Dave77459 Posted May 13, 2010 #1 Posted May 13, 2010 I ordered a Harbor Freight Tag-Along and it was delivered yesterday. Last evening, Squidley, his wife Sweetnothing, Jus Monkeyin' Around, and Ponch arrived to get me going in style. Yes, there were three Dave's gettin' her done. One of the side marker lights was busted in shipping, but I wanted LEDs anyways. So I was sent off to HF for a kit, and re-routed to Sears to get some washers to solve a parts issue. By the time I was back, they had the wheels on and were waiting on me to attach the drawbar. Everything went about as smoothly as you might expect with this crowd, mixed with HF stuff. In particular, the tongue coupler was misshapen and needed to be stretched. After some head scratching, Dave, Dave, and Lonna figured out how to do that and we had successful coupling! Brad did a terrific job of wiring the harness. I had no idea that it would go under the seat. I was thinking it would be tapped off the fender bundle. He gave me all first-class parts. I got the good stuff! All in all, these fine people gave me six hours of their time. I think the best, most enduring benefit of this site is the friendships that develop. I am extremely grateful. Thank you. Dave (Photos to follow when I tow it somewhere.
Kregerdoodle Posted May 13, 2010 #2 Posted May 13, 2010 Dave, thats awsome.... they did tell you that the warranty expired when they pulled out of your drive way didn`t they??? LOL sorry I missed it.. K I ordered a Harbor Freight Tag-Along and it was delivered yesterday. Last evening, Squidley, his wife Sweetnothing, Jus Monkeyin' Around, and Ponch arrived to get me going in style. Yes, there were three Dave's gettin' her done. One of the side marker lights was busted in shipping, but I wanted LEDs anyways. So I was sent off to HF for a kit, and re-routed to Sears to get some washers to solve a parts issue. By the time I was back, they had the wheels on and were waiting on me to attach the drawbar. Everything went about as smoothly as you might expect with this crowd, mixed with HF stuff. In particular, the tongue coupler was misshapen and needed to be stretched. After some head scratching, Dave, Dave, and Lonna figured out how to do that and we had successful coupling! Brad did a terrific job of wiring the harness. I had no idea that it would go under the seat. I was thinking it would be tapped off the fender bundle. He gave me all first-class parts. I got the good stuff! All in all, these fine people gave me six hours of their time. I think the best, most enduring benefit of this site is the friendships that develop. I am extremely grateful. Thank you. Dave (Photos to follow when I tow it somewhere.
slick97spirit Posted May 13, 2010 #3 Posted May 13, 2010 and we had successful coupling! I think further explanation is in order.......
Squidley Posted May 13, 2010 #4 Posted May 13, 2010 Dave #1, We had a great time, especially on a school night! It's good to only have a couple of members around as you can get lots of work done. If you get too many it's counter productive sometimes, we'll mold you into a fine destro....er mechanic for these bikes. I have to say that those HF trailers are a very reasonable priced unit. It's frame is totally welded together and just a bit of assembly and you have a great unit to pull behind the bike. Dinner was good and we appreciated spending it with you folks. Took us an hour to get home from the restraunt doing 70 to 75 on 59 and it's right at 63 miles. We'll get with you next week and make sure those bearing are greased right with the good stuff. C ya soon
Dave77459 Posted May 13, 2010 Author #5 Posted May 13, 2010 Dave, thats awsome.... they did tell you that the warranty expired when they pulled out of your drive way didn`t they??? LOL sorry I missed it.. K Missed you. There wasn't nearly as much mayhem as when you are around. I think further explanation is in order....... Do you really want to know about things that involve tongues and balls??? Dave #1, We had a great time, especially on a school night! It's good to only have a couple of members around as you can get lots of work done. If you get too many it's counter productive sometimes, we'll mold you into a fine destro....er mechanic for these bikes. I have to say that those HF trailers are a very reasonable priced unit. It's frame is totally welded together and just a bit of assembly and you have a great unit to pull behind the bike. Dinner was good and we appreciated spending it with you folks. Took us an hour to get home from the restraunt doing 70 to 75 on 59 and it's right at 63 miles. We'll get with you next week and make sure those bearing are greased right with the good stuff. C ya soon Thank you so much! I appreciate ALL your effort! Dave
Ponch Posted May 13, 2010 #6 Posted May 13, 2010 Dave #1, We had a great time, especially on a school night! It's good to only have a couple of members around as you can get lots of work done. If you get too many it's counter productive sometimes, we'll mold you into a fine destro....er mechanic for these bikes. I have to say that those HF trailers are a very reasonable priced unit. It's frame is totally welded together and just a bit of assembly and you have a great unit to pull behind the bike. Dinner was good and we appreciated spending it with you folks. Took us an hour to get home from the restraunt doing 70 to 75 on 59 and it's right at 63 miles. We'll get with you next week and make sure those bearing are greased right with the good stuff. C ya soon Yup, what he said. 38 minutes for me on the beltway. Missed you. There wasn't nearly as much mayhem as when you are around. Just wasn't the same w/o ol' Wildflower Boy!
