One Final Ride: Tony’s Tours Builds a Custom Funeral Trailer in Western Australia
Sometimes an idea starts with the smallest detail.
For Tony Spence of Tony’s Tours in Perth, Western Australia, it was a towball.
Tony had purchased his trike to launch a touring business along the west coast of Australia, giving passengers a memorable way to experience coastal rides, sunsets, winery trips, weddings and other special occasions.
But something about the trike caught his attention. Why did it have a towball?
Around the same time, Tony had seen an old photograph of a trailer designed to carry a coffin. The two ideas connected.
What followed was months of thought, fabrication, problem-solving, and careful attention to one especially important detail: creating a secure and respectful way to give motorcycle riders one final ride.
Today, Tony’s custom-built funeral trailer is complete and ready to serve families in Perth and across Western Australia.
Building Something Different
Tony didn’t start with a finished funeral trailer. He designed and led the build specifically for this purpose, developing a setup that would complement the trike while providing the functionality necessary to safely transport a coffin.
The finished trailer features a 40 mm jarrah timber deck, matching mag wheels and a removable jockey wheel, bringing together practical design with a look that feels right at home behind the trike.
It is a project Tony put considerable time and thought into, and the finished result shows it.
We were impressed from the first photos.
The woodwork, proportions, and attention to detail transformed an unconventional idea into a polished memorial transport vehicle. Tony is understandably proud of what he created, and we’re proud to have played a small role in helping him bring that vision to life.
Our only complaint? Australia is a little too far from Ohio for us to see it in person.
Turning the Vision Into a Working Funeral Transport Trailer
When Tony first contacted G. Burns, he already knew what he wanted to accomplish. The next challenge was determining how a coffin would be loaded, positioned, and secured for transport. That started an ongoing conversation about the same components found in traditional funeral vehicles and how they could be adapted to Tony’s completely custom application.
There was no one-size-fits-all installation guide for a project like this.
Instead, we worked through the setup together.
Tony asked questions about dimensions, roller placement, bier pins, plates and the amount of adjustment he would need for coffins of different widths. We shared recommendations and installation guidance while Tony continued developing the trailer around his particular design.
The process ultimately included several pieces from our casket loading and securement line, including:
One seemingly small decision illustrates just how much thought Tony put into the project.
While discussing bier pin plates, he considered whether a two-hole plate would provide enough flexibility for varying coffin widths. Tony ultimately chose four-hole plates to provide additional adjustment options, and later added more as the trailer continued to take shape.
That willingness to think through the details became a theme throughout the build.
Securement Was Paramount
The appearance of the finished trailer matters, but Tony was clear about something even more important.
The coffin needed to remain properly secured throughout the ride.
That priority guided much of our work together. The bier pins, plates, and guide posts help create multiple points of securement around the coffin, while the roller assists with loading and unloading. For a traditional hearse, these types of components are familiar. For a one-of-a-kind motorcycle funeral trailer built more than 11,000 miles from our Ohio shop, the application was anything but ordinary.
That is part of what made the project so rewarding.
G. Burns has supplied funeral vehicle accessories throughout North America and around the world, and projects like Tony’s show why components that work across traditional and custom builds matter.
Sometimes our products are going into a hearse. Other times, they are helping someone create something that has never existed quite like this before.
More Than a Motorcycle Funeral Trailer
Tony’s project is certainly distinctive, but the reason behind it is much more important than the novelty of the build. He created the trailer for people who loved motorcycles and the feeling that came with riding them.
For those families, a final journey behind a trike can carry meaning that a conventional vehicle simply may not.
It can reflect the person everyone remembers.
Their passion.
Their personality.
The stories their family and friends told about them.
And the thrill of riding that remained a part of who they were throughout their life. Tony wants the experience to give motorcycle riders one final ride, while giving the people who knew and loved them a meaningful way to honor that part of their story.
That purpose is what makes the build special.
Powered by Tony’s Trike
The trailer may be the newest addition, but the trike remains at the heart of Tony’s Tours.
Tony’s eye-catching Oz Trike is what first launched the idea behind his touring business and ultimately made the funeral trailer possible. It is bold, unmistakable, and perfectly suited to the kind of memorable experiences Tony wants to create. Now, with the custom trailer behind it, the same trike can serve an entirely different purpose when called upon.
One focused on dignity, respect, and remembering someone in a way that feels authentically theirs.
Tony’s Tours: Experiences Across Western Australia
Tony’s Tours was created to give people a different way to experience Western Australia.
Based in Perth and serving Western Australia, Tony offers trike rides for scenic touring, sunsets, winery visits, weddings and other special occasions, with experiences tailored around the people riding with him.
His newest service extends that same philosophy to families looking for something different for a loved one’s final journey. For motorcycle riders, enthusiasts, and the people who knew them for their love of being on the road, Tony’s funeral trailer offers a memorable way to make that final trip deeply personal.
The service is now open for business and ready to serve families throughout Western Australia.
Learn more about Tony’s Tours.
Helping Bring Custom Memorial Transport Ideas to Life
Tony’s funeral trailer joins a growing list of projects that remind us that a memorial vehicle does not always have to begin as a hearse. Over the years, we have supported customers building and equipping everything from fire trucks and pickups to horse-drawn caissons and completely custom vehicles.
Each starts with a different idea.
The common thread is finding a respectful, practical, and secure way to carry someone on their final journey.
Our role is not to define what that vehicle should look like. It is to help customers find the right casket loading and securement components to make their vision work.
Tony knew the experience he wanted to create. He designed the trailer, led the build, and poured the time into getting the details right. We were fortunate to help with the pieces underneath it all that make loading and securement possible.
And from Ohio to Perth, Western Australia, we think the finished result is something worth celebrating.
Have your own memorial transport project in mind?
Explore our Memorial Transport Vehicle Solutions for custom funeral vehicles, trailers, pickups, fire trucks, caissons, and other unique builds.
