DraKhen99

Hey all, I know a bunch of you use your trucks for towing, so I wanted to ask some questions:

1. Trailer brands ... I am currently looking at United, but Aspiring and Lark have been recommended. I was told to stay away from Carry On. What say you? For reference, I'm pretty set on a 7x14 TA United XLMTV trailer.

2. WDH - With a 7k GVWR on the trailer, but at most a couple thousand pounds of cargo (motorcycles, stone, mulch, etc), I will be under 5k, so do I still need a WDH?

3. Maintenance. I've never owned a trailer, and only towed one a few times. What maintenance do you have to do on them besides checking the tires?

It'll mostly be used for storing 2 motorcycles, but also for hauling them as well as hauling home-type stuff (stone, mulch, etc.)

Also, I plan to practice towing it around and backing up with it in a big parking lot near my house, any other recommendations?

Lastly, if anyone's got a good used trailer that'll fit my needs, PM me!

Thanks!

-John

Pugga

iTrader: (1)

1. Not up on trailer brands, sorry.
2. GVWR of the trailer doesn't automatically mean you will need a WDH. It depends on how much tongue weight you end up with. If you're under 5,000 lbs total and under 500 lb tongue weight, you might not need a WDH. You likely won't know for sure until you settle on a trailer and figure out how it will be loaded.
3. I usually repack the wheel bearings annually as part of my routine trailer maintenance. While I'm in there, when I pull the trailer out in the Spring, I check the wiring to make sure rodents haven't gotten at them and make sure the brakes are in good shape.

hondagaltoo

I have a 7x14 dual axle enclosed trailer for towing my motorcycles. Mine's a US Cargo, it's what the trailer place was selling, so I'm not up on current brands, since mine is a 2002.
I do have a weight distribution hitch. It makes it tow smoother and not have the truck bouncing up and down as much. It also relieves the "sag" on the rear of the truck.
For maintenance, I have the wheel bearings repacked every other year. Finally had the brakes replaced just last year. Replaced the axles while I was at it, as it was actually more cost-effective to do so.
I have torsion axles, generally recommended over spring.
I had to recaulk the roof, not bad - 14 years leak free.

DraKhen99

Nice! I think I looked at some US Cargo, or Wells Cargo, or something... there are a TON of brands out there. The one I'm looking at has the torsion axles, electric brakes on both axles, vents, lights, chocks and d-rings pre-installed, rear ramp door w/flap, stabilizing jacks (for loading/unloading while not connected to my truck). Pretty much everything you'd want for hauling/storing motorcycles.

Thanks all for the maintenance tips - good to know

On a side note, when I towed my buddy's 6x12 SA Carry-On trailer with one motorcycle in it, at about 60mph it had a wicked shimmy in it. Not sure what caused it, but the bike was the only thing in there, and it was towards the front.

-John

smokeywren

I have owned only two brands, so I know nothing about other brands.


One was a small single-axle Pace American. Nice little cargo trailer for hauling non-perishable food 300 miles from the warehouse to wife's church. But payload capacity was too small for our needs so we sold it.


You don't say where you're located, but my current 7x14 "motorcycle" trailer was made by CarMate, back east. It has D-rings in the floor and on the walls for securing bikes, and with torsion axles for a smooth ride. A GI used it to tow his household goods from back east to Fort Hood in central Texas, and I found it on Craig's List. It was a 400-mile one-way trip for me to go get it but it was an excellent cargo trailer for my needs. Very high quality trailer with optional torsion axles.
http://carmate-trailers.com/

Probably. On a cargo trailer, hitch weight (not trailer weight) is the determinant of whether you need a WD hitch or not. The max hitch weight without a WD hitch is 500 pounds, which is a wet and loaded trailer that weighs less than 3,850 pounds with average tongue weight. With a couple of Hawgs in the trailer, you'll need a WD hitch.

The biggie is to be sure and repack the wheel bearings every few thousand miles, using only the very best wheel bearing grease. Don't think a grease gun will do the job. Repack the wheel bearings by hand, or use a wheel bearing packing tool to replace all the old grease with brand new high-quality wheel bearing grease.

I wanted a 6x12 tandem-axle cargo trailer with at least 6,000 pounds GVWR, but there were no used ones in captivity, so I used Craig's List. None nearby, so I had to go out to the 500-mile radius to find the 7x14 with 7,000 pounds GVWR I bought.

DraKhen99

I'll look into CarMate... I'm in the Mid-Atlantic area, so a ton of trailers either come up from GA or out from IN. Good to know about the WDH. 2,300 + 1,400 (our 2 biggest bikes) is only 3,700 lbs, so I *should* be good. (550lbs for wife's Sportster, 850lbs for my Vaquero)

-John

smokeywren

CarMate is in western PA, so they probably have a dealer near you.
http://carmate-trailers.com/dealer-locator/

Blackbuzzard

I value my motorcycles far more than the trailer that hauls them. And I most certainly dont want to leave the trailer on the side of the road somewhere due to problems.

For the most part, the things that can go wrong with trailers are the wheel bearings and tires.

Twice a yr I repack bearings, and I keep great tires on too.

Also, I travel with an extra hub/bearing assembly......ready to go if I should develop a "hot hub bearing" situation on the road. (maybe I'm a bit paranoid)

toostroked

This is a good idea. I have seen some people mount it on their spare tire. It would help for a very fast swap.

77Ranger460

An Adam trailer built by Dalton Enterprises in SW Virginia gets my vote. They generally build horse trailers, but I believe they will build to your specs.