Towing 3 bikes on a Uhaul 6x12 Advice needed

[BuellRonin]

I am heading up to my first track day, and I was planning on towing my bike up already. No big deal. But a couple other people have decided to join me on the track. Since at this moment I'm the only one with a truck, they had asked if I would also cargo their bikes up as well. I don't see the harm, except that the trailer doesn't have any chocks installed and there is are no rings in the center to get the bikes individually tied down.

Has anyone one else been able to do this successfully? Any help would be great.

FYI, I don't live where I can store a trailer, that's why I need to rent one to get the group up there.

Cheers!

 

[J20tD]

I put two bikes on a 5x9 from uhaul I believe. The trailers have ridges on the floor so you can kind of put your tires in those ridges and tie off the hooks In the corners of the trailer. Drove 200 miles no problem.

 

[07Bolt]

I've hauled two bikes in the back of a truck before. I loaded 1 and moved to the side as far as I could. Loaded the other on the other side. Ran straps from 1 bike, the handlebars, to the side of the bed where a rack would mount. Then criss-crossed the othe straps from the other bikes handlebars to the same holes on the bed of the truck at the top. Tightened em down and they rode for hours. Had the forks compressed a lot, but it was only a few hours. The front wheel snug up to the front of the bed and they never moved.

 

[Renegade]

Drill some holes in the trailer floor, install your own tie down points (eye bolts), and tie your bikes down. Take the bolts out when you're done, and return the trailer. They will never know.

 

[Fatty SS]

We put two on the 5x9 and couldn't figure out how to get the straps set up inside the trailer. Ran them outside, and it worked perfectly. I planned to put some wheel chocks in there, but the grooves in the floor (as said above) were plenty big enough to keep the bikes from shifting.

I'm sure the front two aren't your worry, though. For the third, have you considered using some lumber to build a little rack for the floor of the trailer? Just use boards that are full width/length of the trailer and put together something that sits on the floor, is snug against the walls, and the tires can sit between. This will keep the third bike from shifting side to side. Tie with your straps pulling the front forward and the rear backward and you're golden.

My strap arrangement:

 

[thrstrmech]

two facing forward and one facing aft... rear of the bike facing aft would be between the two facing forward about mid way, if not slightly further aft of the two others

 

[2004xb12s]

I put 4 bikes in an enclosed 6x12 and that leaves even less room than you had because the handlebars cant hang over at all. We drove 12 hours with it from Pittsburgh to the Dragon. If you put 2 bikes forward and one bike in backwards you should have more than enough room.

 

[konarider94]

This is a 6x12 enclosed uhaul trailer. I took out some of the floor bolts and put in forged eye bolts with fender washers underneath. This doesnt help you but i think its funny our bikes fit sideways in a 6' opening. You dont need chocks if its tied down well. What kind of tie down points does it have inside?

 

[Raisingicarus]

Just be careful of compressing your forks too much for too long. If you're going to get into track days ( I go once a month) you might look into some wheel chocks. Harbor Freight has some decent cheap ones, and helps keep the front tire secure without having to crank down your forks.

 

[BuellRonin]

The trailer only has rings on the walls of the trailer. It's not a closed trailer. I don't think I would tie anything to the rails and I'm sure they are that stable. It will only be 111 miles one way. Yea, I have been looking at forums and videos about using tie-downs on a trailer.

 

[konarider94]

Just be careful of compressing your forks too much for too long.

Time shouldn't be an issue on these bikes but too much is always a concern. Don't compress more than its normal travel, without a rider the suspension wont need to be compressed as far anyway. On a gas charged fork I agree its not good to keep them compressed for long periods but our forks use a spring. Spring fatigue is a function of number of cycles mostly. Holding a spring in one position does not fatigue it unless you are outside the designed travel. A spring will be designed to go through the whole travel without over-stressing it. Some springs do take an initial set but beyond that they don't change unless it is over stressed. The manual does give a lower limit on the spring length, the number of cycles is what will cause it to fatigue, a bike ridden on lots of bumpy roads will have a shorter spring life than one on a smooth road.

 

[martinbrown899]

hii which trailer are you using for this? is it reliable and durable? i also need a trailer for towing service in Queens. if you have any idea so kindly suggest me any good trailer.

 

[34nineteen]

hii which trailer are you using for this? is it reliable and durable? i also need a trailer for towing service in Queens. if you have any idea so kindly suggest me any good trailer.

Uhaul makes a dedicated motorcycle trailer.

https://www.uhaul.com/Trailers/Motorcycle-Trailer-Rental/MT/