Advice for using U-haul to transport a Commando

I hauled the Vincent from Vancouver to Kanab 4, Utah (4,000 kms round trip ) with a trailer hitch receiver mounted dirt bike carrier.
The carrier is rated for 500 lbs load, which is the weight of the Vincent with it's luggage rack and half full top box.
The carrier comes with a ramp. It all worked fine, but this was on a Ford SuperDuty.
Not sure if your car would be rated for 500 lbs load?
May I ask how much Uhaul charges for the rental?
The carrier wasn't very expensive.

Glen

My carrier is a 2 place aluminium unit.
I think I paid around $300 cdn, however those seem to be around $800 us now

Here's a steel single unit with the same 500 lb rating.
$129.00 CDN @Princess Auto
Screenshot_20220806-064440.png
 
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This cost me £150 second hand plus £150 to powdercoat and tart up. I added a better front wheel chock so I can walk a bike up the ramp and the chock will support the bike long enough for me to get the first strap on solo, wheel at front so it can be moved easily on its own, yellow plastic covered steel wire so it stays with the car if the tow eye fails. I also extended the ramp to make it easier to push the bike up single handed, parking the car downhill also helps. The towing eye is lockable but I would still not like to leave it out overnight. I put a bike cover on to stop the rain and make the bike hard to identify and that is good for 60 mph. Cover is needed when on ferry's as it keeps the sea salt off the bike if you get put on the open deck.

I also cut it in half and then braced the joint with angle iron and bolts (see the 4 bolts in front of the wheel on the deck), it can be split into 2 and then fits in the back of an SUV. So no need to tow it empty.

Advice for using U-haul to transport a Commando
 
I have a new 5x10 trailer now but I'm not sure it is better than the carrier.
For one thing, with the carrier does away with the concern about those little trailer wheels that love to smoke their bearings.
This is a big problem on the 80 mph US highways.
The tiny trailer wheels spin so fast that the bearings just can't take it. You often see these trailers at the side of the road with wheel problems.
I made sure to get a trailer with 14" wheels, that way bearing speed is reduced somewhat.

I'm not a fan of putting any covers on the bike.
A friend did that with his Vin and the flapping cover destroyed his $1,000 paint job on the tank!
 
worntorn said:
I hauled the Vincent from Vancouver to Kanab 4, Utah (4,000 kms round trip ) with a trailer hitch receiver mounted dirt bike carrier.
The carrier is rated for 500 lbs load, which is the weight of the Vincent with it's luggage rack and half full top box.
The carrier comes with a ramp. It all worked fine, but this was on a Ford SuperDuty.
Not sure if your car would be rated for 500 lbs load?
May I ask how much Uhaul charges for the rental?
The carrier wasn't very expensive.

Glen

My carrier is a 2 place aluminium unit.
I think I paid around $300 cdn, however those seem to be around $800 us now

Here's a steel single unit with the same 500 lb rating.
$129.00 CDN @Princess AutoView attachment 97234
Click to expand...

My car is rated to tow 2000 lbs but it's curb weight is almost certainly not heavy enough to feel comfortable putting the full weight of the bike on the tow hitch (tongue weight). I do have AWD though, so maybe I could just pop wheelies during the trip..

I see a lot of dirt bikes carried like that and it looks like a great and easy setup for vehicles where it's a good fit.
 
worntorn said:
May I ask how much Uhaul charges for the rental?
Click to expand...
U-Haul charges $266 for a one way trailer rental (covered or uncovered happen to cost the same). A big part of the charge is the one way. At that point you get 3 days and unlimited miles included. If you return the trailer to the same location you can pay by the day and it's much cheaper, closer to $60. As mentioned above, if you are able to return to the same location you can use the specific motorcycle trailer which starts at $25 for a half day.

After a ton of consideration i decided to go with the 5x9' open trailer. While it's not the motorcycle specific model, it does have a built in chock. It's made for transporting bikes or doing lots of yard work and removing branches and such. It has high walls so it's somewhat protected from road debris. It will be much easier to load since it's not enclosed. I then purchased a high quality canvas blend tarp and quality tie downs to cover the entire trailer top and sides so that debris won't get in. I've purchased the Nite Ize Camjam product and paracord to really ensure that it's properly covered and doesn't flap around.

