Retiring soon, vehicle / trailer recommendations.

[always young]

I’m hoping to retire in a couple of years and I wanted to reach out to the several lucky folks that have already retired and have found solutions to some of these questions. I have an old PT cruiser that has survived 3 teenage daughters (now graduated college) which is getting long in the tooth so it’s time to look for a new vehicle before it dies on me. I’m looking for a replacement with future needs and activities in mind. The wife and I would like to take several 3-4 week trips a year while retired and drive around the country trailering the F3. She’s good for riding once we get somewhere, but not riding the bike to get there. I’m thinking that the Spyder and a trailer would run around 1500 – 2000 Lbs. Most of the SUV’s that I’ve looked at are rated for 3500 Lbs, way more than I need. Here’s some questions that I would like to start with. If some of you can think of anything that I’ve missed, please feel free to add to the list. Thanks everyone.

Is it better to trailer the F3 with an enclosed (10’ single axle) or open trailer. Pros and cons of each.

Recommendations for manufacturers (function / quality) of both types.

Suitable mid-level SUV (Rav4, Escape, Santa Fe etc.) to safely tow the trailer as I don’t want a large second vehicle.

Do you need a factory towing package to do this (transmission cooler) with some of them, would you recommend one or are some OK without it?

Are there places that rent an open or enclosed trailer wide enough to load the Spyder onto and are economical to rent for a 3-4-week period?

Is it worth getting a trailer if you’re only going to use it a few times a year? Storage in mind when not using it.

 

[Capt. Bob]

There is/was a Droptail trailer for sale just across the State from you in Melbourne for $2k that is a steal and ideal for open carry of a Spyder. The trailer only weighs about 850 pounds and it hauls my F3S or Harley Tri Glide Ultra with ease behind my 2015 Honda Odyssey which is rated for 3500 pounds towing capacity. The Odyssey holds all kinds of gear and luggage.

 

[wrb3004]

I personally would go with an enclosed trailer. The Spyder is inside out of the elements and under lock and key. I have an Aluma (6x10) enclosed trailer that I put my RT in if I need to trailer it somewhere. It's a tight fit through the doorway but it works. Your F3 is narrower than an RT so it would not be a problem but depending on the brand of trailer you just need to make sure the doorway is wide enough. Also with an enclosed trailer you can carry other stuff as well such as some tools, riding gear etc.

 

[bushrat]

If you are a couple of years away from retirement, you're obviously planning ahead, which is always good. Take your time and choose wisely. Here are a couple of thoughts:

You don't have to buy new; there are usually plenty of excellent used trailers around at fair prices.

Open or closed is a matter of preference, but think of this: is it possible that you will or could wind up using the trailer for purposes other than hauling your Spyder? A closed cargo trailer will likely provide more flexibility. It could also be used as a place to store your Spyder when you're not ryding it, or other stuff that might take up garage space where you could park your Spyder. Will friends or family want to borrow it from time to time to move things? A cargo trailer will require its own parking place, which could be bigger than an open trailer, especially if it's collapsible. It will likely weigh more than an open trailer, which could determine both hitch capacity and pulling vehicle choice. Closed will give better protection from the elements, but open will be lighter with less drag when hauling, likely cost less, and be just as effective in transporting your Spyder.

Your Spyder weighs roughly 1000 pounds; add that to weight of the trailer and any additional bits you might also carry, and you can then calculate the hitch/towing capacity required. Don't go too cheap or too light. Better to have some excess capacity rather than not enough. Have good tires, check pressures, keep wheel bearings lubricated, use safety chains and keep all lights in good working order. I personally prefer larger diameter wheels over smaller; a drop axle will help keep the trailer bed lower to the ground and often perform better on the road. There are some good ones with 3500 rating. You will have better re-sale possibilities when the time comes if you have bought a trailer with features that others will also want.

In short, think through all the possibilities of trailer use/storage you might have beyond just the Spyder. In my case, I found a purpose-built, used, open aluminum trailer, specially made by a Spyder RT owner, who no longer needed it after he bought a toy hauler. I snatched it up at a bargain price a month before I even bought my F3L. I did it simply so that I could haul the F3 from winter-time Canada to FL, so as to make my bike ryding a 12-month proposition instead of six months. Even if I had not later gone through with my Spyder purchase, I was pretty certain I could soon have found a buyer for the trailer. Look around; you'll likely find something like that for yourself. Good luck.

