Opinions on this cargo trailer?

I am thinking about picking up a trailer to simplify camp packing and setup ... everything in one place. Also to make 2-up trips a little easier. While searching eBay and the like for uni-go and bushtec, i ran across this. Not near as pretty as the others, but around $1300 new! it is 14 cubic ft, 12 inch tires, 170 lbs empty, has a swivel hitch option. Does anyone in here know anything about these trailers? Do they pull as good as any of the others at 2-3 times as much cost? Thanx to anyone with thoughts about this.

I can't answer your questions but I would buy the swivel option.

Ron said:

I can't answer your questions

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But I would find swivel to be 100% useless.

Pulled heavier trailers, wider trailers, longer trailers. Never once felt the need for a swivel. Just one more point of failure and a point of unknown shifting you don't need behind a bike that you are trying to balance.

JMO,
T

Pulled heavier trailers, wider trailers, longer trailers. Never once felt the need for a swivel. Just one more point of failure and a point of unknown shifting you don't need behind a bike that you are trying to balance.

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With a bike? I would go with a swivel but I love spending other people's money. To me, it's more of a "what if" thing. Hard to put a price on safety. Taking a right hand turn and cutting it short (forgot about the trailer, DUH) and the inside wheel hitting the curb. How much swivel does the ball have?

Ron said:

With a bike? I would go with a swivel but I love spending other people's money. To me, it's more of a "what if" thing. Hard to put a price on safety. Taking a right hand turn and cutting it short (forgot about the trailer, DUH) and the inside wheel hitting the curb. How much swivel does the ball have?

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Yep... pulling with an ST1300. The ball has enough swivel to ground out the trailer and the bike never notices anything.

Once, or twice I smacked a curb pulling into a gas station of eat-n-run joint. Park the bike sometime with the trailer attached. Pick up a wheel on the trailer, how far till you bind the hitch?

Someone once suggested that a swivel could let the trailer flip over if another vehicle were to hit it, the bike would stay upright.

I want to see someone hold on to a bike keeping it upright while the trailer filps, swivel or not. You put that much energy into the side of a trailer, the bike is going 20' diagonal, doesn't matter the hitch. Reality.

I see a lot of those trailers on the roads while traveling, so they must be pretty good for the price. I pull a tag-a-long with a swivel joint installed with the Wing... smacked a curb leaving a gas station once and caught a visual in the rear view mirror of the trailer at nearly 45 degree angle... You be the judge... Opinions are cheap, insurance is not. If it gives you piece of mind, then it's worth the price.

Put some padding on top & a backrest and you can make it a 3-up trip .

Superdirk said:

Put some padding on top & a backrest and you can make it a 3-up trip .

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Hehehe ... now, that could add some interest to a trip!

vinny said:

I see a lot of those trailers on the roads while traveling, so they must be pretty good for the price. ...

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I've seen quite a few on the road too. Usually behind a cruiser. I guess I'm wondering what folks think of this versus something like a Bushtec or Uni-Go. Both very different trailers, I know. But also both 2-3 times the cost of this aluminum trailer, even in the used market. As a trailer newbie, I definitely don't expect to "not even know it's there." But, I'd like to think I would hardly notice it on gentle roads. I'll assume no trailer allows full enjoyment of good twisties.

We are all vain when it comes to our bikes. I hesitate to put such an industrial looking trailer behind my beautiful ST. But then, usefulness overrides looks.

To those that do use a trailer ... in general, are you able to resist the urge to fill all available space with things (crap) you don't really need? And, is 14 cubic feet going to be more than adequate for comfort camping? I now use two 50 liter dry bags on the rear seat and a Givi top case. I'm comfortable enough now, but wouldn't mind everything in one safe place, no top case and my seat open.

I'm really just in the thinking about it stage. And welcome any opinions.

cybervet said:

To those that do use a trailer ... in general, are you able to resist the urge to fill all available space with things (crap) you don't really need?

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When I am camping one-up, I usually put everything on the bike. I often travel with my wife as pillion and more recently did a two week camping trip off the wing with my daughter. The trailer makes it possible. To answer the question about crap....
Well, guilty... but I am usually the type of guy that plans for the unexpected and usually over pack anyway. My wife is twice as bad...

I know someone that pulled one of these aluminum trailers for many 1000's of miles. Never a problem with it.

I'd buy one... I've only ever pulled a bunkhouse but if/when I ever bought one; that one would be on the list. I've seen many out on the road.

