Topic: Anyone ever make or find a nice little trailer suitable to pull w/ your 650?

[juntjoo]

I'd love to find something like 3 x 5 pull behind. I think I saw a 3x5 or close for rent from home depot but not for purchase anywhere. I'd be willing to put one together too with the right guidance.

[jlh3rd]

it's been years for me, but i purchased a trailer from harbor freight, put down a plywood sheet and hauled my electra glide out west to ride. I guess they still sell 'em, worked fine.

[juntjoo]

it's been years for me, but i purchased a trailer from harbor freight, put down a plywood sheet and hauled my electra glide out west to ride. I guess they still sell 'em, worked fine.

Yeah? What size?

[Don R]

 I think you mean pull behind your 650 as opposed to pull your 650 on. Right?

[juntjoo]

I think you mean pull behind your 650 as opposed to pull your 650 on. Right?

Yes

[kerryb]

This is a foam/fiberglass/ marine plywood box on a cut-down HF trailer.  110 lb. Frame and wheels, 33 lb box on top.  3' x 4 1/2',  carries all my gear for camping.  My '82 nighthawk could pull it if not loaded down too heavily. 

[juntjoo]

This is a foam/fiberglass/ marine plywood box on a cut-down HF trailer.  110 lb. Frame and wheels, 33 lb box on top.  3' x 4 1/2',  carries all my gear for camping.  My '82 nighthawk could pull it if not loaded down too heavily.

Nice! Harbor Freight? Was the original size 3x4.5?or you cut that down?

[kerryb]

This is a foam/fiberglass/ marine plywood box on a cut-down HF trailer.  110 lb. Frame and wheels, 33 lb box on top.  3' x 4 1/2',  carries all my gear for camping.  My '82 nighthawk could pull it if not loaded down too heavily.

Nice! Harbor Freight? Was the original size 3x4.5?or you cut that down?

Harbor Freight trailer was 40"X 48" if I recall right, took a foot out of the middle, current tongue is aluminum bolted on, (saved 8 lbs.).  Cut a piece of cardboard to a teardrop/airfoil shape and used it as a pattern to make the composite box.  Box bolts to the trailer with 4 bolts.  spare tire is hung underneath.
Then you need to figure out a trailer hitch.  I made mine out of 3/4" square tube and bolted it to the passenger pegs.
Here is a link to the build thread,  I did a lot of reading and made stuff up along the way...good luck.  https://www.motocampers.com/forums/showthread.php?11331-The-Race-to-Sept

[juntjoo]

This is a foam/fiberglass/ marine plywood box on a cut-down HF trailer.  110 lb. Frame and wheels, 33 lb box on top.  3' x 4 1/2',  carries all my gear for camping.  My '82 nighthawk could pull it if not loaded down too heavily.

Nice! Harbor Freight? Was the original size 3x4.5?or you cut that down?

Harbor Freight trailer was 40"X 48" if I recall right, took a foot out of the middle, current tongue is aluminum bolted on, (saved 8 lbs.).  Cut a piece of cardboard to a teardrop/airfoil shape and used it as a pattern to make the composite box.  Box bolts to the trailer with 4 bolts.  spare tire is hung underneath.
Then you need to figure out a trailer hitch.  I made mine out of 3/4" square tube and bolted it to the passenger pegs.
Here is a link to the build thread,  I did a lot of reading and made stuff up along the way...good luck.  https://www.motocampers.com/forums/showthread.php?11331-The-Race-to-Sept

Haha that's awesome dude! Impressive. Thanks. I'm inspired except how you said you did a lot of reading. At least you didn't say welding. Cool  I'll start dreaming something up for myself and that trailer is a great start.

And thanks for introducing me to that site!

[juntjoo]

This is a foam/fiberglass/ marine plywood box on a cut-down HF trailer.  110 lb. Frame and wheels, 33 lb box on top.  3' x 4 1/2',  carries all my gear for camping.  My '82 nighthawk could pull it if not loaded down too heavily.

So let me get this straight: you just cut the tongue down and re-drilled holes for fastening go whichever end you cut... Made the shell put of some fiberglass and foam composit and some plywood? One laminate? With epoxy? Then you just bent tf out of the wood  (with fiberglass composite?) then reinforced it inside with those cross beams (nailed?) then for finish and weather protection you epoxied the whole thing(brilliant!)? These are like 135lbs stock no? How did you save so much weight with the shell included with just fenders and tongue? Did you consider not bending it and just using nice angles? It's pretty aerodynamic what you did.

