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Hitch Carrier or a Small Trailer
- Thread starter Trackday
- Start date
Alright tow masters could use a critique of my tie downs:
Two ratchets around each fork lower at the fender mounts - pressure biased towards the kickstand side using the front hooks on the trailer.
One ratchet across the rear wheel is holding it tight in the channel.
Seemed to be fine when I took it for a spin around the neighborhood but I always appreciate a second opinion.
As a side note how the hell do they expect you to adjust the to tongue weight with these moto trailers? Should I throw all my gear / tools in the back end to act as a ballast?
Two ratchets around each fork lower at the fender mounts - pressure biased towards the kickstand side using the front hooks on the trailer.
One ratchet across the rear wheel is holding it tight in the channel.
Seemed to be fine when I took it for a spin around the neighborhood but I always appreciate a second opinion.
As a side note how the hell do they expect you to adjust the to tongue weight with these moto trailers? Should I throw all my gear / tools in the back end to act as a ballast?
I would stand the bike up straight and not have the kickstand used at all
You don’t want and hard/rigid mounting
Let the forks and swing arm absorb all the weight
I would also try to get the front straps up higher near the handles bars or top triple.
You don’t want and hard/rigid mounting
Let the forks and swing arm absorb all the weight
I would also try to get the front straps up higher near the handles bars or top triple.
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The fact that the trailer has a built in chock into its frame helps to hold the bike in place. Especially when breaking with the car, preventing it from wanting to "lunge" forward
Tonque weight is good do not try and balast the back. A trailer with too much weight on the tongue tows fine an trailer too light on the tongue sways like a mofo. The chocks are biased to the front on purpose to keep people from underweighting the tongue.
Sent from my moto g(8) plus using Tapatalk
I can't see the licence plate on the car. One of these days LEO will notice.
A single car garage can old a lot but it isn't usually convenient access. Mine held an Astro van, Goldwing, canoe, ladders, tool boxes, welder, supplies etc. but no trailer. A trailer, if you need one, is a necessary evil.
Maybe if I was using the 407 they might give a toss, but they have bigger fish to fry than going after an old guy driving an Acura
Relax
Well-known member
The way the Stinger folds up, it's actually thicker than the cheap fold-up when put up against a wall, although it is shorter - so if depends on your needs. I had one and hated it because it took up too much space. Trailer-In-A-Bag is the way to go, as mentioned by Dufusite. It comes apart and actually does fit in the included duffle bag (don't expect to lift it though). I absolutely love mine, but if you use it a lot and are constantly assembling and disassembling it, the cheap folding trailer stored in your back yard might be the better option. Or for something more corrosion-resistant, Apogee makes an almost all-aluminum one (only the axle is steel), but they're pretty expensive.
Relax
Well-known member
For these, I've heard more than one story of how the handlebar went through the rear glass. So just make sure it's tied down properly to prevent sway, and add some padding between the grip and glass.
I see lots of the Princess Auto racks in the woods. What I see is they bend and flex, one side is always lower than the other. When attached to cars they are just about dragging on the road. I see people struggle to unload and load the bikes. I have seen the bikes being dropped while being loaded, bashing into the car/truck. Most times the owners are asking for help to load the bikes. I hear the stories when the bike falls off (and see the damage to the bikes) while driving down the highway. Most times they tell me its the rear tires that bounces out. I did my research, ask people who own these carrier questions, search out reviews on the web, and found a small company out of Texas. I ordered a Mototote hitch carrier. It is the opposite of the Princess Auto unit. It’s a single beam with a smooth deck and a very long ramp and has four tie-down locations. (Two at the front and two at the rear.) I have it on a small cross over. It rides higher, so no issue. However, it cost more than double what the Princess Auto unit. I can load and unload the bike in minutes with no help or fuss. The carrier has a built-in anti-rattle so its solid on the hitch. To most they are happy with the Princess Auto unit and to them, it’s the absolute best and nothing is better. Especially when you can find a used one for under $100. I went the opposite way and I am happy I did.
That Mototote looks really nice, and for $450usd it damn well better. The princess auto one is perfectly fine for a fraction of the cost. If you can ride a dirt bike, you should really be able to load it onto the PA carrier. And if you didn't tie the back tire down and it bounces out, you are a complete moron.
Another option is the MXHauler. Yet another stupidly expensive contraption.
Another option is the MXHauler. Yet another stupidly expensive contraption.
The princess auto one was $90 new on sale a couple months ago. I bought it to cart around my sons 160lbs dirt bike. For that it is perfect. I needed it once for my 400lbs Daytona and it worked well enough to get the bike home. Was it ideal, no, but it worked. And I got the bike on and off the rack myself.
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