Harbor Freight Trailers?

Jay51

Jay51

Joined
Dec 28, 2016
Messages
193
Location
Orange County California
Bike
2006 ST1300A
Has anyone purchased either of the two Harbor Freight utility trailers to tow your ST1300?
If so, how did you rig it to make it work well.

I am thinking of riding my ST1300 to a far away location to bring an RV back to SoCal.
And would like to tow my ST.

Any thoughts?

Jay
 
I borrowed one from another ST rider here, and it was pretty easy to use. He had mounted a front wheel chock, and I designed and built a removeable ramp. After using it though, I decided to buy a heavier duty unit, with a better ramp, and more stout construction.
on the positive side, it was light and easy to tow.

count on spending a day and 40-100$ extra on it to build the trailer.
Edit: the Uhaul trailer is a good option!
 
I rented a Uhaul trailer at home, towed it about 350 miles to look at an ST and brought the bike home. The Uhaul trailer is bombproof - it is designed to take the abuse of renters. Mine had 2' high walls all around and a nook built into the front to capture the front wheel. Since it is all metal, the floor was a bit slippery. I tied the rear wheel so it could not slide from side to side. Having read a few reviews of HF merchandise - trailers, ramps, a wheelchair carrier - and seen enough negative reviews, I'd go the Uhaul route again in a heartbeat. If you do rent the trailer, go over it before you accept it with a thorough inspection.
 
I bought a Harbor Freight trailer 4' x 8' covered with a sheet of 3/4"plywood mounted a front wheel chock for front tire and eye bolts on the back to tie down the rear of the bike. takes all day to assemble the trailer using an impact wrench, then you have to cut and drill the plywood for the trailer floor. and mount the wheel chock! plus you are going to need a ramp to load the bike. I used that trailer to haul my ST 1300 to Tennessee from SE Georgia (500 miles one way 80 mph) for about 4 years worked very well !
Get the U-Haul, recommend you reserve for motorcycle type trailer before departing. .... HF trailer would be great to tow behind RV after assembly and set up but it is not plug and play. EDIT see @klaproth post #4
 
Aside from the assembly time for a HF trailer, as mentioned by others, the other thing that just occurred to me is how would you plate the trailer in you'd just put together in a parking lot somewhere.
 
Not all states require registration for all trailers.
My Bushtec in Alabama does not, for example, and I see many / most utility trailers behind cars with no tag. Every day.
 
Rent the U-Haul.

Years ago I had a HF trailer. It was OK for my KLR but not for my ST1100. Even though it was rated for 1000lbs. The narrower wheel base made it a bit unstable for the weight and top heaviness of the ST for my comfort level. Piece of mind is everything and worth a lot.. Not to mention getting the bike onto and off of the HF trailer.
 
I bought a Tractor Supply utility trailer many years ago for an 800 mile one way trip to bring a motorcycle home and it worked out well. But I also planned on keeping that trailer to haul other stuff around and it still does its job well.
When I moved from Connecticut to Florida I rented a regular U-Haul utility trailer (not their motorcycle specific one) mostly because it ended up a good bit cheaper as a one-way rental. Apparently U-Haul does think like @dduelin said in #7.
 
ReSTored said:
Aside from the assembly time for a HF trailer, as mentioned by others, the other thing that just occurred to me is how would you plate the trailer in you'd just put together in a parking lot somewhere.
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Depends on the state of residence. In Florida utility trailers used on public roads are plated and if the manufacturer or builder does not place a VIN on the trailer the FL DMV requires a weight certificate from a public scale in order to assess the tag fee.
 
I have one of those folding trailers you assemble yourself. Decent enough and I have used it for the ST but agree with comments above, get a U Haul. I found the trailer is too high to safely load the bike without a lot of hands to help, and I usually didn't have any, so it didn't always go so well :(
 
STFlips said:
I have one of those folding trailers you assemble yourself. Decent enough and I have used it for the ST but agree with comments above, get a U Haul. I found the trailer is too high to safely load the bike without a lot of hands to help, and I usually didn't have any, so it didn't always go so well :(
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This wouldn't be the inspiration for your handle would it?
 
The U-Haul motorcycle trailers are very solid and well built and they protect the motorcycle very well also. I would not hesitate tho rent one again.
Just one note about them however, at least the one that I rented.

It had an adjustable coupler on it so that it can be used with either a 1 7/8" or 2" ball. It adjusts by turning a knob on the top of the coupler. The knob replaces the folding latch handle that is on regular couplers. This results in having no means of locking the coupler so that it can not be removed from the ball. I rented one from a location away from home and I didn't know this. We over-nighted in a motel and could not lock the coupler. I had brought a padlock with me, but there was no way to use it to lock the coupler. All I could do was use the padlock to lock the safety chains to the trailer hitch the best that I could. I don't know if all U-Haul trailers have the same type of coupler, but if locking the trailer to your tow vehicle is something that you will want to do, you need to plan a means of doing that other than by locking the coupler if the trailer has this adjustable type of coupler.
 
I'd go U-Haul.
As has been said... the "Motorcycle Trailer" must be returned to the same store from where it was rented. I did that when I needed to take my bike to a dealer and simply towed back the empty trailer to return it within 24 hours. Then did that again when I picked up the bike from the dealer a week later. Dealer is 125 miles away.

U-Haul also has their 5' x 9' Utility Trailer and that also has a motorcycle chock/nose inset on it. This one does not need to be returned to the same store so you can rent at one end of the trip and return at the destination. This one is bigger, has higher side rails and also a loading ramp like the MC trailer.
 
Hey Jay!

Yes, I have hauled my ST1300s on a HF trailer for years! They are a little flexible, so you have to have the bike tied down pretty good.

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When you assemble the trailer, add some 1/2 eyebolts for your tie downs. Also, secure your load by looping your straps thru your eyebolts and around areas on the bike. This will allow for the flexing of the trailer and your tie down points won't come off! I learn about the 1/2 eyebolts and looping the straps around, the hard way. Never lost a bike, but I was very lucky, I didn't!
 
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rjs987 said:
U-Haul also has their 5' x 9' Utility Trailer and that also has a motorcycle chock/nose inset on it. This one does not need to be returned to the same store so you can rent at one end of the trip and return at the destination. This one is bigger, has higher side rails and also a loading ramp like the MC trailer.
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Yes, but the 5 x 9's load deck is higher and the ramp is not any longer. On old 5 x 9s the ramp is actually not as long making the angle from ramp to deck more steep. It weighs 450 lbs more than a MT. Gross weight is something to think about with smaller FWD SUVs or pick ups.
 
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