Thanks. Great video. I'm designing my own trailer currently. Boy, there certainly is a lot more planning required than I bargained for. Videos like yours and some others really help take the guess work out of it.
@ScottRuckman-u4h3 ай бұрын
Just bought a pull behind trailer… This video is very helpful to me on how I should pack it - weight wise!😊
@SteveOutdoors3 ай бұрын
Glad I could help!
@Old-Biker-Dude8 ай бұрын
Great video man. Really enjoyed it and I hope those that pull trailers see this
@SunyJim Жыл бұрын
I think i have a small easy addition to your method. For the same reason the tongue weight would be off if you lift it too high. your bathroom scale is off because that wheel is raised a few inches by the bathroom scale. if you get a piece of wood the thickness of your bathroom scale. It should be more accurate. Awesome video, thanks for the excellent, clear, information.
@SteveOutdoors9 ай бұрын
I've heard that before but I originally had 2 identical bathroom scales and did both sides at the same time. But I tested it with 1 and with 2 and it weighed the same. It's such a small height difference that it probably only changes a few ounces if that.
@douglascassetty65532 жыл бұрын
Well done. I’ve pulled for years. I agree with your method. Extra skill and safety needed to pull and stop a trailer.
@chrislaf898 ай бұрын
Only difference I have to his method is I put the entire thing on scales, one under each wheel and a special little stand I made for the tongue that's at my bike's ball height.
@thomasgarrison39499 ай бұрын
Thanks for the video. I just bought a Motorcycle Trailer.
@SteveOutdoors9 ай бұрын
You're gonna love it. Opens up a whole new world.
@dragonstaff622 жыл бұрын
I have just bought a trailer for my ST1300, and haven't towed with a bike before. Towed plenty with a car, but not with a bike. Thank you for the tongue weight information, I didn't have that ratio. Stay safe.
@SteveOutdoors2 жыл бұрын
You're welcome
@gorillaau3 ай бұрын
I have a Suzuki GSF1350 which is very similar in size to your St1300. I'm wanting to build a trailer. I'm ready for my next adventure. Blasted global virus spoilt everything.
@nats4505 Жыл бұрын
Outstanding post man thank you
@SteveOutdoors Жыл бұрын
Thanks!
@stkyrce4 ай бұрын
You got a like from me.
@92ofdapac Жыл бұрын
Man this was perfect, much appreciated. I'm in the market so was concerned about being new to riding with the pull behind
@philloiselle8200 Жыл бұрын
Great Information, i am looking at buying a trailer for my bike. this really helps. Thanks
@SteveOutdoors Жыл бұрын
You’re welcome.
@kentwatkins66082 жыл бұрын
I towed with my motorcycle for a very long time I had a quick camp trailer and and you're dead on with everything you're saying and I appreciate what you're saying because everybody else needs to understand that and I've towed many things with my motorcycle and I built a trailer for moving things and I used it for work and everything else and it's been amazing the things I've towed but it worked every time so and you're like I said you are right on what you're saying and I thank you
@nohothanddalehough30923 жыл бұрын
Pretty legit info. As a general rule I load heavy on the axle , light on the back and medium on the front Just checked with a scale and was spot on!
@SteveOutdoors3 жыл бұрын
Good deal!
@roamingearth9152 жыл бұрын
I will go the route of a trailer in time to come......thank you so much for your knowledge. Ride on!!
@adventureswithrick80322 жыл бұрын
Great video! Getting ready to revamp A little trailer I bought and do a multi day trip with a friend and put it on the channel!
@SteveOutdoors2 жыл бұрын
Thanks! Stay safe out there.
@johnclark8123 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the correct info on balancing. I have a trailer I haul and often see people that I know are overweight on the tongue, and most hitches max out at 50-60 lbs, if you use manufacturer specs. I have a bushtec hitch on my Goldwing and it’s rated up to 75 lbs, but that’s far beyond what I would ever want for tongue weight riding two up on an extended 8 day tour. Like your trailer set up, I watched your vid on that before. Ride safe
@SteveOutdoors3 жыл бұрын
Thanks John!
@tangowiskey4740 Жыл бұрын
Thanks very good stuff, have the same trailer and have never weighed it always moved heavy forward . Will do when i get home.
@mikedanaher24093 жыл бұрын
I’m subscribed. I’m in the market for a trailer myself. Thanks for sharing. 👍
@SteveOutdoors3 жыл бұрын
I'm really liking my Lumina trailer.
@GrizzlyFalls2 жыл бұрын
Just recently found your channel and wanted to thank you for some great ideas... very informative with no bs. Bravo!
@SteveOutdoors2 жыл бұрын
Thanks and you're welcome!
@wingandhog2 жыл бұрын
Simple and accurate tutorial. Well done sir
@SteveOutdoors2 жыл бұрын
Thanks!