[kerryb]

The goal was : 
1.  aerodynamic to save gas and pay homage to the original teardrop trailers.  Thus, the shape.
2.  Lightweight to save towing capacity for gear.
3.  Just big enough to carry the items I wanted, my folding cot is 2" shorter than the width inside.
4.  An experiment to try building with composite construction techniques.
The harbor freight trailer was used to aid in registration, next time I will skip that part.  After carefully measuring,  I cut 8" out of the middle of the frame before welding it together.  8" removed from middle of the axle too, then weld.
Exchanged the steel tongue for a length of 2" square aluminum tubing ,saved a bunch of weight.
Exchanged steel fenders for plastic, more weight saving.
The materials to make the box were also chosen for weight savings while maximizing strength, that's what composites are all about.  3mm marine plywood laminated to 7/16" foam insulation board with marine epoxy makes a very strong? Lightweight, panel.  When combined with fiberglass cloth, it gets even stronger with minimal weight added 
To pull off this trailer, I read a lot of articles and build logs, used my existing skills of welding, woodworking, and kayak building, and made educated guesses along the way.  So yeah, I just threw it together.

[juntjoo]

The goal was : 
1.  aerodynamic to save gas and pay homage to the original teardrop trailers.  Thus, the shape.
2.  Lightweight to save towing capacity for gear.
3.  Just big enough to carry the items I wanted, my folding cot is 2" shorter than the width inside.
4.  An experiment to try building with composite construction techniques.
The harbor freight trailer was used to aid in registration, next time I will skip that part.  After carefully measuring,  I cut 8" out of the middle of the frame before welding it together.  8" removed from middle of the axle too, then weld.
Exchanged the steel tongue for a length of 2" square aluminum tubing ,saved a bunch of weight.
Exchanged steel fenders for plastic, more weight saving.
The materials to make the box were also chosen for weight savings while maximizing strength, that's what composites are all about.  3mm marine plywood laminated to 7/16" foam insulation board with marine epoxy makes a very strong? Lightweight, panel.  When combined with fiberglass cloth, it gets even stronger with minimal weight added 
To pull off this trailer, I read a lot of articles and build logs, used my existing skills of welding, woodworking, and kayak building, and made educated guesses along the way.  So yeah, I just threw it together.

Jesus! There's no way I'm doing that. No time to fix my screw ups. You laminated it yourself or bought it laminated? And you DID weld. So you cut the main tongue, welded it back together THEN added that aluminum piece? Did you HAVE to weld? Too difficult to do as I thought cutting an end off then reconnecting to the main frame? I guess it's made welded there huh?

So I won't be able to get your exact final product in all its beauty and glory but I could do something up pretty good with the HF trailer. I suppose I could pull it up to a shop some afternoon and have them cut the middle out of the tongue and replace the fenders and make a decently aerodynamic shell. What would you suggest as in a single material? Plywood and epoxy? Will that be solid enough construction? I'm not looking to sleep in there or throw small people  into. Just general waterproof cargo.

I was also thinking about turning a solid hand dolly into a small 45 degree trailer. Is that a dumb idea? It seems like a secure setup up so long as it can rotate at the hitch, up to so many pounds. And then you just build a box for it. Lid, lock. Would that work?

[kerryb]

Here's the option that doesn't require welding or learning about composites.
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200692633_200692633?cm_mmc=Google-pla&utm_source=Google_PLA&utm_medium=Trailers%20%2B%20Towing%20>%20Trailers&utm_campaign=Ultra-Tow&utm_content=57762&&ds_e_ad_type=pla&gclid=Cj0KCQiA_qD_BRDiARIsANjZ2LDgxxW_40_sdnbVUSzE1G6uqrkGoM29LINdKAGV-GyiTF-uIpHgVkoaAt2XEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

[Don R]

 Some guys want something easy, some guys want to have fun, learn and develop skills along the way. 

  Or, buy the cheap trailer, cut and bolt it to the size you need. Go to facebook marketplace and search cartop carriers. Car top luggage carrier, there are lots of plastic and fabric luggage carriers. And cheap.

[juntjoo]

Here's the option that doesn't require welding or learning about composites.
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200692633_200692633?cm_mmc=Google-pla&utm_source=Google_PLA&utm_medium=Trailers%20%2B%20Towing%20>%20Trailers&utm_campaign=Ultra-Tow&utm_content=57762&&ds_e_ad_type=pla&gclid=Cj0KCQiA_qD_BRDiARIsANjZ2LDgxxW_40_sdnbVUSzE1G6uqrkGoM29LINdKAGV-GyiTF-uIpHgVkoaAt2XEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

not that bad! I've seen that one. Didn't know northern tool had it.ittle pricey but on the lower end still for these. I do though wanna make my shell so I can fix and upgrade it too as well as save some money. But that one's worth looking into. I'll have to check the weight and compare to what I could come up with. I bet it's a lot heavier than yours.

[juntjoo]

Some guys want something easy, some guys want to have fun, learn and develop skills along the way. 

  Or, buy the cheap trailer, cut and bolt it to the size you need. Go to facebook marketplace and search cartop carriers. Car top luggage carrier, there are lots of plastic and fabric luggage carriers. And cheap.

That's a great idea! I'll look into that too. Super idea. Duh. Takes some imagination to figure out how your solution might exists between two separate existing products.

I like the "modular" idea of being able to modify your thing in different ways, and spend on it in pieces. I can start with the hF trailer then make a crappy box for starters, see how it serves my needs, how it handles etc, then modify it as I go along.

