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Now with custom avatar.
Good V6 towing trailer for me? (to v-nose or not to v-nose)
Gonna need a trailer between now and June 2010 so let the specifying begin. Hoping to go enclosed unless someone talks me out of it.
Will be towing with a 3.5L Honda V6 in a 2009 Pilot unless something changes between now and next year. Rated at 4500# towing capacity FWIW. I've towed 3000# with my Ridgeline and it moved along with no issues so I am comfortable going up to that weight.
I guess the biggest questions I have thus far are:
- Do I need a v-nose? Will the cost for the extra length needed to make up for the big schnoz balance out the fuel economy savings?
- Al frame or not?..currently looking at single axle aluminum framed 6.5x10 or 6.5x12. Could probably go 7x14 AL without much issue judging by their weight, but not sure.
- Single or dual wheel? some have said if I am upgrading to that heavy duty of a trailer I probably don't want to try towing with a V6..is that true even if I apply the AL frame rule above? Looks like the second set of wheels adds pricing and overall capacity to the package and about 300#, but if there is a major stability advantage I could be tempted.
- New or used? Better off just trying to haggle on a new trailer or is used a way better deal? anything to look for besides wiggling the wheel bearings?
- must haves? What do I need to plan on spending after I have the trailer? Already have the hitch/wiring all that jazz on the vehicles as well as the necessary gooseneck/balls/etc.
I'm starting my investigational efforts here...so school me. Trailer primary purpose will be motorcycle stuff for LD towing but I also want it to be utility friendly since it will probably double as a shed when we're not towing it around the planet.
Thanks y'all 
p.s. If anyone out there has a decent trailer and wants to trade for an 03 600rr, let me know 
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Now with custom avatar.
I think I love this thing...
Haulmark Trailers - Motorcycle Trailers - Low Hauler - Edge Low Hauler WT2
Small enough to fit in my garage but large enough to fit everything normally in that garage bay 
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Who's driving?
How much weight you plan on towing? V6 sized trailers I'm going to guess a 6x10 or 6x12 is going to pretty much all your going to want to carry loaded up. I really wouldnt want to tow much bigger with a relativly short (I'm guessing 100 or so inch?) wheelbase vehicle anyways. Single axle is going to save alot of weight as well and be sure it has brakes.
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March nor'easters bring April...flooding...
Agree with G-force. Our friend tows an enclosed 6x10 (maybe 6x12, but not bigger) trailer with a Pilot and now with a Ridgeline. No way I'd consider towing a dual axle 7x14 with a V6.
“I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can't see from the center.”
~Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
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Now with custom avatar.
Yeah 109.2 in wheelbase...not really sure how much I plan on taking with us, probably just a bike and couple hundred pounds of tools, pop up, gascans...I'll say safely 1200# of cargo?
Just got to thinking a 6x12 v-nose is really going to be bigger than the vehicle itself so I'll probably look for a Haulmark 6.5x10 (all their 2010's are a nifty v-nose type allegedly).
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John's trailers in Toledo had great prices on "haulin" trailers. You can use them as pricepoint comparison on new. Decent trailer, I had 8 x 10 and could fit in two bikes, a pit bike, and custom built cabinets in front to house toolcart, shelving and hanging rods for the leathers and helmets. I pulled with a V6 Dakota and it struggled to stay above 70 on the highway. It was 6' inside height.
For V6, if you can afford the Al frame, I would suggest it. Get the lightest trailer to help reduce load on the tow vehicle. Also Single axle if it meets your needs. My boat trailer is dual, and rides nice, but is hard to manuever around the yard.
V-nose? I was told at point of purchase they are affected by crosswinds more....who knows for sure. It would seem that some sort of aerodynamic advantage on frontal area is worth the effort esp for long distance hauling. you linked to a low-hauler, and i would think that is near ideal for the Honda('s) at sacrifice of standing room in the trailer.
As for extras, chocks, heavy duty & extra tie down points, license, spare tire/wrench, straps, new toolbox, shelving, compressor, lighting, refrigerator, fuel station, washdown station, satellite tv, awning, exterior speakers, ...... 
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How many times a year do you plan on using this and is storage an issue? Unless you plan on becoming a track-ho, save yourself some coin and get an open trailer, set it up to take both the RR and the GS. Fuel cans can be bungeed to the trailer, everything else can go in the back of the Pilot.
