Purchasing enclosed trailer (need advice)
#11
6x10 0r 6x12 are both fine, width is important if your not pulling a v nose ,7 footers are like pulling a parachute (gas milage wise),both bikes will fit in a 6' width. might have to stagger the chocks, the 12 footer will give you more room for luggage , spare tire , trailer dolly ,etc,,,
#12
I am glad to help. I setup and loaded many a bike trailer as I not only sold trailers but worked for an OEM manufacturer hauling bikes to shows. Feel free to ask any questions. As far as tiedowns and D-Rings, check out M & R products. Great stuff. Properly setup you can roll the trailer and not lose the bikes.(not recommended though) Make sure whatever you use in the trailer is nut and bolted to the crossmembers or backed up with a metal plate. Some cheap trailers or so-so dealers will only screw the D-Rings the the wood floor which is a disaster waiting to happen. Always use 4 straps per bike and don't be afraid to cinch it down pretty tight. You won't hurt the bikes but you would be surprised how much they can move even when you think they are tight enough. Trust me, it is not a pretty sight to open the door and see bikes that have come lose and moved. Ducati's especially don't like that. Guess how I know!
#13
As far as bigger being better that sounds good on paper but you have to consider many things like storing it and parking it when you get to your destination. Even little things like eating and getting gas on the road. Most of the time a 6x12 will go most anywhere and can be moved by hand with a tongue jack wheel on most nearly level surfaces. You get to a 7x16 tandem axle setup you may find yourself at truckstops more than you would like and they cannot be moved by hand
#17
Yes, I had a Cargo Pro 6X12 and I carried two big bikes in it. I had the Condor chocks and E-track to strap to. The first bike was easy. The second was a little harder. But some of that was due to my size and age. I'm not as flexible as when I was younger.
I measured out from the outside wall 2" inches longer than 1/2 the width of the handlebar to the center of the right and left chocks. Then I staggered the ***** fore and aft about 4"
With a single axle trailer, the weight of the bike should be 60% ahead of the axle. I lift the bikes for oil changes on a cycle floor jack so I knew where the center of gravity was on the bike.
The next consideration is to kept the tongue weight on the hitch at 10 % of the gross trailer weight loaded with the bikes and stuff. I put a scale under the tongue jack to find where to place the gear.
Pulled two bikes to Daytona Bike Week and the trailer pulled nice and straight.
I measured out from the outside wall 2" inches longer than 1/2 the width of the handlebar to the center of the right and left chocks. Then I staggered the ***** fore and aft about 4"
With a single axle trailer, the weight of the bike should be 60% ahead of the axle. I lift the bikes for oil changes on a cycle floor jack so I knew where the center of gravity was on the bike.
The next consideration is to kept the tongue weight on the hitch at 10 % of the gross trailer weight loaded with the bikes and stuff. I put a scale under the tongue jack to find where to place the gear.
Pulled two bikes to Daytona Bike Week and the trailer pulled nice and straight.
Last edited by lh4x4; 11-28-2008 at 09:08 PM.
#18
I pucked up a 6X10 used cheep. Was used very little but dude moved weights in it and bent 2 of the cross members. Pulled out the floor panels, cut out the flimsy stamped channel and welded in real 4" channel. New hardware and some sheets of aluminum diamond plate on the 1/2" plywood and the floor doesn't flex a bit. And like Atlrkc said,the 6000# D rings are attached to the channel or 6X6X1/8" sheet steel. Still have less then $1600 in it. Still haven't used it for the bikes but I moved my house in 5 loads and a friends in 3!
#19
No matter what size you decide on, I recomend tandem axles. Much better to have 4 wheels than 2 plus the trailer will take much more of the load. And as previosly posted 16 inch on centers for the bracing. Myself I have a 7X14 V nose. Good for 3 or 4 bikes depending on there size. But I bought it for 2 and gear. One more thing, you want a ramp door. I would recomend a 7 foot wide V nose tandem axle.
#20
Go with 7 ft! I had a 7X12 tandem axil V nose built for our bikes this past summer. At the timw we were hauling a SERK and a Sporster. I had the bike chocks installed in a staggered pattern with the second set 2 ft to the rear of the first. I found that the right side saddle bag had to be removed so that the pegs on the sportster would be sure to clear the bags if there happened to be any movement. No way we would have been happy with 6 ft wide.