a question for people that travel with a trailer

[cuznjohn]

yesterday BIG F was asking a question on alarms, and it got me thinking. like some said, spyders are not that easy to steal but when you go on a trip and stay at hotels what do you do with your trailers. do you always tow them behind you when your out and about or do you leave them at the hotels and lock them up. i am just curious how you would lock them.

[lwrydr]

When I went to SITR last year I used my trailer to save my parking place in the lot. I locked the trailer with a pad lock. I guess if someone wanted to steal it they could lift it up and put it in the back of a truck. This year i'm going to go to Spyderfest and will probably leave the trailer at home since I now have a hitch carrier. In the future I think I will only use the trailer when I am camping along the way to wherever I'm going. (I don't camp very often)

[cuznjohn]

i almost never travel and when i do i go with my car and end up with tons of clothes so i was just wondering

[Orange Spyder Man]

I had a trailer for when I owned a GoldWing... at times I left it at the motel so I carried a lock & cable (in the trailer) locked it thru the openings in the mag wheels to a post or guard rail.. or thru the wheels on another trailer..

osm

[Copperman]

If I have my trailer, I"ll wrap a cable through the wheel and around the tongue in my parking spot. I also have a tongue lock.

Remember, you can only do so much. If someone wants it, they're going to get it.

[Cruzr Joe]

If I have my trailer, I"ll wrap a cable through the wheel and around the tongue in my parking spot. I also have a tongue lock.

Remember, you can only do so much. If someone wants it, they're going to get it.



:agree:

Cruzr Joe

[SpyderAnn01]

If I have my trailer, I"ll wrap a cable through the wheel and around the tongue in my parking spot. I also have a tongue lock.

Remember, you can only do so much. If someone wants it, they're going to get it.

Me too. Also, when at big events like Spyderfest try locking your trailer to a friend's in the parking lot.

[jaherbst]

yesterday BIG F was asking a question on alarms, and it got me thinking. like some said, spyders are not that easy to steal but when you go on a trip and stay at hotels what do you do with your trailers. do you always tow them behind you when your out and about or do you leave them at the hotels and lock them up. i am just curious how you would lock them.

John, I leave mine on mostly. If your not comfortable with backing up you can leave it at the Hotel with a cable lock through a wheel and then some thing solid. If I do that I can park the Spyder behind the trailer when I return. Both will fit in one parking spot if you "cock " the trailer one way or the other.

Jack

[Chupaca]

but at events and motels/hotels I see them chained/cabled together (when in a group) or to the lighting posts in the lot. Otherwise wrapped in cables. Seems to be the three options...:thumbup:

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Because the tongue on mine is set up as a stiff Hitch you can't tow it.......and picking it up and putting it in a truck is not an easy proposition.....Mike

[murphybrown]

Cable thru wheels and wrapped around something secure like a post another trailer...whatever. AND I absolutely know that if someone really wanted to steel a pair of bolt cutters would "give" it to them. Then I could see how good my Safeco spyder insurance coverage is (they included the trailer in accessories coverage!!) :ohyea::clap:

[MouthPiece]

I leave mine on all the time. I ride with it on so much that I hardly know it's there. Although it is a tad bit more sensitive when backing than say my boat trailer, you'll get the hang of it with a bit of practice. Although not foolproof, I always back mine into parking spaces to where my spyder blocks the trailer.

Chris

[Pennyrick]

yesterday BIG F was asking a question on alarms, and it got me thinking. like some said, spyders are not that easy to steal but when you go on a trip and stay at hotels what do you do with your trailers. do you always tow them behind you when your out and about or do you leave them at the hotels and lock them up. i am just curious how you would lock them.


John:

When we travel we both pull RT 622's. At a motel or other place where we may drop the trailers (like at a national or state park entrance) we find a light post, sturdy fence or bollard and chain both trailers together around the post. I usually take a quick photo on my I Phone once they are in place because I know if someone was determined enough to steal them, they would cut the cable.

I feel the photo would be proof enough to our insurance carrier that we at least secured them from theft.

I also lock both trailer hitches down in place with the sturdy padlocks we use to secure the hitch to the Spyders. This stops anyone from just dropping the hitch over a ball and running off with the trailer although if someone wanted it bad enough they would find a way to cut the locks even though they are case hardened.

[cuznjohn]

ok another question, does the trailer need to be registered and have a plate on it

[trikermutha]

ok another question, does the trailer need to be registered and have a plate on it

My state YES..Check your state law on trailers..

[va2djd]

Or let the dog beside the trailer with a bowl of waterhttp://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=102888&stc=1

[Cruzr Joe]

My state YES..Check your state law on trailers..



