trailer, or not?

[wintersnot]

I was rather surprised, and somewhat disapointed, but the actual trailer weight came in at 220 lbs. with a 10 lb. tongue weight.
Tent and poles, jackstands and cooler rack all added a considerable amount of weight.
Spare tire and swivel hitch included.
Here's a link if you're interested.
Fun project I might add.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id= ... =601799239

[schrader7032]

The link doesn't work for us "non-facebookers"...

[wintersnot]

sorry Kurt, but it's the best I can do given my limited puter/cyber savvy, and limited patience with it.

anyway, after three solid weeks and over 6000 miles of towing, I come to the conclusion that, deer, are not too smart.
I swear, once they see the white line, they get all confused, and in this case, when two saw the white line, it was like one brother saying to the other, "what do we do now, Dumb?" "I don't know, what do you want to do, Dumber?" I don't know, what do you want to do, Dumb?" "oh no, here comes a steel horse"! "Run Dumber, Run"! "Yeah, but which way, Dumb?"

Oh sorry, I got a little sidetracked there, I was going to tell you a little about towing a trailer behind a 75/5, wasn't I?

Well, actually, it towed very well, however, the fact that the trailer was 220 Ibs. (plus all the gear, which probably took it up to about 250 Ibs, plus) to begin with, had me climbing the larger hills in 3rd way too often.
I'd say, anything over 150-60 Ibs is asking for an arse kicking, suffice to say, stopping was not as quick as I would of liked also, especially down hills. (or on a wet wooden bridge)...:/

Yes, it's a bit of a rethink and redesign this one, but the darling horse did it, and not too thirsty at the watering holes...probably comparable to having a sidecar and passenger.

oh, and the roads in Michigan state, Bloody hell...Let's just say, they didn't favour my tongue.

Swivel hitches are a must, imo, and keeping the width of the trailer box down to no wider, and higher, than the saddle bags was a good idea, for wind and manure-ing reasons.

But I'll admit, there were a number of lessons for a rookie like me, building and towing a trailer.

1
Don't trust macho welders who haven't driven Michigan roads.

1 1/2
Take the ferry across Lake Michigan

2
Only let a slim chick on the back of a 75/5

3
You can make a dream come true, but watch out for the darling deer in it

3 1/2
Moose are slower than deer, and don't think you can drive under them

5
It's ok to wave at the shiny Harleys, even if they don't moo back

5 1/2
Goldwings always wave back

5 3/4
Both must be hard to clean
off the road

6
Rain sucks

(ok, I'm getting sidetracked again)

8
You don't need a trailer, but they're good company, (for the slow pokes)

9
If you build it, it will come.

10
Bring duct tape, preferably aluminium


All in all, towing a heavy trailer behind a slash 5, for a long distance, was like riding a strong but fat German woman. She'll get you there, and back, but you'll probably need a good rub down after.

[schrader7032]

Nice "tail"...thanks for sharing!

[wintersnot]

my pleasure, Kurt.


Surprisingly though, here in Ontario, if you build a trailer and call it, 'homemade', they'll give you a licence plate, no questions asked (other than, single/double axle, weight and color).

Anyway, if anyone is considering builing or towing a trailer, I recommend you do your homework. Check out the many kinds out there. YouTube is a good place to start, and there are plenty of articles on the subject.
Weight is really important, and so is load distribution, or tongue weight.
Most small cargo trailers start at about 130 lbs. Plus cargo,this is as much as a slash 5 will pull, comfortably, imo.
Do test runs before any long trips. Get use to pulling it, parking with it...
Invest in a swivel hitch!

all the best, eh!

[wintersnot]

Thought to add older pics.
Rebuilt the trailer though. Stengthend tongue. All aluminium this time. 180 lbs.