Tow vehicle is a motorcycle

[Manuel]

Ya I believe all of you are right that a Hunter Jr is going to be to much to pull on two wheels.

[thrifty bill]

Beauty of a Bunkhouse trailer is it sets up in about one minute.

Better get some motorcycle towing experience. I know how much it affects the ride.

It adds a lot of drama to motorcycling. Everything you do riding a motorcycle is harder when you pull a trailer: stopping, accelerating, maneuvering, lose the ability to do quick swerves to avoid stupid car drivers, etc. Carving up the twisties with a trailer behind a motorcycle, particularly a boxy trailer like any of the motorcycle campers, is difficult. Oh yeah, backing up is a PITA too.

The ride itself is less fun. So you are trading the added risk and reduced riding fun for camping at the end of the day. Its really a lot more about camping, and a lot less about the riding. Thats why I usually used my Escapade trailer instead of the bunkhouse. The Escapade tows infinitely better, is even fun in the twisties. Still it takes longer to brake, and you need a heightened awareness of everything around you.

http://californiasidecar.com/index.p...kes/show/elite

The one thing I wouldn't do is base any decision on what someone is doing on youtube. I can blow so many holes in that video, things that the person never considered. Something as simple as: What trailer hitch are you using, and what is it rated for? Bet she can't answer that one.

[John in Santa Cruz]

this is what worked for me for 20 years...

[likeair2me]

I have a Aspen Sentry that I have pulled. I went to a Patriot Guard campout and BBQ a few years ago. The campsite was up a little bit of a hill and the road was loose gravel. It was bad enough trying to get up the loose gravel, but when I lost traction and started sliding backwards, I got off and let a truck finish pulling the camper. It wasn't overloaded, it was the conditions. I have pulled it with cars, but have Scamps now.

It's for sale.

[Kai in Seattle]

this tiny motorcycle trailer was designed to carry a folded-up tent in the lid, a cooler on the tongue and luggage on the roof rack as well as inside. It weighed almost nothing and was beautifully small, but had some space for tent camping. Maybe it'd be better to practice, practice, practice setting up your tent fast (and some do go up very quickly!) rather than risk your safety trying to pull something that could prove very dangerous.

BEST
Kai

PS--that was "Shelly" our first all-molded fiberglass trailer. We towed it with our Dodge Grand Caravan and empty, it would bounce around back there like a bunny, being far overpowered by the van. Once full, though, we didn't even know it was there and put the flag on it so we'd remember. I could move it easily with one hand--I, the wifey, the enfeebled old gal.

[Lloyd (aka Santa) Coltman]

I have 60+ yrs experience riding, and over 30 yrs of that towing tent trailers. My first tent trailer was a 'Cycle Camp' which I towed with a 1200 Gold wing. It was great on a straight tow (really long wheelbase), but in the wet, on a downhill corner, it was a bit of a 'handfull', as it weighed in at 350 lbs+ loaded, close to 50% of the unladen weight of the bike, without any brakes, legal, (barely). You quickly learn to adjust speed to conditions.
The shell was hand lay-up Fiberglass, making it fairly heavy, and it took two people to set up. After about 8 years of using that, I designed and built (out of .065" Aluminum Checker-plate, with 2" aluminum square-tube frame) a 'Homebuilt'. It was built with a 9' x 12' outside-frame Nylon tent as covering, and could be set up easily by one person. Total loaded weight 200 lbs.
It allowed walk-around on 3 sides of the bed, space to stand and get dressed, too.
Note: One of my neighbors (Ron Sale, slightly younger) growing up in Toronto ON, towed a 14' sailboat to the East Coast, and regularly showed up at race meets on his 1000 Gold Wing, towing 2 'Flat-track' race bikes.

[VLynnStudio]

I have a Hunter Compact II and would not tow it with a motorcycle. It might work on flat land and back roads but I can't believe that cruising the mountains would be safe. Also, the blow from passing big rigs could cause fishtailing that a motorcycle is too light to handle or able to regain control. I tow with an suv (Nissan Xterra). My camper only weighs about 900lbs but is almost the same physical size as my tow vehicle.

[Jon in AZ]

V, you might want to weigh your Compact II at some point. It is a wider, heavier trailer than the Compact Jr. with more cabinetry. Typical road weights in our database are well over 1500 pounds.

