trailer question
If I put a sidecar on my Harley will it fir in my enclosed trailer, the trailer is a 6x12 with the ramp door and the inside clearance is 63inches.
Of course that depends on your choice of sidecar and how it's mounted but the odds are against it. Most rigs are wider than five feet and you do need a little extra room to get it in and out.
Your bike with out the sidecar is about 3 feet wide depending on the model. So, no it is not likely to fit. Not saying which Harley you have it is harder to say. A sportster rig is usually a lot narrower then an FLH. However if this is some thing that you are just going to do once in a while, most quality sidecars (I.E. not made in India, China, etc.) can come on or off in about 10 minutes. So you may be able to "nest" the sidecar and the bike to fit in the trailer. Many times people have come to pick up a bike and sidecar with a trailer to small, we find creative ways to fit them in.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
www.dmcsidecars.com
866-638-1793
Should you decide to replace your trailer with a wider one, here's something to consider- When I sold my old trailer and bought a new one, I wanted as narrow a trailer as the bike and sidecar would fit into so I'd be able to see out the mirrors on my pickup better when on the road. Faulty logic. The outfit barely fit through the opening, then once in place, it was a royal pain to dismount and move around to fasten tie downs. After a few years of dealing with it that way, my son suggested I sell it to him and buy a trailer I'd like better. Good plan. He was still doing dirt bike competitions along with my two grandsons. I went from a seven foot wide trailer to an eight and a half wide. Granted, I don't see as much out the mirrors as well but enough to know when it's safe to change lanes etc. And it's a pleasure to ride into this current trailer, dismount and tie down.
For my Valkyrie with Escort I would have to get a 77" trailer wiith a minimum of 77 inches and that would only leave an inch or so on each side. I COULD move the car a little closer to the bike but not near enough to get on a common 6 foot wide deck. Although nearly twice what a 77 inch by 10 foot utility trailer costs I'm considering a good quality single rail motorcycle trailer like the Kendon Go model and carrying the hack in the truck bed. Need to think of an easy way to load the removed car.
I’ve got a 27 ft. toy hauler I us sometimes and it is 8.5 ft. Wide no problem to load, but for some to unload my have some issues. The trailer is high so when you unloading the brakes don’t do much good just slide down the ramp. I also have one of those 6 ft and the Harley loads good if setting right or the sidecar will drag on ramp. The ramp 5ft long and expanded metal, when-it’s folded upi it has a lot of wide drag. Rudyr
I would say I have one of the smallest full size rigs. It's a Shadow with a Velorex, mounted as close to the bike as possible so I can fit through a specific opening in the parking lot at work. IIRC I need more than 68 inches. Not counting dismounting and tying it down, I don't see any way you're getting your rig into that trailer in one piece. You might be able to jockey it in on a bias somehow, I'm pretty sure you'd be picking it up and moving it, though, not driving it in. good luck. 🙂
Years ago I had a 4 ft wide trailer I would load rigs on I used a old bed rail ( I keep attchet to side of trail when not in use) a slide on sidecar side. Then just drive up on letting the sidecar wheel hanging out over the side of trailer. Only issue was the bike leaning to left riding on trailer. It worked many times but wasn’t real happy with it.Rudyr
I was thinking of doing something like that, Rudy. Got any pics?
No I don’t. One of my issue was some stress on bike wheel bearing. I had thought of e small platform for the bike rest on to keep setup pretty much leavel. Didn’t do it.Rudyr
We have worked on a number of different trailer combinations. The best solution I have seen is a flatbed trailer with the bed over the wheels. This allows the bed to be extended to about 8 ft. Haven’t seen an enclosed trailer with that feature. Maybe someone’s else has that information.
They make them, but it brings the deck up very high. Personally, I'd prefer one with wheel wells, and then I can build it up if I feel like. Not that I've actually ever put a rig into an enclosed trailer, but higher cieling and lower deck are more desirable mostof the time, I can build some sort of ramp if I need it.
Snow mobile trailers are made this way.
In general two place snowmobile trailers make good sidecar trailers and are usually well priced come spring time.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
www.dmcsidecars.com
866-638-1793
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