I am a newbie with regards to trailers and stuff.

I have an oppourtunity to buy a trailer for cheap (150 bucks). Its an 4x8 feet trailer with a lenght of 11'6" and it supposed to weigh at 200 lbs. The thing is licenced and ready to go.. It says it can hold 2 bikes. The guy would trailer his snow mobile (about 500 lbs) on it with no problems.

If I get it I will have to paint it though, its seen better days .. so some painting from rattle cans would be done. I probably will have to replace that plywood, i dont know how I can trailer that with 2 holes for motorcycle wheels on it. I dont know how to work it with holes on it.

My biggest issue with buying is, where the heck do i store it? The guy had it hanging from the rafters in his garage. I dont have a garage.. and my parents garage is too small probably to fit it in there. Plus their garage is quite a bit filled. The last option is to park it at uncle's place and take it when i need it. Problem is that i will have to go back and forth from LA to pick and drop off the trailer each time I want to trail the bike back to LA and sacramento. I would like to keep it here with me in sacramento and wehn I go down to LA keep it in my uncle's place (over christmas) and then bring it back up when school starts.


So what do I do.. I dont want to pass up on a used trailer for 150. Its a smoking deal for me. The other problem is I need to install a trailer hitch on my car (2000 ford focus). I know the focus can trailer upto 1000-1500lbs with a tounge weight of 200lbs (not sure how to calculate that one).

Anyway give me tips and ideas and if I should buy it it will be in the next few days.

The pics are included in here.

http://dev.swforums.com/Images/The_good_guy/trailer1.jpg
http://dev.swforums.com/Images/The_good_guy/trailer2.jpg
http://dev.swforums.com/Images/The_good_guy/trailer3.jpg

Manjul

The deal does sound good, but the storage seems to be the problem. I'll leave the tie down problem to someone who has experience towing bikes.  I once had a Swedish camper trailer which could be rolled onto its side and hooked up against an outside wall; the wheels were tucked under the base, unlike yours. So, could this one go up on its end with the shaft sticking up? If so, then there might be room after all to store it at your parent's place which sounds closer to you.
Might look ugly as hell with a plastic bag stuck on the tongue to stop rust, but it would be available to you whenever.
Hope it works out.

why do you NEED a trailer?

Quote from: pantablowhy do you NEED a trailer?

so when i come home for christmas break i can bring it along and ride it during the dry so.cal days.

Quote from: pantablowhy do you NEED a trailer?

Sometimes the good riding is out of reasonable riding distance I think it would be safer to just put the bike on the trailer and drive a few hours on the boring interstates rather than load the bike with clothes and necessities and possibly go through some adverse traffic and weather.  Not everyone has all the riding they could want by their house  

I could use a trailer... Then I could bring my GS to my friend's house in the mountains rather than having to borrow his dad's Buell for a ride.  No fun making it through the city and riding 4-5 hrs just to be too tired the next day for riding!

If you want to I believe I can make you one that takes the front wheel of the bike and you use tiedowns on the handle bars. It will fit to a trailer hitch and you tow it with back wheel of bike on the ground. Remove chain for additional peace of mind. No registration needed. Yea copy of an idea that I saw at a trade show once... But hey who cares. I believe under 150 I think. No storage needed... It fits in the trunk of the car with room to spare. No I cant make a proto type of this. Cos the only 1 is the prototype.
Cool.
Srinath.

Oh yea... Those big holes...will bend your front brake disk
Cool.
Srinath.

Turkina, I was referring to why HE needs one. I guess he'd have to do a cost-benefit analysis. $150 for trailer for how many uses, vs. how much $$ and hassle to store it, refurbish it, register it etc.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=34284&item=2436081731

That is similar to what I was going to make... but mine will be stronger, lighter and not have that cranking mechanism... You'll need a short ramp (2X4 sitting on a milk crate will work fine) or a strong friend... to lift front wheel into the cradle. The tiedown hooks etc will be part of the thing. So lift the fornt wheel in, tie up with the straps and go...
Cool.
Srinath.

I have a trailer myself, and like to take the bike with me on longer trips.  This can combat rain, fatigue, large amounts of cargo and anything else(sore ass anyone?)

I also have the problem of where to put it.  I leave it on the side of my house now, and will probably hoist it onto the wall in my garage, as I don't want the thing to rust away to nothing.

It is designed for one bike(has a track that runs up the middle) but I've modified it for 2 bikes.

Anyways, enjoys trailering your bike around with you.

