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Iron Butt
Posts: 763
Anderson, IN (48mi NE of downtown Indianapolis) | Modular multi-purpose trailer.
http://picasaweb.google.com/victoryvisiontour/2008VictoryVisionTour...
Edited by victoryvisiontour 2009-11-27 4:19 PM
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Iron Butt
Posts: 804
Perry Hall, MD | Quite the craftsman. The multi-purpose role is very interesting. Pretty cool.
How about a front window for Fido?
What are the dimensions? How do you control the tongue weight? |
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Visionary
Posts: 3204
Memphis | That last picture with the Vision on it looks scary tight. Of course, a Vision on a trailer just looks wrong anyway. |
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Tourer
Posts: 550
Tacoma, WA | It does look pretty tight with the Vision on there, but trailering is sometimes a neccessity. During the winter, I ride with my Dad, and I have to go over a mountain pass to get to his house. So....I have an enclosed trailer to bring my Vision where I may ride! Yahoo! That trailer is a unique, and functional solution to haul what you need. Great job, making that!!!!------Metalguy |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 763
Anderson, IN (48mi NE of downtown Indianapolis) | There are sliding vents on the front and back of the dog box. If you look through the front wheel of the mountain bike or dirt bike you will see the rear vent is in the open position. The box is insulated and a winter panel slides into the door.
Dims/specs:
-It's a 2 foot axle. Yes, 2 foot...very narrow (the idea was to make it as light as possible).
-The dog box is the same width as the Vision 36" (3').
-Overall witdth is 46" (4.8') at the fender edges
-Overall length without dog box 10'
-Overall length with dog box 12.5'
-Tongue weight with dog box 55 lbs (the axle is placed such that the tongue weight does not change much when the bikes are loaded)
-Total weight with dox box 200~250 lbs (I have not actually weighed it yet, but I can pick the whole thing up off the ground while standing in the center of it. When it is attached to the bike I can easily lift the wheels off the ground with one hand to reposition in a tight situation.)
-14" aluminum wheels for smooth ride
-LED lights
The Vision on the trailer is a tight fit. It works though. The folding floorboards make it possible to pass through the fenders. I only wanted one trailer in the garage. So, I designed the trailer to haul all of my two wheel vehicles. Since I rarely trailer the Vision, I did not make it a priority. I only wanted the option to trailer it for times I have to take the car or van in to the shop for repair. I pull the Vision behind the vehicle I am taking in for repair. I drop off the vehicle and pull the trailer home with the Vision. When the vehicle is ready for pickup, I take the Vision with the trailer to the shop. Put the trailer on the vehicle, Vision on trailer, and drive home. My biggest concern in the design of the trailer was how well the bicycle, dirt bike, and dog fit. The dog loves it!
I designed the trailer and Diamond Deluxe built it. They were the only trailer manufacturer I could find that would build what I wanted. All others said, "We have these 5 models, choose one. We might be able to tweek something here or there, but we have to start with one of our base models". Anyone looking for a custom trailer, I highly recommend Diamond Deluxe. Mr. Brown from Diamond Deluxe was extremely easy to work with and very understanding of what I wanted. He took my design and offered good suggestions. We worked back and forth on the design for about a month until we were both happy with final design. Check out their photo gallery.
http://www.diamonddeluxe.com/
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Visionary
Posts: 3204
Memphis | That really is a well thought out set-up. My wife says she really like the idea of a dog box. Only problem is we don't own a dog. What the...!? |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 43
| Very nice trailer..... would be nice to have a trailer. The problem is that i live in an area that we cannot put trailers in the back or side yard. I will not put any bikes outside for the trailer. I guess i would just have to dream.
Great work on the trailer. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 804
Perry Hall, MD |
VVT, since you gave an axle width I'm guessing that you went with leaf springs rather than an adjustable torsion suspension. A little concerned about the narrow axle, particularly if you raise the center of gravity with the Vision on it, or run empty and the road gets a little rough or twisty.
Also need to check the specs on your trailer hitch for tongue weight. I believe that the hich-doc is rated at 40 lbs., but most information I've read about touring with a trailer suggest trying to limit it to the 20 lb. range.