@betoquilon72172 жыл бұрын
Very knowledgeable thanks for the information keeping everything safe and enjoying the ride and your trip
@SteveOutdoors2 жыл бұрын
Your welcome
@charleneguthrie67247 ай бұрын
Good knowledge to have
@rubberhead35202 жыл бұрын
Just came across this and suscribed. I bough a trailerthat is very similar to your's so I appreciate the information.
@davidschneider8610 Жыл бұрын
Thanks for the analysis, you made it easy to understand. I’ve never towed a trailer with a motorcycle and it is something I would like to do, for camping, etc. I do know that with my travel trailer behind my pickup truck, if the tongue weight is over the recommended 15%, the steering will get too light (the front wheels of my truck) You can feel it, and that isn’t a good feeling either because you loose some of the ability to control the steering. Also you mentioned a passenger would be more than the 50lbs on your tongue weight limitation. I’m thinking that might not equate to a pound for pound comparison just because of the fact that the spot where the hitch is is cantilevered behind the rear axle of the bike. I’m not positive about that, but I’m thinking it almost acts like lever in a fulcrum situation. Thanks again for the demonstration, it was really helpful!
@KnuckleDragginDad2 жыл бұрын
Right on I appreciate the info. Came in handy. Especially the math part.
@SteveOutdoors2 жыл бұрын
You're welcome. Thanks for watching.
@MicahBell_1860 Жыл бұрын
G'day from Oz. Liked & subscribed. I recently bought a 98 Electra-Glide for my dream or circumnavigating Australia, that came with a trailer. I'm looking to set it up for long-distance touring with a 12-volt battery/solar system, fridge-freezer, & gas BBQ. Looking for more ideas
@dennisjoiner371711 ай бұрын
Enjoyed your video. I have the same trailer and love travel with it. I even take it on some day rides if there is a chance we may hit a Flee Market or two. I do have a question about the trailer. Have you had the wheel Hubs off to change bearings. I tried to get mine off last spring 2023, and I quit tugging on it. Of course I had the cotter pin and castle nut removed. The outer bearing came out but the hub wouldn't give it up.
@SteveOutdoors11 ай бұрын
I haven't tried to change mine yet. I started a Facebook group for Lumina trailers. Get in the group and ask the question. I'm sure someone in the group has dealt with it. facebook.com/groups/luminatrailer/
@tijustme23 жыл бұрын
It may not affect your method too much on such a small load, but I spent 21 years weighing trucks in commercial motor vehicle enforcement. Most of that with portable scales not much larger than a bathroom scale, but thinner. We used multiple scales for each set of dual wheels so that all the wheels on that axle were level. Weighing one wheel, then the other isn't as accurate. Like I said, it may not make much difference for your application, but it would be more accurate to pull the wheel not being weighed up on a 2x6 or so, which is similar thickness as the scale.
@SteveOutdoors3 жыл бұрын
I used to have 2 scales until one broke. I would measure both at the same time. But with the trailer being so small an individual scale reads the same with one or two scales.
@johnharvell897810 ай бұрын
Steve we’re did you get that cool articulating hitch??? We’re can I get a hitch for my Harley softail convertible??
@SteveOutdoors10 ай бұрын
The swivel came with my trailer. I bought a hitch for my Harley Ultra Classic at Dennis Kirk.
@chrislaf898 ай бұрын
USA Trailer Store or Time Out Trailers have swivel hitches that are absolutely amazing
@simoncrawford55192 жыл бұрын
Your torsion mounts are forward of your wheel hub center not behind as you have indicated. You can see the mount at 5:56min. Either way the pivot point will always be the center of the wheel.
@SteveOutdoors2 жыл бұрын
Good catch!
@jeffreyengle2762 Жыл бұрын
Hitch-doc states that my hitch must not have any more than 40 pounds of hitch weight? So if that’s the case and I believe you’re correct, if I purchase a 600 pound trailer I am mediately have 60 pounds of hitch weight if loaded correctly that overloads the hitch? How did these people pull these great big pop out camper trailers that weigh six and 700 pounds without overloading the hitch on the bike?
@quickcalsgarage47822 жыл бұрын
So when you weigh each tire, do you have the trailer on the tongue stand? Looks like you did it both ways? Is there a difference? Thanks
@SteveOutdoors2 жыл бұрын
I weight each tire individually with the tongue stand down, then I weigh the tongue. Add all three together.
@robertvergason2518 Жыл бұрын
So what would you suggest for a bike that has a voyager kit
@SteveOutdoors Жыл бұрын
Balancing a trailer is the same no matter what is pulling it.
@tangowiskey4740 Жыл бұрын
What do you think about solar powered ice chest
@SteveOutdoors Жыл бұрын
I love my 12V fridge. It runs off of my solar battery. I can run it all night along with lights etc and within an hour of so in the morning with my solar panels the battery is charged back to full. Link to fridge video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHu8ZI2bn8qderc
@josephgeorgeejr703911 ай бұрын
I wonder if this applies to one wheel trailer??
@SteveOutdoors11 ай бұрын
I don't think it does.
@elmerfudd2402 Жыл бұрын
You need to keep the trailer level side to side when measuring the weight of the loaded wheels.
@SteveOutdoors Жыл бұрын
I've done that level with two scales. Then I tested again with just one scale and there was no difference.
@ExplainingTechTips5 ай бұрын
It's a wonder why people dont market motorcycles with trailers. It's probably the SMARTEST thing you can do to enjoy motorcycles and actually have real utility. I ride a motorized bicycle with a trailer and an electric front hub motor.
@MarkVanZile24 күн бұрын
I'm fixing to go on a trip my trailer weighs 1,160 lbs what should my tongue be
@brada40182 жыл бұрын
Can you do 65mph with the trailer?
@SteveOutdoors2 жыл бұрын
I've done 85mph with the trailer. The sweet spot is around 70-75mph on the interstate.
@stevedeornellis86573 жыл бұрын
The pivot point is the axle, not where the torsion suspension mounts to the trailer.
@SteveOutdoors3 жыл бұрын
Yeah you're probably right but it's only about a 3 inch offset.
@randymedeiros218711 ай бұрын
What happens on balancing your trailer if you don't carry as much heavy stuff as you do ??
@SteveOutdoors11 ай бұрын
The percentages stay the same.
@OldSloGuy2 жыл бұрын
The formula is for level roads. The death wobble is also speed sensitive. The amplitude varies with the square of the speed. Since the center of gravity (CG) is above the ground, the slope of the road changes the tongue weight. One situation to avoid is passing a slow poke while charging up a never look grade. The grade will reduce the tongue weight while increasing speed and manoeuvering with reduced steering options create bad conditions. Its sort of a perfect storm. Oh, I left out wind resistance which further lightens the tongue weight. The only good thing is increased braking ability, so now you can jack knife when the wobble hits. Its sort of like Chernobyl where they defeated the safety systems by doing so many things wrong. How come nobody talks about this? Its like soldiers who spent 3 weeks in a fox hole. They don't talk about that either. Its not like a fish that got away.
@SteveOutdoors2 жыл бұрын
I've been all over Texas and Colorado up in the Rockies with my trailer over the last 4 years. You're right the variables to change the tongue weight. But I've found that as long as I start off at 10% to 15% tongue weight I never have a problem. Even going over those big mountain passes and riding up those rough gravel mountain roads to get to my favorite campsites.
@ExplainingTechTips5 ай бұрын
but gotta be honest that is one heavy trailer, its not a joke
@DarrylBraun6 ай бұрын
Good Lord people need to complicate this. Make sure you have about 20 Lbs of hitch weight. That's it. Pulling trailers all over north America since the 80's and that's all there is to it. If you have 20 Lbs at the hitch then you've got a lot more in front of the axel than behind it. The longer the tongue the less hitch weight you need (longer moment arm) but you still need hitch weight.
@SteveOutdoors6 ай бұрын
You much have a really light trailer.
@DarrylBraun6 ай бұрын
@@SteveOutdoors I have had pretty light trailers, and some God awfully heavy ones. Well... I guess not by the standards of some of the rigs I've seen being pulled these days. But, my 2nd trailer was home made, about 3 feet by 6 by 2.5 feet deep. I had two mountain bikes mounted to the sides and if it fit, it went inside. If it didn't fit, it got strapped on top. I'm just guessing that at it's heaviest the entire rig maxed out at about 500 Lbs. I did a LOT of load testing with that rig and the results were dead simple... 20 Lbs of hitch weight and it towed like it was on rails. Now, if I had a trailer with half the tongue length I'd up that to 30 Lbs. Under no circumstances would I ever put more than 30 on the hitch though, with any size or weight of trailer. I mean if it had to be then so be it, but I'd never pack for that goal. And, it didn't matter if I had a 80/20 weight distribution on the wheels or 50/50. Once it was inside, the only thing that mattered was hitch weight.
@SteveOutdoors6 ай бұрын
@@DarrylBraun We'll have agree to disagree on this one. I never let my tongue weight get less than 10% of my trailer weight. I did once and as soon as I hit 50 mph I got a massive wobble back and fourth. I rearranged heavier items from behind the axle to in front of the axle, which in turn raised the tongue weight above 10% and it pulled like a dream.
