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so maybe i am overthinking this but the trailer we bought was setup for one bike. the mounting points are at the extremem ends of the trailer, ok so my questions are pretty specific, i can get pictures, but i am having a moment here and i am concerned that what might work for a couple hundred miles might give out mid 3k....
so i have to tie down two bikes, I plan to run a set of pull straps as a redundancy incase the tie downs give way (i have seen it happen) but i am wondering if i should be worried about the mounting points. they are d ring type rated for 6k lbs but at what weight distribution? meaning if i put two brakets together (literally side by side) should i worry about the flooring strength given the force exherted by the compressed suspension? i do plan on stopping to do checks every 500 or so miles, but with things starting to ramp up we might be trying to do one straight shot from here to OK and i wont have many tools to rebuild the trailer if i have problems....
also with wheel chocks why am i seeing in the instructions (yeah i fucking read em lol) its saying to make sure both front and rear sets of tie downs should be exerting the force to the front of the trailer. WTF? I have only used the rear tie downs to keep bikes from bouncing around this is a new one in my book....
ok so if you its too much to read the cliffs
travelling 3k miles with two bikes and need to setup the trailer....
mounting points? Wheel chocks? safety straps? Where? how many? details?
If you have pictures of your setup and can post some and have been here before or hell if you know something that will work/help ease my mind please post up....
I am starting to feel the stress as tomorrow is a lost day and we WANT to leave by tuesday and i can't even begin to describe how much is left to do. hell the fact i am asking about the trailer setup 3 days before we want to go should be a good indication lol
hell if you want to stop by tomorrow and eat some food and give me some tips PM me.... huge party....
ugh i am gonna have a nervous breakdown at this rate![]()
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Dracut, if I don't get to it tonight or get many responses I know someone will be able to help out tomorrow. When I first posted this I was trying to work on it but I just started packing instead. So much too do.
I also just did some reading and found out the wheel chocks I have are prone to breaking on long trips. Lol. Knowing that I am definitely not mounting the tie downs to apply force toward the chock.
Last edited by R1; 06-04-11 at 05:05 PM.
You're overthinking it. What trailer and chocks are you using? I'll speak from my experience with the Harbor Freight folding 4x8 trailer and Harbor Freight chocks...
When I tow two bikes, I use the same "middle" tie down point for both bikes...not two side-by-side. If you're using 6000#-rated D-hooks, I would suggest the same (unless you've already installed them...in which case, just use the two).
If you're really worried about the tie down points' structural integrity, get a 6x6 piece of steel and sandwich that between the tie downs' nuts and the bottom of the trailer decking - that should serve to distribute the force enough. But I've not had an issue in three years with the eye hooks in my 3/4" pressure treated plywood.
My rear tie downs are just to keep the bike from dancing side to side, and are just tight enough to ensure that the straps themselves don't come off...and they're pulling backwards. Yes, that's actually counter intuitive - the instructions are right, all the straps should be pulling forward (think about it - why would you want a strap pulling the bike OUT of the chock??), but as long as you don't crank it 100% in the back, it's not an issue.
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I am over thinking only in terms of the long trip. I have always done exactly what you posted mustang, but I keep think of the what ifs that could happen over such a long distance that I am able to prepare for now but will be fucked if it breaks in the middle of nowhere.
If.yourwheel chock has ay chance of breaking, throw it away and get one that is stronger,your bike is designed to have a tremendus amount of wieght and stress aplied to the front tire , rim , suspension. You should be able to put your front wheel in a good wheel lock, strap the tire into the wheel chock , put a simple strap on back TIRE so it doesn't go side to side , and be done.
Let the bike travel on its own suspension, its only going to want to go up and down maybe an inch or so. You shouldn't even notice any movement .
Take a moment and think where the pressure ,tension, stress is applied when your riding machII draggin elbos into a turn, now do you think even a small amount of that force is being applied to any part of your bike while in tow ?
Next , ride on a trailer where your bike would be. You will notice that the trailer suspension takes alot of the bumps, and gives a pretty smooth ride for what it is.
I personaly don't like to collapse a suspesion for a long ride, you just don't need to.
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For the rear I put 3 eye bolts in the floor of the trailer.
I run a ratchet strap from 1 eye bolt over the bottom of the rim, through the middle eye bolt over the second bikes rim and to the third eye bolt.
No need to compress the rear suspension.
You can do something similar in the front. Just put another d ring in the middle and run 1 strap from each bike to it. I would just put a metal plate on the bottom to distribute the pressure on the bottom.
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What type of wheel chock?