your opinion on a trailer

[Jerry]

Might help to see a pic of the trailer in question. I have a trailer that is only about 46 inches between the wheel wells, have carried my XJ on it, snowmobile on it, and it doesn't even begin to tip over at freeway speeds (75 mph) and both of those items weight close to 600 pounds. However, the trailer runs 13 inch auto tires and is quite heavy in its own right.

I carried several bikes on a 4x8 single-place snowmobile trailer, again with no problems with tipping. That one ran 4.80 x 8 tires.

I've seen adds for a motorcycle trailer that folds down and fits in a carrying case.

Would not want to hazard a guess without some more detail, trailer weight, tire size, etc. 3 foot wide is pretty marrow but I've seen some bikes on pretty narrow trailers that seemed to have no problems being towed on the interstate.

One other comment...if you are just hauling 1 trailer, instead of running the entire bed out to 7 feet, get yourself a length of U-channel instead. It needs to be wide enough for the rear tire, but may be safer. Adding the extra decking may cause the trailer to "sail" at speed or in strong winds. The single rail will probably be both lighter and have less wind resistance. Again, this depends much on the underpinnings, frame / springs / tires of the trailer. JAT.

[Montreux_Blue]

You could put a Jack Daniels barrel on it and tow it around!

[lostsoul74]

hey thanks for the input jerry, thats a good thought, never thought of how of how turbulance from underneath could effect the tail extension, though, with 5-600 lbs of wieght on it, i wouldnt think it would make much of a difference. but your absolutely right, i've got some heavy guage 6 inch studs in the back that would be perfect for that, and cheaper then buying a sheet of plywood. Thanks.

eric

[lostsoul74]

thanks blue, but that looks like a 4 foot wide base though, I'm pretty sure (not in front of it, havnt seen in it a month since my neighbor took me in the weeds of his backyard and offered it to me), i'm pretty sure it's a 36 wide overall, with a 30 inch wide bike on top sitting on top 42 inches or so high. Thats where my concern was, being top heavy ya know, but like i said, i guess i'll have to go down and pull it out and throw some fixaflat in the tires and strap a bike on top and try to tip by shaking back and forth ya know. best way to know is to simulate the effect ya know.

[Crazcnuk]

i was thinking of using a piece of U-iron (one sided channel iron) aon mine too. I think I could put a pin at the back so the iron pivots so that I could ride up the channel and have it come down in the front. I would extend the 7' (or whatever) piecs onto the tongue a bit to center the load over the axles.

If I put a stop on the front, like dirt bike trailers, using
6" channel, should be be able to hook the trailer onto the hitch and ride right onto the trailer.

[madmax-im]

I dunno if you ever actually rented one of those trailers, but they have a sign on the side of them (in backwards print so you can see it in the rear-view mirror) that says "Do not exceed 45 MPH". They are NOT meant to go at highway speeds. I didn't mean to offend either, but I see, way too often, people hauling trailers down the road in the fast lane going 70-90 MPH, and cringe as it sways back and forth between the shoulder and the next lane over. There are reasons why states have lower speed limits for vehicles towing trailers. I know there are areas where the roads are nice and flat, but in many places (like here in MO), there are pot holes all over, and hitting a 6" deep hole at 80mph with one of those tiny trailer tires would not be a good thing.

I only ask that you play it safe, especially when towing something.

I have rented a u-haul open trailer for my bike and I'll be damned if I was gonna drive 650 miles at 45 mph...I did 75-80 and the trailer was fine...Uhaul is just covering their @$$ with that arbitrary 45 mph limit IMHO. Now I own my own 9'x6' m/c trailer with a spring loaded ramp,hatch thingy...single axel but with 15" wheels...rock steady at 80 mph.

[MaximPhil]

Hi BNE,
Thats a proper trailer. I like the tool boxes on the fenders.
6 feet wide and 9 long. A bittight but two bikes will fit ?
Phil

[madmax-im]

Hi BNE,
Thats a proper trailer. I like the tool boxes on the fenders.
6 feet wide and 9 long. A bittight but two bikes will fit ?
Phil

Thanks Phil..you will most likely be seeing this at XSEAST as i think I am trailering the Max up...actually I think its 9'x 5'..and no only will fit one bike...but with all the tie down anchor points the bike is quite secure. I dont even need a wheel chock...but I do put 2 straps thru the front wheel to keep it from going anywhere along with 4 other straps I dont F### around with my babies...no mickey mouse trailers for me...

[b.walker5]

I have rented a u-haul open trailer for my bike and I'll be damned if I was gonna drive 650 miles at 45 mph...I did 75-80 and the trailer was fine...Uhaul is just covering their @$$ with that arbitrary 45 mph limit IMHO. Now I own my own 9'x6' m/c trailer with a spring loaded ramp,hatch thingy...single axel but with 15" wheels...rock steady at 80 mph.

IMHO the draw bar on that trailer is too short. I've now built 5 single axle trailers over that last 20 years and all of them have been designed around a couple of simple rules.

