Since I rigged up Jade to pull a popup camper trailer, and realized I can't really use it for cargo - not much space left in it after the tent and screen room and fold-in floors use most of it - I was looking for values in pull-behind trailers. Surfing ebay, craigs list, and other sites, I found used ones started at $6-800 with quality, features & condition widely varied. New ones started around $1400 up to about 3k. I have a Haulmaster kit trailer from Harbor Freight I've used to haul bikes around the country for 15 years or so - maybe 10k miles on it. HF stuff is often junk but this trailer has been everything I needed it to be with no problems. So I took a look at what they might have.
Surprise! They have a new pull behind trailer in kit form for $379. The reviews are all good - 22 of them - except one. Looks to be what I'm looking for. There's a guy selling this trailer in Blackhawk for $425. Glad he didn't answer when I called.
http://www.harborfreight.com/600-lb-auto-200-lb-motorcycle-capacity-78-in-tag-along-trailer-62644.html#So I picked one up.
Gotta say, I'm impressed. This is a quality trailer. The frame is welded, all the parts are there and they work. It looks good.
Assembly pretty easy. The instructions suck but you don't really need them. As you will read, if you read the reviews, there are some tweaks the Chinese missed but aren't there always? Not biggies.
My list:
1. No rubber pads to cushion the leaf springs so they clatter. I used pieces of bike tire.
2. The lock, the screw on the inside end of the tumbler needs loctite. Mine fell off and it locked itself.
3. The hitch latch, they didn't test it works. Needs some metal removed inside with a Dremel - doesn't open far enough to insert the ball. The holes for the hitch assembly don't match the width between the holes on the tongue - had to hog them farther apart with a carbide burr on a die grinder. The width of the hitch assembly is significantly wider than the box tube of the tongue - but just cranking down on the bolts squeezes it together sufficiently - these are parts THEY SUPPLIED and they don't fit together.
4. A side light fixture smashed and a couple nuts missing. Normal for Chinese packing.
5. Can't remove the inside bearings to repack them with quality grease. Or I couldn't with a hammer and drift, didn't try to use my press. The bearings should be replaced with quality Timkens IMHO but I'll run it for awhile with the Chinese ones. The wheel hubs were dry except for the small amount of grease they packed on the bearings. I pumped them full and will likely add Bearing Buddies. They took 150 shots each from an air grease gun. I added Ride-on in the tires and filled to 50#. They are 60# tires on 8" wheels.
6. The top overlaps the bottom so the scuttlebutt is no weather stripping needed. I installed it anyway.
7. Some said the lights are dim and should be replaced with LED's. They aren't just dim - they use normal 1157 bulbs - but they use a Fresnel lens which focuses the light in the wrong place. I aimed them up 10° until I either change the bulbs to something else or replace the fixtures. I added an LED nav lights bar across the back.
8. Doesn't have a tongue holdup stand. I fab'd a spring loaded one that holds 2 positions.
9. The wires aren't in looms. More Chinese quality. I loomed them. While doing that I discovered they used Scotchblocks at the wire junctions. Even where totally unnecessary, joining 2 wires not tapping into a line - they could have used a wire nut just as easy but they are too lazy to strip nevermind solder. ARGHH! One had already failed. I removed it and soldered the wires together. Expect I will be going over it repairing failures as some of the Scotchblocks are hidden inside the box tubing. The guy who invented those should have electrode treatment to his 'nads.
10. The 4-wire standard flat plug is difficult to fit over my plug on the bike. I added grease and forced it.
I'm thinkin if we ever go to war with these yahoos they will lose their ass just from the shoddy workmanship of their tools - probably won't need Willow's Marines. Oh wait, they get their guns and stuff from Russia. OTOH they are surely knock-offs too.
The trailer comes with gas-charged pneumatic struts for lid holdopen, a key lock and 2 keys, and two stout lid latches to hold the cover down. Has 600# net load capacity and 16 ft
3 volume. Does not come with a spare or place to put one so I welded a couple bolts under the tongue and mounted a spare there. Doesn't come with a cooler mount so I fab'd a frame to hold Coleman's nice SS cooler.
Today I took it for a pull. Was not loaded with stuff, but it tracked so well that once at speed, didn't know it was there. Slowed acceleration slightly (again, not loaded). No noticed effect on braking or handling - when fast through some local twisties.
All-in-all a great value. This trailer as I have it now is comparable to $14-1500 trailers I found while shopping. And I paid $379 plus some time, parts I had laying around.
This is going on the Darby Memorial Ride. Now I can haul lotsa Markarita fixn's!


