teardrop camper

[Joel The Biker]

One of our members " Joelthebiker " built a very nice lightweight rendition of a tear-drop camper ..... He posted pics somewhere ...... Mike :thumbup:

My camper was 48" tall and 76" long. Weight was slightly over 300 lbs. No issues at all with braking. No issues with crosswind. The only time you could really tell it was behind you was at highway speed climbing a hill. Hoping to build a lighter improved version this summer.

 

[jaherbst]

I have not seen this pull behind camper previously discussed. It is made in Canada and is under the 400 pound towing weight limit for the Spyder. Be sure to change the text to English if you don' understand French.

https://microroulotte.com/

If I were a few years younger I would order one today. I like it a lot and am sure there are a lot of potential buyers out there. Remember price is in Canadian dollars. not sure of the exchange rate today but should be less in U S dollars.

Jack

 

[ollicat]

If I were a few years younger I would order one today. I like it a lot and am sure there are a lot of potential buyers out there. Remember price is in Canadian dollars. not sure of the exchange rate today but should be less in U S dollars.

Jack

take off about 25% for USD

 

[Steve W.]

My wife says she’s game and go ahead and place the order. She wants to sleep in it while I drive down the road

Does she have a death wish?

Several things come to mind, regarding that action:
1. With the trailer tongue following every bump that the Spyder's swingarm takes, the ride will be rather rough.
2. Unless she is just barely large enough to cast a shadow, she might be overloading the suspension on the trailer. Even if she doesn't overload the suspension, it won't be a comfortable ride.
3. Sitting in the draft of the exhaust can lead to some "interesting" situations, none of which is good.
4. It is not legal to ride in a trailer while moving. Some states do allow riding in a 5-th wheel trailer, but only if there is a hard-wired communication intercom to talk to the driver.

Any one of these should be a deal-breaker. Having FOUR of them should make it a no-brainer. :dontknow:

.

 

[jaherbst]

Does she have a death wish?

Several things come to mind, regarding that action:
1. With the trailer tongue following every bump that the Spyder's swingarm takes, the ride will be rather rough.
2. Unless she is just barely large enough to cast a shadow, she might be overloading the suspension on the trailer. Even if she doesn't overload the suspension, it won't be a comfortable ride.
3. Sitting in the draft of the exhaust can lead to some "interesting" situations, none of which is good.
4. It is not legal to ride in a trailer while moving. Some states do allow riding in a 5-th wheel trailer, but only if there is a hard-wired communication intercom to talk to the driver.

Any one of these should be a deal-breaker. Having FOUR of them should make it a no-brainer. :dontknow:

.

Actually I think, he was "pulling your leg" Steve. I would consider pulling "Fido" in it. We could then share it at night. *no heat needed". With the shape and side vents I think this would be safe IMO. (for a pet, not the "Misses")

Jack

 

[Steve W.]

Actually I think, he was "pulling your leg" Steve.

Well, he might be, but since I don't know Mrs. Wmoater, I can only go by what I see. :dontknow:

Oh, and I would NOT put my "Fido" back there for pretty much the same reasons.

.

 

[Wmoater]

Does she have a death wish?

Several things come to mind, regarding that action:
1. With the trailer tongue following every bump that the Spyder's swingarm takes, the ride will be rather rough.
2. Unless she is just barely large enough to cast a shadow, she might be overloading the suspension on the trailer. Even if she doesn't overload the suspension, it won't be a comfortable ride.
3. Sitting in the draft of the exhaust can lead to some "interesting" situations, none of which is good.
4. It is not legal to ride in a trailer while moving. Some states do allow riding in a 5-th wheel trailer, but only if there is a hard-wired communication intercom to talk to the driver.

Any one of these should be a deal-breaker. Having FOUR of them should make it a no-brainer. :dontknow:

.

Just joking around. I know it’s illegal and I would never think about it. I pull a fifth wheel toy hauler and put close to 12000 on a year. My wife loves it. We get on the road and she naps beside me until we get out west. My best co pilot. She just thought it was a cute trailer. This will make you laugh too. The only downfall of this little trailer is the front swing drop down leg. A little night movement might cause the trailer to easily shift and rock that leg back and BOOM what a ride:roflblack: yes she noticed that as the lady was lifting and setting the leg just before she flexed her arms.

 

[easysuper]

Towing requires acceleration and deceleration. Consider:
Add the weight of the camping gear and other stuff you will bring along, plus the weight of the trailer. Most likely, the total will be 1/3 the weight of the Spyder. You will need electric brakes on the trailer in order to stop effectively. If you don't, the trailer will push you uncontrollably.

I'm not sure how many thousands of miles you have pulled a camp trailer with your spyder but I have over 50,000 miles of experience with pulling one and the last time was a Coast to Coast ride that was 11,000 miles , 66 days, 26 states in all kind of weather. I was pulling a Aspen popup classic that with all our gear weighed 460 pounds and never felt that I was ever being pushed around. But that is only my experience.

 

[easysuper]

My wife pulls a custom trailer for our English Setter and at rest stops she has been asked what she is hauling and has gotten some strange looks when she says "My Husband".

