Are the RT622 capacity and weight limits conservative & can I stretch them a little?

[Fireball1800]

Are the RT622 capacity and weight limits conservative & can I stretch them a little?

I have a RT622 and my wife and I are planning on doing a long-distance ride that will involve mostly camping. The trailer cargo capacity says 150 lbs. I find that little low considering the amount of space. Calculating all the camping gear I want to take comes to about 200lbs on the trailer. Which would exceed the maximum by 50lbs. Is this a conservative "cover my butt from a lawsuit" amount by BRP? The trailer should be able to do at least 200lbs mechanically. <your thoughts>

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I have a RT622 and my wife and I are planning on doing a long-distance ride that will involve mostly camping. The trailer cargo capacity says 150 lbs. I find that little low considering the amount of space. Calculating all the camping gear I want to take comes to about 200lbs on the trailer. Which would exceed the maximum by 50lbs. Is this a conservative "cover my butt from a lawsuit" amount by BRP? The trailer should be able to do at least 200lbs mechanically. <your thoughts>

It is low because the trailer weighs about 240 LBS :gaah: .... I made a trailer using a Sears "car top carrier" and it only weighed about 100 lbs. .... so I could have added another 300.lbs of gear...... Quite a few folks here have bought trailers that weighed about 150lbs and used them successfully ..... There was (maybe still is) a really nice looking one that was dirt cheap in the "For Sale by Owner" section ...... Mike :thumbup:

https://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?151492-1996-California-Sidecar-Trailer

 

[canamjhb]

That 150 pound capacity is based upon the 400 pound towing maximum your bike is rated for. (trailer+cargo=400 lb max.) Your trailer itself will more than accommodate that extra 50 pounds. Two things are important. Make sure your tongue weight is kept to the correct weight. When I trailered my 622, I found the trailer was happiest with 18-25 pound tongue weight. I used a fish scale to verify weight of the tongue when adjusting the load. Secondly, allow extra stopping and passing distances. And use caution when going in and out of gas stations. And, plan on loosing about 3 MPG towing your trailer. Other than that, you'll never know it's behind you. You'll be fine with that extra 50 pounds. Good luck..... Jim

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

If you are planning on riding two up keep in mind that with the weight of the two of you plus the trailer weight you could end up being seriously compromised when it comes to panic stops. Look at the whole picture, not just how much the trailer itself is physically capable of carrying.

 

[UtahPete]

https://www.spyderlovers.com/forums...ditional-stopping-power-for-when-towing-Ideas

 

[JayBros]

Having bicycled across the country twice totally self-contained I easily lived with 40 lbs. total load that included all my camping gear. I respectfully suggest you take a serious look at the amount of camping you plan to carry. FWIW, on every self-contained trip I've taken, on a bicycle or motorcycle, I always make a list to pack and check it against what I didn't use when I returned and always have taken more than I used. That does not include mechanical spares; I always carry them for insurance. I am a minimalist who tries to carry things that can do double duty.

 

[UtahPete]

I have a RT622 and my wife and I are planning on doing a long-distance ride that will involve mostly camping. The trailer cargo capacity says 150 lbs. I find that little low considering the amount of space. Calculating all the camping gear I want to take comes to about 200lbs on the trailer. Which would exceed the maximum by 50lbs. Is this a conservative "cover my butt from a lawsuit" amount by BRP? The trailer should be able to do at least 200lbs mechanically. <your thoughts>

Yes, the trailer itself is easily capable of more than 250#

It's the total gross vehicle weight rating of the Spyder you should be concerned about, which includes the tongue weight.

The combined weight of loaded trailer plus loaded Spyder can easily be handled by the Spyder's drive train, but is limited by available braking power.

 

[askitee]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHVa3kbe-Q0&ab_channel=L2SFBC-RobertPepper-autojourno

 

[easysuper]

Your trailer will easily handle the 200 pounds of weight. I am speaking from experience and just not keyboard expertise. I have a friend that pulls a 622 and is loaded with a DC fridge, Campmate stove with oven, permanently mounted solar panel with batteries , and many extras. they have pulled the trailer for tens of thousands of miles with no problem. My wife pulls a leisurelite that weighs in a close to 450, I pull a DIY trailer for all the rest of our gear including the kitchen sink that is close to 425 when the water tanks are full. we have pulled trailers with both our RTs for over 100,000 miles and I have never had a issue and we have rode in all kids of weather including snow. Your biggest issue is to stay focused 1/4 mile down the road at all times.