Hazenson Posted May 13, 2010 #7 Posted May 13, 2010 Congratzz on the new trailer! It will pay for itself in no time. I bought the one from Squidley last year and just came in from working on it. No No its works great- Im just doing some stuff to make it more Millinium like. Hazen-ize it if ya know what I mean. But these trailers pull great and am very happy with mine. Will post pictures soon and surprisingly noone has said to you___ Where r the Pictures!!!!!
Dave77459 Posted May 13, 2010 Author #8 Posted May 13, 2010 Congratzz on the new trailer! It will pay for itself in no time. I bought the one from Squidley last year and just came in from working on it. No No its works great- Im just doing some stuff to make it more Millinium like. Hazen-ize it if ya know what I mean. But these trailers pull great and am very happy with mine. Will post pictures soon and surprisingly noone has said to you___ Where r the Pictures!!!!! We got done and hurried to dinner so that they could get home. I'll take photos when it stops raining. Dave
uechi kid Posted May 13, 2010 #9 Posted May 13, 2010 All of those people and no one had a camera?? Where are the pics??
gunboat Posted May 13, 2010 #11 Posted May 13, 2010 Dave, i looked outside and it's not raining. not raining here on the north side either. don c.
Dave77459 Posted May 13, 2010 Author #12 Posted May 13, 2010 Ok, I gotta get home, and then it's photo time.
Yamaman Posted May 13, 2010 #13 Posted May 13, 2010 not raining here on the north side either. don c. No rain in the Galleria either. Does look a little dark towards the southwest out my window though, so maybe he's not making excuses.
Dave77459 Posted May 13, 2010 Author #14 Posted May 13, 2010 No rain in the Galleria either. Does look a little dark towards the southwest out my window though, so maybe he's not making excuses. Chances are good that I forgot to add that I am working, like, "We got done and hurried to dinner so that they could get home. I'll take photos when I get home from work and it isn't raining. :)" Maybe all'y'all haven't noticed that I like taking pictures of my girlfriend? No one is more committed to photographic evidence than I!
Jus Monkeyin Around Posted May 13, 2010 #15 Posted May 13, 2010 Dave #1, We had a great time, especially on a school night! It's good to only have a couple of members around as you can get lots of work done. If you get too many it's counter productive sometimes, we'll mold you into a fine destro....er mechanic for these bikes. I have to say that those HF trailers are a very reasonable priced unit. It's frame is totally welded together and just a bit of assembly and you have a great unit to pull behind the bike. Dinner was good and we appreciated spending it with you folks. Took us an hour to get home from the restraunt doing 70 to 75 on 59 and it's right at 63 miles. We'll get with you next week and make sure those bearing are greased right with the good stuff. C ya soon Ditto :sign yeah that: It was a pleasure spending it with you
Dave77459 Posted May 15, 2010 Author #16 Posted May 15, 2010 I got home after dark last night, and with a midnight bike and midnight trailer, the photos would have been crap. I had plans today to go out to Shiner, but the forecast was for rain. My buddy called and said we should take a gamble, so we rode. As a result, I can now confirm that the trailer is water-tite. People said that after a while, you would forget that it was behind you. I haven't got there yet, but pulling it is a non-issue. It didn't even affect my gas mileage! Of course, it wasn't loaded heavy, but it felt really solid, like the bike and trailer were a cohesive unit. So here are some photos.... "It's a major award!" http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1088/4603399893_bd019d51d1.jpg They look well together. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3603/4607212129_5110d6f494_b.jpg The bright tail lights were welcome today. I upgraded to LEDs. http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1195/4607211441_e624b81e90.jpg Water-tite. We rode through a Texas Flood. I like that the side has marker lights, and not just reflectors. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3573/4607822366_a14a252883.jpg
Kregerdoodle Posted May 15, 2010 #17 Posted May 15, 2010 looks great!! it has been raining hard out here sense around 1630 and hasn`t stopped yet......
