Since Ive been into big touring bikes Ive been wanting to get a trailer. Trips to town for bigger items, camping, extra storage for multi-day trips etc. What kept me from doing it was the cost.....trailers arent cheap. You could easily have $2000 or more into a good setup.

Well I finally REALLY needed the space so I started my trek for trailering on the cheap.

First....there is NO way around spending decent money on the hitch setup. You can read all day long about why Bushtec or Hitch Doc is the better setup.....Im not gonna even touch on that, its almost as bad as an oil thread. The simple way of putting it is you need a ball thingy to couple your trailer to....get one, either of the above - whichever works for you.

Being the cheap and lazy bastard I am I choose the Hitch Doc. Why?....cause its cheaper and easier to install.....thats not really debatable. Its fact. Which is the better hitch is up for interpretation. Hitch Doc was purchased from a member here for about $300ish....ouch, but that was easily the best price and the cheaper of the two options.

So after about 30 mins or so Ive got a ball thingy to hang my trailer on. Next was wiring. I DID NOT go full isolation. Yeah, Im sure it would be better....but I think the converter is "good enough". I got the "5 to 4 converter" from NAPA.....cost me $12. Yeah, plenty cheap. I did not get the kit with all the extra length of wiring and such.....so I had to pop another $5 for a 4 wire flat connector.....oops, almost over looked that. After about another 45 mins or so I had her wired.

Now Ive spent about $320 or so.....and now its time to spend the big money - the trailer.

.....or not.

Ive seen a few home made trailers using car top carriers. Sometimes they look good.....sometimes they dont. Either way I wasnt wanting to drive all over heck piecing something together but I did want cheap. Couldnt find any good prices on used trailers.....crap.

Enter Harbor Freight....yeah, the arch nemesis of quality products of any kind. I love Harbor Freight....but for stuff Im using occasionally, I dont expect any of there products to live long enough for my kids to use them.....hell sometimes I dont even get to use them before they break. Some of there stuff ranges from pretty good to decent......alot of it ranges from junk to slightly usable crap.

What I found was the Haul Master Tag-along trailer.....link below.

http://www.harborfreight.com/600-lb-capacity-78-inch-tag-along-trailer-66771.html

The tag-along trailer adds 16.6 cubic feet of storage space to your car, truck or motorcycle, and it's protected from the elements inside the lockable shell. Self-assisted hydraulic struts allow easy lid opening; when it�s closed, this trailer is streamlined for maximum fuel efficiency and savings. The tag-along trailer includes coupler, safety chain, wiring harness, trailer light kit, license plate holder, two keys and two additional side latches.

* Automotive load capacity: 600 lbs.
* Motorcycle load capacity: 200 lbs.
* Heavy-duty 4.80 x 8" tires
* 55-MPH maximum towing speed
* Extends 78� behind vehicle
* Leaf spring suspension system
* DOT certified

Bed dimensions: 41-3/8" L x 34-1/4" W x 3-1/2" H
Shell dimensions: 47-1/2" L x 38" W x 16" H
Tongue dimensions: 49-3/4" L x 2-1/2" W x 1-7/8" H x 14-gauge thick
Universal 1-7/8" ball coupler
Overall dimensions: 78" L x 44-1/2" W x 38" H

all for $329....YEAH, now we are talking. Call up my local Junk Freight....I mean Harbor Freight and they have 2 of these bad mofo's in stock. But wait.....did I mention I was a broke/cheap bastard....yeah, I am.

I found and printed a 20% off coupon from the good ol' internet - good on one single item. I take it and hit the road headed toward China Freight....I mean Harbor Freight.

30 mins after walking thru the door Im loading my "trailer in a box" (just add assembly) onto the back of my motorcycle hauler - yeah, Ive got a trailer on my trailer.....Im cool. Total price....$263 plus tax for the trailer - thank you coupon. I did spring for a $25 LED trailer light kit.....less load on the bikes electrical system is a good thing....and this makes me feel better about not running an isolator....plus they look cooler.

So to recap.....$320 to get my bike trailer ready......$288 for the trailer (and light upgrade to LED). Grand total of $608. Hell yeah....thats what Im talking about.

Now Ive got the grand distinction of pulling a $288 trailer behind a $20K+ bike....Im the ultimate cheap ass.