:agree:


Cruzr joe

[cuznjohn]

like i said b4, i don't travel nor do i need a trailer, i was just curious. thanks everyone

[Mad Mac]

I had a trailer for when I owned a GoldWing... at times I left it at the motel so I carried a lock & cable (in the trailer) locked it thru the openings in the mag wheels to a post or guard rail.. or thru the wheels on another trailer..

osm

Agreed,did the same thing w/our WING or if we were staying someplace for acouple of days,we would tow the trailer so we would have our cooler(picinic lunch/cold drink,ect.) and a place to stash jackets and helmets while we were out enjoying the scenery at a natl. park or POI.But if not cable locked it thru wheel and axle to post/fence/rail. Most hotels are getting more biker friendly these days.

[easysuper]

We travel with two trailers most of the time , The boss pulls the dog trailer and I pull the tent trailer, We have locks on the hitch latch and I also run a cable thru the wheels. http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=102901&stc=1

[jthornton]

I leave mine unlocked and sit on the porch with a shotgun... never had a problem.

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=102903&stc=1

Oh yes we did move the furniture out to the porch to watch...

JT

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I guess I mostly depend on my guardian angel to watch out for me. I don't think I locked it up at all on my Louisiana trip last fall! When it comes to looks mine doesn't have enough panache to make it target! But I suppose I could be proven wrong some day.

I virtually never lock my helmet, and leave my jacket on the bike when I'm in a Walmart or such. So far in 9 years nothing has been stolen.

[MRH]

I'm very curious how much the trailer slows the Spyder down (in acceleration, on how fast you can take corners and twists, etc). I've thought about one, but it always looked as thought it would have a very significant drag on the performance.

[jthornton]

I'm very curious how much the trailer slows the Spyder down (in acceleration, on how fast you can take corners and twists, etc). I've thought about one, but it always looked as thought it would have a very significant drag on the performance.

The only time I can tell my trailer is hooked up to the RT is when I am stopping. I have a 2012 RT so pretty weak brakes compared to 2013 and newer RT's. I've ran part of the dragon, and the other one out of Maggie Valley and the mini dragon in Arkansas with the trailer fully overloaded behind my RT and it tracks like it is on rails.

JT

[MRH]

I know Can-Am requires you use their hitch, but in looking at the info on their site for their new trailer, it says that it is the only trailer that maintains the factory warranty (second to last bullet point).

http://can-am.brp.com/spyder/genuine-parts-accessories-riding-gear/accessories/can-am-freedom-trailers.html

Can anybody comment?

Of course, they may not know what trailer you had attached, but I am wondering if this is true (or even legal).

Thanks

[Scoot2Mtns]

We travel with two trailers most of the time , The boss pulls the dog trailer and I pull the tent trailer, We have locks on the hitch latch and I also run a cable thru the wheels. http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=102901&stc=1

I've never seen one that small. Where did you get it?

[easysuper]

We found it on SL for sale forum . It was made by K-9 Krates but I think they are no longer in business. My wife went all the way to Michigan from Oregon to pick it up . Our English Setter has over 6,000 miles logged in it since August . It is built like a refrigerator truck with fiberglass insulated panels and weighs about 250 lbs. She has plenty of room to stand up and turn around, all the windows open and has a vent on top , we have been in all kinds of weather from the high 20s to almost 100 degrees in the badlands where I put a block of ice in side just to make sure she would not over heat. She jumps in every time so we guess she likes going, just as long as we stop and get her ice cream !http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=102945&stc=1

[Big F]

yesterday BIG F was asking a question on alarms, and it got me thinking. like some said, spyders are not that easy to steal but when you go on a trip and stay at hotels what do you do with your trailers. do you always tow them behind you when your out and about or do you leave them at the hotels and lock them up. i am just curious how you would lock them.

I have a ball hitch lock AND I look for a light pool to chain the trailer to also. I saw several trailers last year at Spyderfest in the hotel parking lots that were NOT secured to anything????
THE BIG F

[stillriding]

I know Can-Am requires you use their hitch, but in looking at the info on their site for their new trailer, it says that it is the only trailer that maintains the factory warranty (second to last bullet point).

http://can-am.brp.com/spyder/genuine-parts-accessories-riding-gear/accessories/can-am-freedom-trailers.html

Can anybody comment?

Of course, they may not know what trailer you had attached, but I am wondering if this is true (or even legal).

ThanksI don't think you would have a warranty problem as long as the trailer doesn't exceed BRP's weight requirements. They really want to buy their trailer...which looks very nice...but is drastically overpriced.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I'm very curious how much the trailer slows the Spyder down (in acceleration, on how fast you can take corners and twists, etc). I've thought about one, but it always looked as thought it would have a very significant drag on the performance.
Take a look at this thread at what I recorded for mileage with and without a trailer.

