For towing a 2018 RT Limited?
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Carry-On-Tr...p-Gate/3005263
Thanks in advance.
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For towing a 2018 RT Limited?
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Carry-On-Tr...p-Gate/3005263
Thanks in advance.
I look at Lowe's Carry On trailers before I eventually bought a different brand. There were a couple reasons I didn't buy one. First of all was the height of the deck and ramp size. It was too high and I couldn't load without getting additional extended ramps. And I didn't like having the bike riding high in the wind when towing. Then, I thought the trailer was heavier than I wanted. I tow with my Buick SUV with a V6 so I opted for an aluminum trailer that weighs 525#s. Other than that, It has the capacity and size to fit your bike very well..... Jim
Used similar 6x12 for a ST : ramp little steep; had to adjust approach with combinations of blocking street using driveway elevation to lessen the angle & or raise trailer tongue with the stand while keeping attached to vehicle for stability. Sorry not sure length of load ramp/gate. Was a rental
Ramp steepness may be a problem. Not much clearance under the Spyder to go over a hump. If you have an inclined driveway and a street gutter you might be able to drop the trailer wheels into the gutter and then the ramp won't be so steep. But that doesn't take care of the problem at the end of the trip.
You might be able to put blocks under the end of the ramp and then extend the ramp with three 2 x 8s to reduce the steepness. Or go to a metal fabricator and have them make a hinged metal ramp extension. Good opportunity to let your ingenuity run rampant! :2thumbs:
Gkamer this is just my opinion and I mean no offense to anyone as in the trailer. I have that exact trailer. Will it work yes. Don’t worry about the ramp height. Get 2 or 3 2x8 and screw together then put them infront of rear tire of pull vehicle drive car up on 2x8 and ramp is fine. Should you buy this trailer for the spyder? NO! Here’s my problem. #1 it’s steel. Yep it’s cheap to buy, but you live in Washington and that means rain. Rain means rust. If it’s sitting outside 80 percent of the time unused it will rust in 2 years. Steel is heavy to move and there’s no wheel on the jack. My opinion buy an aluminum trailer. They are same height, last forever, light, and resale is equally if not higher than purchase. Yes you spend more now but end sale is you owned it for nothing since it will be sitting most of its life. Any car can pull it too. I am not a fan of wood decking vs aluminum decking. Will that steel and wooden deck work? Yes. Would I buy it ? No. I have an aluma 6x16 for the SXS and wheelers. It looks as new now as 6 years ago. I have a 6x12 steel trailer like yours that is farm use only now. It looks like crap and from the 60’s rusted etc. even though it’s only 10 years old. I have an 8x21 enclosed aluminum snowmobile trailer. Perfect looking and it’s in salt during use which eats everything and it looks brand new. We also have an 8x24 steel trailer for hauling equipment. That is the only steel trailer that needs to be steel. I would never buy a steel trailer again. I know they are more and most will say I don’t need to spend that much on something that’s barely used but it pays itself off in the end in my eyes.
It will work, but like already said you have to adjust the ramps to get it on or find a little knoll to back up to!!
Whichever trailer you buy you don't need a 12 footer, 10 feet is plenty long enough. I have a Sure track steel trailer 6x10 that is very well built and I'm happy with it but I do need to use extra ramps to load and unload or it will scrape. If I had to do it over again I would spend the extra for an aluminum 6x10 that had a drop axle so I didn't need ramps.
Greg,
As you continue your search know that a 6' X 10' trailer is just the perfect size. You really don't need a 12 footer. I bought a 6 X 10 Primo aluminum with a bi-fold ramp. There is a member here that has the same trailer in a 12 foot length for his Spyder. Six or eight months ago he had a thread about his trailer and the mods he was doing. I don't remember his name but you should be able to find it by doing a search. I am extremely happy with my trailer choice. Good luck..... Jim
Those trailers are made just a few miles from me. They are some of the cheapest made trailers that I have ever saw. Every equipment/farmers auction that's anywhere near here has "LOTS" of them sitting around to be sold "AS IS" all with some type of problem. Personally I would look else where.
yes it will
Greg, that trailer will work however it has several shortcomings as mentioned above. The shortcomings are not insurmountable and can easily be overcome with a little ingenuity. I would rethink a 10 footer over the 12 footer, unless you have other uses in mind. $2,300 is one of the least expensive trailers out there that you'll find. Everything else is going to be two or three + times that much. It's doable but with a few alterations. If it were me I'd consider a bi-fold ramp. That would solve a lot of problems.
