Needing some sound advice. Please

[Guest bsreg]

I am seeking to find out the smallest trailer that will handle hauling a 86 VR.

 

I am currently In Pa.. will be picking the bike up in South Ga. So also seeking info on the cheapest source of a trailer that will haul it and used does not bother me.. cheap is the key word.

 

I am attempting to purchase this with the least amount of money since once I haul it back here and then back home in Oct. (southern Mississippi) I wont be using it very often.

 

 

Thanks in advance.

[flb_78]

Rent a U-Haul or borrow a buddy's.

[Guest bsreg]

No buddies with one and I drive a Ford Explorer... Uhaul will not rent a trailer to anyone driving a explorer.

[Eck]

Lowes sells those small trailers for hauling riding lawn mowers and they have the ramp rear gate for around $500.00

or you can watch in the local paper for a used one of same type that normally go for around $200 to $400..

You can place a 3/8 inch piece of plywood on the wire mesh floor and drive your bike onto the wood, and strap it down..

These trailers would sell for what you would pay to rent a trailer for the length of time your talking about (3 to 5 days..)

[Guest bsreg]

What size is needed??

[Guest bsreg]

Are these large enough? Is it a decent enough trailer to haul?

 

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_465468_465468

[Steve S]

The one from Northern Tools just is heavy enough. Put some plywood on the floor and strap her down. I wouldn't want to haul it every day on it, but it will do what you want.

[friesman]

I rented a uhaul bike trailer with my Ford Escape to bring my 85 1st gen home about 2 months ago. Did they say why they wouldnt rent to an Explorer?

UHaul was cheap to rent! it was 15 bucks a day including their so called insurance. they used my credit card for a deposit so no charge for deposit either.

The only thing to have is one of those flat plugs for the electrical. They wont release the trailer without proper wiring and they do hook it up for you.

Actaully I plan to rent one for 2 weeks when I travel down to California for the Morro Bay Rally in August.

I was going ot buy a trailer also, but with rental being so cheap i thought save my moneyfor beer and fun and travelling and more chrome.

[friesman]

Are these large enough? Is it a decent enough trailer to haul?

 

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_465468_465468

 

It looks like it might be a little short, according to the stats arent these bikes about 9 ft long?

[Guest bsreg]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-Haul

Ford Explorer

 

U-haul will not rent a trailer to be attached to any Ford Explorer. According to U-haul: "U-Haul has chosen not to rent behind this tow vehicle based on our history of excessive costs in defending lawsuits involving Ford Explorer towing combinations. This policy is not related to safety issues. This is an unusual circumstance for U-Haul." This extends to all production years and models (for example, the ban includes the Ford Explorer Sport-Trac) of Explorers, regardless of tire brand that is attached. Ford Explorers can, however, be towed by U-Haul equipment, and U-Haul also manufactures trailer hitches for Explorers.

The ban does not extend to sister vehicles such as the Mercury Mountaineer, Lincoln Aviator, or Mazda Navajo however, which are built on the same platform but have minor differences.

 

 

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2004-01-08-uhaul-ford_x.htm

 

U-Haul International is forbidding its stores to rent trailers to customers who plan to tow with the Ford Explorer, saying it no longer can afford to defend product liability lawsuits linked to the best-selling SUV.

http://images.usatoday.com/_common/_images/clear.gif http://images.usatoday.com/money/_photos/2004/01/08/uhaul.jpg http://images.usatoday.com/_common/_images/clear.gif U-Haul says the decision was not related to safety. http://images.usatoday.com/_common/_images/clear.gif By Tim Boyle, Getty Images The reasons for the unusual move by U-Haul aren't entirely clear but it comes after the Explorer appeared to have overcome lingering image problems associated with the Firestone tire debacle.

U-Haul — North America's largest trailer rental company with more than 17,000 outlets — implemented the policy Dec. 22, saying the ban was not related to safety.

"U-Haul has chosen not to rent behind this tow vehicle based on our history of excessive costs in defending lawsuits involving Ford Explorer towing combinations," the company told The Detroit News.

Joanne Fried, a U-Haul spokeswoman, declined to disclose how much the Phoenix-based company has spent defending lawsuits involving Explorers.

"The decision is not based on one accident," she said. "It's based on several different lawsuits going on for several years."

Ford Motor (F) spokesman Jon Harmon called U-Haul's decision "surprising and disappointing."

"This is all about runaway litigation and trial lawyers forcing businesses to make unfortunate decisions for fear of lawsuits," Harmon said.

U-Haul was embroiled in a lawsuit that Bridgestone/Firestone settled out of court in September. It involved three college students who were injured in 1999 when their Firestone-equipped Explorer overturned while pulling a U-Haul trailer.

U-Haul would not release details about the accidents cited in its lawsuits.

A bulletin issued to U-Haul dealers last month, which was obtained by The News, says the company's move was "based on the negative perceptions of Ford Explorers ... we are separating ourselves from the negative public perception and its potential consequences."

U-Haul has no ban on rentals to Mercury Mountaineer owners, although the vehicle is mechanically a carbon copy of the Explorer.

"We've had no issues with the Mercury Mountaineer," Fried said.

The slight is the latest in a series of setbacks that have dogged the Explorer, America's top-selling SUV and the sixth-best selling vehicle in 2003.

In August 2001, Firestone was forced to recall 14.4 million defective tires — equipped mostly on Explorers. The treads on the tires often separated, causing drivers to lose control of their Explorers and often roll over.

Federal regulators linked 271 deaths and more than 800 injuries to the defective tires.

