Topic: My New Bike Hauler

[george]

Harbor Freight trailer kit , seems like it will do the job. I'll be bringing my bike back from NC to Texas , we'll see how it does. I was able to buy this for what U-Haul wanted to rent one for the trip. Took three good days to build !

[CBGhia]

Looks good. I have been thinking of getting one of those, but I have to find a place to store it.  How is the bike running?  We missed you at the Harvest Classic.

[george]

Looks good. I have been thinking of getting one of those, but I have to find a place to store it.  How is the bike running?  We missed you at the Harvest Classic.

Hey Joe I wanted to come but was in NC, I had been on an extended camping trip in the mountains of NC and around Lake Wylie. Had an awesome time , just me and my dog ! Had to leave my bike at my step sons house to haul a load of catering cookware back to my wife. I'll be heading back in a couple days to pick it up. Oh , I'm finally starting a new build on another K8.

[george]

CBGhia, this thing folds up pretty easy , have to remove the sideboards.

[70CB750]

Looking good! 

I would make sure the bearings are happy before you hit the road.  Better now, than later.

[george]

Looking good! 

I would make sure the bearings are happy before you hit the road.  Better now, than later.

Amen to that ! I repacked the ones that came with , had something more like wax than grease ....And I bought a spare set !

[70CB750]

Great minds 

[Mo]

Whats the speed rating on that bad boy?

[george]

Whats the speed rating on that bad boy?

The paperwork says 55 , but there are lots of reviews online , guys pulling them 70-75 loaded . It's got 12" wheels like a boat trailer. I'll do a write up when I pull it back to Texas loaded with my K8.

[cheftuskey121]

Been lookin at one of those for a long time now, and this makes me want one even more.  let us know how it pulls etc.

[Lost and Confused]

I have one, pull my bike with the chock I got at Harbor Freight. I had to shim the sides out a little to fit my Polaris Sportmans 400. It trailer's really good at speeds up to 65. The tires you get don't last a long time, so rotate them if you have a spare. The hardware you get will rust pretty fast, so I painted it with clear.



Enjoy your trailer, Bob

[heffay]

I have the same trailer.  Been going for about a year and a half now. 

The paint fades FAST, which is my only long term complaint.  Every one I've seen on the road around here is a lovely shade of PINK instead of the original RED. 

Don't run the ground wires like they tell you to in the build manual.  Run an individual ground wire from the plug to EACH of the tail lights, a folding trailer is not designed to retain a ground like a solid trailer. 

I got one from the batch that had the defective hubs.  The bearing housing and rest of the hubs are just fine, but the part of the hub the wheel bolts to is not straight in line with the bearing housing, so the wheels wobble a bit.  It doesn't seem to affect anything other than the look of it going down the road.  It just looks like all the old semis running the Dayton wobblers. 

I put my old truck box on the front to hold gear. 

The build took me an entire day.  I was shocked to find out there was not a single nut, bolt, or anything pre-assembled.  Damn thing came in two HEAVY boxes that could both fit inside a bathtub!

After a few runs with it, go back thru and tighten bolts.

Mine has probably 4k or 5k miles on it and its paid for itself many times over.  Just took it to Glamis this past weekend... one quad on it, the other in the truck, all the camping gear stuffed in the bed of the truck in front of that quad.  When we get to our destination we just unpack everything onto the trailer with a tarp over it and camp in the back of the truck on an airbed.  We kinda feel like the Clampetts compared to everyone in the 20-50 thousand dollar haulers and RVs, but status isn't everything!

[70CB750]

I built my own trailer while ago; this is the sheep wagon variation.

[heffay]

It trailer's really good at speeds up to 65. The tires you get don't last a long time, so rotate them if you have a spare. The hardware you get will rust pretty fast, so I painted it with clear.



Enjoy your trailer, Bob

I wonder if you have different hardware on yours than I do, mine doesn't show the slightest bit of rust and still look shiny new, but we don't get much rain here and salt on the roads just doesn't happen here either.

I pull mine at 65mph all day long, but will crank it up to 80 if I need to pass. 

Like I said, I have 4 or 5k miles on mine... not even much of a sign of tire tread wear... check your tire pressure and that you are not exceeding weight limit.  I run mine on HOT AZ pavement and rocky desert terrain too!

I carry two spares, just in case. 

[heffay]

I had to shim the sides out a little to fit my Polaris Sportmans 400.

That doesn't seem right... unless you have wide tires or offset wheels, all sportsman quads are 48" or less in width. 

How did you deal with the fenders and the portions of angle iron that stick up over the bed w/ the casters?

[george]

hey thanks for the write up guys ! I'll be towing mine from Houston to Charlotte loaded with exercise equipment, weights and stuff so it will probably be pretty close to the 1195 max cap., for my stepson and then bringing my K8 back to Houston. Will do a write up when I get back 1

[Lost and Confused]

Hi. I have the sides on my trailer. So with 2x4's outside and the slats inside you lose about 3" of width. My first quad was 44" , the sportsman's 48". It fit's like a glove, I love it. Also I added four "D" rings for straps. Also added a small ammo box on the front to hold straps, it's waterproof. And I carry my ramps as well. I 'm known as very forgetful, so having everything on the trailer is nice. I use the trailer on the back of the quad, to pull wood out of the woods, only problem is you have to mount the license plate higher. Also have added tennis balls on rods so I can see trailer when empty.


Bob

[Xnavylfr]

How long is the box???  The chopper in my avatar is 9' 6" from front wheel to center of back wheel. I extended the front out some to accept the wheel.