@SteveOutdoors6 ай бұрын
@@DarrylBraun This video gives a good example of what happens when the front is too light. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJ66kJqwmc1pqtEsi=tPnYW_qnQfE-dH3j
@DarrylBraun6 ай бұрын
@@SteveOutdoors The problem with that video is they created a binary; it's either tongue heavy or bumper heavy. What they should also have done was moved that red weight half way between the hitch and the axel. The trailer would have behaved worse than the tongue heavy situation but the oscillations would still have dampened out. I mean, theoretically, even a zero tongue weight would dampen the oscillations just on the effect of rolling resistance wanting to keep the trailer behind the vehicle. In your situation I'm going to boldly suggest that either you misread it or there was something else at play. The onset of trailer fishtailing isn't speed related; something has to act on the trailer to get it to develop, a pothole, gust of wind or the action of the tow vehicle. Speed itself won't do it, period. When we were building our first trailer, back in the 80s, we'd heard that 60/40 was the rule. 60% of the trailer should be in front of the axel. Here's what we discovered: 60/40 was fine because it let you pack relatively mindlessly. You could be a LOT less careful about how you packed because you started out tongue heavy, even empty. 50/50 was just fine too, you just had to make more of an effort to pack heavy to the front. 40/60 was also just fine... as long as you made sure to pack front heavy. So, 60/40 wasn't actually related to axel placement, it was related to weight distribution; 60% of the weight should be in front of the axel. So we built our first trailer at 50/50 with respect to the actual cargo box and the next tailer to the 60/40 rule. At 50/50 the axel was still about 60/40 with respect to the hitch so if we put a cooler on the tongue, we were good to go. With the 2nd trailer built to 60/40 with respect to the cargo box we found that that meant packing carefully so as to not have too heavy a tongue weight. The problem was in corners. Straight and upright, pulled like a dream. But too much weight (and we're talking like 100 Lbs for example) and that weight was still acting straight downward even though the bike was now leaning at a 30 degree angle in a turn. I wouldn't call it dangerous, but it was certainly... uncomfortable having your bike pulled down into the lean. What we found was 20 Lbs was the magic number. More than 20 put more weight on the suspension of the bike and less than 20 simply took too long to dampen oscillations. As long as we were hitch positive the trailer would naturally dampen oscillations but the lighter you got, the longer it took. Only when we went hitch negative did the oscillations continue or increase and THAT'S the death wobble of trailers. Anything positive was good and anything over 20 was unnecessary. Now, to be fair and honest, I don't actually weigh my tongue at all. I just pick it up and if it feels right I hook'er up. So maybe I'm over the 20 Lb magic number. I have 2 trailers currently and the next time I load them up, I'll weigh them just to see. Interesting that my smaller trailer maxes out, I'm guessing again, at 250 Lbs, so I'm pretty close to the 10% rule. But the large one maxes out at around 350, maybe even 400 Lbs and there's no way I'd ever put 40 Lbs on the hitch. Maybe 30, I don't think so, but maybe and that's not far off the 10% rule if I'm not maxed out on total weight. I guess 10% is a pretty good rule of thumb since you're pretty unlikely to pull more than 500 Lbs, maybe 600. So 60 on the hitch wouldn't be a deal breaker, but it's just not required when 20 will get the job done just as well. Boy, this got long winded.
@atlas2833 жыл бұрын
Lol...i guess my 700 lb camper kind of sends this math out the window. I don't know a single popup motorcycle camper that weighs less than 400 lbs.
@SteveOutdoors3 жыл бұрын
How much does your tongue weight? Is it 10% to 15% of the total? If your trailer weights 700 the tongue should weight at least 70.
@KnuckleDragginDad2 жыл бұрын
The Kompact Kamp Mini Mate tips the scales at just 260 lbs. There are a few others out there as well.
@davidburrow45842 жыл бұрын
Why can't you run a brake line from your foot brake and add brakes to your trailer.
@SteveOutdoors2 жыл бұрын
As light as the trailer is it doesn't need brakes.
@davidbreihan57572 жыл бұрын
Ya don't fart. It's called ragdoll blues.
@maj.d.sasterhikes98842 жыл бұрын
This video will graphically show how weight distribution affects trailer handling: kzbin.info/www/bejne/apvOantrdqdnoq8
@SteveOutdoors2 жыл бұрын
Yes! I saw that video before. I almost included it in this video I made. I was just worried I'd get a copywrite violation from KZbin.
@oldfordguy4 ай бұрын
I don't know what kind of a calculator you are using, but it is WRONG! 333 - 10% = 299.7. The proper calculation is 333 X 10% = 33.3.
@SteveOutdoors4 ай бұрын
Isn't 33.3lbs what I came up with? Not sure of your point.
@edwinstarr-us-icelander2024 Жыл бұрын
thank you for sharing this important info. not towing a trailer yet, but will be in the not too distant future. on my 1200 kawasaki voyager xii.edwinstarr23. namaste.