Pulling a 20 or 24 foot trailer

harleyman_1000 · February 25, 2014, 06:49:52 PM

I have thought about putting the bike in the back of the truck, but would be very hard for me to load the bike into it by myself, also neither my truck or bmw can be flat towed

I have seen a picture of a car dolly with a ramp built on the front of it for the bike to ride on, Im wondering if this would still be to much tongue weight?

RJ · February 25, 2014, 09:40:01 PM

Quote from: harleyman_1000 on February 25, 2014, 06:49:52 PM
I have seen a picture of a car dolly with a ramp built on the front of it for the bike to ride on, I'm wondering if this would still be to much tongue weight?

Yup. . .

Fredward · February 26, 2014, 04:01:04 AM

I was thinking the 24 foot trailer was probably too much tongue weight? Not sure how the engine cradle and bumper are attached to the bulkhead on the GMs. But on my MC5 it's all attached to the cradle which is welded to two vertical frame members. How does a guy know if it's too much weight?
Fred

Jeremy · February 26, 2014, 04:35:44 AM

Whenever these threads evolve into a discussion about tongue weights, someone eventually mentions the option of a drawbar trailer. Here's one with bizarrely-small wheels (built by a company about a mile from my house as it happens):

...And then after that someone else will mention devices which effectively turn regular trailers into drawbar trailers:

...And now we're ready for some posts about the expense and difficulties of reversing such trailers...

Jeremy

rusty · February 26, 2014, 05:32:01 AM

the picture Jeremy posted is a fifth wheel type and is a little harder to back. I have one with a steerable front axle. It reverses caster when I want to back up and is very easy to back up. It has a tongue weight of about 15 pounds.

Wayne

Jeremy · February 26, 2014, 06:45:05 AM

Quote from: rusty on February 26, 2014, 05:32:01 AM
the picture Jeremy posted is a fifth wheel type and is a little harder to back. I have one with a steerable front axle. It reverses caster when I want to back up and is very easy to back up. It has a tongue weight of about 15 pounds.

Wayne

Only semantics but I wouldn't describe drawbar trailers as 'fifth wheel types' myself as they are designed to use regular hitches - there's no need for a fifth wheel coupling. (And fifth wheel trailers have lots of nose weight, which drawbar trailers don't)

Jeremy

Oonrahnjay · February 26, 2014, 07:55:15 AM

Quote from: harleyman_1000 on February 25, 2014, 06:49:52 PM
I have thought about putting the bike in the back of the truck, but would be very hard for me to load the bike into it by myself, also neither my truck or bmw can be flat towed I have seen a picture of a car dolly with a ramp built on the front of it for the bike to ride on, Im wondering if this would still be to much tongue weight?

A trailer has to have some certain amount of tongue weight to tow safely and properly, but with the right balance, the loads from a trailer like this (with only a bike on it) should be minimal. If you're saying that there is a bike ramp at the front (on the tongue) and a car on the usual wheel platforms of the car dolly, it would probably be *very* front heavy. It would put a lot of load on the vehicle structure and very likely tow badly as well.

rusty · February 26, 2014, 08:54:47 AM

Jeremy, Semantics is the word of the day. You are correct about the hitch that connects to the bus. I was talking about the part that connects to the trailer. That firelli trailer has some sort of fifth wheel plate the trailer sets on to let the trailer wheels to rotate when turning. With that set up you have one more hinge part to move when backing.

Wayne

luvrbus · February 26, 2014, 09:07:25 AM

Here in the US that would be called a 5th wheel or a jeep setup I saw a new FeatherLite stacker behind a Prevost, the front axle was not steerable but the rear axle was, it's the wave of the future I was told @ 100 grand + lol the guy told me it was the easiest to back trailer he has ever owned fwiw

Jeremy · February 26, 2014, 10:49:52 AM

Ok, fair enough on the terminology. Oddly enough I remember that when I bought a to dolly years ago I looked at the pivot plate on it and thought "Hmm, that's just like a 5th wheel".

For the sake of doing it I've just Googled the term '5th wheel trailer' and near the top of the results was this mind-boggler:

Jeremy

Oonrahnjay · February 26, 2014, 10:53:57 AM

Quote from: Jeremy on February 26, 2014, 10:49:52 AMFor the sake of doing it I've just Googled the term '5th wheel trailer' and near the top of the results was this mind-boggler:

Jeremy

He's just doing it "his way"!

yeeolde48 · February 26, 2014, 09:42:42 PM

We tow a 30 foot trailer behind our 1955 PD4501 Scenicruiser. Total length bumper to trailer door is 77 feet. Legal length in Ohio is 65 feet, but I use a 5th wheel hitch mounted in a regular hitch box on the bus and that qualifies as a stinger steered transporter, which allows me to go to 75 feet +/- 5 feet overhang at each end.
What I have found is the laws are basically for commercial vehicles, and if you are not going to be conducting any interstate commerce you will probaly be left alone. With a lettered race trailer, we get stopped fairly often for checks even though we are non commercial. I have a letter from the Ohio DMV stating my total length compled with Ohio law, and I keep copies of the commercial regs with me as it is rare that an officer stopping me knows about the differences betwen commercail and non commercial regs.
As far as towing behind a GM, we did a lot of strengthening of the cradle, and adding support braces across the engine bay, but I am still concerned about the impact on the rear of the bus, as my tongue weight can exceed 3,000 lbs under normal normal drive loads. I am in the process of building a device like the "Trailer Toad" to take the hitch weight off the back of the bus. Let me know if you would like more detials.
Dave
PD4501-304

4905 doc · February 27, 2014, 04:54:07 AM

Pulled a 20' enclosed with our Camaro and my Suzuki motorcycle, barbecue, 16' ladder, and 2 electric scooters squeezed inside.

Took the whole load on a 7500 mile road trip on only secondary roads. (no interstates) No issue's at all. Found most campgrounds had large pull through sites.

luvrbus · February 27, 2014, 05:04:50 AM

Lol I don't know how the state of Idaho measures their total length but you see the Albertson's and other rigs towing 3 -53ft trailers behind 1 truck man those things are long and has to be 1 hella of a truck driver is all I can say

Jeremy · February 27, 2014, 06:08:34 AM

I've always wanted to have a go at pulling multiple trailers. The only people you see doing it in the UK are circus operators and I think they qualify for a special exemption (showman's license) which even professional hauliers can't get.

A friend of mine who lives in South Africa tows his boat behind his caravan behind his car regularly, and I'm jealous.

Jeremy