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Do too.
You can easily get 2 bikes in a 6x10. I don't see any reason to go any bigger than that unless you plan on fertilizing and overwatering your current bike farm.
Ducit Amor Patriae
Richard Herald, The Gentle Giant
For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.
---Leonardo Da Vinci
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 Originally Posted by seamus
You can easily get 2 bikes in a 6x10. I don't see any reason to go any bigger than that unless you plan on fertilizing and overwatering your current bike farm.
SSG mentioned something about fitting it in his garage. Unless he's got larger than the standard 7' tall doors, most 6x10 enclosed trailers will be too tall for that.
"There should be an inheritance tax on politicians." - luvtolean, 2008
"I wouldn't be speeding if I didn't have to poop" - (on a pickup in Kentucky, et al.)
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"Able was I ere I saw Elba..."
Originally Posted by seamus
You can easily get 2 bikes in a 6x10. I don't see any reason to go any bigger than that unless you plan on fertilizing and overwatering your current bike farm.
I agree with most of that....I have a 6x10 that I've pulled thousands of miles with 2 bikes, but if I had to do it over, I'd get a 7x10 or 7x12...
The 6 footer is just too narrow if you want to load a wider bike like a Harley or a bagger of any sort...
BTW...
I have a friend that popped the $$ for the low height with the idea that it would spend time in his garage. He actually hated having it in the garage, and was stuck with a low ceiling trailer that actually cost more money. I'd visualize that decision very, very carefully, as it's firmly in the "sounds good on paper" category...ymmv!
"Ten times more charming than that Arnold on Green Acres..."
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It's Who You Know That Counts
Towing my 6x10 to Grattan was what caused me to buy the diesel.
It's not the weight, it's the aero drag. Driving across the plains at altitude in the wind, my 5.3 V8 couldn't hold OD.
A 6x10 is tight with two bikes. But no way in hell I'd put a 7x14 behind a Ridgeline.
YMMV.
"It's not debt per se that overwhelms an individual, corporation, or country. Rather, it is the continuous increase in debt in relation to income that causes trouble." --Warren Buffett
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Originally Posted by Baketech
I agree with most of that....I have a 6x10 that I've pulled thousands of miles with 2 bikes, but if I had to do it over, I'd get a 7x10 or 7x12...
OK, the, you sell me your 6x10 for a song and a dance, then go buy that 7x10 or 7x12. Deal?
I have a friend that popped the $$ for the low height with the idea that it would spend time in his garage. He actually hated having it in the garage, and was stuck with a low ceiling trailer that actually cost more money. I'd visualize that decision very, very carefully, as it's firmly in the "sounds good on paper" category... ymmv!
If you happen to live in a subdivision or development that won't allow you to store outside, then your only choice is go keep it in the garage or store it off-site.
"There should be an inheritance tax on politicians." - luvtolean, 2008
"I wouldn't be speeding if I didn't have to poop" - (on a pickup in Kentucky, et al.)
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It's Who You Know That Counts
If you get an open trailer, it will tow far better behind that car/truck.
"It's not debt per se that overwhelms an individual, corporation, or country. Rather, it is the continuous increase in debt in relation to income that causes trouble." --Warren Buffett
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#20
Northernrr does not get online often with the new house, but he's towing a reallllllllllllly nice all aluminium trailer with his ridgline. My new trailer
They had 3 bike in it, all the gear and their fat ass and it, went all the way down to Grattan without issue this summer.
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Obtuse Angler
I love my open trailer. It stores nicely in the garage and comes in handy for all sorts of stuff.
Evil will always triumph, because good is dumb.
-Dark Helmet
Crime ain't sumfin you should do. It's sumfin you should don't.
-Ali G
Lobster tail and Beer. Tree o' my favorite tings.
-Newfie Proverb
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Originally Posted by Jetbdude
Northernrr does not get online often with the new house, but he's towing a reallllllllllllly nice all aluminium trailer with his ridgline. My new trailer
They had 3 bike in it, all the gear and their fat ass and it, went all the way down to Grattan without issue this summer.
