Harbor freight trailer

[Headwrench]

Just got hitch & light harness installed on my 14 rts....got a slightly used harbor freight trailer from craigs list. My guestion is...do you tow your trailer empty when going grocery shopping or pickin up things at lowes & other places? Do you get movement from the empty trail when you meet a semi ? was wondering if an empty is safe trailer to tow. Thanks

 

[UtahPete]

Just got hitch & light harness installed on my 14 rts....got a slightly used harbor freight trailer from craigs list. My guestion is...do you tow your trailer empty when going grocery shopping or pickin up things at lowes & other places? Do you get movement from the empty trail when you meet a semi ? was wondering if an empty is safe trailer to tow. Thanks

What are you worried about exactly?

 

[2dogs]

Mine pulls fine empty or loaded......

It's low enough profile not to be bothered by semi turbulence. I have mine lined with outdoor carpet on the inside bottom to reduce stuff sliding around. Then I acquired cardboard boxes to fit together inside to further assist in reducing movement of contents. The trailer without modifications weighs 150 lbs. so don't exceed a total of 400 lbs. and don't exceed 40 lb. tongue weight. I keep a fish scale in the trailer to check my tongue weight. Test your stopping distances both loaded and empty and you'll find it's doubled or even tripled. Your brake pad life will also be cut considerably so keep an eye on them. Those little bearings in those small 8" wheels are really heating up and humming 55/60 mph so keep them well greased. All should well and happy trailering.

 

[WA5VHU]

Loved my little Tag-Along when I had it and often wish I had kept it.

Run about 20 to 25 lbs of air in the tires because even loaded the trailer is still very light. Some folks run the 55 lbs or whatever it says is the max (MAXIMUM!) pressure on the sidewalls then complain about the trailer bouncing around.

Run a search for other modifications, a few simple ones such as removing one spring and tubing to quieten the suspension are very worthwhile.

The only time the trailer bounced around on me was when the trailer is empty and you come to a speed bump in a parking lot if you will goose the throttle as soon as your Spyder is over it you can get the Tag-Along to bounce up in the air a few inches when it goes over the speed bump. Fun times!

 

[Joel The Biker]

Fix the bounce

I removed the smallest leaf spring on my trailer and it fixed the bounce and towed much nicer. You are never going to load that trailer to its maximum capacity anyway. The leaf is easy to remove.

 

[easysuper]

When I had mine I replaced the bolts that held the Storage compartment to the trailer with the same size Eye Bolts, that way I could bungee things down inside.

 

[stmike 1800]

Loved my little Tag-Along when I had it and often wish I had kept it.

Run about 20 to 25 lbs of air in the tires because even loaded the trailer is still very light. Some folks run the 55 lbs or whatever it says is the max (MAXIMUM!) pressure on the sidewalls then complain about the trailer bouncing around.

Run a search for other modifications, a few simple ones such as removing one spring and tubing to quieten the suspension are very worthwhile.

The only time the trailer bounced around on me was when the trailer is empty and you come to a speed bump in a parking lot if you will goose the throttle as soon as your Spyder is over it you can get the Tag-Along to bounce up in the air a few inches when it goes over the speed bump. Fun times!

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How bad does the trailer effect the MPG ?

 

[stevencovert]

Safety Check!

I bought a HF Tag Along. The very first thing you MUST do is pull off the wheels and pack the wheels bearings. They put some cheapo vaseline like (just a few wipes) on them. I packed it solid with grease from the auto parts store.

Now onto pulling - you won't even know it's there, especially with a 1330cc. It does bounce around on potholes and things, but I have never had any problems on the highway, back roads, etc. It does feel a bit more solid with a couple big bags of dog food, grass seed, etc. weighing it down ! I usually just leave something heavy, maybe 50-80lbs in it.

Being just a plastic clamshell, feel free to get creative and put in plywood sections to make compartments, etc. Just use silicone on external screws & bolts. A couple small eye-bolts in the corners let tie things down.

Pulled ours around 2000 miles without a single hiccup. For $200, really happy with it. Since we only use 1-2 times a year the wife would shoot me buying a $2-$3K trailer, let alone a $4K CanAm trailer!!

Note on the wiring harness - there is a lip under the side trunk. When you have the tupperware off, you can push the flat 4-conductor through overlapping plastic. When using, I pull out the cable and zip tie it to tow bar. When not in use, the plug fits super snug in between the plastic under the side trunk. Just an idea.

Steve

 

[WA5VHU]

How bad does the trailer effect the MPG ?

I don't care, I want to tow a trailer and can't do what I want to do without the trailer. I never ran out of gas between gas stations so I didn't care. I figure if I was worried about MPG I sure wouldn't be riding a Spyder! And if I was worried about running out of gas between stations I had a gas can on the trailer, normally used for the generator in the shiny box.

Sorry, you hit one of my buttons. I have never understood why someone would pay up to $30,000 or so for a gas guzzling toy and then worry about MPG.

Like one of the folks over on the Prius forum said in response to similar questions from a bunch of shocked Prius owners when he posted a picture of his Prius towing his kayak on a trailer "I don't care what it does to my gas mileage, I want to take my kayak to the river."

 

[UtahPete]

How bad does the trailer effect the MPG ?

When I tow a small trailer, my mileage drops about 10-15%

 

[stmike 1800]

I don't care, I want to tow a trailer and can't do what I want to do without the trailer. I never ran out of gas between gas stations so I didn't care. I figure if I was worried about MPG I sure wouldn't be riding a Spyder! And if I was worried about running out of gas between stations I had a gas can on the trailer, normally used for the generator in the shiny box.

Sorry, you hit one of my buttons. I have never understood why someone would pay up to $30,000 or so for a gas guzzling toy and then worry about MPG.

Like one of the folks over on the Prius forum said in response to similar questions from a bunch of shocked Prius owners when he posted a picture of his Prius towing his kayak on a trailer "I don't care what it does to my gas mileage, I want to take my kayak to the river."

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Gee's do not get your pantys in a bunch .I just asked as my spyder runs around 42 MPG Canadian .And in some places gas is not available .Also my bud i ride with has a bushtec trailer ,that i could pull on long trips .

 

[JayD]

I don't care, I want to tow a trailer and can't do what I want to do without the trailer. I never ran out of gas between gas stations so I didn't care. I figure if I was worried about MPG I sure wouldn't be riding a Spyder! And if I was worried about running out of gas between stations I had a gas can on the trailer, normally used for the generator in the shiny box.

Sorry, you hit one of my buttons. I have never understood why someone would pay up to $30,000 or so for a gas guzzling toy and then worry about MPG.

Like one of the folks over on the Prius forum said in response to similar questions from a bunch of shocked Prius owners when he posted a picture of his Prius towing his kayak on a trailer "I don't care what it does to my gas mileage, I want to take my kayak to the river."

View attachment 162514

Just because you don't care about fuel mileage doesn't mean it shouldn't be a concern for other people. I keep check on my mpg towing and not, mainly to insure I am not having any problems with a big dropoff in mpg caused by an engine problem.