Stinger Folding Trailer - Anything Similar Found Locally?

Forum Sponsor
PrivatePilot said:
Just bumping this thread...as it seems to have been bumped more than a few times over the years. ;)

FWIW, Harbor Freight has their little folding trailer on sale for $299 right now.

http://www.harborfreight.com/automo...tility-trailer-with-12-inch-wheels-90154.html

I'm looking really, really closely at them, especially when I see how easy it looks to make a whizbang tandem trailer out of them. One that folds up and still stows away easily after the fact.

72209429_647555_full.jpg


I'm going to call tomorrow and ask how long they're on sale for. Even at $300 USD we're only talking $420 CDN, 13% at the border if you're not staying long enough to take it as your allowance, in the end still under $500.
Click to expand...

The only issue I see with this trailer is that your outside anchor points are close to the bike. I'd want them to be as wide as the fender for stability. Not a big issue with a small bike or dirt bike. Unless you use a pitbull TRS which then the channels are in the way.
 
Having imported a few trailers over the years I'm familiar with the RIV process, so take note Irocian you'll be responsible for starting the RIV process (and paying the fees) on behalf of everyone you import for.

That said, for bringing one back...since they're all basically boxed and don't look much like a trailer at the time of import, it would be possible to just play silly and forget to mention it's a trailer, import it on value only, and then register it as home built (FAR easier vs RIV import) on this side.

Not that I'd condone that, just saying. ;)
 
PrivatePilot said:
Having imported a few trailers over the years I'm familiar with the RIV process, so take note Irocian you'll be responsible for starting the RIV process (and paying the fees) on behalf of everyone you import for.

That said, for bringing one back...since they're all basically boxed and don't look much like a trailer at the time of import, it would be possible to just play silly and forget to mention it's a trailer, import it on value only, and then register it as home built (FAR easier vs RIV import) on this side.

Not that I'd condone that, just saying. ;)
Click to expand...

If they are imported as trailer parts there is no RIV process to complete.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Pitbull would cost more than the "trailer parts".

If I had to use one (not buy) I may, but not on a bike I cherished and not without worry. Just looks too flimsy to me.
 
dricked said:
The only issue I see with this trailer is that your outside anchor points are close to the bike. I'd want them to be as wide as the fender for stability. Not a big issue with a small bike or dirt bike. Unless you use a pitbull TRS which then the channels are in the way.
Click to expand...

Agreed, but adding something to make some wider tie down points would be very easy - a piece of chanel welded under the frame extending out both sides (kinda similar to pic) would be easy enough and could be extended out a few feet either side easily.

trailer.jpg


caboose56 said:
If they are imported as trailer parts there is no RIV process to complete.
Click to expand...

Unassembled or not, anything with a VIN stamped on it (and these trailers, in the box, have VIN's) must be imported to be 100% legal. But,. as I mentioned, I'm sure people have intentionally or unknowingly brought them across the border without going through the RIV process, but once that's done...there's no way to register the trailer on this side of the border using that VIN.

Take note that Harbor Freight includes the VIN on the receipt (Google it), so if you show the receipt at the border and the officer actually looks at more than the dollar value and sees a VIN & "Trailer" listed on there he's gonna send you inside.
 
Last edited:
I've decided to just pass on the little folding trailer idea. As much as I love it for the ease of storage, there's no way it'll fit both our bikes. Instead, I've decided to just start accumulating the parts to build one of these in the spring. So simple, light enough that I hope me and a few friends can manhandle it into my backyard during the time it's not in use, and low to the ground so loading and unloading is a "feet still on the ground" experience.

frametrailer.jpg
 
I'm not seeing any suspension on that rolling piece of channel steel PrivatePilot. I wouldn't be putting anything on an assembly like that to tow at road speeds, it may not even be legal.
 
crankcall said:
I'm not seeing any suspension on that rolling piece of channel steel PrivatePilot. I wouldn't be putting anything on an assembly like that to tow at road speeds, it may not even be legal.
Click to expand...

Needs fenders to be legal here, that's it. That's actually a commercially manufactured (and highly regarded!) trailer in the USA, believe it or not, but I can't swallow the $2000 USD tag for something that can be built for about $500 by someone handy that can weld. That's me.

Suspension is not required to be legal. Uhaul car dollies to use but one example do not have suspension - the idea is that when hauling a vehicle, the vehicles suspension itself does some of the absorption. The axle placement on this trailer (further back vs teeter-totter middle) also allows the back of the tow vehicle to absorb a lot of the movement, and the remainder is absorbed by the trailer tires.

