Motorcycle Trailer and Tow Vehicle Suitability

Chris09

Chris09

Joined
May 27, 2021
Messages
1,060
Age
64
Location
Coquitlam British Columbia Canada
Bike
2009 ST1300
Hoping to get some opinions on how suitable some of the new closed trailers that are available would be for hauling either a single motorcycle [or two side by side if my vehicle can pull it].
Cargo Mate prices here through a dealer in Chilliwack don't seem bad and their website shows all the specs and dimensions pretty clearly. The rear doors seem pretty secure as well.
I'm thinking of a 10' interior length and either 6 or 7' width. What special equipment or modifications anyone might have made.
On the second part is suitability of my 1994 Dodge B250 to pull it.
I want to be able to do some 8 per cent grades at 80km / 50 mph
Mine is 5.2l [318CI] Engine / A518 4 Speed Auto with a transmission cooler/ 9.25 inch 3.5:1 [probably 3.55] Differential
Two websites indicate that a V6 version is rated for 4900 lbs and a 5.2 is rated at 8400 but must have a 3.9 Differential. There's also various formulas where you can enter GVWR but I don't have any confidence that makes any sense.
With the engine being bigger than the V6, would the maximum capacity fall somewhere between 4900 and 8400 lbs or is the 3.5 differential not capable of anything greater.
Maybe somebody has had one of these and has an idea of what works or what breaks.
 

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Hi Chris, having owned my Dodge Van with a 318 for 15 fifteen years I would say it tows 4000 lbs without blowing parts up. Mind you my Van only came with a 904 transmission which I have rebuilt as tough as I could. The 518 is a pretty strong transmission , have builtup a good number of them , best thing is to have a builders shift kit installed , mainly to increase lubrication to the overdrive planetary.
Can ask Andy next door at Specialty engineering if he is selling the bike trailer ,has kitchen and sleeping quarters.
 
Check these trailers out : https://ironhorsetrailers.com/

2019 RockSTOC :::: My 2011 256 hp , 3.6 , 6 cyl Outback pulled it easily , Still have both today .

( I added tent flaps & screen to use trailer as a camper too . I use a car wheel dolly to scoot the bike rear wheel over to give me room for a sleeping bag , when the bike is still in the trailer )

Yes trailer comes with 4 tie -downs & the ride into , over-center front wheel holder & spare trailer wheel/tire & tongue jack/wheel .




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A friend of mine has one of those fiberglass trailers that @TourNut posted, and he pulls it with his Ford Escape SUV.

Whatever trailer you buy, you may have to install some kind of anchoring system on the floor of the trailer, either an E track rail system or the recessed rings.
 
As for pulling, I have been towing bikes from Richmond up and down the mountains to WV-STOC and to OH-STOC for several years on this trailer with my '09 Accord with the 2.4L 4-cyl engine and automatic tranny.

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[edited] You have to like the weight on the ironhorse will request a price for Canada [site won't accept postal code]. Bet it's not cheap
The Cargo Mate CM610SA with a 5 8 x 10 7 interior looks pretty good though so far at 1200 curb and 2990 GVWR leaves a bit of reserve cargo capacity with two heavy bikes. Plus it's good for transporting / storing other stuff reasonably secure.
The 904 rings a bell I think I had that in my 88 Extended Cargo Van and my 84 Extended Cargo Van that was on propane. That was a fun van, broke the crank between 6 and 7 going up the cut and drove it back down and home afterward. It held and rotated together and looked like a shoulder socket. Put another 318 in and thirteen months later... broke the crankshaft between 6 and 7. Never figured it out. A little off topic there.
I think the transmission is still pretty good; I nearly stalled it briefly one time pulling a boat on the duffy lake taking a run through a drop and steep incline but it didn't get too hot and no evidence of cooked frictions. I think the combined weight of that was about 2,500 and otherwise didn't really notice it so 4,000 lbs max will be the target combined weight.
I always disable the overdrive [4th] when I'm towing anyway since it has a lock up converter and to [keep] the rpm up.
I think the first money I'd like to spend on it would be suspension including some kind of limited slip and maybe a 3.9 upgrade.
Could never bring myself to sell this truck, blows around in the winter on the highway like a kite and couldn't get a grip. Must be good for something. Will lean toward St Gerard sounds like the voice of experience.
 

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One of the best places to get good information regarding the towing capacity of various vehicles is places that sell campers and pull-behind camper-trailers. They have data bases with the towing capacity of pretty much every truck and van on the road that is capable of towing anything. Whether they will still have information for a vehicle as old as yours I don't know. I do know that there are a lot of camper retailers out in B.C. so stopping by at a few of them and asking couldn't hurt. Even if they no longer have the data for your specific vehicle anyone who has been in the business for any length of time will be able to give a pretty good idea of its capacity.
 
Chris09 said:
[edited] You have to like the weight on the ironhorse will request a price for Canada [site won't accept postal code]. Bet it's not cheap
The Cargo Mate CM610SA with a 5 8 x 10 7 interior looks pretty good though so far at 1200 curb and 2990 GVWR leaves a bit of reserve cargo capacity with two heavy bikes. Plus it's good for transporting / storing other stuff reasonably secure.
The 904 rings a bell I think I had that in my 88 Extended Cargo Van and my 84 Extended Cargo Van that was on propane. That was a fun van, broke the crank between 6 and 7 going up the cut and drove it back down and home afterward. It held and rotated together and looked like a shoulder socket. Put another 318 in and thirteen months later... broke the crankshaft between 6 and 7. Never figured it out. A little off topic there.
I think the transmission is still pretty good; I nearly stalled it briefly one time pulling a boat on the duffy lake taking a run through a drop and steep incline but it didn't get too hot and no evidence of cooked frictions. I think the combined weight of that was about 2,500 and otherwise didn't really notice it so 4,000 lbs max will be the target combined weight.
I always disable the overdrive [4th] when I'm towing anyway since it has a lock up converter and to [keep] the rpm up.
I think the first money I'd like to spend on it would be suspension including some kind of limited slip and maybe a 3.9 upgrade.
Could never bring myself to sell this truck, blows around in the winter on the highway like a kite and couldn't get a grip. Must be good for something. Will lean toward St Gerard sounds like the voice of experience.
Click to expand...
I saved quite a bit by buying a used one from Iron Horse that was traded in for a double . They put on new tires too .
 
Should mention, I spent 38 years rebuilding Automatic transmissions , got pretty good a making tough ones. Never found out the way manufacturers figure out there towing capacity . Big difference between flat and climbing a hill.
 
I manually shift the automatic transmission when towing, especially on the hills.

The Accord transmission only allows selecting first through third gears manually.

1 is first only; 2 is second only (like Fords); 3 is first-second-third; D is all gears.

Interestingly, however, it does downshift automatically on longer downgrades.
 
I don't think you'll have any issues at all with that rig and @4K. I like trailer brakes on all my trailers, even the single axle 2995lb max that aren't required. Keeps from beating the tow vehicles brakes. A "shift kit" is a good idea, as is a transmission temp gauge.
 
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