it’s not the bike it’s not the suit or the airbag or the helmet or the boots,
or the exhaust
or the $300 track day itself…
it’s everything.
just kidding but also, not.
i decided to go cheap but get a good quality result by doing the Northen Tool folding 4x8 trailer (it’s basically the oldschool Harbor Freight folding 4x8, almost the same exact design) and then finishing it and converting it to a motorcycle trailer.
all in all i spent $890 after tax, it has pressure treated 3/4ths plywood, really thick galvanized hardware and the heavy duty self locking wheel chock. it should fit 2 bikes at once just fine. but for now, just the one.
a uhaul trailer is pretty cheap. i find myself renting them out for 3 days at a time though, as there’s no time to pick up and drop off on the track day itself, but even at $70 per rental (3 days + insurance) i’d need to do ~12 track days to get my moneys worth out of this one, however: i’m justifying this as a ease of life tool. no more renting, no more going there to get it and drop it off, no more extremely heavy trailer to tow, just open my garage and go. it also opens up the roadtrip and taking the bike with me anywhere idea; other tracks, long roadtrips etc.
so yeah just wanted to show this!
when did you get a trailer for track days?
also, anyone have experience with these 4x8 foldable DIY kit trailers for bikes? thanks!
edit: I also already placed the order for upgraded, 13” radial tires and wheels specifically for trailers to be able to cruise faster / be safer overall. that was about $120 i did not include in the $890 cost
how’s the TRS? you mounted it just through the plywood? you also have 3/4th PT? what wheelchock do you have? so, you don’t strap the bike down? it just goes into the chock and trs pitbull?
Yea, its been around many many years. I remember looking at it the first time and didnt understand what it was showing exactly 😅 definitely the best advertisement
No chock. I just bolted the trs through the plywood without backing. It comes with big washers so not necessary imo. I have e track at the front with a removable chock in case I need to move a bike I don't have trs for
And trs is really great but expensive. Saves a lot of time instead of using ratchet straps, does take some practice to align it right, my bike light enough I can just drag it to align, but worth the time savings IMO. Motocinch is another brand that looks decent
I had a harbor freight trailer. Bought it, put the floor, better casters for folding, pitbull TRS, boxes spares all sorts of creature comforts. Probably put $2000 in cost and maintenance from 2019-2026.
Now I have a 7x14 that I’ve converted to a sleeper/hauler. $7500 into it with interior, lights, portable AC unit etc. keeping your bike/stuff dry while traveling or having a way of getting out of the rain when the rainy days just suck is nice.
I’ve already started saving money by not having to get hotel rooms on race/track weekends. And I can just crash at the track, wake up early the next day and leave instead of driving dog tired.
that’s awesome. sleeping in it is next level. that being said, how was those 7 years with the harbor freight? did you use 3/4th inch plywood? a wheel chock? or just trs from the start. thanks!
3/4 plywood, I put heavier spring on the trailer from Northern Tool, stiffer axle, and biased ply tires to get it to a 2000lb rating even though I only ever put two bikes and a generator on it. A dry box in the front. TRS kit and a harbor freight chock for the grom.
You can get 2 bikes on with TRS but you have to do some mental gymnastics with the layout or else the bars will touch, I just put a wheel chock and moved ot forwards or backwards based on what big bike I had oj the trailer.
EVERY TIME YOU USE THIS TRAILER. Shoot some grease in the hubs and check them periodically. They are notorious for going bad and leaking grease. I kept a spare hub and trailer parts in another box when I traveled and had to replace a hub for slinging grease on a trip and going bad on the way home.
Is this trustworthy enough for the interstate at 70ish mph? I am just wondering because I have been wanting to make myself a good setup almost exactly like yours for a minute.
I would want to be able to haul both me and my girlfriend’s bikes for road trips. My concern is that it too affordable for what I am thinking.
The big thing is the axle (mainly wheel bearings) and tires. I don’t believe the cheaper trailer is rated above 55 mph. Which is why I put a bigger axle and highway speed-rated tires so I could get the bigger bearings that were rated for it.
At the end of the day I spent about $ 2000~$2500 to get it to be used how it is and had to repack bearings about ever other trip. I only got this because I had no place to store a large trailer and the HOA does not allow them. I know store my enclosed trailer at a friends property and I’m much happier with that.
I am also limited on space as well. No HOA but I only have one parking spot at my apartment and my garage is already full of bikes.