Really impressed with the concept (a visionary on a Vision)- just offering the observations for consideration. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 763
Anderson, IN (48mi NE of downtown Indianapolis) | lennyb,
Thanks for your comments. Your concerns are quite valid. This is why I chose to have an experienced trailer manufacturer build it instead of doing it myself. Diamond Deluxe was very helpful in determining axle type, height, tongue length, tongue weight, etc.
The trailer has a dropped torsion spring axle. This puts the axle below the spindle for stability. The center of the axle is only 10" from the ground even with 14" wheels. When the trailer is loaded the axle is much less than 10" from the ground. The trailer is very stable even with the 900 lb Vision on it.
The tongue weight on this setup is 55 lbs. Without the dog box it is approximately 45 lbs. I feel no difference in handling with or without the box. Most information on the web for touring is related specifically to touring trailers. This trailer is obviously not a touring trailer, but a cargo trailer. Thus another reason to get help from an expert. I am very pleased with the handling and stability so far. If I notice any trouble areas or things I would have done differently as I log the miles, I will post them here.
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 7
| Wow. Love the trailer. How can I contact the manufacturer about getting one built for me? |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 763
Anderson, IN (48mi NE of downtown Indianapolis) | Here is the contact info
http://www.diamonddeluxe.com/contact_us.html
Ask for Warren. Mention "dog box / mountain bike / motorcycle trailer" and he will know what you are talking about.
For those who are only looking for a cargo trailer, they make some very nice cargo boxes. They will probably make any size you want on any size trailer. Two things I suggest.
1. Be sure to tell them you want it to be rattle free. There are many options like spring loaded handles, no vents, etc. that will help eliminate rattles.
2. Get the clear coat. The bright polished aluminum won't stay that way without protection |
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Cruiser
Posts: 162
Extreme Southern, AZ United States | I have been pulling trailers with motorcycles for a long time. I do know that the more weight the trailer hitch puts on the rear of the bike affects overall handling. I have pulled trailers with the tongue weight heavier than recommended, but I also have had very scary things happen while towing a trailer with a heavier than recommended tongue weight. The worst was when I had been riding for an hour or more in California. I hit a patch of very heavy rain grooves. Before I knew what had happened, I had a tank slapper going. I finally got to the side of the road, and the guy who was riding with me told me that the trailer had started to weave and the bike started going crazy and the trailer got worse, all in all a case of feedback and it almost took me down. I adjusted my load and didn't have another problem the rest of the trip. So, just because the bike seems to be pulling ok doesn't mean that the weight on the hitch won't cause problems. I weigh the tongue of my trailer now every time I start out. Never more than 20-25lbs. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 162
Extreme Southern, AZ United States | <p>Double post</p>
Edited by JustBob 2009-12-03 6:49 PM
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Iron Butt
Posts: 763
Anderson, IN (48mi NE of downtown Indianapolis) | JustBob,
I,m curious of the total weight of your trailer. The tongue weight is not a given number, but calculated from total weight. I always use 25%. My trailer is a bit over 200 lbs. My tongue weight is 55 lbs. The axle is placed such that the tongue weight increases proportionally with the cargo (mountain bike and dirt bike in this case). I have approximately 600 miles on it so far, 553 of which are interstate. So far so good. Maybe I will hitch it to the truck and perform some irradic driving at 70 mph to see how it acts. It would be better to find out if it is going to misbehave behind the truck instead of the Vision. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 162
Extreme Southern, AZ United States | Depending upon the reason I am Towing the trailer fully packed for camping can weigh almost 700lbs. BTW I have over 25k on my trailer, that's 25,000 miles all over the US. BTW it's the inherent instability of towing a trailer with a motorcycle and feedback between the bike and the trailer is what causes the problem. The fact that the rider is part of the feedback loop adds another factor into it. That said, towing the trailer behind a four wheeled vehicle will not disclose the problems between the trailer and a bike. Anyway, I hope things work out for you. The trailer does look good. May you have many trouble free miles. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 763
Anderson, IN (48mi NE of downtown Indianapolis) | The trialer builder is using mine to advertise his ability to customize. This ad will be printed in a hunting magazine in January.
Click on the address below for a clearer image.
http://picasaweb.google.com/victoryvisiontour/2008VictoryVisionTour...
Edited by victoryvisiontour 2009-12-10 7:54 PM
(January Ad (2).JPG)
Attachments
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 January Ad (2).JPG (46KB - 2 downloads)
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Victory Vision Trailer - The only way to travel
