Harbor Freight 4x8 on sale through 2/27/11

[redkow97]

if anyone has been debating picking up an inexpensive light-duty trailer, I would strongly suggest picking this up.

It's basically a right of passage for trackday riders to own this trailer. At any given event, there are 5 or 6 of them in the paddock.

I got mine on sale for $299 (regular price is $329), but this is the cheapest I've ever seen it: $259

(coupon attached)

with the pit-bull TRS (highly recommended) or a simple "out-rigger" bar across the front of the trailer, you can fit 2 bikes on this trailer. Max weight capacity is just under 1200 lbs.; and remember, you're adding 3/4 inch treated wood decking, so probably not much ELSE after the two bikes, but it's damn cheap, decent build quality, and it folds for easy storage.

[grapesmuggler27]

Hell the pitbull TRS is just as much as the trailer

[redkow97]

retail is more actually!

TJ at RidersDiscount.com has sick deals on the Pit-Bull TRS though. $30 or $40 less than i've seen it anywhere else. I don't think that offer ever expires though.

[ohdaho]

Did a search for pitbull trs and this popped up. bike looks oddly like someones avatar. Two bikes tho? Man it seems like that would be kind of tight on there.

[redkow97]

I've never personally had 2 bikes on my trailer, but I have seen others do it WITHOUT the Pit-Bull TRS.

The base-plate itself is close to 2' wide, so it is tight, but I am totally sure it will work. At worst, I would have to stagger the base plates, or angle them slightly outward, so there was room between the handlebars of both bikes up front.

Not the Pit-Bull TRS, but same principle. More room than I would have expected, actually

[El capitan]

i need to get in on this.

[Harb67]

I may have to buy this before I even have the towing vehicle or bike to be towed this season...

[palandor]

Decent trailer for the money. I bought one last year about the same time for the same price. :-)

To share, here's what I found in my experiences with mine so far:

1) it's max GVWR weight is 1195 pounds. Subtract the weight of whatever floor you add to it, the weight of the bike mounts, AND the weight of the trailer (shipping weight is 265 lbs), to make sure you can haul two bikes on it without exceeding its limits.

2) factor in the cost of buying the floor and mounting hardware with the cost of the trailer (mine was about $40 for treated 4x8 plywood and nuts/bolts). I also added 2"x12" solid wood sides so I could haul mulch or branches/yard waste.

3) parts may not fit exactly right, some stuff may be broken, not work, or left out. BUT if you dont mind waiting for parts, HF will ship replacements via ground for free. if looks are important, those parts may not match the original parts looks-wise. (*cough* round vs square taillight *cough*)

4) the frame is great for tiedown straps, adding eye-bolts, and just generally securing any kind of load you can think of.

5) the ball receiver is a 1 & 7/8 socket for use with class 2 hitches, not the 2" socket that is used with class 3 hitch balls. Having said that, you can buy a different one from various places, including, I think, HF.

6) the tilting is nice, but I bolted a landscape timber under the back frame piece because otherwise it bent the crap out of the license plate in its default location. (and it makes loading in mud/grass that much easier.) adding the "bumper" changes the balance; strap down two cinder blocks at the front of the bed to adjust the weight. also helps ease 1-person loading: if you move the blocks to the back of the bed, the trailer stays tilted till the bike is on the trailer.

7) the wiring on the trailer SUCKS. a) if your lights dont work, check for bare metal (not red paint) at all commections; then scrape off more paint just to make sure. b) the bare metal wire clips will strip and cut the wires quick as shit. c) wire it up with the bed folded in to get the amount of wire at the bend right.

8) I hauled two loads of horse manure for mulch in the trailer and it seemed pretty heavy, but the trailer (and my car) did good. (that's about 32 cubic feet of manure per trip, plus it was heaping up a little on the 2nd load.)

9) folding it up for storage is very convenient, but not something you want to do on a weekly or maybe even monthly basis. 2 bolts on each side in hard-to-reach places when the floor is on. and it's heavy with the floor on too.

10) A mesh floor trailer from TSC that's rated for 1500-1800 GVWR costs $429 and up. I'd say I still spent less money than that.

11) the paper to register the trailer is in the box somewhere. If there is a typical clear paper holder on the box, it's probably in there. if there isn't one, you can call HF and ask them to send you the Certificate of Origin paper, but you have to talk to the trailer department because they understand a CoO; support is useless except for replacement parts.

And finally, after a long rambling post... I found average weights of mulch, sand, dry dirt, and mud per cubic food. Dry mulch is about 30-40 lbs per cu ft, dry dirt is 75 lbs per cu ft, and mud is about 110 lbs per cu ft. Given that it was dense horse manure that had been sitting for a while and then loaded onto the trailer with a frontloader, kind of wet but definitely not dripping wet, and a bit of clay got in one of the loads... I would say it was probably a minimum of 2600 lbs up to 3100 lbs per load.

So, yea... it gets stuff done.

-b

[YSR_Racer_99]

We hauled two smaller bikes (two fiddy and a 125) from Dayton to Deals Gap on one of these. This trailer flexes a LOT over bumps and pavement irregularities. But it DID get us there and back. Other guy owns the trailer, and said that it was an "interesting" assembly, and fairly time consuming. He's a certified Toyota master mechanic. He only uses the trailer a couple of times a year, and it suits him perfectly. Just curious, does anyone know what the resale on one of these might be? I'm just thinking about this vs. a Tractor Supply welded 4x8 frame-only (you add the plywood) for $369.99. Of course, the TS doesn't fold. But hey, the taillights should match...

[Bad324]

i need to get in on this.

how often do you need/use a trailer? I just got a 5x8 a couple weeks ago

For as much as I use a trailer I was going to go this route until I found the trailer I have now. My buddy has one and its definitely a good little trailer, especially for a single bike

[garvinzoom]

I have one of those trailer I haul behind my Mazda 3. Great little trailer for the money and I was able to bring it home from Harbor Freight in the back of the car that pulls it now. Not sure I would put two bikes on it though...maybe mini bikes....

I hauled my Honda 750 Four acrossed town with it when I bought it, seemed okay with one bike.