professorman

Anyone ever used harbour freight trailers to tow their bikes? I would want to get the cheapest I can get without being unsafe or worrying about it. What size would I be able to get?

My mechanic friend is laughing at me they are not strudy enough

onepointone

i use one. ill post pictures of it tonight. my dad actually built it for me for getting my bike to and from the track. its the fold up trailer with 3/8" (i believe) plywood as a floor. he used some deck paint for the plywood that seals it, plus it has sand in it for traction in the wet. he used aluminum angle for wheel chalks and D-rings for hold downs. the trailer is rock solid and he has MAYBE $400 in it with the cost of the trailer.

the only thing i dont like about it is the tires are rated for 55mph. but i burned 70mph all the way from richmond to maryland, and from richmond to vir with no problems.

i know a lot of other people use the same. best part is, you can take the wheel chalks off and fold it up, out of the way.

ill work on pictures either today or tomorrow.

professorman

yea...great! love to see pics.... did u do anything to the wheels?

onepointone

nope, we just used the ones in the kit. they are 12" rims. ill probably end up going to the 13" wheels eventually to get a better speed rated tire, but as of now with about 500 miles (roughly) on the trailer, the tires look great.

oNi

Good thread, I was always wondering the same thing about the harbour freight trailers. Good to know!

onepointone

i dont know how today is looking for the pictures, it might be tomorrow...

Computer_Nerd

Take a look on eBay for a wide assortment of trailers to get a good idea of the features you want (wood floor, hidden or fold up ramps, drop axle, etc). I run the Williamsburg-Richmond-DC-NY-CT route very often and could bring it back for you if you find one a short distance from I-95 or I-64.

Also check local bike shops for bulletin boards, post up a Wanted note there and browse what others are selling. April tax refunds are prime time for people looking to upgrade their trailers and they might jump if they know they can sell it easily.

Armenian

I'd stay away from Harbour Freights garbage. Everything in there is cheap Imitation made pot-metal crap. I bought a Cast Iron Vice Clamp for my workbench and I broke it square in half ended up in the trash. And dont get me started on the motorcycle tire changer...

xshanex

the ones at home depot may be a little better but a bit more expensive. With the HF most say to go over everything twice to make sure it's right/tight, replace some of the hardware with better stuff if you want, get extra wheel bearings as they go through them quick, some weld up the stuff that's bolted together to make it stronger, and the universal consensus is to get the one with bigger wheels. My small wheeled trailer(way better quality than HF) has been from here to FL a couple times and used around the area a bit with heavy loads so the small wheels aren't a death sentence . I've heard of and seen people trailering all over the place with them and being happy with them. Saw a guy with a HD on the back of one with PA plates coming back from I'm guessing bike week. How far are you going? If it was just locally or within a couple hours I'd get one but if I was moving cross-country or going long distances regularly then I'd pony up the cash for a better one. If I really needed a trailer, didn't have access to one, and only needed it a few times a year I'd just rent one

zx636skiv

My opinion of Harbor Freight is mixxed. I like the low prices (who doesn't), but I wouldn't buy anything from there that I would have to use on a daily basis. I work construction, and concider most of their tool as homeowner specials. They are good if you aren't using them constantly. My HF air compressor has held up a lot longer than I expected, but I'm not running any serious tools off it...mostly to put air in the tires. The tire changer works good if you have it mounted to something sturdy, like your driveway!

I don't know personally about the trailers, but I would go to Truck Accessory Center in Moyock, NC They did have a website, but I don't remember what it was. They had good prices on good trailers. They were more than HF's, but it is one of those you get what you pay for. I am not sure I would trust my bike on a $300 trailer.