Load motorcycle into the Astro van

[Water Warrior 2]

That is one nice rig for transporting a big bike but certainly overkill for a smaller bike. For our own uses a trailer would be best for both bikes and a lot cheaper. I would probably have a trailer now if there was room to park it when not in use. Oh well, we can always dream and scheme about the future. My Ranger will carry either bike nicely and with Busy's super wide ramp it would be pretty slick to load.

[mrlmd1]

One of the things to watch out for when loading a bike or heavy riding mower or anything on a trailer, is that if the front trailer tongue is not attached to the car, the trailer tends to dip down in the back, down to the road, with the tongue pointing up in the air as the load is transferred to the rear of the trailer as it is going up the ramp, because of all the weight behind the axle, Be sure to attach the trailer to the car or have someone sit on the trailer tongue as a counterweight to prevent this. It can ruin your whole day if you are not aware of it and you can dump your bike. It happens either going up or down. :shocked:

[Water Warrior 2]

I always loaded my trailer after hooking up. One day I got lazy and fingered why not just pull the pin for the tilting deck. This was while unloading a riding lawn mower. First and last time I did that. I almost wore that mower when it tried to flip over backwards on top of me.

[alanmcorcoran]

My wife is putting $675 into my ten plus year old Suburban (for hitch, brake stuff and electrical connections) so I can play around with towing - maybe as early as next week. I will take this advice to heart. I'm a little nervous about maneuvering The Beast in tight spaces. Plus it weighs a (half) ton.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by mrlmd1

or have someone sit on the trailer tongue as a counterweight to prevent this. It can ruin your whole day if you are not aware of it and you can dump your bike. :shocked:

And if someone is trying to counter-weight the tongue with their own body mass, it might ruin THEIR whole day too.

[mrlmd1]

FYI - my GF's 110-120 lbs. is enough sitting on the hitch of my 10' trailer to keep it flat on the tongue stand/wheel thingy when loading or unloading my S50 with me on it, or my John Deere mower with me on it, driving up the ramp. It's all related to the lever arm. I couldn't do either of those, I couldn't even stand on the tailgate without that weight up there or with the trailer attached to the car.
AC - does your Suburban have a tailgate or the panel truck doors? If you have a tailgate, open it up so you can see the trailer better when you turn your head and look out the back. Steer with the bottom of the steering wheel when you back up - ie., if you want the trailer to go to the right, turn the BOTTOM of the steering wheel to the right. You are steering the front wheels of the car in the opposite direction you want the trailer to go. It takes a little practice, just go slow and you'll figure it out and eventually get good at it. Or, like with the bike, take it to an empty parking lot and practice.

And I think the Suburban weighs 3 tons (6000 lbs), the 1/2 ton designation is related to the payload or weight carrying capacity of the vehicle itself. The 1/2 ton 2010 model is rated to tow over 8000lbs - that's a lot of motorcycles you can take with you.

[alanmcorcoran]

I have the tailgate. When I mentioned the half ton I was referring to the weight of my Stratoliner. Apparently the hitch is on the chevy as of this afternoon and ready to go as soon as I get back to California. As far as the Suburban goes, there are lots of different models and engine combos - mine is one of the wimpier ones. It's 8 cylinders but its got a towing capacity of about 8500. I do recall paying a little extra for some sort of tow package, anti scraping of the bottom and, of course, the 4 wheel drive, but that was in '98 and I'm not sure I even know what I was getting (besides the 4x4 capability) even back then. Sure as hell don't know now. The toy hauler I was looking to rent is about 7500 or so, so when you add in the Strat (assuming it will fit in the thing...) I'm gonna be close to capacity.

If a recall correctly from my boat launching days, you have to make sure you don't try to get too cute (or acute) with your steering angles when backing up. There is a certain point of "No Return" where your only option is to put it back in forward, and straighten the rig back up. Of course, if you reach that point in a situation where going forward is no longer an option, you have really effed yourself. Not saying I know this from experience or anything, just sayin'...

My plan is to never go backwards with the thing connected. Can't see how I can possibly go wrong!

[Water Warrior 2]

Alan is the toy hauler rated for 7500 or does it weight 7500 ?? Oh, in my experience backing up a loaded trailer is easier than one that is unloaded. And you really should practice reversing with a trailer. One day some one will box you in someplace where you can't go forward.

[alanmcorcoran]

I was kidding about my plan. Although I will be avoiding going in reverse.

I'll be taking an inaugural run next thursday through Monday to get familiar with the ins and outs. As it happens, I only needed about half of what I thought on the Suburban. T srung for a fancier trailer brake control - apparently I'll be able to adjust it on the fly with some sort of visual readout in the cab. Kind of wondering if the Strat will fit in the one we are renting. I'll have to get up to speed on the tie downs, hooking the thing up to the hitch, loading a bike into it without crashing, unloading it without crashing, etc. Better remember not to park it facing downhill.

I don't know what the hauler weighs or is rated at for sure - the wife did all the talking and research, but the hitch guy, who seems to have a lot of experience in these sorts of things, did not seem to think we'd have any issues. (Weight wise, anyway.)

[mrlmd1]

There's no way the hauler WEIGHS 7500 lbs, it may be rated to CARRY that kind of load. Most 26'-30' complete travel trailers don't weigh that much fully loaded.
If you have to maneuver a trailer into tight spaces, you could always put a hitch, just to be used for that, on the FRONT bumper. It makes that job much easier.

What else are you planning to take inside the toy hauler that you can't fit into the Suburban? Won't a regular 4' or 5" x 8' flat bed trailer with ramp/gate suffice?
Those big trailers are a bitch to hook up because you can't back up just near it and lift the receiver on to the hitch, you have to maneuver the tow vehicle exactly under it and let the trailer jack down over the hitch ball.
Look for this neat little gadget to help you get the hitch ball and trailer tongue lined up - it's a rod on a magnetic base you place over the trailer tongue and another one with V-shaped little wings on the top that you put by the tow vehicle hitch ball. Then you back up getting the first rod into the V of the second one, and you're all lined up to drop the trailer onto the hitch ball, you don't have to get out of the truck 5 times and keep adjusting your position or rely on someone else to guide you.

Don't forget to take your turns wider too, looking into the rear view mirror to make sure you don't ride over curbs or hit things with the trailer. And you may need to get some wider mirrors to attach to the Suburban if you're pulling a really wide trailer with reduced visibility out around it. Just like a motorcycle, bicycle, boat, skis - it never ends, the money you can spend on these little things needed to keep you happy.