Teachable Moment w/ My Trailer

A teachable moment I had that I thought I'd share with you all. You guys that have been towing for a while will probably get a laugh out of it, but this is my first trailer.

Last week I finished putting the chock and tie-down points on the deck of my trailer and I loaded up the bike for a little test run. The belly pan and exhaust collectors scraped a little when I loaded it because the angle between the ramp and deck was too steep.

So when I went to unload the bike, I unhitched it from the truck and used the crank to lift up the front end of the trailer so the ramp was more in line with the deck. I backed the bike down and as soon as the rear wheel was at the back of the ramp the front end of the trailer kicked up in the air.

Thankfully, I was on the left side of the bike and it fell towards me and I saved it. I backed it down the rest of the way and the trailer banged back onto the ground. I don't know why I did this, but I had pulled the truck up after I unhitched it so the trailer didn't bash into the tailgage. Just a stroke of luck.

So I learned that trailers like to stay hitched when being loaded/unloaded

I've got a height adjustable hitch so I can unhitch the trailer, move the hitch up, and rehitch it to load or unload, which I'll be doing from now on! Unless you guys have an easier method!

Here's pics of my trailer and bike;

 

Hahah I know I posted to get a ribbing so dish it out guys

 

I'm so glad you moved your truck up. That could have been very bad. When I load my mower onto my trailer the rear of the truck lifts a good 2-3 inches but that thing is a tad over 1000 pounds and my trailer is longer.

You live and you learn. About a week ago I was hitching up and knowing my tongue is longer than half my truck I came in from the side because I had a tree behind me and I didn't want to move my truck because my mom need to pull out of the garage in a few minutes. Well when I was getting close to the ball the wheel of the trailer went over a small bump and pushed it into my bedside. I only scratched it to the metal and put a little dent but I was pissed at myself. Moral of the story don't hitch from the side.

 

Hahah I'm glad I'm not the only one

The world is so large that I'm pretty convinced that whatever stupid things I do, they've already been done and been done better by someone else!

 

haha if you MUST drop the trailer (de-hitch from the tow vehicle) and still need to unload, try using jack stands. I usually put 2 (one on each rear corner) on the bottom of the trailer so it doesnt flip up when i unload.

 

DANGER!! all my race car buddies have a floor jack. they jack up the back of the truck, lifting the trailer tongue and all to reduce the approach angle. it doenst take much. even rolling (the trucks back wheels)up on some neatly stacked 2x12's is sometimes enough.

 

live and learn. glad you're okay. i never towed anything so i cant/wont talk shit, not that i would if i have.

 

Rolling the truck onto ramps doesn't sound like a bad idea but I'm kind of skeptical about moving loads around while the rear end is supported by a floor jack. Have your buddies had any problems with this?

 

i have done that before or just pull the trailer to a lower spot than the truck. either way the approach angle changes

 

Cant you just leave it hooked and crank up you landing gear to get some more angle..in essence jacking up your truck with the trailer landing gear?

 

no issues. at the race track..they just leave it on the ramps. keep in mind. most guys use two 2x12's hammered togther. one side staggered to form a makeshift "ramp". works great.

honestly, in your situation. i would just drop that trailer ramp onto a 4x4, and roll the bike up onto it. it would be significantly easier to take the approach angle out by lifting the trailer ramp, and not the truck.