Hopefully with all that I'll have a nice secure ride that won't tax my car too much.
 
Curt13 said:
U-Haul has open motorcycle trailers with a built in chock. I can easily load a MC by myself. Ratchet tie downs front and rear. They rent for $25.00 1/2 day or $50.00 per day local. Local means bringing it back from location you rented from. If you drop it at your destination it can double or more the cost. If it's a show bike go enclosed.
Click to expand...
That's what I used to pick up my Commando when I purchased it last October.
 
Nortorious said:
My car is rated to tow 2000 lbs but it's curb weight is almost certainly not heavy enough to feel comfortable putting the full weight of the bike on the tow hitch (tongue weight). I do have AWD though, so maybe I could just pop wheelies during the trip..

I see a lot of dirt bikes carried like that and it looks like a great and easy setup for vehicles where it's a good fit.
Click to expand...
Yes, probably not safe on a car with a 2000 lb tow rating.
Just for fun, here is a pic of the carrier in use. OSSA Mar and 490 Maico Alpha 1 in the carrier. There's another Ossa Mar in the box plus all of our fishing and camping gear.

Advice for using U-haul to transport a Commando
 
Nortorious said:
U-Haul charges $266 for a one way trailer rental (covered or uncovered happen to cost the same). A big part of the charge is the one way. At that point you get 3 days and unlimited miles included. If you return the trailer to the same location you can pay by the day and it's much cheaper, closer to $60. As mentioned above, if you are able to return to the same location you can use the specific motorcycle trailer which starts at $25 for a half day.

After a ton of consideration i decided to go with the 5x9' open trailer. While it's not the motorcycle specific model, it does have a built in chock. It's made for transporting bikes or doing lots of yard work and removing branches and such. It has high walls so it's somewhat protected from road debris. It will be much easier to load since it's not enclosed. I then purchased a high quality canvas blend tarp and quality tie downs to cover the entire trailer top and sides so that debris won't get in. I've purchased the Nite Ize Camjam product and paracord to really ensure that it's properly covered and doesn't flap around.

Hopefully with all that I'll have a nice secure ride that won't tax my car too much.
Click to expand...
That's the trailer I use for bringing my Commando to Rallys. A ramp and a V for the front wheel and sturdy anchors for the straps. Last time a 2 day trip each way. At least you can view it with the rear view, as invariably, the straps may need readjusting of tension.
It even took a hit from a deer and I never even felt it. My passenger saw the whole episode.
 
Nortorious said:
My car is rated to tow 2000 lbs but it's curb weight is almost certainly not heavy enough to feel comfortable putting the full weight of the bike on the tow hitch (tongue weight). I do have AWD though, so maybe I could just pop wheelies during the trip..

I see a lot of dirt bikes carried like that and it looks like a great and easy setup for vehicles where it's a good fit.
Click to expand...
What is critical is tongue vs tow weight. A class 1 trailer or vehicle rating means up to 2000lbs towing weight (that's trailer plus the load). Tongue weight limit is dependent on the hitch design and the attachment to the vehicle frame/shell. It should be spec'd in the vehicles' details on-line or owner manual. Most standard cars have class 1 towing limits. SUV's should usually be class 2 (about 3500 lbs towing limit).

Whatever trailer is used, balancing the load forward to rearward to achieve 10-15% of total load weight on the tongue is important. This creates the proper stability over the trailer axle. Too little tongue weight means the trailer will easily fishtail. Too much can over tax the trailer tongue or vehicle's hitch.

Demo of this effect:



Regarding small wheels & bearings, I've towed a 25 ft boat Los Angeles to Miami multiple times on 12" wheels without issue. This was my own homemade trailer and tires/bearings service regularly. The risk with rental setups of course is you do not know how well theses have been cared for.

My boat tow rig setup:

Advice for using U-haul to transport a Commando
 
I have a locally made 5'x10' utility trailer. They make a drop in mc channel for them - 1,2,3 bikes. You slide the channel assembly down into the steel box corners, and bolt it in. Takes 5 min to un/install.


Advice for using U-haul to transport a Commando
 
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