Xnavylfr(chuck)

[heffay]

It is a 4'x8'
A foot and a half too short for ya, buddy.

[lucky]

Those small tires wear out fast because they are spinning much faster.
My tire shop showed me the ratings and I bought true trailer tires that were a much higher rating. Also if you can buy a spare it can really pay off.

[70CB750]

That's why I run CJ7 wheels on my trailer.

[Don R]

All the trailer tires are from china these days. Even the goodyear marathons. A car tire or light truck tire is a better option based on your load.

[heffay]

So with 2x4's inside and the slats outside, you lose about 3" of width.

Gotcha, that's why I put my rails on the outside of the vertical supports.  I don't worry about anything falling between the little bit of space there, since I only put coolers and such in there aside from the quad.

[heffay]

That's why I run CJ7 wheels on my trailer.

Right... and I don't mean to be rude when I say this, but the conversation from the OP is about the HF model.  We would have to run completely different hubs and remove the fenders on those to run full size wheels/tires.  I would not go to that expense on a cheap Harbor Freight trailer, I'd just buy a proper trailer and be done with it.

Like I said... I've had no problem with tire wear.  And when you can buy a spare wheel/tire from HF for like $25, even if they do wear fast, it won't break the bank.

[Xnavylfr]

If you do some searching , you can find some 13"/14" wheels with the 5lugs on 4.5" pitch.



Xnavylfr(CHUCK)

[heffay]

they are 4 lug

[RSchaefer]

I got the smaller version from HF with the metal removable sides, front & back and mounted the motorcycle wheel chock more forward on the tongue to get just right weight distribution for my CB750.  I pull it with my '05 Goldwing.  Looks cool going down the road - Goldwing pulling a vintage CB750.

BUT as others have said I rebuilt the bearings the day after I purchased it and there were metal shavings in the grease in the bearings from the Chinese factory.  I soaked the bearings in gasoline and then repacked with the HF bearing re-packer tool.

[scottly]

hey thanks for the write up guys ! I'll be towing mine from Houston to Charlotte loaded with exercise equipment, weights and stuff so it will probably be pretty close to the 1195 max cap., for my stepson and then bringing my K8 back to Houston. Will do a write up when I get back 1

Hey George, make sure the load weight is biased towards the front of the trailer. Too little of weight on the tongue will make the trailer "whip" back and forth. I once came up on an SUV, towing a HF trailer at 70 MPH on I-40: it was whipping back and forth so much I was afraid to pass!! I've seen cases where whipping trailers have caused the tow vehicle to flip onto their sides.

Heff, is the four-bolt pattern on a 4 1/2" bolt circle? If so, Ford used that pattern for 13" and 14" passenger car rims for at least 30 years.

[Stev-o]

How much are those?

I recently bought a 5x8' utility trailer for $700 new.  Hauls 2 bikes no prob and the wheels are 15".

[heffay]

4x4"

I think these cars have same pattern

4 on 4 (101.6 mm) Austin-Healey Sprite Crosley - all
 '39-'52 MG Midget Jensen Healey
 Opel Manta, Kadette, GT
GM L-body Buick Skyhawk
 '75-'81 Chevrolet Vega, Monza
 '71-'81 Pontiac Sunbird, Astre
 '76-'81 Oldsmobile Starfire '75-'81

[NobleHops]

I had one of those and as you say it took a good 2-3 days to build it, deck it, paint it with sand paint, and get it road-ready. They are by any objective measure pieces of crap but like a Ural, there is a perverse satisfaction one gets out of using one, repairing its deficiencies, etc. it does fold up and store pretty compactly, and it can be customized and braced to shore up its weak points.

I ran mine up and back to Vermont with two dirt bikes on it dozens of times, then built stake sides for it and hauled all manner of brush and firewood and debris with it. Moved a few friends. Drug it around my lawn and woods behind my lawn tractor full of hay and children.

Finally gave it away after 6 years or so for a case of beer and it lived on hauling a bike around for another 4-5 years last I knew and by then it didn't owe anybody anything.

So if you're a little short on dough, don't mind fiddling a bit, and resourceful then I'd declare them a solid value.

[heffay]

How much are those?

I recently bought a 5x8' utility trailer for $700 new.  Hauls 2 bikes no prob and the wheels are 15".

Stev-o... http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=4x8+folding+trailer ... I used a 20 or 25% off coupon and got it for about $250.  The more expensive one is the one that I have.  It seems to be the same exact trailer except for wheel/tire size.

[Stev-o]

That's pretty cheap.

[xluckx]

Hey guys,
the trailers are definitely worth the money , especially with the coupon. But go online and figure out the bugs while putting them together. Tons of help out there. It took me two days to build it.
The main thing is cleaning out the wheel bearings and using a high end synthetic grease. That is a must. Also, grounding each light is helpful. Make sure the tires are up to pressure and buy a spare as finding one on the road is difficult.
 I towed it unloaded for four hundred miles and was rear ended twice because some douch bag bro in his big truck didnt see it in traffic. So i stopped at Lowes and taped on those three foot tall reflecters. No problems hauling my BSA back from storage at 70 mile per hour +
Let me know if you have questions!

[raymond10078]

I bought a similar, if not identical trailer back in 1986 - and I still have it.  I have since given up on the folding parts, added 1-1/2" angle iron under the frame, and replaced the axle (I overloaded the trailer one time (building a deck) and bent the axle).  Only one flat on the road so far.  Have traveled across Nebraska/Colorado at 75-80 MPH too many times to count.  If you don't want to own a truck - these little trailers sure come in handy!