Trailers: Do you need one?

"TAKE IT EASY ... TAKE A TRIKE!" - trike hobo
Trailers? Are they good to pull behind your trike? Are there any drawbacks? Are trailers good in some riding scenarios, but less than ideal in others? If you are going to take an unsupported cross country trike trip, is pulling a heavily loaded trailer essential for survival? Are trailers nothing more than an expression of a neophyte triker's fear of the unknown? But what about local errands around town ... nothing fearful about that! Let your thoughts be known by leaving them in the comment section below. Let's see if there is a consensus regarding trikers pulling trailers! Yes or no, that is the question ... or even maybe.
Steve's current recumbent trike is a 2021 HP Velotechnik Scorpion fs26 Enduro, outfitted with Schwalbe Marathon PLUS road tires instead of the stock knobby off-road tires.
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[@benazeddine5255]

I am 80 years and will go nowhere without my trailer in tow, behind my ICE Sprint FS, no EL assist. My trailer (Ziflex) is mono wheel with suspension... The fork attaches to each side of the rear wheel axel (better stability/less wind resistance) and the the trailer wheel falls EXACTLY in the Trikes rear wheel track... It is easy to maneuver too. All camping-sleeping-cooking gear-spare parts (I am 5-6 months on the road each year) are loaded in the trailer. In addition I have 2 x 20 L Ortlieb bags with outer bags on the rack (Clothes-Computer-40 W solar charger-power banks-Lightning-torches) + 2 x 12,5 L Ortlieb bags with Outer bags and racks for water bottles, mounted on each side of the Trailer (Food-thermo flask-cooling bag) and 2 ICE banana-bags, I acquired a month ago, hanging on each side of the seat frame + 2 x 6 L Ortlieb "handlebar" bags) mounted on each side of the seat (photo/video gear-First Aid kit-special tools-alarms-snacks)...

[@EZSteve]

Wow, you are on the road for 5-6 months! That is serious triking for sure Ben. When I had a trailer, it had two wheels, and they tracked separately from any of the three wheels on my trike, so I had to be careful when riding through things that could cause a flat tire on the trailer. With your single tire that follows the rear wheel of the trike, it takes most of that guesswork out of making sure the trailer tire doesn't get punctured. Those ICE "banana bags" are really great. They are made by Radical Design in Holland. I have had many of those over the years, one set in the larger size, but that was too big. I am now using Ortlieb Back Roller Classic Pro rear panniers, with a total volume of 70 liters (35 liters per side), basically the same dimensions from the side as your Ortlieb bags, except that they can expand outward quite a bit more, so if they are not fully loaded, they don't take up any more space. The ICE Sprint FS is a very nice trike! I used to own a 2007 ICE Qnt, a great trike even back then, but the new ones are even better! steve

[@TheTalkingPostCard]

I have the Burley Coho single wheel Trailer with the rear wheel rack and rear panniers! I love it!

[@TheTalkingPostCard]

IT is very heavy though!

[@TheTalkingPostCard]

I Require a Cpap, so I bring a Jackery 300w battery and a 60W solar panel and charge it on the back while riding, on rainy days I have to go to a motel, when I can't get a good charge, but most of the time, I make enough to power my Garmin and my Cpap. thats all that matters really ,but thats why I have to take a Trailer on my camping trips.

[@EZSteve]

Do you notice any exaggeration of rear wheel lateral sway with each pedal stroke due to the balancing necessary with a single wheel trailer? I remember when I had my first ICE trike, and inquired with ICE which type of trailer would be recommended by them, and they made a point of telling me to avoid the BOB single wheel trailer because it placed too much mechanical stress on the trike's rear suspension. steve

[@TheTalkingPostCard]

@@EZSteve no I have not noticed any of that as of yet... however I have a big trip coming up here in November, I will pay close attention , also I'm using a Greenspeed Magnum 2017 (all human power,/ no e-assist.) and yes it is slower! but I remind myself, if I was in a hurry, I would have taken a car, but I have got all the time in the world.lol

[@EZSteve]

@@TheTalkingPostCard Regarding potential lateral sway Robert, if you have another triker riding with you, have them ride behind you and watch from the rear to see if the notice the trike and rear wheel swaying laterally. I followed a fellow triker on a trip once, and noticed that sway each time he pushed on the pedals (but the situation was different: He was not pulling a trailer, but had a large 700c rear wheel and loaded panniers, which got his Catrike moving laterally. Anyway, probably no big deal, but I was just curious. I suspect you would have LESS lateral sway with a trailer because the weight is in the trailer, and not contributing to the rear wheel issue like my friend). It's always a good idea for us trikers to check all our nuts and bolts annually to make sure nothing is working itself loose. Thanks for sharing! steve

[@redrocker1055]

I have a single wheel(BOB-type) trailer from my upright days. It pulls on lot easier than a two-wheel trailer.

