hi , i just finshed with my winter build of a homemade pull behind trailer and now that i have hooked it on to the back of my bike i find that it angles down towards the hitch. anything i can do to eliminate this problem. maybe a 10 inch tire instead of a 12 inch? any comments that help will be appreacated....

 

10" tire will drop it 1 inch and 8" will drop it 2 inches... if you need more , you can add a bend to the tongue ,or use a different axel

 

Can you add some height to your ball mount or ball? Don't know about your particular hitch, but ...there is a wide selection of drop or rise receiver hitch tow bars if you have a receiver hitch on there. 1-1/2 inch receiver hitches can be "had" for a two-wheeler and then you can use the riser draw-bar ball mount.

You will be very limited in an 8-inch wheel selection, but that may not matter to you. 10's...you can find in a good looking wheel, but with the 8's...you're pretty much stuck with the little white rim devils and you have to dress those up if it matters to you. Harbor Freight list a chrome 8-inch, but it's a 4-lug and then you still have the spindle to deal with. I used spinner towers and spinners on mine.

I think your most economical bet is to work on the hitch end and see if you can get the ball or ball mount elevated.

 

ok , thanks i may have to look into a different hitch setup.

 

I would think it's better to have it leaning toward the hitch than away. Our Aluma has 12" radial tires on it. I wouldn't go any smaller on the wheels because of the ride and wear on the bearings. I use the air shocks on the bike to bring the hitch up. Usually run 25-30 lbs. for the best ride.(two up) Also the load in the trailer will bring it down some.

 

Just wanted to comment on the trailer in yer pic Firebike32. I've seen that one somewhere before, and still think it's one of the sweetest rigs out there. Was wonderin though, about how much ya got in that thing (if ya don't mind my askin)?

 

How is the axle mounted? what kind of springs does it use? are there shackles on the springs?

 

I couldn't agree more that the 12-inch tires are much better looking and can be had in a larger variety and style, but some of these little trailers don't have the wheel-well space to install the taller tires. When you go shopping for wheels and tires to fit what you have...you're stuck with some golf cart wheel with a 4-bolt pattern, very few are dot approved....and are as wide as a dragster-tire. If I were building/buying a new trailer I would certainly go with the 12's. Having said that....these trailers with the 8-inch wheels have surely been millions...and millions....and millions of miles for years and years. The bearings are not that hard to re-pack and the hubs are the same as those used on the larger trailers, usually 1-1/16" axles.....very strong. The really good thing is you can find them in just about any place from Home Depot to Lowe's to Wally-World to Harbor Freight for around $30 wheel-tire-n-all all over this country. There are ways to dress them up, but all-n-all for style...I think the 12's are much more attractive.

That is a good looking rig there Firebike!

 

hi guys ,thanks for your help, i figured i needed about two more inches of trailer ball height and i found a ball at fleet farm that is 1 7/8 x 3/4 x 2 1/8
it has an extra 2 inches machined on just below the ball and this worked out perfect. trailer is now level. thanks agian.

 

Good deal.....it won't have any effect at all on your tongue weight...as it is the force "sitting" on top of the ball. Only reason you would have to be concerned about the longer stem was if you were pulling a REAL heavy load. You are not likely to be hauling a load-of-logs....I suppose!

That's what these forums are for....to help each other.