Motorcycle tow hitch, TMS800 800lb front wheel hauler

"I used to be able to load bikes into trailers, vans, and truck beds. But, that was back when TVs had vacuum tubes and rotary knobs."

Yup, I remember those days....great write-up, 2M.
 
Thanx for the accolades guys.
Good concerns about the triangulated tiedowns.

The hitch styles that disturb me are the ones with a top-mount crossbar.
BadHitch01.jpg

There's little rigidity to counter twisting forces.
And, the tiedown angle is too high.

BadHitch02.jpg BadHitch03.jpg BadHitch04.jpg

I can just see those versions *twisting* and *bending* during a haul.
Front forks in constant compress/rebound motion during bumps.
Strangely, folks seem to be successful using them.
 
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Here's a proper tiedown, the straps are parallel with the fork legs, triangulated out to the sides. Forks compressed to maintain tension.
GoodTieDown01.jpg GoodTieDown02.jpg

The better front wheel hitch units have tiedown crossbars mounted low, so that the tiedowns are parallel with the fork legs.
GoodTieDown03.jpg GoodTieDown04.jpg

Several years ago, VooDoo Vintage introduced a "crank up" type of front wheel hauler, with a removable, low mounted tiedown crossbar. Their video shows the proper tiedown method.

 
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... How about the bikes rear turn signals and brake light?

Hey, Pete! Good question. From what I've been able to gather, Texas doesn't have the lighting requirements for a towed motorcycle. But, that could use a bit more research to confirm this. It may be the same for other states, and nationalities.

Just a final note I WANT ONE LOL and don't back up I have dented tanks in reverse

Hey, Rich! Good point about the "backing up". There's some horror pics out there showing what can happen. It should be okay if kept straight, or very little angle. Short coupling like this could jackknife real fast. I'm thinking on adding some sort of vertical "antennae", somewhere about the rear fender, taillight, with a flag or tennis ball at the top. Check it in the rear view mirror...
 
Lever the handle down, slider tray comes up, insert the top safety pin.
- - - e the handle's safety pin, swing it up to the travel position, reinsert its safety pin into the little tab's hole.
The total tray travel is 7.5". Some web pics show it as less.

Hi 2many,
I wants one! 1/4 the cost of a bike trailer and zero trailer parking problems besides.
Only a partial fix for me because instead of my son borrowing my car & trailer to bring
home an orphan he'll only need to borrow my car as his vehicle don't have a hitch.
 
Towed the bike to the shop this morning. Stable, solid, no problems.
20180305_080400.jpg

Checked the dipstick, to see if all the jostling would splash the cold oil high enuff to hit the tranny. Oil stain on the towel shows that the oil may have nudged just a little higher than when it was sitting still, but not enuff to guarantee that the tranny would stay oiled during a haul...
20180305_080238.jpg
 
Me likey!!!

On the oil issue - what about simply adding 1/2 litre/quart etc. before the tow and then drawing it back out through the dipstick hole before starting the bike. All you’d need is a turkey baster or some sort of big@ss syringe.....

Any idea what the tongue weight is with your bike on that unit 2M? Must be somewhere around 200-250 lb including the weight of the hauler unit and the front of the green machine....
 
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I'm building one, starting with a trailer about like this. :whistle:
will tow it with my Prius (Toyota absolutely forbids pulling a trailer with a Prius) But hitches are readily available and I have one mounted for "bicycle carriers only". LOL I't's kind of stupid really I can put the bike on the trailer behind the Prius and get about 40 MPG with a place to sleep "inside" where the bike alone gets 50 MPG. :confused:
LT-WCI-TX1.jpg
 
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...what about simply adding 1/2 litre/quart etc. before the tow and then drawing it back out through the dipstick hole before starting the bike...

Pete, of all the contrivances gyrating in my head, that HAS to be the easiest solution. Only need to raise the level about 1" - 1.5". I'll take an extra quart or 2 with me and see how far it goes up.

I have one of these $10 hand pumps, but I don't like it.
HandPump.jpg

...Any idea what the tongue weight is with your bike on that unit 2M? Must be somewhere around 200-250 lb including the weight of the hauler unit and the front of the green machine....

Yeah, that's about right for the bike and hitch. My tiedowns attach to the bumper, and their tension would add to what the hitch feels, maybe another 100 lbs, compressing the front forks...
 
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Looks good Pete. Perhaps this thread should go into the Tech section so it's more easily found. How does one go about that?
 
Yup - Steve has been in touch to point out a couple of boo-boos. So - important edits to the downloadable document coming - please stand-by till tomorrow (Friday March 9)

Pete
 
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