PS: as for vehicle choice, a mid-range SUV would do fine, whichever brand you like; however, I would go with a trailer package option included, in preference to a later add-on.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Tow Vehicle

The only car that I think .... might not be able to tow one Spyder , would be the " SMART " car .......... if you get a trailer that encloses the Spyder , I suggest an Aluminum one .......... Mike :thumbup:

 

[al0vely]

Open utility trailer - heavy

We purchased a 7x10 open utility trailer which I think is heavy but no problem because it is pulled with an F150 4x4 PU.

I wouldn't go with anything smaller as this size works well with either an F3 or RT.

 

[SPYD3R]

OPTINION ONLY

MY OPINION;
Is it better to trailer the F3 with an enclosed (10’ single axle) or open trailer. Pros and cons of each. ALWAYS better for enclosed trailer... no down-side to this, other than you may burn a few gallons of gas extra on your trip...

Suitable mid-level SUV (Rav4, Escape, Santa Fe etc.) to safely tow the trailer as I don’t want a large second vehicle. There are many makes that come from the factory with the OEM Tranny Coolers already installed... look for one that has it... if not, SUMMIT RACING or other auto-parts companies will sell you one, and they are very easy to install... ALL models you've stated have enough power for towing a SPYD3R & trailer...
Do you need a factory towing package to do this (transmission cooler) with some of them, would you recommend one or are some OK without it? See previous answer...

Are there places that rent an open or enclosed trailer wide enough to load the Spyder onto and are economical to rent for a 3-4-week period? Many dealers will accomodate your needs, call in advance and they will direct you to the proper equipment...

Is it worth getting a trailer if you’re only going to use it a few times a year? Storage in mind when not using it. All depends on your pocket book, and your trust in a rental unit... also, if you do not have a garage to store your SPYD3R, and should you buy an enclosed trailer, you can use that for storing your new toy...

Whatever you do, do it safely and enjoy your retirement.... :yes:
Dan P
SPYD3R

 

[canamjhb]

Tow vehicle..... I am very pleased with my Buick Enclave. It has full time all wheel drive and a towing capacity of 4,500 Lbs. I chose this car over other considerations because of its' higher towing capacity. Overall, the best vehicle I have owned. And besides, retired and other old people MUST drive a Buick.....

 

[2dogs]

Excellent..........

All of the above comments are very, very good. They've all covered just about every option you could think of. :thumbup:

 

[asp125]

Where will you tow to? If you plan to go over high mountain passes, remember there's roughly a 3% loss in Hp/1000ft elevation. We towed two bikes on a Kendon (1000-1200lbs) with a V6 Murano over 12,000ft passes and was able to maintain the posted speed limit without problem. Personally, I'd go with a V6 over a 4-cylinder.

 

[always young]

Responses to my post.

I just want to thank everyone that has responded to my questions. Wow:clap:Keep them coming. opcorn:

 

[SpyderAnn01]

Have a friend with a Ford Edge and an open trailer for her F3T. Great setup and a nice SUV for everyday use.

 

[Blue Star]

I’m hoping to retire in a couple of years and I wanted to reach out to the several lucky folks that have already retired and have found solutions to some of these questions. I have an old PT cruiser that has survived 3 teenage daughters (now graduated college) which is getting long in the tooth so it’s time to look for a new vehicle before it dies on me. I’m looking for a replacement with future needs and activities in mind. The wife and I would like to take several 3-4 week trips a year while retired and drive around the country trailering the F3. She’s good for riding once we get somewhere, but not riding the bike to get there. I’m thinking that the Spyder and a trailer would run around 1500 – 2000 Lbs. Most of the SUV’s that I’ve looked at are rated for 3500 Lbs, way more than I need. Here’s some questions that I would like to start with. If some of you can think of anything that I’ve missed, please feel free to add to the list. Thanks everyone.

Is it better to trailer the F3 with an enclosed (10’ single axle) or open trailer. Pros and cons of each.

Recommendations for manufacturers (function / quality) of both types.

Suitable mid-level SUV (Rav4, Escape, Santa Fe etc.) to safely tow the trailer as I don’t want a large second vehicle.

Do you need a factory towing package to do this (transmission cooler) with some of them, would you recommend one or are some OK without it?

Are there places that rent an open or enclosed trailer wide enough to load the Spyder onto and are economical to rent for a 3-4-week period?

Is it worth getting a trailer if you’re only going to use it a few times a year? Storage in mind when not using it.

I recently retired, and bought a 7 by 10 foot tilt trailer for my Spyder. The trailer has a release pin that allows the trailer to tilt, so the Spyder (or whatever) I need to load can drive right up on it. I have a Toyota Tacoma 4X4 with the V6 to pull it. I have had this trailer for three months so far, and use it quite often, but can not tell you how it works for the Spyder since I have not put the Spyder on it yet.

