Building a Drop Deck Motorcycle Trailer?

[great white]

I am thinking about building a drop deck motorcycle trailer. This would be my first trailer build project. I am looking for any advice, plans, suppliers, and other resources. The plans I have found so far are all metric and based on non-US parts and materials. Of course, I live and will be using in North America.
Your advice would be appreciated.

Randy

Metric dimensions convert to imperial easily with some simple math. Finding equivalent components in the USA is just a matter of shopping around.

Of course, you’re building it from scratch so easy enough to modify specs to fit any specialized parts you need.

Have a go, you may be pleasantly surprised how easy it is to use “non-USA” plans.

We convert back and forth all the time here in Canada. Canada is officially metric, but theres plenty of fossils like myself around that grew up in the switchover and now operate in both.

It’s not that hard. Half my mics are metric and the other half are imperial. Just like my Atlas 10 is imperial and my benchtop mill is metric.

You just have to pay attention to what measurements are on which tool…

 

[ddillman]

etrailer.com has been good for me. Are you making a drop deck or a tilt deck?

 

[randyjaco]

etrailer.com has been good for me. Are you making a drop deck or a tilt deck?

I want to build a drop deck. I am too old, and my legs are too short to bother with riding up and backing down inclines on a trailer or pickup bed. ;^)

 

[Deleted member 69715]

randyjaco said..."I am too old, and my legs are too short to bother with riding up and backing down inclines on a trailer or pickup bed. ;^)."
Preaching to the choir here.
I think you're going to wind up with air suspension. Refresh my memory; how many bikes? Two bikes are going to be around 1600 lbs. Assuming they're baggers.

 

[randyjaco]

I am looking for the versatility for carrying 1- 2 bikes. Just mine or mine and a friend's, So I am trying for the 3 rail configuration. They are baggers, but of the BMW variety. The R1200RT is @600# loaded.

 

[DavidR8]

One thing you'll want to consider is trailer width. An RT with panniers is almost 39" wide so allowing for room between bikes is definitely going to push 8 ft wide.

 

[randyjaco]

Yeah, I had to grab a tape to verify. But as I look at it, @ 13" to the outside on either side can be overlooked. As long as the handle bars and the panniers are higher than the side rails I shouldn't have to worry by that overhang. I am thinking that I need 60" of clear deck space to get the two bikes to fit. I am going to have to lay it out, but I think I am good. My bigger problem could be the raise/lowering bar may interfere with the handlebars. But you bring up a good point.

 

[randyjaco]

Well, so much for that thought. "It's a DROP DECK trailer stupid". So when the deck is dropped I lose that extra 26" I thought I had. The outside panniers won't fit. Bummer 8^(

 

[DavidR8]

Well, so much for that thought. "It's a DROP DECK trailer stupid". So when the deck is dropped I lose that extra 26" I thought I had. The outside panniers won't fit. Bummer 8^(

I was thinking that would be a problem...

 

[randyjaco]

It has been a while, but I am still considering that drop deck trailer. I have searched all over the Internet and still can't find the plans I want, so I thought I would design my own. It would be a one bike trailer rated for @ 1000#. What I have in mind would require a 6-10" drop axel mounted @45 degrees up. The maximum drop I have seen is 5 inches. I am sure that there is a reason for that. So can one safely extend the drop of an axel and not violate some law of man or physics?
There would be a lot of torsion developed and I thought I might take advantage of that as a spring. How much of the length of the axel would have devoted to being that spring?
This is pretty much what I have in mind.

YO Remorques

www.yoremorques.fr