Why buy an expensive trailer?, when you can build your own
When your traveling on a motorcycle its almost impossible to carry all the nessasary items for the long haul much less the luxury items. But there is a alternative! A pull behind trailer which can be bought or fabricated on your own. My wife and I decided after looking at the pricetag for a already built trailer that we would make our own and see how it performed and if it would work for us. It was fine and very inexpensive. We ended up taking it all the way to the grand canyon and back with a 7 man walkin tent, a cooler, a inflatable bed, a portable shower, a guitar and tons of clothes and other what would seem luxury items on a motorcycle trip.
New addition:
Hey! one thing everyone needs to know is that when you are pulling a trailer with a motorcycle its not gonna be the same as when you rode single. Its a whole new game. You will drive slower and be more alert for road and weather conditions also you will have to ride with a more "think ahead type mind" in other words if you have to stop think ahead don't just cramm the brakes. When you have to get off the highway plan it a couple miles before hand, drive defensively granted your still a motorcyclist just in a different mode. I have exercises I do for that type of riding,I live in detriot and I try to "time " the lights, I try and see how far i can go without my feet touching the ground. This takes looking at the lights ahead and depending on what they are doing, adjusting my speed accordingly, If the light has been green a while I call that a "stale light" so I might slow down to a crawl to let it cycle or if its a new green light and im back aways I may speed up depending on what the lights after that are doing . Try to look at the big picture,whats ahead and behind me (im always checking mirrors). My doctor and I were talking about me having over thirty years of riding behind me(trust me ive had my dumps" he said something that made me think "I know your a good rider" I said "Hows that doc?" He said "Your still alive"
New addition:
Hey! one thing everyone needs to know is that when you are pulling a trailer with a motorcycle its not gonna be the same as when you rode single. Its a whole new game. You will drive slower and be more alert for road and weather conditions also you will have to ride with a more "think ahead type mind" in other words if you have to stop think ahead don't just cramm the brakes. When you have to get off the highway plan it a couple miles before hand, drive defensively granted your still a motorcyclist just in a different mode. I have exercises I do for that type of riding,I live in detriot and I try to "time " the lights, I try and see how far i can go without my feet touching the ground. This takes looking at the lights ahead and depending on what they are doing, adjusting my speed accordingly, If the light has been green a while I call that a "stale light" so I might slow down to a crawl to let it cycle or if its a new green light and im back aways I may speed up depending on what the lights after that are doing . Try to look at the big picture,whats ahead and behind me (im always checking mirrors). My doctor and I were talking about me having over thirty years of riding behind me(trust me ive had my dumps" he said something that made me think "I know your a good rider" I said "Hows that doc?" He said "Your still alive"
Contents at a Glance
An overview
You can build this trailer from scatch and it wont cost you a arm and a leg. Its light and when loaded correctly you will barely notice its back there.the trailer came from harbor freight and has all the assembly instructions included. The plywood just bolts to the frame you will need short half inch bolts. the cargo box attaches to the plywood and use bolts with big washers to hold it on,what i did was set it where I wanted it and drilled through the cargo box, and right through the plywood. I think I have 8 bolts holding it on. Make sure you have the box so that the weight is centered to the axel if you look at mine I have it back further because the cooler adds weight to the front. As a added feature we took ladder replacement hinges and replaced the stock hinges on the cargo hauler so that it would open up with a bigger opening Materials you'll need
1075 Lb. Capacity 40-1/2" x 48" Mini Utility Trailer with 12" Four-Lug Wheels and Tires (Harbor freight)
X-Cargo Sport 20 Car Top Carrier
Sears item# 02872020000 Mfr. model# 72020
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sheet of plywood 3/4" thick
wrenches ,pliers,hammer, screwdrivers, socket wrenches
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X-Cargo Sport 20 Car Top Carrier
Sears item# 02872020000 Mfr. model# 72020
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sheet of plywood 3/4" thick
wrenches ,pliers,hammer, screwdrivers, socket wrenches
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Step 1:
First step is to go to your local harbor freight and buy the 40-1/2" x 48" Mini Utility Trailer with 12" Four-Lug Wheels and Tires there are 2 trailer the same size but one has 8 inch wheels you don't want that for the reason that if a 16 inch wheel is doing 75mph a 8 inch wheel is doing 150mph lots more strain on the bearings and the rubber is not rated for that high speed. The trailer is put together easily with instructions provided. The only modification you need to know is to attach the tow bar as far ahead as possible the longer the tongue the more stability.
Step 2:
attach the plywood with bolts to the frame
Step 3:
attach the cargo hauler and go camping! Recommended materials you can get on Amazon
Reader Feedback
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- Chuck Chuck Oct 21, 2009 @ 1:55 pm
- On the 12" wheel there is a statement-----Maximum highway speed 55mph. Highway speeds are going to be 65 to 75. Is this trailer, i.e., Harbor Freight #90153, going to handle these highway speeds? In the picture with the trailer together and attached to the motorcycle, itlooks like the tongue is longer than the one that came in the box.
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- springer13 springer13 Dec 20, 2009 @ 2:37 pm
- yes i extended the tongue by mounting it forward.It makes the trailer more stable at high speeds. It prevents swaying a peoblem with trailers also you must load at least 30% of the weight on the tongue for good handling, Me i just fill the coller with food ice and beer and it always pulls fine,yes the bigger wheels are less hard on your bearings(less spins per MPH) ive seen full size snow-mobile towing trailers with the same size wheels. I have taken mine over 10,000 miles to date and no problems
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- vt1100 vt1100 Oct 7, 2009 @ 10:17 am
- why the plywood? it does increase the weight.
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- springer13 springer13 Dec 20, 2009 @ 2:31 pm
- the plywod gives the frame extra strength and the box is a thin fiberglass so I wanted a sturdy bas to bolt to. I think you could use a thin sheet of aluminum but the plywood is definitly cheaper
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- Jackie Nettles or John by birth Jackie Nettles or John by birth Sep 26, 2009 @ 11:28 pm
- Wow looks good to me I just got back from a ride to Seattle to St.Joe Mi. all 6000 miles of it and as much room as a wing has I still wished for more, It's a great Idea think I'll build my own to thanks for the Idea
- Load More
P.S.
I added on the cooler carrier which when full keeps good weight on the tonge. most motorcycles are rated for only 600 more pounds added to the axel weight (that includes body weight) so pullling a trailer is easier on the bike than loading it down
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- thomscool thomscool Dec 20, 2009 @ 12:50 pm
- Great lens, thanks for the information.
I comes from Indonesia, If You have a chance, please visit harley davidson accessories blog. Thank You.
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- thunder-on-wheels thunder-on-wheels Dec 11, 2009 @ 12:39 pm
- Cool lens. Gave you 5 stars.
Check out mine at http://www.squidoo.com/Howtopropaint1
Zekes ride
Ready to ride
Here it is finished before our first big trip
Harbor freight Trailer
Trailer with 12" wwheels
Heres the trailer you will need
- trailer link
- This is the link to harbor freight tools the trailer page
Sears Cargo carrier
Bolt on carrier
bolt on carrier for pull behind motorcycle trailer
- direct link to sears
- this is the sears store online x-cargo page
by springer13
I have been riding and building motorcycls since the age of 16. I am 52 years old now and still riding I have a 06 classic harley davidson springer .... (more)
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