Trailer Hitch Style Question ?

[Spyderman62]

Ok this one is directed to those who have hitches and which type you have, and why? I am familiar with the Bushtech hitch, been there done that - good stuff! But.... I am seeing a hitch on ebay ( a please keep ebay comments out of this ) anyway, the one on ebay is a beefy looking unit that attaches to the swing arm instead of the frame. In my non engineer brain, that looks good because the tongue weight is on the tire, not the frame. But....what do you all think of the two styles and how does the mounting styles affect the Spyder? I have sent a direct access for the one on ebay for anyone who is curious.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...item=180276052520&indexURL=0#ebayphotohosting

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...item=180276052520&indexURL=6#ebayphotohosting

Thanks in advance

 

[bjt]

I don't know 100% what the reasons are but I was told by quite a few different people who I think are pretty smart on the topic that a swingarm mount for a trailer hitch is a dangerous thing to do. Also, I met Jimmy Mels from MMG this past weekend and though he was a very nice guy and really wanted everyone to be happy with his products, the only person there who had used his trailer hitch had big problems with it on a long road trip. They were going from Michigan to Montana and in North Dakota there was a problem with the hitch that left them stranded for 5 or 6 hours. To be fair, I do not know if the problem was related to the swingarm mounted hitch design or if it was an installation / loose bolt / broken part issue. Also, car and truck hitches are mounted to the frame of the vehicle, not to the axle. There must be some reason for this.

I know the price is right and the install is dead simple but you should really research all the options before jumping on this one.

 

[Spyderman62]

Thanks for the reply - This is why I am asking before buying. I hope to have others offer their inputs as well. I notice Lamonster has the Bushtec type. Although the MMG looks nice, I had never known that attaching a hitch to a swingarm was a bad engineering idea. Again, thanks for the reply, this is exactly the type of info needed so myself and others out there can make educated decisions prior to buying expensive accessories.

 

[NancysToy]

The tongue weight may be on the tire, and not the frame, but the pulling and cornering forces are now on the swingarm bolts and bushings. Not a good trade-off, in my opinion. I trust the frame more than I do a single bolt, and I trust distributing the weight and forces out on more of the machine than just the swingarm and tire. Strictly my personal choice, not a reflection on the product or its construction.
-Scotty

 

[Lamonster]

First off no real trailer hitch company will mount a hitch on a non suspending part. The hitch needs to move with the suspension in order to take up the shock of the load. It's a very bad idea to mount it to the swing arm like that and it's just a lawsuit waiting to happen. Go with the Bushtec and sleep well at night. I just did another 7000 mile trip with no hitch issues.:doorag:

 

[Spyderman62]

Thanks to all - especially Lamonster - I will be purchasing the Bushtec in the coming months. Better to ask for the info from the been there done that crowd than to learn things the hard ( read unsafe) way! Now I get to continue the waiting game - someday my Spyder will come in.

 

[Roaddog2]

:agree: bad place you will have control issues in a quick situation:yikes:

First off no real trailer hitch company will mount a hitch on a non suspending part. The hitch needs to move with the suspension in order to take up the shock of the load. It's a very bad idea to mount it to the swing arm like that and it's just a lawsuit waiting to happen. Go with the Bushtec and sleep well at night. I just did another 7000 mile trip with no hitch issues.:doorag:

 

[jeuchler]

First off no real trailer hitch company will mount a hitch on a non suspending part. The hitch needs to move with the suspension in order to take up the shock of the load. It's a very bad idea to mount it to the swing arm like that and it's just a lawsuit waiting to happen. Go with the Bushtec and sleep well at night. I just did another 7000 mile trip with no hitch issues.:doorag:

I just received very detailed brochures and price lists from Bushtec, and am trying to save my pennies . (Actually, it was the lovely bride who wanted to get one. Hmm... I think somebody's planning a trip requiring lots of changes of clothes, or maybe room to bring back furniture...)

I though it was odd that the Premiere Edition #2 which is on display at the Centre de la Motoneige de Valcourt dealership floor across the road from the BRP factory has an axle mounted hitch with trailer attached!

Then again, it never goes anywhere!

 

[adrims]

Ive got one

Thanks for the reply - This is why I am asking before buying. I hope to have others offer their inputs as well. I notice Lamonster has the Bushtec type. Although the MMG looks nice, I had never known that attaching a hitch to a swingarm was a bad engineering idea. Again, thanks for the reply, this is exactly the type of info needed so myself and others out there can make educated decisions prior to buying expensive accessories.

I watch and read the emails about Mels monster garage tow bar, all assumptions, would be engineers, I have one and like the rumour about some one over there being stuck for 5 hours due to the tow bar, did any one find out why. I had the same have problem due to the fact that the inner plastic liner to protect the the swing arm was stuck in in three different peices and the top and bottom bits moved out slowly, hence up and down movement giving up and down play. This problem has now been solved by a full 3 sided liner that cant come out. I am in north Queensland Australia and have been towing my 240 kilo camper trailer for about 5 months, thats why I bought the spyder. When towing I travel between 105 and 115 kilometers per hour and have not had a problem. I had my swing and bearings checked at 10'000 kilometer service and all was good. I have also had 2 engeneers check out the system and say it is ok and the strongest and safest way to tow, taking a lot of body sway out if the trailer and bike frame. Dont just knock it, try it, Alan from Oz.

