Hi all - Harbor Freight Trailer. Anyone have one?

[jimmybarton]

I'm looking to purchase an affordable trailer for the long trips since my wife loves to take her wardrobe :banghead: with her. That's ok though cause she never complains about anything and she loves to ride. What more could I ask for :yes:. I'm looking at the Harbor Freight types cause the BRP and similar types are tooooo expensive. I'm lucky to even have this bike (F3s-SE6) because the payments are quite a lot so anyone out there with a similar size wallet and also has a low cost trailer that works just fine then please share your info. You guys with mucho $$ and expensive toys of all types please share your thoughts too cause I'm sure you have lots of wisdom on trailer pulling, etc. Have a nice day guys. :clap:

 

[Firefly]

I'm looking to purchase an affordable trailer for the long trips since my wife loves to take her wardrobe :banghead: with her. That's ok though cause she never complains about anything and she loves to ride. What more could I ask for :yes:. I'm looking at the Harbor Freight types cause the BRP and similar types are tooooo expensive. I'm lucky to even have this bike (F3s-SE6) because the payments are quite a lot so anyone out there with a similar size wallet and also has a low cost trailer that works just fine then please share your info. You guys with mucho $$ and expensive toys of all types please share your thoughts too cause I'm sure you have lots of wisdom on trailer pulling, etc. Have a nice day guys. :clap:

I have one (no longer use it with my F3). I put a Sears Cargo- top thing on it and it works pretty well. Try and get the trailer that has the larger tires on it. I think mine was around $200 when it was on a 40% off sale. I spray coated it with truck bed liner.....

 

[Haze]

Trailer

Check out the Motocampers.com web site. A lot of the riders tow the Tag-Along.
You will find several threads with build instructions and modifications for bike towing.
I, too, am in the market for a "taggy".
Good luck with your search.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

HARBOR FRIEGHT

I have one (no longer use it with my F3). I put a Sears Cargo- top thing on it and it works pretty well. Try and get the trailer that has the larger tires on it. I think mine was around $200 when it was on a 40% off sale. I spray coated it with truck bed liner.....

:agree::agree::agree: .... In addition ....also did the Sears X- Cargo car top carrier .... got that for $20.00 at a garage sale :yes:..... checke the bearings also and put LED lights on it if it doesn't have them ..... this will be MORE compatible with the Spyder electrics , and won't throw codes , plus they last forever and don't corrode ....... Mike :thumbup:

 

[blacklightning]

The little Harbor freight trailers are just fine. A friend of mine just got back from the 10th anniversary trip in Canada. He never had any issues with it. He still has the smaller tires, but just makes sure the bearings are fully greased.

 

[jimmybarton]

good feedback

someone said something about using larger tires. Most of these small trailers come with 4.5 x 12" tires. Are these small or is that what your talking about? ...the other part of this discussion is the electrical aspect. Is it ok to just pigtail the trailer lights into the rear tail lights of the spyder?

 

[easysuper]

Harbor Freight

Had one used it a lot , just wasn't happy with the looks, but they are great little trailers, I changed the bolts on the inside that hold it to the frame too eye bolts so I could secure the stuff inside from bouncing around, my wife and I spent a week on the road with my son and granddaughter going down the PCH from Astoria to Malibu and it held all our camping gear to stay in cabins along the route. Just keep the wheels greased. You can find them on Craigs list, that's where I got mine.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

PIGTAIL

someone said something about using larger tires. Most of these small trailers come with 4.5 x 12" tires. Are these small or is that what your talking about? ...the other part of this discussion is the electrical aspect. Is it ok to just pigtail the trailer lights into the rear tail lights of the spyder?

I would look at what Value Accessories has to connect to Spyder wiring ......... I think you mean 8 or 10 inch tires .... a trailer of this weight needs nothing larger than a 12 inch ..... you can also up-grade to " C " OR " D " tire ..... Mike :thumbup:

 

[UtahPete]

Somebody please rotate this image to portrait orientation. Thanks.

I'm looking to purchase an affordable trailer for the long trips since my wife loves to take her wardrobe with her.

I'm looking at the Harbor Freight types cause the BRP and similar types are tooooo expensive. I'm lucky to even have this bike (F3s-SE6) because the payments are quite a lot so anyone out there with a similar size wallet and also has a low cost trailer that works just fine then please share your info.

I have the HF Tag-a-long trailer, which works pretty well for cargo as you are talking about. About all I did to it is remove a leaf from the springs to give it a more compliant ride, and use weatherstripping along the lip of the plastic cargo box to give it more rain and dust resistance. It works fine as is.

I use a CPAP at night, and sometimes we camp, so I added a battery box and small 12v battery. Some people put a platform there to carry a cooler. Then, a cheap swing-down type leg to support the tongue when it's off the bike. Spray painted the top (which comes black) for a little bling.