Guess I'll have to weigh in on the swivel-no swivel. I wouldn't pull one without a swivel. Fact-in my accident two years ago it was the large bolt portion of the swivel that took the impact when I was hit from behind. When I finally got to look at the trailer, that bolt, approximately 2 inches in diameter, was almost bent straight up in a 90 degree. I can't imagine what would have happened with the normal non-swivel? I'm thinking it would have broken off and who knows what from that point on. JMHO!

Yes, a trailer will let you drag more then you need. You have to use restraint.

I visited Tip once and came home with an extra 100#'s of toys. Definitely made a difference in the feeling.
Some of us can't fit everything we need on the bike, well maybe I could but then there wouldn't be room for the gal. So keep it easy and light stuff, a trailer can be a bonus.

You will notice it dragging you down a bit when cornering, but if it is some really gnarly twisted road you want to ride and drag pegs, you can camp, drop the trailer and come back. I'm more one just to slow it down and do the ride with the trailer. I pack my camera tripod, cpap, batteries, stove and easy chair in the trailer. I draw the line at A/C or portable generators.

I think the swivel would be a worthy option. It might keep the hitch or trailer from bending in case of a tip over and keep the trailer from tipping over. Not that anyone here or I have ever dropped a bike. But just in case.

I pulled a Time Out camper with my Wing some years back. At first I didn't have a swivel on the camper and one time parked the bike on new asphalt. Came out to the bike to find it almost falling over. Put a swivel on it to avoid that occurrence from wracking the hitch or bike frame it's attached to. Never really worried about the trailer tipping, for me it was more about the bike tipping over and bending the hitch or frame. While pulling with the swivel coupler I never noticed any issues with the trailer jumping around but rather it was just as solid as with out it.

As to enough storage... The Mini-Mate camper that I pulled with my old ST1100 was 15 cu ft storage. Found that it was easy to pack everything I didn't need. Learned to pack a little lighter and ended up using a little more than half that space and still had more than I really needed. So yeah, 14 cu ft is plenty and yes you can end up bringing more than needed but self control and restraint can save the day on that (use a list and stick to it).

I've seen this little trailer around. The Davis Rally has a vendor every year who sells them, looks like the same as sold by Alum-Line out of Cresco, IA (that link goes to this little trailer). I've been by there at least once on my way to MNSTOC. Only 35 miles away from the campground. Add a few more miles and it's not a bad little ride. There are a few other makers of that style. I considered getting one before I decided I wanted a camper instead. Now if I needed the extra storage I'd likely go with that one. I tend a bit toward function over form (practicality over pretty), whatever.

Saw 3 of these today.... Behind a Can-Am Spyder, a Harley, and a GW Trike...

vinny said:

... smacked a curb leaving a gas station once and caught a visual in the rear view mirror of the trailer at nearly 45 degree angle...

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How about 180[SUP]0[/SUP]?

I followed a bike towing a homemade flat-bed trailer into the Dargo Rally (VIC AUS) a couple of years back, down this track.


The going was tough, even in the Ford Ranger 4X4, and I was slowing down a couple of bikes. When I found a section wide enough to allow the bikes to overtake, I pulled to the left. One of the BMW GS1200's was towing the flat-bed trailer. When he was around 50m ahead he hit a rough spot, the trailer bounced and swivelled from wheel to wheel a couple of times before it flipped 180[SUP]0 [/SUP]onto it's load. That slowed him down a bit.

Anyway, swivel hitch for me, that's why I have one on each of my current trailers and on my old one.

PS. This track is into Talbotville, a section falls around 900m in 6km, too steep and rough for me.
https://goo.gl/maps/D57rcXhGEHK2

Other, better riders than me, take their road bikes in there (GTR1400, CBR100), but not me on the ST1300. On the Yamaha XT600, well that's another story.

I really appreciate everyone's opinion here! Always good to hear what y'all have to say.

I might have a trailer found and decided. I have one more catch that might cramp things up. The trailer I think I've decided on (Bushtec) is in California and I'm in Iowa. Before anyone screams road trip, I just do not have the time ... even as appealing as that does sound. So, c'mon ST-Owners, what is my best option to get a 150 lb big package from CA to IA? I want it simple for the seller and of course reasonable cost for me.

As always .... thank you !!

A swivel hitch is unnecessary, IMHO......years ago I pulled a trailer with a standard 1 7/8" ball about 20K miles in a summer...no issues....

Have fun!