Motorcycle trailer for 2005 Prius

It may not be ideal for a motorcycle, but I purchased a folding 4'x8' trailer on sale at Menards a few years ago for less than $200. I still see this model in various catalogs, including Harbor Freight Tools, so it's still available.

The trailer has a tilt bed and weighs about 250 lbs., including the 5/8" plywood for the deck. I made detachable rails for all 4 sides out of 2x4s. With a load capacity of 900+ lbs. (1200 if you choose the larger wheels), it's more than adequate for your motorcycle. With a few sturdy tie-downs and maybe some 2x4 "chocks" to secure the cycle wheels, it should do the trick.

It tows easily behind my '89 Mazda 626 4 cyl., has moved more lawn tractors, tree limbs, furniture, etc. than I care to remember, and takes maybe 10 minutes preparation to be ready to go. It sticks out about 18'' from my garage wall when folded.

 

Hitches in and of themselves do not void warranties, as you can use them for bike racks.

I have towed three sportbikes on a Zieman trailer with a total weight of about 1750 lbs. Braking was no problem and I just took a little longer to accelerate to minimize the force on the drivetrain.

 

did you guys buy the Curt hitch? I was going to get one from eTrailer this week. Did you do the install and hard wiring yourself?

 

1750? On a Prius? That's a lotta weight for a little car!!! I've heard of people towing 500 pounds or so, but 1750 is more than I would try on significantly larger vehicles. How was braking?

I'm still on the fence about whether to tow my 400 lb. sailboat (100 lb. boat + 300 lb. trailer) on my Prius. I tow it with an Accord right now, but once that car dies I may have to hitch it to my Prius.

 

Is there a major difference between red trailer, harbor freight's trailer and sport utility trailer.

Folding Utility Trailers, Trailer Kits, Parts and Accessories - RedTrailers.com

- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

http://www.sportutilitytrailers.com/LongChih/749TC.htm

 

thanks for the link, where is the best place to get a curt 11468 hitch? http://www.northerntool.com http://www.toyhaulermagazine.com/aero09.html

 

I put a Hidden Hitch on my 07 Prius and tow a Harbor Freight 4x4 trailer with a rack for 2 bikes and 2 kayks. Get the 12 inch tires. 8 inch have a max speed of 55 mph. 12 inch 68 mph. I went to a junk yard and got tail light connectors off an old Toyota and made my own T connector. (study the ones on the Prius and look at junked toyota cars for ones that match) Also use a relay from the tail/brake/running lights to the T connector to the trailer so the power comes from the battery and not off the light circuits. Works great.

 

I purchased a 4 x 8 fordable trailer from harbor freight. When I was assembling it i ran into a little problem. The welded a pieces on the front where pins go through to lock the trailer from tilted are a little bit off. They could have been closer to each other and one is welded a slight angle looking at it horizontally. I think the part is called front cross member.

I was wondering if you experienced any problems with things lining up when you were assembling your trailer?

 

I have a small dedicated for use with my prius.

it's one piece.. steal... has no suspension and weighs a ton. i need to cut it up and re weld things. it's currently a tiny bit skinnier than my prius... so no 4 x8 sheets of plywood for me.

i'll have to post a picture. i'll probably swap out the side steel for aluminum at some point.. it has this cage that goes around it that's roughly 16 inches high.

my heaviest load was about a cubic yard of roofing materials. (trash)

acceleration and braking is roughly the same as normal. you can feel the ice a lot more though. (as you're burning up torque) i tend to get around 30 to 35mpg while towing. (highway and city)

 

btw... one of those is a tilt trailer.. it looks better built and tilts. if you ever have to load a heavy motorcycle, you'll wish you had the tilt feature.