I also added a swiveling hitch because I tow it mostly with my 2-wheeler but you won't need to do that. It holds quite a bit actually.

Does your bike have the OEM trailer connection? It's a 4-square and the standard trailer connectors are flat-4. I got this from Amazon and made up my own adapter https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004BE60ZU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 .

I would not 'pigtail' it into the rear lighting circuits unless that was the only option I had. Then, you need to be aware that any electrical problems you create could void parts of your warranty. I didn't have any problems with mine and I went with the stock non-LED tail lights on the trailer.

 

[WA5VHU]

Yep, mine works fine, did most of the mods mentioned here. The small wheels are fine, though I haven't had mine up much over 90 mph...

 

[WA5VHU]

Oh yeah, if she needs to take stuff for more than one season...

 

[spacetiger]

check youtube. I think there are some posts talking about what they did to make it better.

 

[retread]

Oh yeah, if she needs to take stuff for more than one season...
View attachment 148970

What did you do to extend the tongue? I like the handle.
I took the 4.80 by 8 wheels off, replaced them with 4.80 by 12, made a kickstand, and replaced the lights with leds. I've got about 4K miles with no problems.
I tried slightly wider 12 inch wheels, 5,35, I think, but they wouldn't clear the frame.

john

 

[hawkiii]

I had one with the GS. When building, I put rubber between the metal to metal contact locations. Removed one of the leaf springs and make sure you repack the wheel bearings. It will work just fine. I put over 30,000 miles on that trailer. Now with the F3 I am pulling a Can Am Freedom trailer. Love it.

 

[stevencovert]

Yep!

Search for keyword "Harbor Freight" and look for my name. I posted my experience using one (the one with the clamshell). Was like $200 with coupons during a sale. Larger tires not needed at all. Had to do some filing of two holes as they didn't line up. Rubber bands on the chain hooks as the bouncy road pops them out the slots. DEFINITELY search on Google for the trailer, the one thing you MUST do is pull the wheel bearings and pack with real grease. Pulled mine off and sure enough just a little wipe of vasoline looking goop. I've got a lot of miles on it, never a problem. With the torque of the 1330 I don't even know its behind me. I went this route as I only need one maybe 2-3 times a year. Would be nice to have about another foot length on the tongue, but the Chinese use a weird rectangle shape tube not the "standard" square.

I went cheap with the $350ish trailer kit and harness. Be sure to get the harness that has relays, so there is no direct connection to Nanny to upset her. Also will need the 5 wire to 4 wire converter from any auto store ($25). There ends up being a lot of cabling in the left tail light area. I slipped the flat cable through the seam at the bottom of area, where plastic overlaps. Holds the plug nicely went not in use.

Steve

 

[WA5VHU]

What did you do to extend the tongue? I like the handle.
I took the 4.80 by 8 wheels off, replaced them with 4.80 by 12, made a kickstand, and replaced the lights with leds. I've got about 4K miles with no problems.
I tried slightly wider 12 inch wheels, 5,35, I think, but they wouldn't clear the frame.

john

John,
To extend the tongue I went down to a local metal supplier and got a length of 2" x 2" steel square tubing and replaced the HF tongue with my longer one, easy to do with only one U-clamp and one bolt holding it on. If you note the picture at the beach the tongue was actually a bit too long so in the second picture it is shorter after I cut it off by a foot or so. I lengthened it to keep the tongue weight down as I was carrying a Honda Eu1000i generator in a box where most put their ice chest and the longer tubing did indeed reduce the tongue weight.

I did the same mods as you mentioned plus a few others, the handle I picked up at a Ham Radio flea market, it was some kind of electronic equipment handle. It is nice and smooth.

I kept the small wheels because according to the Internet trolls that have never owned a trailer with small wheels they will cause the earth to stop spinning and fling us all into outer space and I've never been there before.
:yes:

 

[BigGuy66]

(snip) Then, a cheap swing-down type leg to support the tongue when it's off the bike... (snip)

Where did you buy this leg support? Nice addition....

 

[UtahPete]

Where did you buy this leg support? Nice addition....

I got mine at eTrailer.com, but they are available at any trailer supply store.

 

[teadave]

Sure do!

Excellent trailer for the price. Read the goldwing forums for their modifications/upgrades.
Would buy another if this one were to leave...

 

[jimmybarton]

Lots of good info and wisdom

Thanks guys, I've got a treasure trove of great info from your experiences and travels. I've got a strong desire to do some serious traveling so with a small tag-a-long trailer and some other spyder upgrades I feel confident that I'll be able to pull it off with the wife. She is fairly new to motorbike traveling in general but very eager to just go riding quite often to visit the kids or try out a good place to eat at some unique place miles away. We both like camping so that's another good reason for the trailer to haul a tent and some cooking gear and plenty of mosquito repellant to join in with some biker friends to visit the central, eastern and southeast part of America where I've lived for 71 years. :yes: Happy sails to you...