Folding Trailer

[The_Veg]

Make sure also that the vehicle you plan to use to pull the trailer is up to the job. I thought about doing a trip with the car and the bike on a trailer (I had my reasons guys, cut me some slack here!), and on researching the idea nixed it as my car is not designed for the task and the available hitch installation hardware requires first drilling some big holes in the trunk and through some structural members, then wiring up some weird electronics to keep the trailer's lights from freaking out the car's brake lamp failure-warning circuit. Looked like bad idea all around so I dismissed it.

[KHartnett]

Thanks for the advice. My car is a Nissan Altima 3.5. It's got a hitch & has already successfully trailed a 2-bike trailer for awhile.

[106427]

About 5 years ago when I was building a house and did not own a truck, I bought a realitively cheap trailer that pivots in the middle so you can drive a lawnmower up on it. I think I paid around 300-400 for it. This spring when I loaded up the family for a spring break trip to Florida, I purchased a front wheel chock for about 50 bucks, and bolted it to the trailer. All in all it works pretty good, especially for what I have invested in it.

James O

[SSCHMUNK150586]

Originally posted by KatHart
Any recommendations for a single, folding bike trailer? Currently looking at the Kendon, but there's a Stinger folding from Ramp Connection.com that looks pretty cool & holds more weight. Need one by 9/12 as I'm trailing my new F650 to Hatteras!

I just went through the trailer scouting thing. Inquired, compared & pondered. I bought a 5x8 landscaping trailer at menards and attached a sheet of 3/4" pt plywood to the deck. Ordered a "bike vise" online and mounted it to the deck also. Add a set of tie down straps and you're ready to go. The trailer has 12" tires, leaf springs, 1,600 # capacity. I haul a R 1200 CLC and it rides rock steady. The bike vise is the way to go. I've got about $800 in this rig.

[SSCHMUNK150586]

Found a pic of the trailer I'm using. See if I can send it.

[roadrider]

You may want to check out the K1200LT.Net Forum on the Kendon trailer. Use the search feature and key in "Kendon". I think the picture, along with the report will enlighten you on a possible major concern. The picture shows how the tongue failed. I do not own a Kendon so I am not in a position to give specific feedback good or bad. But thought you would want to look at every possible concern before you spend your money. There are always two sides to every story so I do not know if the trailer in this picture was over weight. Just trying to give you information I would want to know

[KHartnett]

Yikes - I wouldn't want to be the person who owned that trailer! OK - I've decided to not stress to get a trailer prior to my vaca. I'm a newbie and would rather NOT hone my skills in the company of tourists who don't know where they're going. So my bike will hang out in my 2-bike trailer which is WAY too big for my drive & which I plan to sell. BTW, I'm leaning towards the "Trailer in a Bag" (thanks Jody!) since my trailing will be super minimal.

[JeffPGA]

Wow, that picture brings back memoriesnone of them good. I have a friend in Huntsville, AL who had bought a Vulcan from a man in Virginia and asked me if I would ride along one weekend to go get it. He rented an enclosed U-Haul trailer and ramps from the local U-Haul and had them install a draw-bar and hitch on his Highlander. When he arrived in Atlanta I didnt even bother to check the rig since it was professionally installed. We got caught in bumper-to-bumper traffic north of the city due to construction. Stop and go, stop and go.for over and hour and a half. Finally we broke free of traffic. About 30 miles later the trailer broke free of us! Suddenly we are fishtailing around and producing this sickening sound from the rear of the vehicle. Good news is that the safety chains held, it was late at night (so little traffic) and no one got side swiped and we didnt turn over. Bad news is its the middle of the night, were in the tall grass median off I-85 somewhere in north Georgia and the rear end of the Highlander is destroyed. So much for professional installation! Taught me you always have to check and re-check. They had not put a lock washer on the hitch ball and, with all the stop and go, it had shed the nut. A few cell phone calls and a few hours later, roadside assistance arrived and got us back up and running. In the end, we got the bike and he got a lot of new body work on the truck. I learned a new lesson on trailers.

[JIMVONBADEN]

Originally posted by roadrider
You may want to check out the K1200LT.Net Forum on the Kendon trailer. Use the search feature and key in "Kendon". I think the picture, along with the report will enlighten you on a possible major concern. The picture shows how the tongue failed. I do not own a Kendon so I am not in a position to give specific feedback good or bad. But thought you would want to look at every possible concern before you spend your money. There are always two sides to every story so I do not know if the trailer in this picture was over weight. Just trying to give you information I would want to know

I wonder if that trailer was rated for that much weight? Those are two very heavy bikes.

Either way, looks like the safety chains held and the bikes were undamaged. Scarey though!

Jim

[KHartnett]

Hi All -

Haven't bought my trailer yet. BUT ... check out this trailer I just found. Pretty cool, but pretty pricey!

http://www.ironhorsestables.com/trailer.htm

K

[Rich]

That looks like one snazzy trailer, for sure. Are you gonna buy one? It is pretty spendy although it can be used for lots of things.

[KHartnett]

Nah ... I probably won't by it. Got too many other necessities to pay for! Plus my trailer needs to hide away in my shed ... which I still have to build. Busy, busy busy!

[dancogan]

I have the Kendon single bike trailer. Just came back from towing it 500 miles behind the motorhome, and I was impressed with how smoothly the bike rode. The torsion bar suspension of the trailer works really well. My only criiticism is that the trailer seems to ride pretty low to the ground. But it's nice to fold it nearly in half and stand it upright in the shed, taking very little storage room.