Retiring soon, vehicle / trailer recommendations.

[asp125]

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?

Buick Enclave as mentioned. Then there is the Audi Q5 (4400lbs towing cap.), Nissan Pathfinder (6000lbs) The older pre 2012 truck framed ones tow 7000lbs, Toyota 4 Runner (5000lbs), Ford Explorer (2000-5000lbs)

 

[RapidSpyder]

I tow with a 7.3 diesel Excursion. What load, was there something back there?

 

[DakotaRae]

Trailer recommendations

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.

What type trailer do you use?

 

[Dave7691]

Hi I have a 10 ft inclosed v-nosed trailer and love it .
It is a little tight driving it in, my F3 only give 1-2 inches of clearance to get it in . Once I got use to it peice of cake now.
Just keep that in mind , some 12ft trailers are wider.

 

[pauly1]

First, all Spyder's are the same width at the front wheels, the widest part of the Spyder. If an RT is tight, so will the F3, ST or RS.

Enclosed, or not enclosed. Open trailers are lighter for sure. But then they lack the protection from the elements and prying hands. We regularly pull out of the frozen north land, the land of snow and salt. I would only use an enclosed trailer for plans like yours. The enclosed trailer will catch more wind with aerodynamic drag - harder to pull - vs an open trailer. Find one that has a minimum height, which may mean you will hunch over a bit when loading or walking in the trailer.

One thing that hasn't been discussed is classic spring vs torsion suspension. Springs generally add to the overall height of the trailer and arguably, are a more rough ride. Shock absorbers would be nice but I don't know of any makes of trailers that have them in that size range. My pull behind the motorcycle trailer, a Bushtec, has air suspension and shock absorbers, which made for a more enjoyable pull.

The tow vehicle will likely be powered by an internal combustion engine. The efficiency of the tow (fuel mileage) and wear-and-tear on the vehicle will depend on rolling resistance and the wind resistance of the package. Regardless of the engine, it will take a certain amount of horsepower to move the package down the road, or up the hill AND control it going down the hill on the other side. The engine will convert chemical potential into kinetic energy, and there are differences in the efficiencies of engines in that conversion. Torque is the potential that moves the load. I can have high horsepower from a turbocharger, but suffer on the torque side to get the load moving. I would recommend displacement vs turbocharging to get horsepower.

Good luck with your hunt! My current outfit is a 09 F-150, 5.4 liter motor and 6 speed auto, towing package, a 7 X 16 enclosed aluminum trailer, that we load two bikes (two Spyders or a Spyder and H-D bagger). The trailer weight is 1700#, and each of the bikes is ~850#. With gear that we put into the trailer, another benefit of an enclosed trailer, the total weight is 3600#. Fuel mileage is generally in the 10.5 mpg but can suffer dramatically in a headwind (or benefit a bit by a tailwind).

Wayne

 

[MR. H1956]

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.

View attachment 158674

Yes that's the way I'd go. Very nice.

 

[Poseidon]

One thing I didn't see mentioned was brakes. If you run too close to, or exceed the max tow limits on a vehicle, you may have difficulty getting that load stopped in a reasonable distance.

Based on what you have said you are planning to do, 3-4 week trips, have you considered a toy hauler? Yes, you would need a bigger tow vehicle, but it seems that you may already be looking into that. Your hotel and food costs would go a long way toward the purchase of a toy hauler. Not to mention the convenience of not having to pack and unpack at hotels, cook your own meals, etc. Just something to think about.