Yeah, Northern's Ridgeline hauled the trailer loaded with my gixxer 600, Rob's 1KRR and Corey's 954. Not to mention a couple sets of spare wheels, a bunch of tires, all of our gear, tons of gas jugs, tools, and some other junk. All of our luggage fit in the trunk and cab.
I didn't drive it, but Rob said he wouldn't wanna tow any more weight than what was in there. Once cruising on the highway, the truck would hold overdrive without issues.
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Now with custom avatar.
Originally Posted by ND4SPD
How many times a year do you plan on using this and is storage an issue? Unless you plan on becoming a track-ho, save yourself some coin and get an open trailer, set it up to take both the RR and the GS. Fuel cans can be bungeed to the trailer, everything else can go in the back of the Pilot.
Storage isn't really an issue I don't think as long as it's reasonable height and single-axled. Looking at the cost for decent (open) one that I actually like and would use gets me about 1/2 way to the enclosed. Also I am thinking having a big moveable storage pod around the house might be beneficial (over just having a big plank with wheels sitting around).
Trackho...not sure, only time will tell...I definitely want to hit at least a week of track time in '010 including Grattan. The whole open concept thing to me just sketches me out...insurance or not, I'd be freaking out trying to sleep somewhere out of sight of the trailer with bikes and more on it.
Originally Posted by seamus
You can easily get 2 bikes in a 6x10. I don't see any reason to go any bigger than that unless you plan on fertilizing and overwatering your current bike farm.
Yeah, agreed...after looking at pics on here and $, etc. I think I could really make do with a 5/6x8 or something if needed but a x10 is just about right I think.
Originally Posted by wdgah
SSG mentioned something about fitting it in his garage. Unless he's got larger than the standard 7' tall doors, most 6x10 enclosed trailers will be too tall for that.
I'm somewhat insane and can't imagine wanting to put it in there...but my garage doors are taller than 8' so I think I am good. Depending where the trailer lives full time, I was thinking maybe one of those cheap canopies or something for it - thats really my only concern for height. Well that and aero's...I guess aero's are really more of a concern than convenience of putting it into my garage.
Originally Posted by Baketech
I agree with most of that....I have a 6x10 that I've pulled thousands of miles with 2 bikes, but if I had to do it over, I'd get a 7x10 or 7x12...
The 6 footer is just too narrow if you want to load a wider bike like a Harley or a bagger of any sort...
BTW...
I have a friend that popped the $$ for the low height with the idea that it would spend time in his garage. He actually hated having it in the garage, and was stuck with a low ceiling trailer that actually cost more money. I'd visualize that decision very, very carefully, as it's firmly in the "sounds good on paper" category... ymmv!
Agree...those low boys are high $$ and it would probably go into the garage once so I can say "hey look I did it" and never again.
If I go wider than the Pilot it will have to be a compound -nose I think. I am thinking 6x10 but looks like most of the Stealth brand trailers are 6.5x10 in AL, Haulmark makes both.
Originally Posted by luvtolean
Towing my 6x10 to Grattan was what caused me to buy the diesel.
It's not the weight, it's the aero drag. Driving across the plains at altitude in the wind, my 5.3 V8 couldn't hold OD.
A 6x10 is tight with two bikes. But no way in hell I'd put a 7x14 behind a Ridgeline.
YMMV.
I had decided if I am going to make this a more full time thing I need a bigger truck, no question. I am hoping the v-nose is a big enough difference that the mighty 6 will move along just fine. Also I wont have high alt. issues unless I go to Miller thankfully. Ya never know though...
Originally Posted by luvtolean
If you get an open trailer, it will tow far better behind that car/truck.
Anal security person am I, see reply above.
Originally Posted by Jetbdude
Northernrr does not get online often with the new house, but he's towing a reallllllllllllly nice all aluminium trailer with his ridgline. My new trailer
They had 3 bike in it, all the gear and their fat ass and it, went all the way down to Grattan without issue this summer.
Thank you, I was hoping there was a thread about that somewhere...I have a baseline now
Phobe, I didn't quote you but I hope you'll still reply  , do you stand yours up on the side in the garage side? back? I would consider a platform trailer only if I could like hoist it onto the ceiling...REALLY getting it out of the way (11.5' ceilings in my garage).
