What are the dimensions of a 6x4 trailer in mm?

A 6x4 box trailer has a deck of about 1800 mm long by 1200 mm wide; Bunnings lists its hire 6x4 at 1800 x 1200 x 300 mm. The feet figures are nominal, so one builder's 6x4 can be a few centimetres different from another's. Measure the inside of the deck if something has to fit exactly.

Which trailer size do I need for a tip run?

A 6x4 handles a weekend's garden clippings or a few broken bits of furniture, and it is the easiest size to reverse and park at the weighbridge. If you are clearing a whole garage, a shed or a house, a 7x5 or 8x5 with a cage saves a second trip. Whatever the size, the ACT treats an uncovered load as littering, so take a net or tarp.

Does a 7x5 or 8x5 trailer need brakes?

Brakes are tied to weight, not deck size. Australian Design Rule 38/05 applies to trailers with a gross trailer mass over 750 kg, and NSW puts it the same way: no brakes required up to 750 kg GTM, brakes on both wheels of at least one axle from 751 to 2000 kg. A single axle 8x5 rated at 750 kg ATM runs without brakes; the same deck rated at around 1450 kg needs them.

Will a pallet fit on a 6x4 trailer?

Yes. The Australian standard pallet is 1165 x 1165 mm, so it sits across a 1200 mm wide deck with a little to spare on each side, and a 1500 mm deck has room for straps down the sides. Lengthwise, a 1800 mm deck takes one pallet, a 2400 mm deck takes two.

What is the biggest trailer I can park in a single garage?

A minimum single garage in Australia is quoted at about 5.4 m long, with 6 m being typical. A 6x4 or 7x4 with its drawbar fits in most; an 8x5 is tight; a 10x5 with a 3 m deck plus drawbar usually will not. Measure the garage and the drawbar before you decide, and remember the car still has to go somewhere.

6x4 vs 7x4 vs 8x5 Trailer Sizes Compared

The sizes

What the numbers mean

"6x4" is six feet long by four feet wide, inside the deck. Builders round the metric figure: Bunnings quotes its hire 6x4 at 1800 x 1200 mm and its 8x5 at 2400 x 1500 mm, and the other rows below are the same nominal conversion. A given builder's deck can differ by a few centimetres. Tare and ATM are typical figures from retailer spec sheets; the compliance plate on the trailer in front of you is the only number that counts. The terms are on trailer weights explained.

Size (feet)	Deck, nominal (mm)	Typical build	Typical tare	Typical ATM	Brakes
6x4	1800 x 1200	Single axle	About 250 kg	750 kg	Not required
7x4	2100 x 1200	Single axle	280 to 330 kg	750 kg, or about 1450 kg braked	Only on the braked rating
7x5	2100 x 1500	Single axle	300 to 370 kg	750 kg, or about 1450 kg braked	Only on the braked rating
8x5	2400 x 1500	Single or tandem	330 to 370 kg single; about 540 kg tandem	750 kg single; 2000 kg tandem	Required on the tandem
10x5	3000 x 1500	Tandem	530 to 650 kg	2000 kg and up	Required

"Not required" means the trailer cannot legally exceed 750 kg gross, so the brake rule never applies. Load a 750 kg 6x4 with wet soil and you hit that limit before the deck looks full.

Match the job

Which size for which job

Weekend tip run, prunings, a broken bed: 6x4. Light, quick to hitch and the easiest size to back up to the pile.
Clearing a garage or shed: 7x5 or 8x5 with a cage. The width stops awkward things being stacked above the sides.
Moving house: 8x5 with a 900 mm cage. Fridge, washing machine and mattress in one trip; a 6x4 means four.
Soil, gravel, pavers, firewood: ATM matters more than deck. A tandem 8x5 at 2000 kg carries three times what any 750 kg trailer can.
Ride-on mower: 7x4 or 7x5 with a ramp. A push mower and a whipper snipper fit a 6x4.
Quad or motorbike: 7x4 upwards for one, 8x5 for two side by side, with a ramp and rated tie-down points.
Pallets: the Australian standard pallet is 1165 x 1165 mm. One sits across any 1200 mm deck, a 1500 mm deck leaves room for straps, and a 2400 mm deck takes two end to end.
Timber, pipe, ladders: go by deck length, then check the overhang rules before relying on them.

Single axle or tandem, and whether a box trailer is the right type at all, is covered on choosing a trailer.

The trade-offs

Where each size stops being convenient

6x4: fits anywhere, fills fast

Goes down most side passages, fits a minimum 5.4 m garage, and most small cars can tow it. The 750 kg ATM is the catch: tare off, you have roughly 500 kg of payload, which is a few barrows of soil.

7x4 and 7x5: the household sweet spot

An extra 300 mm of length takes a mower or a lounge without much penalty in weight or parking. The 7x5 adds the width that lets a washing machine and a fridge sit side by side. Both store in a typical 6 m garage; measure the drawbar.