 

[kbwitt]

Trailer

I pull 2014 rts. On a alumi trailer 425 pounds. Behind my 2013 Toyota Avalon. Works great. It has a drop down tail ramp that makes for easy load and unload.Try to remember to put windshield down.
Kenn

 

[ahh-cool]

 

[Capt. Bob]

View attachment 158690

Talk about having it all. Beautiful lady, beautiful trike and a nice bus! Ride safe and have fun!

 

[CA Railwhale]

Ford Escape

My wife and I tow our F3 on an open trailer behind our Escape. It's got a 2.3 liter turbo and NO factory towing package. It does just fine. Make sure that you have generous spare width on your trailer, I only had about two inches on either side to the wheels and maneuvering the Spyder on the trailer used to be a nightmare. I eventually cut off the superstructure of the trailer to make things easier. If price is no object, consider the Ultimate Trailer, it looks like a great choice, but a well optioned open one runs almost six grand which was more than I was willing to pay.

 

[PeteF]

I do a lot of towing with my wife's Spyder F3 and my Harley Road Glide, and I’ve done a lot of towing with various types of trailers over the years. No disrespect to any other posters, but there’s simply no way I’d tow a trailer and a Spyder with a RAV4 or like vehicle, especially not an enclosed trailer.

I’ll use a RAV4 as an example; other vehicles may differ a little. According to Toyota, a RAV4 has a towing capacity of 1500 pounds and a “payload weight” (their term) of about 1000 pounds. With a flatbed trailer, and most certainly an enclosed trailer, you will exceed those limits. You must understand that manufacturers are quite liberal with their tow ratings, so real world towing experience will be less.

There’s more to consider than the manufacturer's rating. What’s the max tongue weight of your tow vehicle? An enclosed 7x10 foot trailer weighs in the neighborhood of 900-1000 pounds. Add the weight of the Spyder with 1/2 tank of gas and you’re right at 2000 pounds total. You’ve exceeded the tow rating of the RAV4.

What’s the manufacturer's max tongue weight rating? The tongue weight, which should be 10-15 percent of your trailer gross weight, counts against your “payload weight,”so you’ve reduced your payload before you’ve loaded the RAV4 with luggage, passengers, riding gear, etc. You can put that stuff in the trailer (well...maybe not your passengers depending on how much you like them), but nonetheless, it will add to your trailer weight.

Even something like a 7x10 Aluma flatbed weighing about 450 pounds would mean you have a loaded trailer weight of 1550 pounds, so you’re still over the limits of a RAV4.

You may think that an SUV rated at 3500 pounds is more than you need, but I submit that it is not considering the amount of stuff you’ll be carrying for three to four weeks. There’s a difference in towing a trailer two or three times a year to one destination for a week-long trip, and towing three to four weeks at a time. Also rental places like U-Haul will not rent certain trailers unless they are being towed by a properly specified vehicle.

For what you want, you’re most certainly better off with a flatbed. For your purposes, I personally would not tow a Spyder on trips with anything less than a vehicle rated at 3500 pounds. Remember, you must consider the weight of your luggage, passengers, and other stuff, too. What about the weight of stuff you’ll buy on trips? What about driving up mountains?

In my experience you’ll end up carrying more weight than you realize, so you'll want to have a fair amount of buffer. I’ve known a couple yof people, trying to save money, who’ve purchased vehicles at the limit they thought would work, only to realize during their first trip that their vehicle was not up to the task. That's a total bummer.

 

[always young]

Vehicle, trailer combo.

PeteF,
Thanks for the thorough response. You covered some very important items that I hadn't thought of. Looks like I will have to rethink my vehicle choice some. I had thought that the Rav4 may be on the low side for making it work. I just didn't want to go to a full size Suburban type SUV. Are there other choices that are bigger than a Rav4 size and a big Suburban size to choose from?

 

[canamjhb]

Again, look at the Buick Enclave with a trailer package. Rated at 4,500 lbs. and it drives like a (great) car, not a truck. I completely agree with PeteF. Many years ago I bought a little 16 foot toy hauler/camper. Loaded it with air conditioning, generator and necessities for a 2 month tour. Put my Goldwing inside and drove 55 miles up the road and turned around and drove 55 miles home. My 1/2 ton pickup with tow package was not up to the challenge of towing even a modest load even though it was rated for 7,500 (I believe)