These sorts of suspensionless trailers do bounce a lot when empty, but the idea is that they aren't regularly towed around without a load. You'd be surprised at how smooth they can be when loaded, so long as the tires are spec'd so that they have some "give" - AKA, a 1500# loaded suspensionless trailer should have 2 1000# rated tires, not two 2000# rated tires that will have zero flex in them.

A drop axle with torsion suspension would be ideal and I'm still looking into availability...but they're not easy to find nor inexpensive.
 
crankcall said:
I'm not seeing any suspension on that rolling piece of channel steel PrivatePilot. I wouldn't be putting anything on an assembly like that to tow at road speeds, it may not even be legal.
Click to expand...

Even the actual Stinger apparently has no suspension: http://www.stingertrailer.com/ look at specs:
The pneumatic characteristics of the 6 PLY tires and the suspension of the motorcycle itself provide for a safe smooth ride.
Click to expand...

Although I agree... I don't think I'd like to take a trailer up to highway speeds without any sort of suspension.
 
Legal or not, not having suspension is A Bad Thing. There is a local (Milton) company called Cerka that manufactures those rubber torsion axles. Do that.

If you rely on the bike's suspension you are relying on your tie downs slackening and re-tightening on every bump.

I just sold my trailer which had full coil spring and proper hydraulic damper suspension. Rail crossings? Potholes? Interstate 75 through Detroit? No problem, no need to slow down!
 
Spent more time this evening reading up on things. Yes, it appears the Stinger uses the rear suspension of the bike (hence the axle placement) as a good part of the effective suspension of the trailer. Logical. The front end of the bike doesn't get much movement at all (again, axle placement) but the back wheel, probably quite a lot. Yes, it would be moving a lot on the rear straps, but in all the reading I've done about these designs of trailers everyone seems almost universally pleased. Not a lot of complaints about the trailer bouncing, the bike snapping on the straps, etc etc etc...just pleased customers for the most part.

So, considering how long they've sold these trailers and how many years of use they've received, It seems that the suspensionless design isn't as big a deal as some might think.

But, the one complaint I did see was tongue weight. The rear axle placement of the stinger means that the rear wheel of the bike is used for the suspension, but it also means that a good part of the weight of the bike ends up on the back of the car. Since our car only has a class 1 hitch, with 2 bikes and a similar trailer build, that's gonna be a problem...one I hadn't really considered.

So...I'm looking at torsion axle setups now. Should allow me to keep the ride height low as long as I can find an actual axle assembly vs the usual stub setup like Princess Auto sells. Means I'm probably going to pay a lot more as well.

....hmmm. I'm wondering how much ride height I'd end up saving going with torsion vs just using a good old fashioned spring setup with the axle overslung in the leafs instead.
 
If you use the Cerka axle assembly and you get one custom made, you can clock the "trailing arm" with the stub axle. You could, for example, make the nominal axle centerline roughly the same as the centerline of the tube that contains the rubber springs, thus no net ride height increase compared to not having suspension. Can't do that with leaf springs.

http://www.cerka.ca/torflex.asp
 
Yes, their stuff looks good.

I priced out a variety of configurations on the Princess Auto website tonight....frig, before I even buy the steel I'm looking at around $600 for the axle, axle hardware, tires, lights, coupler, etc. The steel will be $400 easily, putting me north of $1K. At that price, I have to ask myself if I'm just better off buying a 6x10 traditional flatbed utility trailer and wash my hands of the whole fabrication thing.

But then I come full circle to the storage issue. Argh.
 
If your fabrication skills are any good at all, anything you build yourself will be better and stronger than any collection of made-in-China parts travelling in approximate formation down the road. Everything in those fold-up trailers is just barely enough and some things (notably the way the fenders attach to the chassis) are not.

I got 16 years out of my homebuilt and only sold it because I bought a van and no longer need a trailer; someone else is continuing to get use out of it.

 
2 of these, side by side, on the back of the car...problem solved for only $150! ;)

s-l500.jpg
 
PrivatePilot said:
there's no way to register the trailer on this side of the border using that VIN.

Take note that Harbor Freight includes the VIN on the receipt (Google it), so if you show the receipt at the border and the officer actually looks at more than the dollar value and sees a VIN & "Trailer" listed on there he's gonna send you inside.
Click to expand...

You register it as home made, which does not require a vin at all in Ontario. Also, my recipet did not have a vin anywhere on it.
Forum Sponsor
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom