This trailer project grew out of my desire for a cargo trailer to pull behind my BMW K1200LT. I looked at commercially available single and double wheel trailers and decided I could not justify the cost.
This is not my design although I have made minor changes to the process and some choices in materials that will produce a custom output.
My inspiration for this came from the efforts and postings of two individuals. Ron K. Miller and his photos posted on the BMWLT.com forum and Wayne Herbert and his photos and dialog posted on his site at http://www.herberts.org/wayne/valk/trailer.htm
The trailer kit came from the Harbor Freight retail store in Largo Florida. Harborfreight.com ITEM 90153-4VGA
The car top carrier came from Sears in Port Richey, Florida. Sears.com Sport 20-CV
The miscellaneous mounting hardware and paint supplies came from Lowes in New Port Richey Florida.Lowes.com
The carpet liner and LED replacement bulbs came from AutoZone. Autozone.com
The tow bar / tongue and axle modifications were done by B&G welding in Port Richey Florida.
The deck is a piece of .5 inch pressure treated plywood from Lowes, cut to 33 X 48 size and mounted using 12 .25 inch carriage bolts around the frame. Note the notched out locations that allow the trailer frame bolts to be exposed. This allows the deck to sit flush on the frame.
This photo shows the carriage bolt positions around the deck securing the deck to the frame.
Again, The carrier sitting on the frame with the deck mounted to allow for measurements. At this time I marked and drilled the mounting holes that will be used to secure the carrier to the deck.
Frame and tow bar sanded and primed. Note the 24 inch section that extends the tow bar. This will allow the trailer to track and trail without seaking side to side.
I cleaned the shipping grease from the axle ends and used Marine Grade grease. The Marine Grade grease is more water repellent.
I'll get better picks of the axle end if I have the axle off. Sorry. I had the machine shop remove the axle end from the channel, then shorten the channel 6.5 inches, then weld the axle end back in place.
Then drill the index hole on the top of the channel to match the axle end index hole.
This hole is key to securing the axle to the leaf spring using the mounting hardware.
First of two coats of flat black Rust-Oleum paint.
Modified leaf springs mounted. The leaf springs came with three leafs in the kit.
I removed the two smaller, higher spring weight leafs. Note the bolt at the apex of the curve of the leaf.
The bolt lines up and is inserted in the axles index hole during mounting.
Axle mounted to leaf springs.
12 inch wheels mounted on Axle.
After installing the wheels and seating the wheel bearings, I filled the hubs with Marine Grade Bearing Grease using the grease fittings located on the inboard side if the wheel hubs.
Trailer upright with tongue mounted.
The trailer specs that came from Harbor Freight states the tongue height as 12.5 inches when equipped with 12 inch wheels and axle height of 7 inches.
With the extended tow bar / tongue, the length from front of tongue to rear frame edge is 88 inches.
The width with 6.5 inches removed is 46 inches.
Trailer light kit installed. I replaced the stock bulbs in the lights with high intensity LED units.
Mounted the lights on the rear of the trailer. Set slightly forward of the rear of the frame.
Mounted the side marker lights near the front of the frame. Wired the trailer with the supplied wiring harness running the loom through the tongue and along the inside of the frame connected the lights to the harness.
Installed the 1 7/8 ball hitch and safety chains.
Sat the carrier on the deck and positioned it to be bolted to the deck.
The carrier is secured to the deck with eight .25 X 1 inch eye bolts that pass through these steel flat pieces to spread the force over a larger area. There are four of these in the bottom of the carrier.
The eye bolts will be used to anchor the cargo nets used to secure the load from shifting.
Cut the carpet to fit the bottom of the carrier. 60 X 34 inches with corners cut at 45 degree angles.
Slots will be cut in the carpet for the eye bolt to be exposed.
Velcro will be used to secure the carpet. I'm planning on sewing the Velcro to the back of the carpet around the edge and sewing a border around the eye bolt slots to act as rip stop.
The carpet should be easy to remove and install for cleaning.
Installed the LED Light Bar on the carrier and ran the wire along the top of the box to the from edge where it turns downward and passes through a small hole in the bottom of the carrier and through the deck where it will be wired to the lighting harness as a third brake light.
The hole is filled with black RTV to seal it.
The Light Bar has 60 high output LED's with a wide field of view. I purchased the light bar here: www.electrodyne.cc
View from rear at night with brakes on. The LED bar on the trailer is wired to the brake light circuit only.
All hooked up and wired. Overall length from tip of tongue coupler to the back of the box is 104 inches.
Deck is 34 inches wide by 48 inches long. Trailer width of 48 inches from fender edge to fender edge.
Ball Coupler with 360 degree Swivel Adapter.
I have safety chains but I'm working on a steel cable idea that looks a lot cleaner and does not rattle around.
Ball Coupler rotated Left.
Ball Coupler rotated Right.
Trailer wiring harness connector on the Dauntless hitch.
Before applying reflective tape to trailer frame.
This rig tows like a dream. The 12 inch wheels and added length to the tongue makes for a stable track and leaves room for a cooler rack.
The swivel coupler adds a safety factor and prevents damage to the trailer or hitch if the LT decides to lay down or the trailer flips.
Carpet will be secured using wide industrial Velcro.
I think I'll paint the trailers rims to match the LT's silver powder coated rims.
With reflective tape on trailer frame.
Inside view of top lip seal tape. I sanded the top cover inside lip to remove gel coat and cleaned with brake cleaner spray.
I used 2 inch wide foam tape to act as a gasket and to reduce vibration noise. The tape was originally used to seal between a truck bed and camper top.
With DOT reflective tape applied.
Shot with Flash
Got a great suggestion from Bob Vail on the Delphi Motorcycle Trailer Towing forum.
He used a snap kit from a hardware store so I tried it and it works very well. Thanks Bob.
Got the tag at the Pasco County office today. Easy process in Florida. I told the Lady who waited on me that I built a trailer and needed a tag.
She asked how much it weighed.
I replied 205 pounds.
She asked how much it can carry.
I replied 150 pounds max.
She said that will be $26.00 for the first year and $10.00 a year after that.
I paid and mounted the tag. (Not the actual tag number shown.)
Did not like the chains rattling around so I thought I'd give this a try.
It's a 6 foot braided steel cable with an integrated Master lock called a Python Adjustable Locking Cable and made by Master Lock.
I mounted a 3/8 stainless eye bolt through the tongue behind the swivel hitch. The cable passes through the eye bolt and up to the hitch and through both chain holes and back to and around the tongue passing through the eye bolt again and then through the lock.
I will weld the eye closed and weld another stainless nut on the bolt end to prevent easy removal. The cable is rated at 2000 pounds and is coated in a thick plastic.
The cable is long enough to secure the trailer to the hitch and still loop through the rear wheel for added parking security.
I will be crossing the cable to form an X under the tongue to support the tongue in case of failure.
I think I will replace the stainless eye bolt with a welded 3/8 inch loop handle on each side of the tongue.
The HF taillight kit just is not bright enough for my comfort zone.
Solution: Remove the lenses and tape up a bulb then spray the inside of the light housings with chrome paint.
This makes the housing more reflective.
Replace the standard 1157 bulbs with 2057 or 2357 if you can find them. Thanks to Gadget on the Delphi Motorcycle Trailer Towing list for the suggestions.
Fort Matanzas National Monument.
Sue and the DragonFly with trailer in tow. 375 mile round trip from New Port Richey loaded, 2 up on a very hot day. The trailer pulled like a dream.
Dauntless Hitch for the K1200LT.
This hitch system mounts to the sub-frame of the K1200LT and includes the wiring harness for the trailer.
Also ordered the Four Isolator Bosch Micro Relay Wiring Harness and the Swivel Hitch Coupler.
"When your hitch is not in use, the hitch plate sub- frame can easily be removed with two lynch pins and will fit inside your top box! For a clean nearly hidden look!
The receiver is hidden under the back lower panel." Available from DauntlessMotors.com (Photo and text from DauntlessMotors.com)
Not so great wiring diagram. K1200LT Specific except for the 5 to 4 adapter.
Sue & I rode two up towing this trailer to Breckenridge Colorado and back with it loaded down. The Trailer pulls like a dream and you almost forget it's there. Since then we have used the trailer on several long distance rides all over the US.
LATER
14 comment:
Surely it was a great joy to make things part by part. i can feel a little seeing the pics. great job.
Thanks for the comment!
I enjoy working with my hands when I get a chance.
Dave,
Great project, well done. Thank you. Planning to build one almost exactly the same for my new FJR1300. Any recommendations for an FJR hitch?
Rich
I would check with Dauntless to see if they sell a hitch for the FJR.
They make great products.
How did you get around Harbor Freights 45 miles per hour max recommended speed? I bought this exact same kit but have not found the information needed to answer this question. Speaking with their tech support, I was told it was a matter of hub and bearing dimensions. Pisser ! Personally I think its because the thing is bolted together. Plan on welding mine but still have many unanswered questions.
It�s a matter of safety. I have sent many e-mails to several people but have received no reply so this project is on hold until I can ease my mind.
Any comments? Contact jumpman at jumpxtremist@hotmail.com Thank You.
That's a Good Question!
I took 6.5 inches out of the Axle length and Frame Width, and also extended the Tow Bar (Tongue) to get the rig to Track more favorably for Motorcycle Towing.
The Trailer Kit as is from HF will tow ok behind a car/truck but hunts left & right behind a bike.
It probably hunts behind a car/truck as well but the vehicle weight is so much greater than a Motorcycle, you just don't feel it.
I've towed this trailer behind the LT at highway speeds out & back to Colorado, North Carolina, Key West and many other shorter trips.
It tows perfectly and meets all of my expectations for overall performance.
Hope this helped.
-Dave
Spent about 8 hours looking for additional info. Found four people who replied. All using the same HF trailer we have so I have dicided to go ahead with the project.
Changes I will make. Other than what you have done here I plan to weld the crossmembers together once they are cut down and I see how well it tracks. I will also be mounting the axle inside of the leaf springs rather than on the bottom to lower the center of gravity, will be fabricating a diamond plate skirt to go around the bottom, and will probably go with rounded fenders, also plan on sand blasting the wheels and having them chrome plated, will also have bearing buddies installed.
Love your swivel hitch idea going to use that one for sure. For the tongue I ordered a HF spare and used a chop saw to cut it down and had it welded together (ground off the excess flash) and powder coated it black. I now have an original HF tongue only 20 inches longer than stock
I am using a shorter carrier though. not as sleek as yours but it was a freeby so what cqan I say.
will also be fabricating a cooler stand for the tongue where I will permantly mount a refinished coke cooler.
Thanks.
Thanks for the comments and Good Luck with the trailer project!
Don't forget the photos!
-Dave
Dave
Thanks once more for a very informative instructional page. I wish I had read it a few weeks ago before I started mine. I narrowed my trailer by only 4 2/16 inches to take advantage of an existing hole in the cross member. This made it necessary to drill six holes, not all twelve. When I shortened my axle, I cut the four inches out of the middle and used an iron bar to strengthen the splice. This worked fine, but I ended up slightly crowned. I was concerned at this, but after inspecting the spindles further and mounting the axle and wheels on the trailer, I noted they were slightly off to begin with. My end results are acceptable and close enough. But even if no one ever notices, I know the axle isn’t “straight”! I’m not a welder or machinist, but I do have the satisfaction of knowing I did it myself. Another thing was the other gentleman’s Idea of buying an extra drawbar to use as the tongue extension. I used 2 ¼” square stock. It does look a little funny. But again, it works. My wheels were printed with a warning of a maximum speed of 55 mph. As you mentioned in your notes, a longer tongue and narrower axle should prove to give a more stable tracking trailer. I would think as long as the bearings are packed regularly and checked periodically during use for signs of heat they will be just fine. All-in-all this is a wonderful way to get an inexpensive trailer that performs as well as the production models. As a reference I received many of my ideas from this page, http://www.herberts.org/wayne/valk/trailer.htm . Great information, but it doesn’t give near the detail or illustration. What can you expect from someone that rides a Honda? (Kidding, of course. His ideas made my project successful.)
Sincerely
JD Reinke
Prime_Mover on bmwlt.com
jdathome@hotmail.com
Thanks for the Comments JD, I appreciate them.
Enjoy that new and inexpensive trailer and
Tow it like you Stole it.
-Dave
Dave,
Did you swivel coupler come from Dauntless also? It looks like you used two bolts to hold the swivel coupler to your 24" tongue extension. Am I seeing that right?
What were the dimensions and source for your tongue extension?
This trailer project is exactly what I have been looking for. Your write up is fantastic.
Thanks for your patience and efforts posting your project.
Glenn
Very nice job!! I think you've set a gold standard!!
My parents lived in NPR back when Rt 19 was 2 lanes...it's been awhile!!
Dear Dave!! Your posting is just amazing. In 2004, 2005 I was able to get a law passed in Virginia addressing the lighting issues of trailers under 3,000 pounds. It is a law!!!! People are in violation if they do not have 8.33 of DOT type c2. The industry has tried to fight and undo my law. Is your life worth 8 to 20 dollars? Go to www.dangeroustrailers.org Your hitching instructions are great. Since 1988 over 480,000 people have been injured and since 1976 over 14,800 people have been killed by loose trailers from passenger cars.
It's cool DIY. Where video?
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