Bifold is the term I was looking for when I said hinged ramp gate.
Ground loads or sometimes referred to as a drop trailer, are quite pricy. Print out a photo of the (Lowes) trailer you posted and take it around to several fabractors and enquire as to the price of making a folding addition to the existing ramp. Your spyder has about a 4" to 4 1/2" clearance at its lowest point. Your wheelbase is approx 65"/67". Good luck and keep us posted.
I love my Big Tex Trailer. 12X6.5 model 35SA Great for hauling all kinds of stuff. :yes:
I noticed a couple of folks mentioned a bi-fold ramp. I can tell you from personal experience a ramp that tall will absolutely kill the fuel mileage on your tow vehicle. We headed out to pick up a bike in Omaha back in 2010 with a 5x8 a friend had loaned me. It had a single piece end gate like the one you have pictured. Our tow vehicle was my 2004 Pontiac Vibe; plenty of car and towing capacity for the assigned task but by the time we had covered the first 200 miles, and needed fuel; my radar went on high alert. There were only two differences in towing that day; the weight of the trailer which wasn't a lot and the 5' tall end gate. There wasn't much I could do about the weight, but the end gate was easily removeable. We laid the gate down in the trailer and strapped it down with a couple of 4 x 4s on it to insure plenty of downward pressure. From Garden City, KS to Omaha we saw and increase in fuel mileage from 18mpg to 28mpg (almost as good as the car without a trailer. Conclusion is that even an expanded metal gate will cause a great deal of drag. We left the gate down in the bed of the trailer for the trip home and secured the bike on top of it. The mileage coming home was 24mpg. I hate to think how bad it would have been with the 600lb bike AND the tall end gate sticking up. :yikes:
Forgot to mention; our local Sam's club had about three different sizes of trailer for sale a while back. I looked them over pretty good and noted they seem to be much better quality than the ones found at Lowe's, Home Depot or Tractor Supply and they were fairly priced. Like others have state though, if you have the funds, opt for an aluminum trailer over steel. Steel will hold up fine if you can store it indoors, but if left to the elements, it will eventually have rusting problems regardless of how good the paint job. Our climate is so dry where I am we don't have to worry about those things. ;)
Thats no kidding about the aerodynamic drag of one of those fold up ramps.
I've never noticed any impact on mpg with my 2005 Titan pulling my 5 x 10 trailer with 4 1/2 ft high mesh ramp gate.
We needed a trailer for the bike or the trike, so we went looking for one that would just be big enough. Looked around at many trailers, was about to buy one, but in the discussion we had a epiphany of sorts. We need to trailer the rides a few times a year, but other than that would we use it? Turned out once we had a trailer it got used much more than anticipated. Long way around of getting to the point: Get more trailer than you think you'll need. Once you have and use one you'll wonder how you did without. We started out with a 6x12, moved up to a 7x16 open trailer and now we have a 16 X 7 enclosed utility trailer. We use it a lot. Toting the bike and trike, general hauling stuff around, short term storage, we've even go weekend camping in it when we don't want to break out the 36' toyhauler.
If I would have known back in 2005 when I bought my 5 x 10 trailer that I would have a 5'+ wide vehicle in 2013, I'm sure I would have bought a 6' wide one! :roflblack:
Hind sight is 20\20
It's all about the physics; the amount of drag created by those tailgates is pretty constant. However the abilities size and aerodynamics of the tow vehicles can vary a great deal. In the case of my Vibe, that drag would have represented a far greater percentage of it's power when compared to being a very small percentage of the power of a pick-up (especially a diesel). In addition, a pick-up would more likely be directing more airflow over the tailgate whereas the Vibe would be letting more air hit it. So it would stand to reason a pick-up with a lot of power and size would be far less effected by the drag than a small four-door hatch-back.