10-08-13, 11:16 PM
(10-08-13, 11:11 PM)rustyrider link Wrote: Just a couple of thoughts from someone that regularly tows around 3 tonnes behind a Range Rover. The most important thing is getting the loading right to keep the nose weight on the trailer within limits. On a car you should arrange it so that you have around 50 kilos on the tow hitch. Your problem is going to be that with a hitch attached to the bike (pillion pegs), that sort of weight would be way too high and would be the same as carrying an overweight pillion. So you would need to load the trailer so the weight on the hitch is as low as possible. Unfortunately that will bring it's own problems. Too little weight on the hitch will cause the trailer to pivot on the axle and rattle the hell out of the hitch. Driving a car (even a Range Rover on air suspension) with a rattling tow hitch is both uncomfortable and bloody annoying, on a bike it will try to lift your back wheel off the ground!
Thanks for the input!
The chap helping me build my rig tows loads behind his bike (albeit from a swingarm mounted bracket), but says the same about the forward load. I'm planning to go roughly 2/3s (maybe slightly less) of the load forward of the axle, to ensure decent nose-down attitude.
As for the weight, I'm used to heavy loads on the rear (HUGE sidebags). A trailer seems to be a more comfortable way around this, maybe even reducing the effective load on the tyre and suspension.
The Deef's apprentice