[grcamna2]

I like that little trailer,looks aero too.
I purchased 2 bikes from a seller in S. Michigan and took the train there with the intention to have a trailer hitch hooked-up to the larger bike to tow a small trailer that I would pick-up real cheap,$ was a problem and I just couldn't afford a long road trip with my car from CA. to MI. and back.I found a good person to build a trailer hitch from a homemade one previously on a GL1100.He attached it to the larger cc bike I bought from him(a Suzuki GS450:it hadn't been running for years and I was able to work out of his place to get it running)and then I went out and found an old 4x8' Harbor Freight folding trailer,installed new tires and put a new piece of 1/4" plywood on it.I then installed a light kit and put a screw-down chock to hold the front wheel in for the little Honda CB125 I was going to tow behind me on the trailer.
I installed the trailer,loaded the bike onto the trailer with 4 tie-downs using screw-in eyelets along with a couple boxes of parts and took-off on I80W doing 55-60 MPH the whole way.
I made it with no problems.I did learn how to drive a bike towing a trailer for the first time.

[juntjoo]

I like that little trailer,looks aero too.
I purchased 2 bikes from a seller in S. Michigan and took the train there with the intention to have a trailer hitch hooked-up to the larger bike to tow a small trailer that I would pick-up real cheap,$ was a problem and I just couldn't afford a long road trip with my car from CA. to MI. and back.I found a good person to build a trailer hitch from a homemade one previously on a GL1100.He attached it to my bike(a Suzuki GS450)and then I went out and found a 4x8' Harbor Freight folding trailer and put a new piece of plywood on it.I then installed a light kit and put a screw-down chock to hold the front wheel on the little Honda CB125 I was going to tow behind me on the trailer.
I installed the trailer,loaded the bike with 4 tie-downs and took-off on I80W doing 55 MPH the whole way.
I made it with no problems.I did learn how to drive a bike towing a trailer for the first time.

Sweet! Awesome story. Good to hear it worked out. I'm inspired...

[grcamna2]

I like that little trailer,looks aero too.
I purchased 2 bikes from a seller in S. Michigan and took the train there with the intention to have a trailer hitch hooked-up to the larger bike to tow a small trailer that I would pick-up real cheap,$ was a problem and I just couldn't afford a long road trip with my car from CA. to MI. and back.I found a good person to build a trailer hitch from a homemade one previously on a GL1100.He attached it to my bike(a Suzuki GS450)and then I went out and found a 4x8' Harbor Freight folding trailer and put a new piece of plywood on it.I then installed a light kit and put a screw-down chock to hold the front wheel on the little Honda CB125 I was going to tow behind me on the trailer.
I installed the trailer,loaded the bike with 4 tie-downs and took-off on I80W doing 55 MPH the whole way.
I made it with no problems.I did learn how to drive a bike towing a trailer for the first time.

Sweet! Awesome story. Good to hear it worked out. I'm inspired...

The Suzuki is a 6 speed so i was able to keep it in 3rd & 4th about 5500-6K rpms steadily and it pulled the load nicely w/o stressing the engine.

[kerryb]

Michigan to Ca. with a 4x8 trailer in tow, now that's impressive.  Must have been a neat sight to see on the road too.  Did you notice much greater stopping distances with the loaded trailer?  I'm guessing at least a 400lb. load.

Yes, the teardrop shape worked as planned.  The goldwing got 45 mpg without the trailer and 42+ with the trailer in tow.  I was satisfied.

[grcamna2]

kerry,the trailer would tend to 'want control' (the weight of the trailer plus small load possibly close to 500lbs. gross,including the load) and I needed to look far ahead & anticipate all my moves and the traffic around me while I was driving secondary roads;although Interstate riding at that steady 55-60mph was much less stress:a straight shot. 

[Don R]

 I saw that trailer, we added a small fairing to the load at my house, put it on the deck in front of the bike if I remember right. I was impressed and worried the next few days until I heard he made it. What an adventure. 

[Don R]

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/406659217212642/?ref=search&referral_code=undefined

 Like this only $40 and if you click through the two pics it looks like pac man. 

[juntjoo]

Was at Northern tool today looking at the trailers. The aluminum is about $100 more than the steel one. A bit lighter. Then on top those cargo carriers, I guess for truck beds or whatever but I did measurements and idk if they put them right next to the mini trailers on purpose but two would fit side by side on one trailer. If that would suit someone's purpose. I'd rather have all that space in one compartment myself. They're a little pricey too. But the aluminum trailer at $430 isn't bad. I gotta fix electrical problems first on my bike..

[grcamna2]

I saw that trailer, we added a small fairing to the load at my house, put it on the deck in front of the bike if I remember right. I was impressed and worried the next few days until I heard he made it. What an adventure.

I remember you with the screw gun Don;we got that little red fairing held-down well plus the bungies.
We finally ended-up putting it behind the bike to left,flat down on the plywood.I had my wits about me for the journey and made sure to center the load in Michigan before I hooked it up to the bike,plus the tongue of that old Harbor Freight trailer was long enough to give me leverage when I maneuvered it:it wasn't a problem although it was a decent adventure.