Quote from: seshadri_srinathhttp://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=34284&item=2436081731

That is similar to what I was going to make... but mine will be stronger, lighter and not have that cranking mechanism... You'll need a short ramp (2X4 sitting on a milk crate will work fine) or a strong friend... to lift front wheel into the cradle. The tiedown hooks etc will be part of the thing. So lift the fornt wheel in, tie up with the straps and go...
Cool.
Srinath.

I was thinking of that one, and while its cool and all first off all your going to burn rear tyre rubber awfully fast. Secondly I dont know how much strain it will put on the bike and the frame and the front forks.

Anyway I am going to call the dude and find out some stuff and maybe see it.

The rear tire wont really show any wear even after a coast to coast tow... why... no load and no power. The rear wheel is going to maybe carry 200-300 lbs (designed to carry ~600+ lbs and serious lateral and axial load under turning and acceleration), and the front will be essentially un touched. The front suspension and the whole frame will be the same load as it was carried on a truck (well Ok a bit more but less than if it was ridden). $359 is really high. Its some box section steel tubing, some channel section, and some pipe all welded up. I'd say 25 bucks for material and 100 for labor and $25 to ship coast to coast or so rough estimate. You proivide the tiedowns... yea the 3 straps in the front wheel... twirl a tie down 3 times around the wheel, and strap it. I'll provide a bunch of locations for hooking up tiedowns.
Cool.
Srinath.

Do a good deed and reorganize your parent's garage  Hold a monster garage sale.  If they are storing stuff in the garage, they probably don't use most of it! (same situation at my house)
Hmm, that little trailer hitch device looks pretty cool, much better than a bulky trailer!

Hi,

I'd be suspicious of the 200lb weight, that may refer to maximum tongue weight, maybe not. Sounds a little light to me. But the tongue weight usually isn't a problem. I've towed a trailer with a GS500 and an SV650 and can pick up the tongue without effort. Total weight is more of an issue, check your owner's manual (and make sure you don't need extra braking).

As others mentioned - replace the plywood and use a different tiedown system. Those holes will kill the brake disks. No matter which system you use, watch out for your disks.

If space is an issue, there are trailers that fold in half (like a ping-pong table) so you use a lot less room storing them.

My hitch cost me $150+ (installed).  Rain gear is cheap, and I prefer riding to driving anyway    Do you have other uses for the trailer? Otherwise it might be cheaper to buy a junker for riding at home and leave it there.

j

oh i ride rain or shine.. but for me now that I am going to school about 400 miles away from home taking the bike where i want to go will be a huge bonus. Plus the trailer could be used to haul stuff when tied down properly.

We are still deciding on stuff. I like it cause it can tow two bikes. My bike and tai's bike can go if needed.

I know i can tow a max about 1500 lbs i think but i will check the manual, the tounge weight should be about 200lbs for it to tow.

150 installed isnt too bad i should start shopping for that and get a hitch installed. its good idea to have one.

Just buy a pick-up

Back to basics: I have a hitch on my car because it avoids bicycles being loaded onto the roof and scratching the shite out of the paint. Plus the convenience of my wife being able to load 2 mountain bikes without me coming home.
It also means I can rent a dolly to haul any small car/bike/pteradactyl I find it necessary to take long distances.
Tthirdly, I can pull friends' trailers with the crap that my daughter/wife/friends think Ikea has the world's only supply of. Man, that was an ugly sentence.
Lastly, I can scratch the boys for as long as I like in the comfort of Connolly hide with my right hand and maintain a steady speed in safety.
Note to self: Look for a program which mirror-reverses "smileys" to the right hand for gestures.

okay, the plywood although looking nasty, (should be replaced)the holes shouldnt be an issue unless you load the bike on there side-ways) consider using steel grate. use ratchet-straps on the 4 corners minimum drill into the frame at the 4 corners and install some eye bolts into them (to attach straps)would also consider investing in some soft ties strong fabric straps w/ loops at both ends so you dont have to hook directly to the bike. or as srinath said maybe get one of those bike front wheel tow-dollies. jc whitney has them also. by the way srinath, what cant you do  :mrgreen:  

Maybe it's just me, but I have never seen a trailer kept indoors.  They are usually in the back yard or something.

Well my welder got a tig and is itching to use it. I typically make any design cheaper and stronger and remove some of the niceties. This idea just popped into my head when I saw it. 3 feet of steel channel, 3 feet of square section tubing, drill and pin it and then weld it. Couldn't be easier.
Cool.
Srinath.