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Bought the Nomad last year for my trip to Spyderfest 2014. Has anyone had any problems with this unit? The only issue I had was with one of the safety cables that came loose from the hitch and received 130 miles of road rash. (or maybe someone took it loose while I was not looking on he way home)
Picture to know what you are talking about
Another Day To Be My Kid's Dad [emoji379]
those safety chains will come loose on their own (Don't ask how i know :yikes:), get some from Lowes, or Home Depot that just clip on, they won't fall off.
Cruzr Joe
If your chains have open hooks then they won't stay in. Below, pasted from another post, is what I found with my little trailer when pulled by my Spyder:
The open hooks jumped out of the hitch within the first mile and you can't see or hear them dragging behind a Spyder - another kind motorist alerted me.
I cut the chains short and replaced the hooks with these but they would rattle loose even when I snugged them down with a wrench:
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/a...3&d=1423453195
I replaced them with these stainless steel clips (below) and they haven't jumped/rattled/fallen off yet. Remember that the Spyder's trailer hitch is attached to the rear wheel axle and has no suspension so that ball is jumping up and down with every move of the back wheel, amplified by the extension of the hitch.
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/a...1&d=1423452933
These are the ones that i was talking about that stay put
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/a...d=102383&stc=1
Cruzr Joe
Not trying to be a buzzkill, but the snap carabiners everyone seems to like have a much lower breaking point than the threaded kind shown in the picture above. The best solution is a clip carabiner that adds a threaded cylinder to lock it in place. Not sure the lower breaking point will ever be an issue with a motorcycle trailer, but you will see people using the snap clips with full size trailers. That gives me the sweats, because they won't hold up if the trailer ever decides to leave the vehicle.
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/a...d=102384&stc=1
Quote:
Originally Posted by MisterP
I agree that the snap carabiner may not be the best choice - it is what I had on-hand and I figured as light as my little cargo trailer is a couple of them would hopefully be sufficient. I looked up the small stainless 2" snap carabiners and they have a 120 lb rating. I don't remember what size I used and there is 5" of fresh snow in the back yard so I'm not going out to look right now! :p
The types of carabiners that climbers use are much better as they have an actual real load rating, good for a climber to be hanging from. However, as I said in my above post, if you use the screw type you will find the vibration will cause them to unscrew, even if tightened with a wrench or pliers. I think the best choice is the auto-locking type of carabiner, which is the type we use for our harnesses and hanging equipment in the tower climbing business.
Just be sure the carabiner you choose will go through the holes in your hitch as the heaver duty ones have a larger diameter.
http://climbing.about.com/od/climbin...Carabiners.htm
Screw-Gate Locking Carabiners
The screw-gate locking carabiner, the less expensive alternative, has a threaded collar which simply screws down over the gate so it cannot open. You twist the collar with your fingers to close and open the gate. Be careful not to over-tighten the screw collar or you may have a lot of difficulty unscrewing it to open the gate later. Screw-gate locking carabiners are the most common locking carabiners that you will use but they have their limitations. Screw-gate carabiners can come open. Sometimes the screw collar simply rubs against a rock surface and loosens enough for the gate to come open.
Auto-Locking Carabiners
Auto-locking carabiners are simply that—carabiners with a spring-loaded collar that automatically closes tight over the gate when you let go of it. Auto-lockers are more expensive than screw-gate carabiners but they are worth their weight in gold since they provide a much greater margin of safety than a screw-gate carabiner. That said, you don’t want to outfit your rack exclusively with auto-locking carabiners since they tend to be big and heavy. Use them only for essential climbing tasks and for an extra margin of safety when necessary.
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/a...d=102390&stc=1http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/a...d=102391&stc=1
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/a...3&d=1423453195
They came loose the first time I used them (only hand tight). I then used a pair of pliers to tighten them and they never came loose again. If I remember right they cost around $5.00 for the pair at Lowe's.
I have over 10000 miles on my Nomad from USA Mini Trailer and have had no trouble whatsoever. I even pull it behind on some pretty serious twisty rydes on occasion and took it with me on the Saddlesore 1000 ride.
I did replace both cables with orange chains from Lowe's. Still believe someone stole the the clip that came with it. Either case I really enjoy the trailer.