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| phantom98 | | Set |  | | Reg. Date | : | 25/05/2010 | | Posts | : | 24 | | Location | : | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
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| | Posted : 06 Apr 2011 - 04:23 Post title : Does the bird fit on a typical 8 foot utility trailer? | | | Going on a family vacation this summer and I was hoping to bring the T-Bird along. I know that I could ride it there but, having the wife drive the family vehicle alone with the two kids for 14 hours does not sound like a good trade-off. (I would be burning enough brownie point bringing the bike in the first place.)
I do not plan on trailering the bike very often so I was thinking of getting a good second hand utility trailer which could also be used for household projects. Also a utility trailer might be easier to sell later than a dedicated bike trailer. The dedicated bike trailers are nice but are fairly expensive especially once you factor in that they only serve a single purpose.
The specs indicate that the bike is 92.1 inches long which only leaves 3.9 inches on a "real" 8 feet. I was hoping to be able to stay in the 5x8 size since they are less expensive and it is smaller and would fit in the backyard. The next size up is typically 5x10 or 6x10 which is a few hundred bucks more as well as quite a bit larger when you see them side by side.
Does anyone have experience trailering the bird relatively on the cheap or on a typical 8 foot trailer? Also, are trailer kits available in Canada? We cannot have kits shipped from the States unfortunately. (Harbor Freight and Red Trailer have great kits. Too bad.)
I thought of renting but at $100 or so bucks a day, I might as well buy. U-Haul is cheaper but I have yet to have a good experience with their equipment.
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| lioneloxford | | Set | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 01/04/2011 | | Posts | : | 231 | | Location | : | Oxfordshire, United Kingdom |
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| | Posted : 06 Apr 2011 - 07:39 Post title : Re: Does the bird fit on a typical 8 foot utility trailer? (Re: phantom98) | | | Bear in mind that if you do not have a rear drop down end, the bike can overhang a few inches as the back wheel will still be on the trailer floor.
I was considering this to tow the bike behind a motorhome. Sold motorhome so never needed to buy a railer.
Hope this helps.
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| phantom98 | | Set | | | Reg. Date | : | 25/05/2010 | | Posts | : | 24 | | Location | : | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
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| | Posted : 06 Apr 2011 - 16:50 Post title : Re: Does the bird fit on a typical 8 foot utility trailer? (Re: lioneloxford) | | | Actually, on many utility trailers, the rear gate is also used as the ramp and would need to be closed. But, I suppose something could be made to close it part way and leave it at an angle instead of vertical.
| Phantom98
| | Post edited by phantom98 on 06 Apr 2011 - 16:51 |
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| phantom98 | | Set | | | Reg. Date | : | 25/05/2010 | | Posts | : | 24 | | Location | : | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
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| | Posted : 06 Apr 2011 - 17:01 Post title : Re: Does the bird fit on a typical 8 foot utility trailer? (Re: phantom98) | | | Has anyone used one of those hitch harnesses? They lift and hold the front wheel but leave the rear wheel on the ground. They are less expensive and easy to store. Aside from some wear on the rear tire from free-wheeling, would there be any other issues? (Tranny, stress on the front fork, ...)
| Phantom98
| | Post edited by phantom98 on 06 Apr 2011 - 17:01 |
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| Theazrp | | Set | | | Reg. Date | : | 14/10/2010 | | Posts | : | 111 | | Location | : | Gold Canyon, Arizona, United States |
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| | Posted : 06 Apr 2011 - 17:02 Post title : Re: Does the bird fit on a typical 8 foot utility trailer? (Re: phantom98) | | | Yes it will fit. I got an 8ft trailer to use for various things and decided to see if it would carry the bird if need be. Heres a pic. not all the way thru the project yet and will add some side rails etc. This isn't a heavy duty trailer but has a load capability of 1195lbs so it'll hold the Bird easily.  good luck
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| lioneloxford | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 01/04/2011 | | Posts | : | 231 | | Location | : | Oxfordshire, United Kingdom |
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| | Posted : 06 Apr 2011 - 17:30 Post title : Re: Does the bird fit on a typical 8 foot utility trailer? (Re: Theazrp) | | | A couple of other options -
Link
Link
Link
| | Post edited by lioneloxford on 06 Apr 2011 - 17:59 |
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| phantom98 | | Set | | | Reg. Date | : | 25/05/2010 | | Posts | : | 24 | | Location | : | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
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| | Posted : 06 Apr 2011 - 22:25 Post title : Re: Does the bird fit on a typical 8 foot utility trailer? (Re: Theazrp) | | | Nice little trailer Theazrp. That looks like a Harbor Freight kit. That is pretty much what I am looking for. Unfortunately, importing it into Canada is not dome easily.
I'm looking for an equivalent package here but I have not found one yet.
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| telebass | | Set | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 15/10/2010 | | Posts | : | 111 | | Location | : | Maine, United States |
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| | Posted : 07 Apr 2011 - 00:49 Post title : Re: Does the bird fit on a typical 8 foot utility trailer? (Re: phantom98) | | | Phantom, I believe you have your answer, but I'll chime in and underline it anyway. I used my 8' utility trailer to haul my wife's Tiger with plenty of room to spare. The Tiger's wheelbase is just 4" shorter than the Bird.
Happy haulin'.
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| Theazrp | | Set | | | Reg. Date | : | 14/10/2010 | | Posts | : | 111 | | Location | : | Gold Canyon, Arizona, United States |
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| | Posted : 07 Apr 2011 - 00:57 Post title : Re: Does the bird fit on a typical 8 foot utility trailer? (Re: phantom98) | | | It is indeed a Harbor Freight kit. I didn't realize when I bought it that they have another just like it that has a bigger axle, 5 bolt wheels and is rated at about 2400lbs or so. I don't have plans to haul this thing cross country but recently I saw one just like mine that was for sale by a guy who hauled his bike down here on it from Canada, so they'll do the job.
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| Toxic | | Set | | | Reg. Date | : | 28/10/2010 | | Posts | : | 4 | | Location | : | Canada |
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| | Posted : 14 Apr 2011 - 11:37 Post title : Re: Does the bird fit on a typical 8 foot utility trailer? (Re: phantom98) | | | Phantom, check out Rona, that is were I got mine.
the tailgate is a ramp and the front lays forword giving you about a 10 foot bed.
Let me know if you want the make and model. It was a couple of bucks short of a grand
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| phantom98 | | Set | | | Reg. Date | : | 25/05/2010 | | Posts | : | 24 | | Location | : | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
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| | Posted : 14 Apr 2011 - 17:07 Post title : Re: Does the bird fit on a typical 8 foot utility trailer? (Re: Toxic) | | | The have this one at $1199 that seems nice: Link
Is that the one you got?
I was hoping to find something in the $500 to $800 range. Still looking at the classifieds but a lot of those trailers are pretty sketchy. Lowe's is starting to open around here. They had a stack of them that were still unassembled. I'll give them a week or so to get them together then I might go look there. They are the "Carry-On" brand. Does anyone have any opinion on those?
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