Want to borrow trailer

[SwiftTone]

I'm going up to NHMS on July 28th for TTD track day. Wondering if anyone in the Boston area who has a trailer I can borrow on the 27th and return it on the night of the 28th. I'm towing 1 bike with my car. Let me know. Thanks!

[nhbubba]

You could use mine.. except it will be busy that day.

[jasnmar]

Mine is available, but already near the track.

[Petorius]

Uhaul is cheap if nobody comes through

[OneCheekRider]

I have an enclosed trailer and even a hitch rack I put sportbikes on. I'm guessing both will be too much for your car

[gumby]

I second Petorius's recommendation. For only $15 U-Haul is pretty cheap and convenient.http://www.uhaul.com/reservations/RatesTowing.aspx

[Ductard]

Yup. I live in Davis Square with no place to keep a trailer so I often use uhaul. I even have a buddy in Weston that will let me borrow any time but I stopped borrowing it b/c uhaul is so much more convenient.

[Ductard]

PS - I highly recommend the small enclosed trailer - I think it's 4x7. The last one I rented had tie-down points in the front and my motard's master cylinder just cleared the top, but I bet a sport bike is no problem.

(to pre-empt the snarky bastards out there - this has nothing to do with the fact that I am looking for a new MC for my motard )

[SwiftTone]

I have looked at uhaul as it was my original plan. After doing some research some have said that the mc trailer gets dicey at highway speeds and the wheels are too small causing instability.

Has anyone used uhaul's mc trailer and small trailer? Any feed back on conditions, tie downs or stability. My auto gti can tow only 1000lbs but I think the transmission will handle little higher because I live right off the highway so most of the time it'll just be cruising.

[LuvDog]

before I bought a trailer, I rented a 5x9 utility trailer with ramp from them. it towed fine. no worries about instability. we put two bikes in it fine.

there were plenty of places for tie downs.

[nhbubba]

My auto gti can tow only 1000lbs...

What year? I thought it was more like 1500 lbs.
Pete was just all the way out at NYST towing behind his Mk5 GTI with the auto. He made it. Although his trailer is one of those ultra-light single rails.
I have the same drivetrain as the Mk5 GTI except with the 6MT and would not hesitate to tow up to ~2k, assuming the car is relatively empty.

[jasnmar]

would not hesitate to tow up to ~2k, assuming the car is relatively empty.

So Colin's saying I can't ride with him...

[nhbubba]

Yeah. But that has nothing to do with tow ratings.

[jasnmar]

[jasnmar]

Saving room for a viffer I guess :-P

[SwiftTone]

I have a 08. Auto is rated up to 1000 and manual 2000. Think I'll have problem towing say up to 1250 if needed?

Anyone else have feedback on uhaul motorcycle trailers?

[nhbubba]

On the relatively flat roads between Boston and NHMS? No, I think you'll be fine. Just take your time and don't burry the pedal rolling onto the interslab.

But ultimately YMMV.

Also remember to adjust your following distances; braking performance will be ... uhm ... reduced.

[OneCheekRider]

I used the small uhaul trailer to pick up a bike in Philadelphia when I first moved here (over 600 miles roundtrip). It towed fine and tracked straight, however it did bounce a lot on very uneven pavement. I used Walmart's $10 tie down pack to secure the bike and it made it back to Boston no problem. It was heavier than it should have been so mpg wasn't the best but I did 70mph as I normally do on hwy. For $15, I recommend it.

[Petorius]

As mentioned above, I have basically the same car as you ('09 GTI w/ DSG). It tows my ~350 lbs trailer with an SV on it no problem, and thats with the hatch piled up to the ceiling with gear/tools/wheels etc. The rear suspension is my only concern, it does ride low but it hasnt caused any problems yet. I have never been concerned with the power, brakes, or transmission, even going up and down some ridiculous hills in NY. If you want added confidence, check the European tow rating for the same car, I bet it is higher than 1k lbs. I also rented the Uhaul 4x7 utility trailer once to pick up a full squat cage, it towed just fine with the disassembled cage, bench and olympic bar in the trailer and 450 lbs of plates in the hatch.

[SwiftTone]

I used the small uhaul trailer to pick up a bike in Philadelphia when I first moved here (over 600 miles roundtrip). It towed fine and tracked straight, however it did bounce a lot on very uneven pavement. I used Walmart's $10 tie down pack to secure the bike and it made it back to Boston no problem. It was heavier than it should have been so mpg wasn't the best but I did 70mph as I normally do on hwy. For $15, I recommend it.

Is that the motorcycle trailer or the utility trailer?

[SwiftTone]

As mentioned above, I have basically the same car as you ('09 GTI w/ DSG). It tows my ~350 lbs trailer with an SV on it no problem, and thats with the hatch piled up to the ceiling with gear/tools/wheels etc. The rear suspension is my only concern, it does ride low but it hasnt caused any problems yet. I have never been concerned with the power, brakes, or transmission, even going up and down some ridiculous hills in NY. If you want added confidence, check the European tow rating for the same car, I bet it is higher than 1k lbs. I also rented the Uhaul 4x7 utility trailer once to pick up a full squat cage, it towed just fine with the disassembled cage, bench and olympic bar in the trailer and 450 lbs of plates in the hatch.

http://www.gocaravanning.com/towcars...w-Weights.html

Looks like its my car except my is a 08 GTI but also has DSG.

700kg = ~1500lbs. Thats 50% more than the US manual says. Interesting....

[OneCheekRider]

Is that the motorcycle trailer or the utility trailer?

motorcycle

[nhbubba]

700kg = ~1500lbs. Thats 50% more than the US manual says. Interesting....

VW USA is one of the worst importers for supporting trailer hitches. I have almost 120k on my car and it has been out of warranty forever, and they still pull a nutty and give me the "you know that voids your warranty" gig when they see the receiver on my car. Eff them and their BS ratings.

[golden chicken]

Everything fun voids your warranty. Tow what you want. Change your trans fluids more often. Drive intelligently. Consider installing an additional trans fluid cooler.

[SwiftTone]

So running my GTI on the drag strip while towing my bike is out of the question?