 

[bjt]

The story about someone being stranded for 5 hours is not a rumor for me. I was standing right there with Jimmy Mels when the guy and his wife were mildly complaining about being stranded over 1,000 miles from home because the hitch mount failed in some way and damaged some other portion of the Spyder. They proceeded to get to pointing at the axle bolt and rear sprocket and spewing out semi technical jargon so I quickly lost interest in the conversation. Just before I left, I got the impression that the customer was telling Jimmy that he knew what should be changed to make the MMG hitch better and not allow the type of failure that he experienced. Sorry that I don't have the specifics but I was not interested in a trailer hitch for my Spyder and there were so many other people to meet and Spyders to see at that owners event that I just moved on.

I know others who have that style of hitch now and I haven't heard of any issues from them so it may be working out good in most cases. Its just that, at the original date of this post, the above story was the only direct experience I've had with a swingarm mounted hitch.

 

[Lamonster]

I still say :wrong:
I don't care how many miles you have on it. There are loads on the trailer and Spyder that wouldn't be there if you did it like the rest of the folks that are doing this for a living and not a hobby out of their garage.:sour:

 

[mike3069]

I can only comment on what I have, or have used.

That is the Bushtec hitch. My experience so far (approx. 350 miles) is that this is an amazing hitch/trailer setup. I actually think the Spyder handles BETTER in corners with the trailer attached! I can now understand why Lamonster never takes his off.

 

[sabunim5]

I apalogize to everyone that I might offend with this response in advance. This is only my personal opinion.
A little history. I am and have been a trailer guy for a long time. I have pulled a trailer behind three different motorcycles using frame mounted hitches. Frame mounted hitches have been around for a long time and they work. The reason I am a trailer guy is that I have always had to make one machine work for all my needs. I commute, I do weekend rides with my wife and I vacation on an open air vehicle whenever possible. I don't want all the weight and wind resistance of luggage when I don't need it. When I'm on vacation I frankly want more space for things than the average luggage set provides.
The first hitches that came out for the Spyder were the traditional frame mount. Then MMG came out with their axle mount hitch. MMG was basically run off the forum in short order by the frame mount is the only way to do it crowd. I however was interested in the idea. Most bearings that everyone felt might fail are usually over engineered with huge safety margins. I was not especially persuaded by the bad handling arguments presented. I waited about six months and no one came on either major forum and blasted the MMG hitch for causing them problems. I am assuming that there are those out there using MMG hitches and most of them would quickly use the internet to publicize their misfortune if they had any.
There were aspects of the MMG hitch I did not like. I had my friend Phil make a similar axle mount hitch for me. I feel that we addressed what we felt were the weak points in the MMG design. I have pulled my Escapade LX trailer(empty wt. about 150 lbs.) for about 2,500 miles behind my Spyder. I have pulled it empty, partially loaded and overloaded with stuff strapped on the top rack. I have pulled it one up and two up. I have had absolutely no problems. My Spyder handles great with the trailer behind. I have experienced no issues of needing belt adjustment or any other service even remotely related to pulling a trailer. Will components of my Spyder fail because of my unconventional hitch? I sure hope not, but only time will tell. I planned to wait until I had about 10K trailer miles before posting this, but you asked.
Sometimes it's good to think outside the box and experiment, but you are always taking chances with both yourself and your equipment if you do. I wish you good luck with whatever you do. Ryde Safe and Enjoy:thumbup:
sabunim5:spyder:

 

[Spyderman62]

Thanks for the update sabunim5 - I am enjoying my Spyder and have not as yet, purchased a trailer hitch. I am sure that the Bushtec will work flawlessly, but I am still intriqued by the swingarm version. I know the arguments will begin as soon as I post this, but I keep thinking, that there would be no difference in bearing/swingarm bushing wear becasue the weight of the trailer is still being pulled and stopped by the rear wheel turning forward, or the brakes stopping it. Hence no change in belt or bearing wear. Also, the only problem I see of having the tongue mounted to the swingarm is more tonguq vibration transmitted to the trailer - vibration=premature wear As for handling, well the tire is now loaded versus the tongue weight being distributed along the frame. Possible problem, the trailer will want to "push" the rear tire more when decelerating into say an off ramp or decreasing radius situation. That could cause the bike to be pushed out of control and have the VSS come on? I will continue to avidly watch the aftermarket and follow posts concerning MMG and their hitch - Thanks for the responses everyone - this is definately what free enterprise is all about - and thinking outside of the box!:thumbup:

 

[bjt]

Thanks for posting that response sabunim5. You were one of the people I was referring to in my last paragraph when I said that I knew of others who had the swingarm style and didn't have any complaints. :thumbup:

 

[ld271]

I'd personaly like to see some pics of different hitches for the spyder i'd like to buy a trailer in the near future opcorn:dose anybody have them ????