Assembly went the way it usually does for me......doing great then you realize that 4 steps back you put some doodad on backwards.....so you undo all your work, fix it and return.....rinse and repeat. Id like to say I put the trailer together in an hour.....it took 4 hours. I did drink beer.....and that did include a few "extra" steps.

First.....trailer kits from Fall Apart Freight.....I mean Harbor Freight are notorious for poorly or just plain "not at all" packed wheel bearings. Before I even bolted the axle down I busted it apart....cleaned.....then repacked all the bearings with good, red grease. Good call....the bearings looked like they were rolled in some Vaseline and shoved in there....FAIL. 30 minutes well spent.

Second.....and this was the longest "extra" step. I took pictures and wrote down numbers on all the bearings and seals.....went to NAPA and had them cross referenced. Then I wrote that down on a paper and put it in the trailer with the registration and other paperwork. Hopefully I dont have problems....if I do I dont have to break the trailer down to get the info I need. Trip to and from town....BSing at parts store....buying extra random shit I didnt need....took atleast 1 hour.

Third.....Second Rate Freight.....I mean Harbor Freight isnt known for great packing or handling of products. When I opened the box ALL the marker lights were busted....make that exploded.....into bits. No harm, no foul cause I was upgrading anyways. This was an "extra" step - remove busted lights and installed LEDs. When doing so I cut and removed the wire "taps" they used and soldered/heat shrinked all the connections. Much better. Probably took another 30 mins....no biggie.

Fourth.....purely aesthetic....but who builds an ALL black trailer then puts shiny white wheels on it....really?! I painted the wheels satin black.....another 30 minutes....or about 4 beers.

So now I have a fully assembled trailer.....good deal. My opinion.....I got twice what I paid for....really. Is it a $2000+ fiberglass trailer color matched to my bike......well no its not....but its just as useful and doesnt look to bad.

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So you may have noticed the 55mph rating mentioned in the specs.� After doing some reading thats standard fare with trailers....liability and all that jazz.� None the less with those small tires I did a bit of watching on the first couple long trips.� What Ive observed is that despite running hours on hours on the interstate in far excess of the rated 55mph the hubs stay cool to the touch.� The tires, despite being rated at only 65mph never show any signs of failure or fatigue.� They dont get excessively hot nor cause any other problems.� Guess maybe on those high dollar trailers they may use higher speed rated tires....or maybe they dont....Im not really sure.� At any rate I usually spend my time in the 60 to 70ish range anywho.....so Im "usually" in the safety zone.� Ive pulled this just south of triple digits.....no swaying or other issues.

The bike seems to not concern itself the trailer is even there......acceleration, braking, peg scraping etc.....all the same.� Ive got maybe another 100lbs of gear in there (camping stuff).� I was honestly concerned about this....cause I came to the Vision off a Goldwing.....and despite my love of my Vision I will readily admit that compared to a Goldwing (hell even compared to my 1984 GL1200) its a gutless turd.� Yeah....I said it.� The thing is that its the same level of gutless turd with the trailer.....shocked the hell out of me.� I figured it would be even more gutless and turd like.....nope.....not at all.� Its like its not even there.....cool.

To date Ive probably pulled this thing 5500 miles give or take....same as the day it was new, despite coming from the same womb as cheap Chinese tools.

So.......in summary.

If your a cheap/broke bastard but want/need a trailer.......the above is a great alternative to dropping tons of cash.� Its works for me.....likely will work for you.� Heck add a big Victory sticker on the shell if it makes you feel better.

Magic - 2010-07-14 4:50 PM

OK, I'll bite. I'm not on their mailing list....how do I get some of these coupons? Do I have to stop in and register or something like that?

This is the big daddy......just save and print as needed.

studmuffin - 2010-07-22 10:27 AM

Is this regulation size? I dont want to get up to the counter with funny paper.

My local store has one trailer left and sturgis is just a few weeks away !

Did you get that trailer? Ive never had a problem with the printed coupon.....I think they just type in some code off it anyways

Here is my most recent variation....with my matching scooter trunk mounted on the tongue. Give me extra room to store stuff that needs to be gotten to quickly.....such as rain gear, helmets etc.

Finally got around to scoring some hubcaps from the golf cart place....these cost me $24 - I think they are a definite improvement.

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