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?75282-Thoughts-and-pointers-from-my-trips-this-year-gas-mileage

The trailer cut my mileage something on the order of 4 mpg, but the greatest factor is speed. If you look at the chart you can see some real differences in mpg at 60 compared to 75.

I think it's safe to say the trailer caused drag which translates to lower mpg. As jthornton said there is an impact on stopping, even with my 2013 RT, which only makes sense. I don't recall off hand how much impact there is on acceleration but I'm thinking not much. As for cornering I didn't feel any difference that I can recall.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I know Can-Am requires you use their hitch, but in looking at the info on their site for their new trailer, it says that it is the only trailer that maintains the factory warranty (second to last bullet point).

http://can-am.brp.com/spyder/genuine-parts-accessories-riding-gear/accessories/can-am-freedom-trailers.html

Can anybody comment?
They pretty much have to say that. How could they sell a trailer and hitch and then not honor the warranty on your bike? As far as being the only one, that is true in an absolute 100% strict sense because they cannot not honor any warranty claim even if its caused by pulling their trailer. Now, if you have a non-BRP hitch and/or a non-BRP trailer and you have a warranty claim, AND if BRP can demonstrate that the non-BRP hitch or trailer caused damage that the BRP hitch or trailer would not have, then they have grounds to deny the claim. That would be a pretty high hurdle to cross in any plausible situation I can envision.

BRP cannot require that their hitch be used. They want you think that, but it's not legal to do so.

[Wiredux]

I always pull my trailer with me. Leaving it in the parking lot "to save a parking spot" has always been a sore point with alot of people I talk with. I know when I was at SpyderQuest the hotel and other guests were upset and moving trailers that were in spots and in some cases blocking trailers in, so the owner could not get it out. Me, I like to know where my trailer is and that no one is messing with it or damaging it when they try and move it. Keep in mind most hotels are NOT RESPONSIBLE for things in the parking lot.

[Dragonfly]

Take a look at this thread at what I recorded for mileage with and without a trailer.

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?75282-Thoughts-and-pointers-from-my-trips-this-year-gas-mileage

The trailer cut my mileage something on the order of 4 mpg, but the greatest factor is speed. If you look at the chart you can see some real differences in mpg at 60 compared to 75.

I think it's safe to say the trailer caused drag which translates to lower mpg. As jthornton said there is an impact on stopping, even with my 2013 RT, which only makes sense. I don't recall off hand how much impact there is on acceleration but I'm thinking not much. As for cornering I didn't feel any difference that I can recall.

Pulled my Nomad round trip from Virginia to Spyderfest last year with MPG staying right at 27 mpg. As for trailer security, I had mine locked down with a 15 ft. cable to a fence post at the Microtel Inn without any issues.

[Gray Ghost]

We pulled ours around the states this summer. There were only a few times that the trailer was actually separated from the bike. Those times we used a cable lock through the wheels and around a fixed object and of course we locked the hitch pin area. There is a piece you can purchase in trailer areas that has a ball and a U bolt so it locks up the hitch area where someone would have to cut it off to use the hitch.

[Roadster Renovations]

If I have my trailer, I"ll wrap a cable through the wheel and around the tongue in my parking spot. I also have a tongue lock.

Remember, you can only do so much. If someone wants it, they're going to get it.

That's also what I do. If in a motel parking lot overnight I use a battery jumper AC convertor to run a baby monitor sending unit. The receiving unit I plug in to an outlet by the bedside. Adjusting the volume so that I just get ambient sounds makes it loud enough to wake me if someone is messing with the bike or the trailer. Worked very well.

[satownsendsr]

I have a tongue lock where I insert a ball locking unit in and it locks in place along with the lock in the keeper leaver. I also run a steel cable through the rim and trailer.

[GreenDragon]

As for the question concerning license and registration, Indiana requires that the trailer be registered and carry a license plate. The smallest trailer size they lat is 3,000 pounds and the cost is $30.00 a year. They do not have small trailer plates likes those for a motorcycle so you have to mount the large plate on the trailer. Don't know about other states.

[LEEB]

I'm considering buying a trailer to pull behind or RT. The trailer has a elec. connector which is a '5 flat'. Can someone tell me what is needed on my Spyder to wire it properly for this connector? I believe the Can-Am harness used a '4 square' connector. I believe there are also '4 flat' connectors also, but the manufacture says his trailer must use all 5 wires. This is all new to me and I'm what you call, 'confused'!! Pictures please, if possible!

LEEB

[trikermutha]

This part # is to covert a 10-12 model to 13 on up..

# 710003227