 

[remus]

:roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack:

 

[Grandpot]

I'm not sure how many thousands of miles you have pulled a camp trailer with your spyder but I have over 50,000 miles of experience with pulling one and the last time was a Coast to Coast ride that was 11,000 miles , 66 days, 26 states in all kind of weather. I was pulling a Aspen popup classic that with all our gear weighed 460 pounds and never felt that I was ever being pushed around. But that is only my experience.
View attachment 187711

Drive your Spyder at 55mph without a trailer and make a emergency stop as fast as you possibly can. Measure the stopping distance. Next, do the exact same with your loaded trailer attached. Measure the stopping distance. Now imagine the predicament you would be in if you had to do that in heavy traffic. This is a life or death choice.

 

[Joel The Biker]

Grandpot, Why are you so negative about towing a trailer? Towing with a spyder is no different than towing with any vehicle. Any sensible driver knows you need to leave a little more space and drive more cautious when towing. Its common sense. Those of us towing trailers aren't out hot rodding through the corners. Of course it takes a little longer to stop. But life or death? Nope.

 

[Grandpot]

Joel:

I'm not against towing a trailer. My concern is stopping a trailer. It's just plain physics. When you have a trailer that weighs 1/3 or greater than the weight of the tow vehicle, the trailer needs its own brakes, otherwise the trailer will end up pushing the tow vehicle or worse, causing an uncontrollable fishtail in an EMERGENCY stop.

I have towed many trailers with several types of vehicles. After my first panic stop I learned a valuable lesson. Since then, I will not tow any trailer that does not have its own brake system.

I'm just trying to give some advice so no one gets killed.

Notice in my signature, "Experience is recognizing the same mistake every time you make it."

 

[easysuper]

Just a curious question grandpot. How many miles have you towed a loaded trailer with your Spyder?

 

[Grandpot]

Just a curious question grandpot. How many miles have you towed a loaded trailer with your Spyder?

It doesn't matter if it is a Spyder or any other vehicle. It's a matter of controlling inertia.

This is getting to be a pi**ing contest. You go do what you want. I wish you well.

 

[easysuper]

It doesn't matter if it is a Spyder or any other vehicle. It's a matter of controlling inertia.

This is getting to be a pi**ing contest. You go do what you want. I wish you well.

I beg to differ, it's not a contest, I was just expressing my opinion about towing a trailer through my many miles of ACTUAL experience and not just theories. Another point I would like to input is if electric brakes were needed on ALL trailers pulled by a Spyder I think that BRP would have had them on the 622 or freedom trailer. But that is just my opinion and we all know about opinions. I also wish you well

 

[Possible]

JMO, but I wouldn't pull a trailer behind 2 or three wheels unless it had brakes. AFATG, I wouldn't pull a trailer behind a bike, period.
I've seen the result of a couple of incidents that occurred when the vehicle, a GoldWing in both instances, tried to stop relatively
quickly when the trailer was at a slight angle to the bike. With no brakes on the trailer, it pushed the back of the bike in the direction
the trailer was moving, and down they went.

If the trailer is heavy enough, it will push the back of the vehicle sideways if they aren't directly in line. Not as big a deal with a
Spyder as the thing won't tip over, but it could get shoved sideways. That's how jackknifes occur.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

JMO, but I wouldn't pull a trailer behind 2 or three wheels unless it had brakes. AFATG, I wouldn't pull a trailer behind a bike, period.
I've seen the result of a couple of incidents that occurred when the vehicle, a GoldWing in both instances, tried to stop relatively
quickly when the trailer was at a slight angle to the bike. With no brakes on the trailer, it pushed the back of the bike in the direction
the trailer was moving, and down they went.

If the trailer is heavy enough, it will push the back of the vehicle sideways if they aren't directly in line. Not as big a deal with a
Spyder as the thing won't tip over, but it could get shoved sideways. That's how jackknifes occur.

OK, but do you think the Legal bean counters would let BRP sell and install tow hitches for their BRP .... TRAILERS ..... and the OEM trailers that they sell if it wasn't Safe ?????? ..... just a thought ..... Mike :thumbup:

 

[Possible]

I'm not saying it isn't safe, per se, just that it isn't something I'm comfortable doing. And I do think it's safe...most of the time. But
I think there are times when things can happen, and accidents and incidents will occur. Airplanes are safe, probably 99% of the time,
but sh--, uh, stuff happens.

My only point was that with trailer braking, it's more likely that when that stuff happens, it will be easier to control the outcome. IMO
that's why larger trailers have brakes, because most trailers are pulled behind cars and the car to trailer weight ratio favors the car up
to a point. When that point is passed, most states require brakes on the trailer. The Spyder is considerably lighter than a car, and the
Spyder to trailer weight ratio will change much quicker than with the car/trailer weight ratio.

Anyway, that's why I feel that any trailer pulled behind a, relatively, light vehicle like a Spyder or motorcycle should have brakes. This
is totally my opinion, and just how I feel about it. I've pulled a 5h wheel behind my dually for many tens of thousands of miles, and never
had an issue. And having brakes on my toyhauler doesn't mean something can't go pear shaped in a hurry.

 

[ColoradoSpyder]

Anyone who is involved in power sports knows there is inherent risk. All one needs to do is decide how much risk one is willing to take, regardless of anyone's opinion.