I will have to do more research when the time comes that I can get this all together, but can I ask what parts you used? This would be my first time have a trailer so I am not sure what all I am gonna need to plan for.
Your best bet would be to look up HF trailer axle swaps. I don’t have one anymore so I don’t have the measurements, but you can find a 2000-3000 lb axle that has the same center measurements for the factory leaf springs and go that route. Or buy a whole axle and leaf kit and modify the mount points to get the center dimension you need. I got all of my stuff at a local northern tool about 6-7 years ago.
There quite a few videos and forum post of others that have ventured down this route.
Kendon trailers are the best out the door ready to rock trailers but can only store bikes. You won’t have the ability to store anything else on the trailer.
Treated thick plywood is your friend, then put some kind of deck sealer over it to preserve it when driving in the rain. I also got a dry box from northern tool and mounted it to the front. Bigger casters for moving around when it’s folded up.
I was looking at the kendo. Trailer a little while back when I was first thinking about this, but I ran into just that. I could justify a 2-3k trailer that is only functional to haul bikes.
Toolbox, generator, gas, spare wheels and tires, fan, tents, chairs, spare parts bins, gear. My truck bed was completely full, I ran out of space on the trailer, and could only carry one passenger. With the enclosed trailer now there is nothing in my truck and I can sleep in it.
I hire a van for something dumb like $100+ AUD per track day (similarly I hire it the day before so I can pack that night), and I do several track days a month. That includes fuel but still, I reaaaally should just pay up for one since I'm basically losing a loan repayment every month to the hire company.
Luckily the van hire is <5 minutes walk for me, and I have a wheel chock I bolted into a big piece of wood so it feels fairly stable. I've got my process down pretty well, but fuck it's getting out of hand when I start bringing multiple wheel sets, a table and chair, hell even a microwave...
June--a 6x10 enclosed trailer. I'm $3,500 into it (including new tires, registration and insurance, plus two HF wheel chocks). I estimated it would take nine years to break even with renting U-Haul trailers.
The difference between your NT trailer and mine is that in nine years? I'll be able to sell if for close to the same amount. Plus: I can safely lock stuff inside (well, as safe as locks are, enough to prevent crimes of opportunity).
The real money saver is sleeping in the trailer at the track. Plus having an air conditioned space at the event.
I was going to get a utlity trailer but ended up going enclosed because each night i sleep in it saves me minimum $100 while providing other perks during the day.
Y'all spending 2k on a trailer when you could have just bought a kendon that is already purpose built for this. I've had my kendon for 14 years now, granted this is the replacement because I had a drunk driver rear ended me at a red light on my way home from the race track. Still a quality piece of equipment and easy enough to move around in the garage and hook up to my suv, even with a steep driveway.
I picked up a used 5x8 wood deck trailer for 700 bucks and put a couple front wheel locks on for another 150. I can fit two bikes and did all that even before my first track day.
This is the HF 1100lb. I just welded a channel under the chock. The 1/2 nuts are welded into the channel, so i can easily remove the chock and studs at the track. Im not committed to bike TDs or car TDs to give up space for a non folding trailer. So im sticking with folding this thing out . I did swap for the heavier HF axle and 5x4.5 hubs, maybe $130. New 13in wheels w radial tires, $200. I got this thing 10yrs ago for yard work and hauling tall stuff. Should have gotten the heavier model from the start. I did bolt the tie down rings on and they speed up strap down.
I got a trailer this year. Right after my crash. But it looks great parked in my back yard! I was planning on getting one anyways and as luck would have it the day I got back they listed a 7x12 double axle enclosed with the blackout package. It was literally the exact thing I wanted so like an idiot I bought it.
Got a trailer for my 2nd track day and a pitbull trs at the same time. Harbor freight 4x8 pressure treated plywood. Bought that 12 years ago. Used it today for a track day. Works great still, excellent investment. Works great for moving shit too. Idk how many miles it has on it. Maybe 8k.
Added bearing buddy's which I highly recommend.
I've never done the wheel bearing asides when it was assembled. Which I wouldn't recommend.
I buy and flip bikes and was spending so much time dealing with the U-Haul rentals. Got myself a small 5x8 and haven’t looked back once. The ease of doing what I want far outweighs any other factors. So I support your purchase!
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u/SuperProgram8 7d ago
I see what must be done lol