8x5: two trailers in one, if the car agrees

As a single axle at 750 kg it is a big light trailer; as a tandem at 2000 kg it is a serious one that needs brakes, a car with a braked rating to match and a ball weight the car can carry. Check all three on towing capacity before you fall for the deck size. A tandem also reverses more stubbornly and is a long thing to push by hand.

10x5 and up: tradie territory

A 3 m deck plus drawbar is longer than a standard garage and wider than many side gates. It wants a ute or large SUV, a driveway to live on, and a reason to exist. Right for landscapers and regular pallet work; a burden for a household that uses it four times a year.

Brakes and cages

The 750 kg line, and how high a cage

When a size tips you into brakes

Australian Design Rule 38/05 applies to trailers with a gross trailer mass over 750 kg. NSW sets it out plainly: no brakes required up to 750 kg GTM, brakes on both wheels of at least one axle from 751 to 2000 kg, and over 2 tonnes the ADR wants brakes on all wheels plus a breakaway system. A 7x5 can be built either side of the line, and the braked version is the one that can actually carry a landscaping load. The bigger the deck, the more likely the builder rates it above 750 kg, because an unbraked 8x5 is mostly air.

Cage heights

Off-the-shelf cages come in 600 mm and 900 mm for sizes from 6x4 to 10x5. A 600 mm cage keeps green waste and boxes in without blocking the rear view from a small car; 900 mm is the house-move height. A builder making the trailer to order can go taller; the trade is weight up high, which matters more on a 750 kg trailer than on a tandem.

Tip runs

ACT tip rules that matter whatever the size

Household rubbish and building waste go to the two Resource Management Centres: Mitchell (Flemington Road) and Mugga Lane (Hume on the fee sheet, Symonston on the centre's own page). Both open 7:30 am to 5 pm daily except Good Friday and Christmas Day, take cards only, and let only registered vehicles over the weighbridge. The fee sheet from 1 July 2026 charges by load: a car with a trailer, a ute or a wagon is a medium load at $34.60; a ute or wagon with a trailer, or a car with a caged trailer, is a large load at $48.65; over half a tonne is weighed at $121.75 a tonne, and the weighbridge takes up to 4.5 tonnes of car and trailer combined. Green waste is free at Mugga Lane and at Parkwood Road in Holt; the Mitchell site on Vicars Street charges. Household recyclables go free to the drop-off centres in Belconnen, Gungahlin, Mitchell, Phillip and Tuggeranong.

Cover the load. ACT City Services treats an uncovered trailer load as littering under the Litter Act 2004 even if nothing falls off, fines individuals $1,500, and tells you to net or tarp green waste and strap furniture and white goods. NSW says the same for Queanbeyan drivers: loads must be covered to contain all materials in the vehicle and trailer. Both point at the National Transport Commission's Load Restraint Guide for Light Vehicles. A cage still needs a net; it stops the lounge, not the leaves.

Whatever size you land on, it has to be registered before the first tip run: see trailer rego in the ACT. Resort Trailers builds box trailers to any of these sizes in Queanbeyan; their box trailer page shows what the sizes look like built.

Sources

Where this comes from

Checked 30 October 2026. Tare and ATM ranges are typical figures from the spec sheets below and vary by builder; tip fees are set each financial year.

More guides

Keep reading

ATM, GTM, tare and payload explained What ATM, GTM, tare, payload and ball weight actually mean on a trailer compliance plate, and how to work out what you can really carry. How much can your car actually tow? Braked and unbraked towing capacity, tow bar and ball weight ratings, GCM, and when a trailer legally needs its own brakes. Choosing a trailer size and type How to pick a trailer size you will not regret, when to go tandem instead of single axle, and which of the seventeen trailer types suits your job. Galvanised or painted? Rust, frost and the Canberra climate Why hot-dip galvanising outlasts paint, where trailers actually rust, and what frost, UV and the run to the coast do to a trailer around Canberra. Registering a trailer around Canberra Which side of the border you register with, what a new trailer needs before it can be registered, and what to check when buying a used trailer. Trailer rego in the ACT When Access Canberra needs to inspect a trailer, what the ACT fee cut actually was, how to check a rego before buying used, and the NSW rules for Queanbeyan. Servicing and repairing a trailer What a trailer service covers, how often to do it, the parts that actually wear, and why a trailer specialist is better set up for it than a general workshop. Hiring a trailer vs buying one in Canberra What trailer hire costs around Canberra, the hidden costs of hiring and owning, the rough break-even, and what an older trailer costs to keep registered. Trailer safety inspection checklist What an ACT roadworthy or NSW pink slip checks on a light trailer: lights, tyres, brakes, coupling, chains, chassis and plate. Check it at home first. What a trailer costs to own around Canberra ACT and NSW trailer rego fees by weight, the 2025 fee cut, injury cover, optional insurance, servicing, tyres, storage and a worked year for a 7x4 box trailer. Towing a trailer from Canberra to the coast Getting a trailer, boat or camper down Clyde Mountain and back: NSW towing rules, brake fade, salt water and bearings, the pre-trip walk around, where to stop.

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6x4, 7x4, 7x5 or 8x5: which box trailer size?