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The odd Duc
LTL's point about the air drag is very good. My 6x12 V-nose seems to drop highway mileage considerably even when lightly loaded.
That said, if you are going enclosed, I would do the V-nose thing. My Continental Cargo has a fairly flat V, can't imagine that would affect stability in cross-winds at all.
Character is not formed in a crisis...only exhibited.
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Do too.
Originally Posted by SomeStrangeGuy
...Also I am thinking having a big moveable storage pod around the house might be beneficial (over just having a big plank with wheels sitting around)...
Just the fact that you said that means you need to just get an open trailer. If you say you'll use it for storage, you'll fill it to uselessness.
Ducit Amor Patriae
Richard Herald, The Gentle Giant
For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.
---Leonardo Da Vinci
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?
Originally Posted by SomeStrangeGuy
Yeah, agreed...after looking at pics on here and $, etc. I think I could really make do with a 5/6x8 or something if needed but a x10 is just about right I think.
Whatever size TogaTim had was about the perfect size for one bike and track gear. That said, at that point you're so close to being at two bike size that I'd have a hard time not going that route. If my car would tow it I'd have something that would haul two bikes. It makes it so that you can always take a friend, or two of your own, which has come up more for me already than I would have thought. Then when you aren't hauling two bikes you have some extra room to use.
...dude you ride an offroad bike with slicks, 1/2 the weight of a GS, double the suspension, with a browning 50 cal going off 32" from your skull as a daily freaking driver - I'd expect anything except a nitro dragbike to be bland by comparison - SSG
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It's Who You Know That Counts
Don't forget storage either.
I know you have some dirt around you, but bigger trailers are exponentially more difficult to maneuver and park.
"It's not debt per se that overwhelms an individual, corporation, or country. Rather, it is the continuous increase in debt in relation to income that causes trouble." --Warren Buffett
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SSG, sit in front of a mirror and have the conversation with yourself. You don't need an enclosed. Save the coin and get some Ohlins bling for your bike instead, or attend a Schwantz school. 
If someone wants your stuff bad enough they'll take it no matter what, you know this.
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Originally Posted by SomeStrangeGuy
I think we're going places...
Like Jennings... for New Years... 
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It's Who You Know That Counts
Originally Posted by SomeStrangeGuy
Oh damn...dirt!  I must admit I never even thought of that...thanks!!
Yeah the key thing that keeps me from doing dirtyriding is the amount of packing/unpacking and driving involved...but with everything neatly in a trailer ready to go and easy loading/unloading  .
I think we're going places...
Jeez man, dirt riding is a can of fuel and a gear bag containing everything else. That's the beauty of it compared to asphalt.
No potato planters allowed in my nice carpeted enclosed. 
"It's not debt per se that overwhelms an individual, corporation, or country. Rather, it is the continuous increase in debt in relation to income that causes trouble." --Warren Buffett
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Now with custom avatar.
Originally Posted by luvtolean
Jeez man, dirt riding is a can of fuel and a gear bag containing everything else. That's the beauty of it compared to asphalt.
No potato planters allowed in my nice carpeted enclosed.
Actually I am on acid...one of the things I loved about the ridgeline is the fact the big bed (trunk) could fit everything in it I could ever need, and the back seat was adequate for all the human gear. I think the lazy side of me is relishing the short push onto a trailer is all, or the fact that at the other end when I get back home the night after dirtyriding I can just park the trailer and go to bed...
No more dirt talk, unless you're picking up this 600rr.
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It's Who You Know That Counts
Red sticker bikes just getting legal on dirt again. Prime dirt riding season out here. 
"It's not debt per se that overwhelms an individual, corporation, or country. Rather, it is the continuous increase in debt in relation to income that causes trouble." --Warren Buffett
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?
Originally Posted by luvtolean
Red sticker bikes just getting legal on dirt again. Prime dirt riding season out here.
Huh?
...dude you ride an offroad bike with slicks, 1/2 the weight of a GS, double the suspension, with a browning 50 cal going off 32" from your skull as a daily freaking driver - I'd expect anything except a nitro dragbike to be bland by comparison - SSG
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. I notice some Thule's have the front piece that is a V and an angle onto the top of the trailer...thinking maybe something like that combined with an Al frame might do the trick.
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