[@EZSteve]

Yes, with one less tire on the pavement, there is less drag and friction. steve

[@benazeddine5255]

From Denmark: Totally agree with you. A mono wheel trailer, like the BOB, is better than a 2 wheeled trailer. I have 3 x 2 wheels trailers and I use my Mono Wheel "ZIFLEX" trailer, which is equipped with suspension-mudguard and I added a rack on top of the wheel. It works perfect, is stable and has less wind resistance, because it is narrower than the trike (ICE Sprint FS). It is the same trailer I used with my KOGA World Traveller bicycle...

[@ScottRedstone]

Makes sense. If you need a trailer you are carrying too much stuff. Bring a credit card and rain gear. And water.

[@EZSteve]

Yep, minimalist touring is the ticket, as long as the bare essentials are present. Heavily laden pedaling is really tough going, and can take the fun right out of long distance triking! steve

[@The-GreenHornet]

My first tour, I also had a similar trailer tote setup. I was pulling 74 lbs: trailer weight, tote weight, and all my gear and food. Steve, you are exactly right. Trailers seem like a great idea, but in actual real world reality for a long tour, they present more difficulties than benefits. Extra tires on the road, means possible more flat tires too. Panniers are the way to go.

[@EZSteve]

I got two flats on the first 2009 tour, and both were on the cheap Kenda tires on the trailer (goatheads), but my trike tires, all Schwalbe Marathon PLUS, never lost any air, and never went flat, even with hundreds of goathead thorns in each of the three trike tires. I recall that my trailer on the trip weighed a total of more than 80 pounds ... 80 pounds of dead weight I was lugging up every mountain pass! Ugh! I'm so happy to not pull a trailer anymore!!!! steve

[@The-GreenHornet]

@@EZSteve I know what you mean. Feels like you're pulling a dead Yak behind you. Like you said, if you can't figure out how to put all your gear in two to four panniers, then either you aren't packing properly or your gear is too big (need better gear that is lighter and packs down much smaller than cheap inexpensive gear) or you're bringing too much. It is a science to nail down to learn type of gear and just how much is really needed. Definitely a learning curve to be mastered, which some learn quicker than others.

[@EZSteve]

@@The-GreenHornet Yes, only road trip time will reveal to each of us individually what we need and what we don't. Trike touring does get easier with time as we refine what we pack in our panniers! steve

[@The-GreenHornet]

@@EZSteve Agreed

[@Jordyperson]

If you're going to have a trailer, electric assist is a must. I have pulled over 350lb in a trailer before, but I was using over 700 watts to do that. Not possible with human power alone.

[@EZSteve]

HI Jordy, That's a very good point! On my first trike trip in 2009, my rolling weight was over 375 pounds (everything rolling along, including me, trike, panniers, and trailer). I had no electric motor, so yes, I was really working like a madman to get up and over the mountain passes! steve

[@Hansaman58]

I pull a dog trailer behind my Catrike (with e-assist). My Belgian Malinois rides inside

[@EZSteve]

I think that an electric motor is the way to go James when pulling a trailer, especially if your trailer is loaded with a living and moving being, which can make pedaling even more of a challenge I suppose since the weight shifts in the trailer. steve

[@Hansaman58]

@@EZSteve Steve, Started pulling Molly in the trailer before i added e-assist. Was not bad either. But the assistance makes it so much easier. Also, i broke my left femur in June. Moved to Vermont in July. Will not be able to ride again until spring so I’m very glad i have e-assist.

[@EZSteve]

@@Hansaman58 All the best with the recovery of your femur ... that must have been quite unpleasant ... I can't imagine! I'm glad to hear the electric motor is working well for you! steve