Another trailering question,please,no pussy jokes.
#11
Your way over thinking it bro, just load it to the front of the trailer and be done with it. The bike only wieghs have of the capacity rated for the trailer.
Either way you load it, it will ride and get there just fine. Now if you were pushing the limits of capacity then that would be different, but in this case just load and go.
Either way you load it, it will ride and get there just fine. Now if you were pushing the limits of capacity then that would be different, but in this case just load and go.
#12
A properly built trailer is already slightly tongue heavy. The axle will be slightly aft of the center line of the box and then you have the weight of the tongue, the jack, brake actuator, etc.
BUT..... most small trailers have a tongue rating of 500 lbs or less. So you can load tongue heavy, just don't exceed that.
The most important thing is that you NEVER, NEVER, NEVER load tail heavy.
BUT..... most small trailers have a tongue rating of 500 lbs or less. So you can load tongue heavy, just don't exceed that.
The most important thing is that you NEVER, NEVER, NEVER load tail heavy.
#13
I have a 6 x 12 Vee nose trailer. (2990lbs GVRW, 1400lbs load rating) With the HF chock as far forward as possible, the entire bike was in front of the axel. I moved the chock back about 2' - this put the rear wheel over a cross member just behind the axle and puts about 75% of the bike ahead of the axle. With the trailer empty, the tongue weight is about 230lbs. I haven't weighed it yet with the bike in it.
#15
Never will forget an incident that I saw back twenty or so years ago at a toll booth on the Ohio Turnpike.
A covered, single axle trailer sitting on it's back side with the swing open doors on the pavement, with the tongue pointing towards the sky, with the ball stuck in the coupler!
Clothes, suitcases, etc littered the road behind the trailer.
With enough tongue weight this perhaps wouldn't have happened, but then again if you loose the nuts, you lose you *****.
Seriously, you need enough tongue weight so the trailer is loweris a few inches lower in the front than it is in the rear when fully loaded.
A covered, single axle trailer sitting on it's back side with the swing open doors on the pavement, with the tongue pointing towards the sky, with the ball stuck in the coupler!
Clothes, suitcases, etc littered the road behind the trailer.
With enough tongue weight this perhaps wouldn't have happened, but then again if you loose the nuts, you lose you *****.
Seriously, you need enough tongue weight so the trailer is loweris a few inches lower in the front than it is in the rear when fully loaded.
#16
Your way over thinking it bro, just load it to the front of the trailer and be done with it. The bike only wieghs have of the capacity rated for the trailer.
Either way you load it, it will ride and get there just fine. Now if you were pushing the limits of capacity then that would be different, but in this case just load and go.
Either way you load it, it will ride and get there just fine. Now if you were pushing the limits of capacity then that would be different, but in this case just load and go.
You want it to be front heavy for sure.
Otherwise the trailer will weave going down the road like a wino that just scored a bottle of Mad Dog 20/20.
#19
I've used both Harbor Freight wheel chock's. A word of advice. One of them has the pivot point for the rear clamshell part several inches off the floor. So when your bike is locked into the wheel chock, it's very hard to pull it back out. It's like pulling your front wheel over a bump. If we had reverse, it would be easy. But doing it while you are straddling the seat and pulling on the bars is very hard. I also found that the front part was too close to the brake rotors. The other one they sell has the pivot point right on the floor. It also has an adjustable length. So I set it so that my front tire isn't all the way down when locked in and it makes it so that I can pull it out myself. It also isn't anywhere near the brake rotors. The "good" one is designed primarily to be used in your garage I think although it's also made to bolt down. If you get the second one, remove the front feet off the bottom so that it sits flush down on the floor of the trailer. That way you can also get 4 bolts into it. Otherwise, the front sits off the trailer floor a few inches. The front feet just screw off.
One that doesn't work well for a big bike;
http://www.harborfreight.com/motorcy...ock-96349.html
The one that I find works very good. I have one in my enclosed trailer and one in my open trailer. It holds the bike by itself so you can load it and do the tie-downs by yourself;
http://www.harborfreight.com/motorcy...ock-97841.html
There are other wheel chocks out there that may be better. And usually I go for the "best" even if a lot more expensive. But this one is so cheap and really does a good job.
One that doesn't work well for a big bike;
http://www.harborfreight.com/motorcy...ock-96349.html
The one that I find works very good. I have one in my enclosed trailer and one in my open trailer. It holds the bike by itself so you can load it and do the tie-downs by yourself;
http://www.harborfreight.com/motorcy...ock-97841.html
There are other wheel chocks out there that may be better. And usually I go for the "best" even if a lot more expensive. But this one is so cheap and really does a good job.
#20
Thanks for all the great info. I did get the better chock from HF,tried it out in the garage and it worked great. I had read previous posts about the adjustment and went with the third hole back. Would I need to bolt the chock through a crossmember or use a backing plate under the floor,or would lag bolts into the floor be sufficient?