Trailer story

[Arley]

I was hauling a 1948 Indian chief for a friend. While driving down interstate 65 the road was so ruff that the bike was on its center stand still strapped down when I got to the destination. Has this happened to anyone else or share your trailer horror story

[D.A.Bagin]

I have had it when trailering my Four that some of the bounces are so bad that the seat pogo shaft jumps out of the tube totally and jams up and out where I have to unbolt it to get it back in the tube. Remember the tube and shaft are much shorter than a Chief or Harley of any type. I wire tie it down to the frame now to prevent it.

[hennigan62]

was in maryville tn. at smokey mountain hd several years ago. on my 62 panhead getting ready to leave. a couple pulled in with a motor home a trailer. they came across parking lot to me and ask for help. they had a hd dresser in the trailer on on its side. needed help getting up and secured. had driven from indy and never check bike the whole way down. used wood screw eyebolts in the floor of trailer and strapped to them. put front wheel of bike in v of trailer with no wheel chock. some straps and bunjie cords. we got bike up. advised them to at least to go to lowes and get eye bolts and fender washers thru floor and ratchet straps to continue.

[Arley]

was in maryville tn. at smokey mountain hd several years ago. on my 62 panhead getting ready to leave. a couple pulled in with a motor home a trailer. they came across parking lot to me and ask for help. they had a hd dresser in the trailer on on its side. needed help getting up and secured. had driven from indy and never check bike the whole way down. used wood screw eyebolts in the floor of trailer and strapped to them. put front wheel of bike in v of trailer with no wheel chock. some straps and bunjie cords. we got bike up. advised them to at least to go to lowes and get eye bolts and fender washers thru floor and ratchet straps to continue.

That is asking for trouble. One trip from Sturgis I seen a dresser on its side in the carrier on the back of a motorhome

[Architect]

Coming home from Daytona, my buddy had a Road King on a very flimsy trailer. Going along on the Cross Bronx, the trailer flexed so much the tie downs fell out of the eye loop. Fortunately he had a wheel chock and pulled over fast enough to avoid tragedy, but WOW anyway.

[T. Cotten]

My favorite trailer story, Folks,...

Didn't hurt a motorcycle.

It was light, empty trailer behind a luxury sedan, and I was a back-seat passenger as we were on our way to a McCormick Place expo/swap. The driver was a very experienced urban pilot, so as we were flying down the Dan Ryan Expressway, I just kept my mouth shut, while the trailer was flapping in the breeze behind us.

About two blocks from Lake Michigan, the left wheel passed my window.

....Cotten

[chuckthebeatertruck]

It was light, empty trailer behind a luxury sedan

....Cotten

At least it wasn't me --



IMG_5549.JPG
I try to keep the trailer loaded quite well with bikes and bike parts :-)


Anyways, I've helped quite a few people over the years who experienced a bike that came loose on a trailer. Enclosed trailers are always the most fun as often the driver never stops and checks the load. So, there's been more than once I've gone to help someone unload and heard "Gawd Da%& it" when the doors opened and the bike was on its side or nearly there.

The most common culprit -- cheap cam lock straps or the really cheap 500 pound ratchet straps. Both are worthless as the day is long for securing a 600-1000 pound load that has its own suspension. Unless you use a chock and compress the suspension -- trailer horror stories will abound. Followed closely by not understanding tongue loading and the resulting "wag" that only increases with speed. I've seen plenty of trailers off tracking at 80mph . . .and always wonder if anyone notices the trailer moving that much.

For my own part, I've only had one trailer horror story -- and it was a box truck. I was moving shops and had 8 or 9 bikes to move. I rented a truck with a lift gate so I could move machinery as well as my tool chest and the bikes. I had successfully moved all the bikes but one flathead and one thumper. The move was five miles. I loaded up the bikes, strapped them down, and when I got to the new shop, I found the flatty almost on top of the thumper. The left front eyebolt came completely free of the bolt down chock and the right strap pulled the bike over when the tension released. The only reason I didn't have major damage is because of the locking wheel chock. It let the bike twist over almost 45 degrees, but did not let the bike fall. Lesson learned -- I always replace the hardware with quality towing hardware.

[pisten-bully]

My trailer is for rescues only, a couple of summers ago I needed it as the Chief quit about 15 miles from home (...decided to phone my wife instead of trying to fix it...too close to happy hour ) ....a really big guy riding a newish Harley stopped to help me push it up on the trailer...did I mention he was big? Got it up on the trailer fast and he proceeded to keep pushing....the Chief ended up in my lap (not fully over...but close!)

I traded a seat to a guy for this trailer, no plates or working lights!

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[frichie68]

Expensive closed trailer designed and built to haul old bikes, discovered my flathead was laying on its side at the destination. Lots of speculation about "cheap ratchet straps" but actually an eyebolt had pulled through the plywood floor of the trailer. Fortunately no damage except some gas on the trailer floor.

From my own experience, ALWAYS use MORE THAN TWO ratchet straps!

[Lyle Manheimer]

Never ever secure the front end by the handlebars. They may bend or worse yet the pinch bolts may not be tight. I always secure around the lower triple tree with a short strap. This works for well for telescopic front ends. A springer or girder is different. That looks ok but I think I would have gone with a couple more straps as well.

[Tom Wilcock]

A threaded eye bolt is ready to bend and break at the root of the threads. I would not depend on that as the sole means of anchoring.
Tom

[chuckthebeatertruck]

I traded a seat to a guy for this trailer, no plates or working lights!

My el cheapo trailer cost a 30 pack of bud light. It was specified to be non-chilled and in cans. Easy peasy.

I got 3/4 ply for free for the deck replacement, but I did shell out for new high speed tires, hardware, and towing tie downs.

I had allis chalmers orange orange on the shelf and repainted it.

Chocks I bought years before.

The hitch mount for my Jag cost $60 on Amazon. I think someone forgot a digit. I didn't ask.

All in, the rig cost me something like $200 on the road.

i was elated, especially as trailer plates were $18.

Now, trailer plates in Illinois are $118/yr.

I actually pay more for a trailer tag then I do for motorcycle tags!

Bikes are only $48/yr. Practically a bargain.

Maybe i I can convince the state my trailer is an antique and get av tags ;-)

[dixchief]

Best 1 I ever saw , 4-5 yrs ago, was a large motor home pulling a small single axle flat trailer (12" wheels) you would use for luggage?boxes maybe if you're a yuppee.

On it he had his luggage, a good size scooter and A FREAKIN SMART CAR !!!!!!!!!!!

I COULDN'T GET AWAY FAST ENOUGH.

[ChiefTwoKicks]

That kind of stupidity is much more incurable and potentially deadly as the "plandemic" virus. welcome to the NWO

C2K

[PRG]

Howdy chaps,

Daytona 1990. Broke from a restoration I turned my Horrible Freight foldable trailer into the grey Spruce Goose and headed 800 miles to bike week pulling it with an 80hp VW Rabbit. Max speed on level ground, 52 mph. When 3 ft off the back of huge Newell pulling a tandem axle 28 ft enclosed hauler, 70mph. After staring at that lift gate for 14 hours with laser focus I was so whipped I lost my voice.



25 years later of having bikes and oversized loads, now sagged in the middle as of about 2014. Cheap Ted’s coil kaput, literally ran home got my rig and struggled to get this behemoth on board.