Not that it matters for this discussion. Whether 900 pounds or 1900, no motorcycle can safely tow one. I'm sure your Xterra is just fine, though.

I just don't want to perpetuate the myth of the sub-1000 pound molded fiberglass travel trailer.

[FRED SMAILES]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

this is what worked for me for 20 years...

That is still my preferred mode of holiday travel!!

[Mr. Thrilling]

Hi Manuel,
I just returned from a 9,500 mile trip across the United States pulling my little Teardrop with my Harley. I'm trying to insert a photo. If it doesn't work drop me a line,
I had a larger TD which I sold because it was too heavy and too large. This one is 40' wide, 7'3" long and weighs in approximately 400 lbs loaded. I hit every type of weather imaginable and crossed the Rockies each way. I live in Virginia and all went well.
Follow your dreams....it's gonna suck if you're on your death bed with a lot of shoulda's.

[VLynnStudio]

Thank you! I was told that was the weight of the camper...I will get her weighed. Now I am VERY curious as to her actual weight.

[thrifty bill]

Originally Posted by VLynnStudio

Thank you! I was told that was the weight of the camper...I will get her weighed. Now I am VERY curious as to her actual weight.

You can trust what sellers say, or you can get real data. Myself, I trust real data. I have found weights from sellers to be low, significantly low. Rarely do they take the time to get an actual weight, so instead use either dry weight, or a number someone else told them.

You are smart to get the actual weight, be sure to include your usual camping supplies that will be loaded in the trailer too.

[VLynnStudio]

Haha! As a former web developer and programmer, I am a "real data" kinda girl. Thank you for the tip. I am hoping that the dump station will let me weigh her. I figure I can load up a weeks worth of trash in my SUV and get weighed there while towing my prepped & ready camper just before heading out on my upcoming trip. It could work! HA! If that doesn't work, I will try to charm some one at the nearby truckers weigh station.

[John in Santa Cruz]

ideally, you want two passes through the scale. a typical truck scale will read just your front axle, then your front+rear combined, then your front+rear+trailer and print these on a reciept... so do this with and without the trailer hitched, but with the tow vehicle otherwise identically loaded.


the difference between the two front+rear readings will be your tongue weight. subtract the (front+rear) from the (front+rear+trailer) to find the trailer axle weigth, add that tongue weight to it, thats the total trailer weight. for your rear axle weight (which shouild be on the vehicle rating sticker as GAWR REAR), use (front+rear) - front...

etcetc. if you're a (ex) programmer, I'm sure you can see all the useful combinations...

[VLynnStudio]

Oh thank you soooooo much!!! this is VERY helpful info and I always prefer to be well informed!

[Jon in AZ]

Many places charge a small fee- maybe $10 per weighing. You might come prepared just in case charm doesn't do it...

Do load the trailer as much as possible the way you do for travel.

Also be aware that some scales are raised with ramps leading on and off. You can't get accurate axle-by-axle weights in that situation. You may have to weigh the whole rig, then unhitch and weigh the vehicle. You can then do the hitch weight at home with a bathroom scale.

When you get the weights, please post your data in the Trailer Weights in the Real World thread. It's a great resource for trailer shoppers.

[Kai in Seattle]

While we did get an accurate tongue weight with our bathroom scale...(it corresponded to what was certified later), the next time I weighed myself I had apparently lost 150 pounds!


It had broken the scale. Weird.


BEST

Kathleen

"K"

[Jon in AZ]

Hard to say what happened, Kai... I'd want a scale with a capacity well above the expected tongue weight (ours is rated 400# and our Scamp usually runs about 200#). I use a piece of thick plywood to distribute the weight across the scale with a jack stand to catch the coupler at the same height as when hitched.

[Kai in Seattle]

Oddest thing about it was that at the time, I weighed more than the tongue weight. I suppose we had just finally gotten all our money's worth out of that $5 Walmart scale!


BEST
Kai

[Thomcat316]

I've seen a bunch of folks pulling what I would consider fairly heavy teardrops (small Little Guy, etc.) with touring bikes, but if I had to I'd go with something like the "hard tent" version of our teardrop I built for my ex-wife at the same time I built ours.

Look at Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers • View topic - "Lite House" Ultralight Monocoque build - 6/25/11 - the one we built is empty at 350lbs., the smaller one came out at 240lbs. Tongue weight is dependent on loading, and can be very little. When you get to these weights the 10% rule isn't strict.