Rule 1. The axle should be dead centre of the tray, and
Rule 2. The draw bar should protrude out front exactly 2/3rds of the tray length.

I've towed my trailers at 100mph behind my rod (shh, dont tell the man, we're only allowed 80kmh with a trailer) and they've never budged an inch from track on the road. In my experience short drawbars will more likely cause weaving and they're a pain to back up.

I've just finished building a tandem axle horse trailer for my wife and applied a similair rule for the drawbar,(modified slightly to allow for the longer chassis) and the centre of the axles is centred under the horse box. It went on it's maiden voyage about a week before I broke my leg and it tracked perfectly at illegal speeds as well (empty of course).

[lostsoul74]

funny you would mention a horse trailer, heres mine i bought for a hundred bucks, burried out ina field, put about 10 hours into bondo and paint and throwing that metal on the front, still got this one, i use it for a construction trailer, but too damn heavy to pull out everytime i catch a deal at midnight and have to drive an hour away to pick up a bike on a steal. but hey.... thats why i've never paid more then 400 bucks for any running bike. You can find these old horse trailers dirt cheap out in the country burried out in the fields, a little fixaflat in the tires to get her home, and start workin on it and throw some new rubber on. Thats why I wanted a small trailer, this one takes up most of the back yard in my city yard now. I'll still be keeping it for occasional work use, but need a small one for quick access and small imprint.

[madmax-im]

IMHO the draw bar on that trailer is too short. I've now built 5 single axle trailers over that last 20 years and all of them have been designed around a couple of simple rules.

Rule 1. The axle should be dead centre of the tray, and
Rule 2. The draw bar should protrude out front exactly 2/3rds of the tray length.

I've towed my trailers at 100mph behind my rod (shh, dont tell the man, we're only allowed 80kmh with a trailer) and they've never budged an inch from track on the road. In my experience short drawbars will more likely cause weaving and they're a pain to back up.

I've just finished building a tandem axle horse trailer for my wife and applied a similair rule for the drawbar,(modified slightly to allow for the longer chassis) and the centre of the axles is centred under the horse box. It went on it's maiden voyage about a week before I broke my leg and it tracked perfectly at illegal speeds as well (empty of course).

Well I' ve been from VA to Ontario and out to Toledo OH as well with this set up and although it may not meet your rules it is nonetheless rock solid...no weaving or wagging along. I have never had any problems whatsoever...and I've put a couple thousand miles on it since I bought it last year.

[b.walker5]

Well I' ve been from VA to Ontario and out to Toledo OH as well with this set up and although it may not meet your rules it is nonetheless rock solid...no weaving or wagging along. I have never had any problems whatsoever...and I've put a couple thousand miles on it since I bought it last year.

Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm not dissin' your trailer. I actually like the look of it just saying if I was building it I would have a longer drawbar.

Hey Lostsoul, Not wanting to hijack the thread but... if were now talking horse trailers here's mine in various stages of production. I don't yet have a photo of the finished product as it hasn't been painted yet.



Start of frame... Drawbar length is measure in relation to the centre of the axles.



Add some Ford wheels I'm actually a GM man



Ready for some cladding..



Almost finished... Trailers in background are not mine, i'm not that rough..

[DiverRay]

Trailer looks good,....except for the HITCH!! We usually have the hitch mounted to a bit of steel as strong as the rest of the frame, PLUS. When I've built trailers with my dad, we ALWAYS had the frame steel run up to the hitch, and bolted/welded to it. A 2X3 channel from each side, with a 2X3 heavy wall tube for the hitch.
It may just be the picture, but then, my dad and I BOTH used to drive BIG trucks with trailers...

[b.walker5]

The hitch mount is a lot stronger than the photo's show. It's 10mm plate welded to the draw bar with the hitch bolted to it. We have some "interesting" transport rules that dont allow us to weld the hitch to the frame or mount. It's also now braced with gussetts underneat which arent show in the pics. I know what your saying about the frame steel forming the drawbar, and is common here, but my method is also common and was chosen to achieve a particular hitch height to match the truck towing it and keep the trailer as level as possible while under tow. It's stonger than it looks and passes all our rules.

[Pat Kelly]

trailers and speed

I pull a 53' trailer for a living. In CA the speed limit for any vehicle towing anything is 55MPH. NV and AZ is 75MPH. I-35 in UT has sections that are 85MPH.
My company pays a 3 cent per mile bonus for driving under 60 MPH. Some of the other drivers in my company speed-up outside CA. They all say they can't stand being passed by other trucks. I set my cruise at 59MPH and count my money and think of how much more $ these other truckers are paying for fuel, tires, and maintainence costs.
Different loads effect how the trailer handles. I try to load my trailer with at least 1,000 lbs more on the front of the trailer (drive axles). Sometimes it can't be helped and it ends-up 'tail-heavy' and it is noticeably less stable.
Of course I am dealing with up to 34,000 LB axle weights (steer axle can be up to 12,500 LBS).