Squidley Posted May 15, 2010 #18 Posted May 15, 2010 Ah yes...the virgin rain trip Glad to hear that it pulled well for you, I knew it would. Just remember when you load it to keep the weight fwd and put a decent amount of tounge weight on it. BTW how much air was in the tires when you ran it?
Dave77459 Posted May 15, 2010 Author #19 Posted May 15, 2010 looks great!! it has been raining hard out here sense around 1630 and hasn`t stopped yet...... Hwy 6 @ Hwy 90, about a mile from here, recorded 4.1" yesterday. It's drizzling here already. Ah yes...the virgin rain trip Glad to hear that it pulled well for you, I knew it would. Just remember when you load it to keep the weight fwd and put a decent amount of tounge weight on it. BTW how much air was in the tires when you ran it? The tires came inflated to 60#! I just couldn't bring myself to run them at 15#, but I did drop them to 25#. I checked the hubs at each stop, and they got warm but not hot. At one point, we tried outrunning a cell and rode at 75mph. They still didn't get hot. I do want to get that grease you recommended (Kendall Blue?). I've read that I shouldn't mix grease types, so I'll want to replace the grease completely. Can I just pop off the axle covers, connect it to the zirk, and replace the grease that is there? The trailer didn't come with greasing instructions. Thanks again for all your help! Dave
Dave77459 Posted May 22, 2010 Author #20 Posted May 22, 2010 Based on an idea from Squidley, I made a cooler rack. I used a BBQ Grill from Academy, and some straps+bolts from a hardware store. Squidley suggested square bottom U-bolts, but I couldn't source the right size. My solution seems to work great! Thanks Brad! http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4056/4627867565_1b2db32445_b.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4059/4628471346_94a52c1a51_b.jpg
Karl C. Posted May 22, 2010 #21 Posted May 22, 2010 I think further explanation is in order....... I was kinda thinking that when I read "we had 3 daves doin her"... lol
Dave77459 Posted May 23, 2010 Author #22 Posted May 23, 2010 I was kinda thinking that when I read "we had 3 daves doin her"... lol No comment. BTW, in case anyone wants to see a full sized cooler on that rack, here it is. I don't think I will do that again. Not only is it heavy, but the cooler echoes the exhaust sound back. Too loud when coming from two directions. But if you have to use a full sized cooler, you can. http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4046/4633626096_ce51cf3046.jpg
Brake Pad Posted May 24, 2010 #23 Posted May 24, 2010 Igloo also makes a Flat cooler, we put it inside the trunk, It will hold 6 cans of soda I think we payed about 12 bucks for it.
Dave77459 Posted May 26, 2010 Author #24 Posted May 26, 2010 I headed over to Squidley's last night to repack the bearings using good grease. I bought some Kendall High Temp L-427 EP Grease (Kendall Blue) and that's what we used. We found what we expected, cheap grease and cheap bearings. We also found a weld spot/bump on the bottom of the axle, where the bearings would roll (we think). It could have shortened the life of any bearings there, cheap or expensive. If you have the HF Tag-Along, you might want to check. Thank you to Brad for being so available and helpful. Now I can tow this baby at triple digits all day long! Dave Some photos to kind of document what we did.... if you've never done this, it is easy. At least it is when you watch Squidley do it! Remove the protective hub http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3380/4641579531_70ebc3f93e.jpg The bearings with old grease http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4020/4641579867_0c05fb30c8.jpg The weld spot -- the bright dot http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4013/4642190722_7b582c21d1.jpg Inside the wheel... lighting courtesy of Lonna http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4015/4642191072_2979bc3706.jpg It isn't maintenance if something isn't whacked with a hammer! http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4060/4641580939_ec8410b3ac.jpg We did this so you could see the roller bearings. That's my story and I am sticking to it! http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4068/4641581339_54178721b6.jpg An overview photo, to show the proper use of a jack stand http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3401/4641581561_be618b0014.jpg
Ponch Posted May 26, 2010 #25 Posted May 26, 2010 "Now I can tow this baby at triple digits all day long!" 100° or 100 MPH? Either way, you gonna have fun.
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