the protruding wheel trailer, and the gooseneck trailer.
Flat bed trailer
Flat decks are a popular option for tiny house builds. They provide maximum floor space and a flat surface that simplifies the building of your new home. Their length can be 6 to 9m, width 2.4 m with support of 2 or 3 axles and a weight capacity of 3.5 to 4.5 tonne max.
Cons: The drawback to a flat bed trailer is that you will lose some space for your house’s height as in order to get a flat surface the trailer bed is built above the trailer’s wheels making it closer to the max allowable height of 4.3m. If you opt for a flat bed trailer, the internal height of your trailer will reduce by around 20 cm.
Price: Their price range is $11000-$16000 in the Australian market.

Protruding wheel or Bumper Pull trailer
The protruding wheel or bumper pull trailer has a trailer bed that is built between the wheel arches. This allows the trailer bed to sit lower down which maximizes the space between the floor and the ceiling. This is especially good if you have a loft as an extra 20-30cm in headroom can make a big difference to how a space feels.
Cons: Because the trailer bed is built between the wheels, rather than on top of them, it is not as wide as a flat bed trailer. You get more height, but slightly less width. The width you end up with will really depend on the individual trailer’s design so if going with a bumper pull, look around at different suppliers to really explore your options.
Price: Their price range is $11000-$18000 in the Australian market.
Goose neck trailer
A gooseneck trailer is a trailer with a long tongue that resembles the neck of a goose. Gooseneck trailers are used for transporting heavy loads which is facilitated by their increased build space and ease of mobility. They can be as long as 12m, are often wider (up to 3m) with support from 3 axles, and have weight capacities of up to 11 tonne.
Be aware that if you go beyond the usual dimension and weight limits of a tiny house you will need special permits and a super heavy-duty vehicle to transport it so it’s worth exploring the wider implications of this choice.
Cons: Increased cost, tight turning radius can make turns harder and special permits and vehicles may be required for transporting your tiny
Price: Their price can go as high as $30 000.
Conclusion
Your tiny house trailer is the foundation of your entire tiny house. The one you choose to go with has implications for the floor space and headroom space in your tiny, the costs you will incur, and the vehicle you will need to tow your new home.
It is one of the less exciting parts of a tiny house design & build but incredibly important for making the more exciting parts a reality in the most optimal way. You can check out our directory of tiny house trailer suppliers here.
More Tiny Houses Aus Posts
Ready to read more about owning a tiny house? Check out these great posts!
- Looking For Tiny Home Financing? Here’s How You Can Do It. Click to find out more.
- Tiny house living in Australia – Is it for you? Click to find out.
- Looking for where you can get insurance? Check out the Top 5 Tiny House Insurance Companies in Australia!
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