1971 compact jr.

[Larry Bryan]

Hi .... i'm wondering what to expect when I tow this out to utah from minnesota I have it converted to a motorcycle trailer now and it is structurally sound ....my concern is this ......I have a 850 pound motorcycle and a whell choke and very stabile tie down spots.......everything seems to be centered well .....I have brand new tires on it (k550 loadstar 13" tires) with bearing buddies......I'll be towing with a dodge caravan 2002 v-6........what speed is pushing it I've had it on the road and it seems to handle well .....please let me know of anything I might be missing thanks Larry B.

[Raya]

I think I might be a bit worried about the frame and axle. The Compact Jr. was built as a light, relatively affordable little trailer, and only weighs about 1000 lbs. to begin with (unloaded). I've seen the frame on one (looked at one to buy and crawled underneath, plus there have been photos on the forum), and they don't look very "beefy." Also, the axle is usually a spring type, and people have reported more sway and bounce with them than with torsion axles on similar sized trailers.

So, things I would want to check on before loading it with 850# or more, would be as follows:

1) Is the frame sound and does it seem like it would carry close to 2000#
2) Does the axle have a rating?
3) What is the load rating of the tires and what shape are they in (oops, sorry, I see they are new so forget the "shape" part)?
4) Does the coupler seem up to the task?

Another question that pops to mind is whether you might have removed the structural "bulkheads" that are between the kitchen/closets and the beds (in order to make it hold a motorcycle). That could affect the trailer as well.

Raya

[Pete Dumbleton]

Also, you should know that Bearing Buddies are designed for boat trailers to keep the warm hub from sucking in water when it is dunked in cold water. They may keep the outer bearing greased but do nothing for the inner bearing unless the seal is flawed.