Bigmak96's Trailer is done

[mrbug]

I see those plates and some evidence of red loctite. I have a couple of questions. Did you use a single torsion axle for the wheel? Where does your hitch mount on the bike? How do you like the PR3s?

 

[Bigmak96]

Did you use a single torsion axle for the wheel?

Yep, the arm is splined so it holds position well and can be adjusted as to angle.

Where does your hitch mount on the bike?

I made a rectangular part if you will that I bolted to the stock Uni-Go hitch I scored on Fleabay

How do you like the PR3s

I have not pushed them yet so I can't speak to the change in pattern and what it did for us./ They look cool tho.

 

[Bigmak96]

The Uni-Go hitch works well and is very rigid but I was not happy with the fact that the entire hitch would need to come off to pull the rear wheel in the field. So I did a little modding and it will now be a snap. I will pull two pins, remove the lower brace from the hitch and mufflers and slide the vertical section out.
I picked up a piece of wire on the way home from LocSToc and didn't feel it. When I got home the new PR3 with under 2K on it was toast. At least it was bad enough that I didn't want to start a west coast trip on it. Plus the fact that I couldn't get the dang thing to stop spitting out my plugs. Short story long, I had to pay $50 to get the new PR3 put on since they had to use the lift in order to drop the wheel out.
NEVER AGAIN will I be held hostage to my hitch.

Mark

 

[rjs987]

Sorry to hear of the demise of the tire. So young!
But glad to hear the hitch worked well (other than for the tire change). You'll have to let us know if the mod has any effect on the stiffness.

 

[Bigmak96]

Sorry to hear of the demise of the tire. So young!
But glad to hear the hitch worked well (other than for the tire change). You'll have to let us know if the mod has any effect on the stiffness.

The hitch is as stiff as it was pre-mod. I have just over 4K on the trailer now and it has pulled like a dream. It is solid enough that i don't have a second though when coming to a corner, I can lean as far and as quickly as needed. Too bad it wasn't on the 97 when I wrecked it. Maybe I would have payed more attention to what I was doing. I know it is stable above 112 GPS. That's fast enough for most trailers.
I started running more pressure in my tires to increase tread life. 44 front and rear. They look great so far. Even the new dreaded RoadSmart.

 

[Bigmak96]

A quick update on my trailer.
The last time I parked it in late September I heard the bearings barking at me. I thought it a bit odd they would wear out so soon but now I know why. The replacements will be Timkens so they should be better than the Chinese originals, and I will install a Bearing Buddy to keep any moisture out. I thought I had fully packed the hub or at least the bearings well enough. But when I took the hub apart, I found the bearings rusty and seized. I'm guessing the bulk of the rusting happened in the long idle time since parking. I did not spin the races so that is good. Had I had a lot further to go I'm sure that would have been the case and I would have been getting a new hub.
Anyway, now that I have been educated on what a Bearing Buddy is, I am sure it will keep the Timkens turning for many thousands of miles. I got 15K out of doing it wrong so it got me through the season so I can't gripe too much.
Get one on your DIY wheel too!

 

[George]

Mac, I have a spare hub/swingarm if ya need it.

 

[Bigmak96]

Thanks George, I will keep it in mind should mine suffer the same fate of yours. It is a 1" axle then I assume? That would slip right on my spindle as long as the length is the same. While slowing the wheel down would be a big plus, I'm hoping keeping grease in it should go a long way : in preventing self destruction. That and having Timkens rather than Chinese bearings.