Trailers Trailers... But this is a different kinda trailer

[Hondaruss]

Well I was cruising around the web looking at single wheeled trailers for motor cycles and stumbled across this product. I am not one to tear in to peoples ideas and dreams. But lets state some facts here about this product that could go wrong in several ways..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYgALUuZE6c&feature=channel_video_title

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYgALUuZE6c&feature=channel_video_title

please pay close attention the single bar going in to the receiver with tiny gussets. Is it me is there alot of weight (trailer and cargo) be twisting on that single joint when turning or making a quick turn.?

[soutthpaw]

What's up with the half a$$ed open chain link connector between the truck and hitch frame. If you cannot back up a trailer you should not be allowed to tow one. hope they have good liability insurance.. cuz its Stupid folks who would need this and they are the first ones to sue. esp as there is multiple connections and adjustments to make.. "Stupid" will not understand that the *** end of the vehicle is now going to swing a couple feet in the opposite direction of turning either

[CosmicRambler]

Naw, looks good to me, plus it is patented.

Got to get the locals into this. Maybe they can back out of the bank parking lot finally.

What is this everybody has to have a trailer??? I remember when we used to put it all in the bed of my pickup. They don't make real trucks now more.

[minner]

I actually saw a "homemade" version of something nearly identical the other day. I tried to take a pic with my phone but wasn't quick enough. The difference was this version was a “single” and had only one wheel. It was being pulled behind a Datsun with 450 dirt bike on it. It looked scary.


Looks like there is a commercial version available For $1500 it's a steal.

[tenpins]

the weak point of this get up is the chain/tensioner thingie. I mean, Im glad they used grade 8 bolts for put the ball on, but not for anything else.

I have to say, backing up a trailer is truly not that difficult to require such an alternative.

[Jack Olsen]

Agreed that the T-shaped joint is asking for trouble.

You're also increasing the space needed for the vehicle to turn.

[goinssr]

I like the design and the idea, although I see no real need in the pivot point on the trailer. There are weak points in any design, regardless of how robust it is. This would allow one to back up a low sitting trailer that cannot be seen with the tailgate up without jack knifing. It would also be very benificial for someone who just cannot grasp the idea of backing a trailer, like my wife, who just cost me a $200 insurance deductable on an $1800 damage claim when she jack knifed my utility trailer into the left rear fender of my new truck! I think maybe I should build her one of these!

[papaof2]

In the days we pulled a pop-up camper, my wife would drive on the road or park in a pull-through space at a restaurant or shopping center parking lot. Anything that required backing up was my job. I drove more than I wanted to, but we had no insurance claims.

She also chose not to drive when we in the UK several years ago.

[AndyA]

What happens when you cross a dip on a diagonal? On a normal trailer the ball can twist and turn any direction. The two caster wheeled one will probably twist the tube where it goes into the receiver.

Also those caster wheels don't carry any of the cornering loads. Take a sharp corner with any weight on the trailer and I bet that thing will swap ends and go round and round.

Normally a heavy load in a pickup will make it want to go straight (negative feedback). This thing will make it want to corner harder (positive feedback = bad)

[steve45]

That thing looks like a government project--creates more problems than it solves!

[WeldingMachine]

That is a highway death waiting to happen. I can't believe that the DOT will allow it for long..
The speed wobble would be AWESOME to watch. (From a distance)
Imagine being on a 2 lane road next to that clown while that guy takes a hard left? Ugly.

[CosmicRambler]

Originally Posted by WeldingMachine

That is a highway death waiting to happen. I can't believe that the DOT will allow it for long..
The speed wobble would be AWESOME to watch. (From a distance)
Imagine being on a 2 lane road next to that clown while that guy takes a hard left? Ugly.

Naw, this one is not unique.

Lets see, what is out there in terms of trailers.

Lots of wobble and weaving all over the place...... Check

Overloaded..........Check

It really is highway death waiting to happen...........Check

Being in my lane with their trailer more than theirs.........Check

Drinking beer at 2 Oclock in the afternoon with their trailer..........Check

My trailer is your problem............Check

My trailer makes me King of the Road.........Check

I can go as slow or fast as I want.............Check

In our county the highway death rate is like 5 times the national average. What causes that......Motorcycles, booze, speed and trailers; and or the combination there of. Maybe the order is not quite right. This is in a highway system with a very small population and usually no real traffic. But lots of idiots with trailers. Far more dangerous than the guns they might got in the truck.

There is nothing wrong with the trailer design as shown. The real problem is the idiots hooked to it and their desire / need to always be hooked to it, under all and any conditions. The basic problem is not the trailer, the problem is the idiots and their attitudes.

[blackpowder]

People that I used to rent pasture from had a commercial model that they had bought sometime in the 1950's. The one they had bolted to the bumper in 2 places with clamps, with 2 pivot points about 30 inches apart. The couple had told me that the single wheel model was recommended, but they wanted the 2 wheel version. They used it about 10 times for long trips. Decided cons out weighed the pros for the concept. It is still laying out next to their old scrap pile.

[Tri County Welder]

I know a guy who had a homemade version of the single wheel one. It was bolted to the back of a volkswagen rabbit. BTW it was made out of plywood. Yeah scary!

[retro_shop]

IMO,this is a classic example of not doing one's homework when trying to reinvent the wheel.

Q: If this was such a good idea why wasn't it adopted by the rental-trailer industry, 50 years ago?
A: Because it is not for the reasons mentioned above.

[smokin_dodge]

I dont know about yall, but I see a potential problem. For anyone who has ever used a 3-point bush hog you know what im talking about. With a normal trailer, the ball acts as a pivot point and follows the tow vehicle around the corner. This trailer sticks out and acts as an extension of the vehicle, so it will follow a farther path on a tight corner.


I can see it now, some idiot will be next to me with one and make a sharp right turn. There goes my door and fender panel...

Besides, if you cant back up a trailer with some practice - you shouldnt be pulling one...

[Charleyhorse]

Originally Posted by WeldingMachine

That is a highway death waiting to happen. I can't believe that the DOT will allow it for long..
The speed wobble would be AWESOME to watch. (From a distance)

I once witnessed an AWESOME trailer wreck in Cleveland, Ohio. It happened in a residential area that was lined with huge old trees along the sidewalk. A landscaper was hauling lawn mowers and tools in his trailer, and somehow the trailer came completely loose from his truck. It veered off to the side and directly into a massive tree trunk - kablam! Lawn mowers, weed eaters, rakes and shovels went flying through the air and landed all over somebody's front lawn. Nobody was hurt in any way, just a lot of equipment busted. Had anyone been on the sidewalk at that moment and at that spot, the outcome could have been more serious. I do remember observing the look on the landscaper's face as he came out of his truck and went up to survey his disaster. He was not a happy guy at that moment. Apparently he didn't have any safety chains hooked up, as the trailer came off very quickly with no hesitation. I don't think he knew he'd lost it until he heard the impact and looked in his mirror.