Ford recalled an additional 13 million Firestone tires in May 2001.

Ford and Bridgestone/Firestone have spent millions of dollars to settle product liability cases over the tires and SUV.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in February 2002 that there was not enough evidence to open a formal defect investigation of the Explorer.

In the wake of the widely publicized Firestone tire recall, the Explorer has become a favorite target among product liability lawyers, said Sid Gilreath, a Knoxville, Tenn., lawyer involved in product liability litigation for more than three decades.

The number of lawsuits involving Explorers isn't necessarily a reflection of its performance characteristics, Gilreath said.

"The lawyers who do those (cases) know that we have more documentation on the Explorer," Gilreath said.

Ford maintains the Explorer is safe. In 2002, NHTSA traced Explorer tire failures and resulting rollovers to tire manufacturing flaws.

Still, the controversy prompted federal regulators to adopt ratings that rank SUVs based on their propensity to roll over.

The test used to set ratings recently was revised to better reflect real-world driving conditions.

The 2003 Ford Explorer was among the first vehicles subjected to the new test. The results are pending.

Acknowledging the same legal cost pressures U-Haul cited in its rental ban, Harmon said Ford has settled Explorer lawsuits out of court, adding the company is 8-0 in cases that have gone to juries.

Fried said the rental ban applies to all model years, even though Explorer was redesigned in 2002 — the same year the SUV improved its NHTSA rollover rating from two stars to three, and was voted "tow vehicle of the year" by Trailer Boats magazine.

"It's a perfectly capable tow vehicle," said Stuart Bourdon, automotive editor of the California-based publication.

"The bottom line is, if you don't overload the vehicle and you've got the proper tires with the appropriate ratings and they are properly inflated and you drive with common sense, you really shouldn't have any problems."

Motorists often exceed the towing limits of their vehicles, said John Oraha, sales manager at Avis Ford in Southfield. Engines and suspensions must be a match for the job, he said, so motorists should ask themselves questions such as: "Do you have a V-8? Do you have a tow package?"

Jim Hall, former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, which oversees NHTSA, said the large number of Explorer models on the road must be factored into accident frequency.

And in U-Haul's case, trailers can be "quite difficult to handle," said Hall, who now runs Hall and Associates, a safety and security consulting agency in Washington.

Ford launched the Explorer 14 years ago and this month will deliver its 5 millionth unit.

[friesman]

thats just so strange that uhaul won't rent to explorers,

[rumn1]

One place you might want to look is www.craigslist.com, they have free listings all over the country. Look under motorcycles and type in trailers. You can also look in trailers. there are usually some cheap ones that will haul the bike or you can add a wheel chock.

Also, Harbor Freight sells similar trailers with higher load ratings. Once you add a deck, wheel chocks and tie down points, you have added some weight. I know some others have used the 8' trailer and added a motorcycle rail which extends over the back slightly.

[trickster_mo]

You might try Harbor Freight also, know they carry one.

[MAINEAC]

It looks like it might be a little short, according to the stats arent these bikes about 9 ft long?

 

The 2nd gen is about 9 ft long... I believe the 1st gen is shorter... Besides the 9 ft is from the very front of the front tire to the back of the trunk... or in the case of my RSV the end of my fishtails.. The wheelbase is only 66" it will fit on a 8' foot trailer as long as it's not enclosed.

 

That Northern Tool might be the cheapest or Harbor Freight.. HF is a little more but they have stores in PA... I know about 1 in Lancaster.

 

Slap a sheet of 3/4" plywood or T-111 and a couple of 2x4s to make a cheap rail and you're rollin... And when you get done using it to haul your bike you can cut it down and make a cartop carrier homemade trailer to pull behind your bike... Can you say No-Brainer... Sure you can.

[Eck]

What size is needed??

 

smallest is a 4 x 8....but I would get a 6x10 so I could use it for other stuff too

[Roadhand]

Ride it back and save the money you would have paid for the trailer rental for gas!

[Guest tx2sturgis]

I'd buy one of those trailers from Lowes and then sell it when you get done with it...

 

And by the way, I have a freind who flipped his Ford Exploder. Lucky to be alive. Should be banned.

 

Sheesh.

 

 

[Venturous Randy]

Your 86 will fit on a 4X8 foot trailer nicely. That is what I hauled squidley's 86 on.

You might want to go by the local motorcycle shop and check on their bullitin board, or even ask if they know someone that may lend or rent you one. It needs to be one that is at least rated at 1,000 pounds.

RandyA

[muffinman]

I picked up a real nice 5x10 open bed trailer in Savanah Ga for right around $600.00 and have had 2 83s on it it was tight but it worked out well.Where are you picking it up at? Maybe we could help with a trailer relay to get it to Pa and where in Pa does it need to get to?

Jeff

[Condor]

I am seeking to find out the smallest trailer that will handle hauling a 86 VR.

 

I am currently In Pa.. will be picking the bike up in South Ga. So also seeking info on the cheapest source of a trailer that will haul it and used does not bother me.. cheap is the key word.

 

I am attempting to purchase this with the least amount of money since once I haul it back here and then back home in Oct. (southern Mississippi) I wont be using it very often.

 

 

Thanks in advance.

 

An '86 will not fit on an 8' trailer with a ramp gate. Generally folks buy or rent a 5'x10' to trailer the scoot.

[Guest bsreg]

I am heading back south From Pittsburgh area to Knoxville on Saturday the 10th. I will be heading south to Fitzgerald Ga to pick up the bike on the 12th then back to Knoxville. Then leaving Knoxville for Cinci Oh on about the 29th of May.