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08-22-2014, 10:22 PM
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#43
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Member
Tiffin Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 73
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GunnyClark
I started with a Mighty Hauler hyd lift and like Wideglide had a problem on steep drives, have upgraded to the Tandem Tow Dolly HDXL, carries both bikes and the jeep - the dolly section adjusts for center of gravity that puts around 400 lbs on the hitch vs 1,200 lbs with the lift - it also has surge brakes which is nice - I was never that comfortable with the lift.
Attachment 71319
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Just curious how you tow the jeep. I was going to do this with my Wrangler on a Tandem Tow Dolly, but found the Jeep needs to be towed with 4 off the ground or 4 on the ground. It was suggested by the dealer that I disconnect the rear drive shaft and use it as a front wheel drive, but didn't want to do that. Ended up buying an older front wheel drive just to use for the trip. I do like the trailer though -- we put a Polaris RZR on ours. Kirk
__________________
Kirk and Michele -- Southwest Utah
USAF Retired Starlifter Driver
2011 Tiffin Allegro Bus 40'- 2012 Jeep Wrangler
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08-23-2014, 12:12 PM
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#44
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 290
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We use the drive shaft disconnect from Drive Shaft King on our Expedition, works great and cheaper than buying another vehicle
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08-23-2014, 11:12 PM
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#45
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Senior Member
Appalachian Campers Holiday Rambler Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Texas
Posts: 112
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kirk7678
Just curious how you tow the jeep. I was going to do this with my Wrangler on a Tandem Tow Dolly, but found the Jeep needs to be towed with 4 off the ground or 4 on the ground. It was suggested by the dealer that I disconnect the rear drive shaft and use it as a front wheel drive, but didn't want to do that. Ended up buying an older front wheel drive just to use for the trip. I do like the trailer though -- we put a Polaris RZR on ours. Kirk
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I back it on and disconnect the front drive shaft at the axle (easiest place to disconnect in the shortest amount of time) pull it to the side and use a ratchet strap to keep it out of the way takes less then 10 minutes - this is only a temp fix in the future I am building a VW Baja bug to use instead of the Jeep easier to tow and 1/3 the weight. another advantage of backing is that it when making left or right hand turns it turns better since the front tires track into the turn.
one other thing with the tandem tow that I wish they did at the factory is to put small steel wheels on the front left and right corner, a nearby Pilot has a driveway that the front drags on when pulling into.
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2006 Monaco Signature Series Chateau IV 600 HP Tag Axle Traveling with a 2011 HD Softail Convertible on Hydralift and towing either a 2017 Lincoln MKC or a 1957 Ford Thunderbird
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08-23-2014, 11:24 PM
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#46
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Senior Member
Appalachian Campers Holiday Rambler Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Texas
Posts: 112
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Beyond
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Last April while heading to Ariz we had boondocked at a walmart in Gallup NM had just pulled onto I-40 saw a state trooper getting on at the next on ramp as we were passing the ramp - looked in my drivers side mirror and saw him riding down the middle of the lanes behind us told my DF that he was going to pull us over - as soon as I said this his lights came on - pulled over and got lic, insurance, reg out he came up the pass side I went to hand him the stuff and said I don't need that but I should give you a ticket for having such a dirty Harley (it was on my mighty hauler and we had done a couple hundred miles on route 66 the previous couple of days so it was dirty not as bad as yours but dirty - Laughed and said the real reason he pulled me over was that my basement door was not latched.
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2006 Monaco Signature Series Chateau IV 600 HP Tag Axle Traveling with a 2011 HD Softail Convertible on Hydralift and towing either a 2017 Lincoln MKC or a 1957 Ford Thunderbird
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08-24-2014, 09:05 AM
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#47
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 14,885
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IMO the Harley deserves an enclosed hauler big enough to include a small toad.
Pound for pound the Harley is your most expensive piece of equipment and should be treated better than left out exposed to all of the road grime, etc. Your toad will reap the benefits as well.
__________________
Gordon and Janet
Tour 42QD/InTech Stacker
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08-24-2014, 06:22 PM
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#48
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 1,121
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gordon Dewald
IMO the Harley deserves an enclosed hauler big enough to include a small toad.
Pound for pound the Harley is your most expensive piece of equipment and should be treated better than left out exposed to all of the road grime, etc. Your toad will reap the benefits as well.
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So what do you do when caught riding the bike in bad weather? I've been caught in rain, hail, snow, and was even caught on a dirt road a few times. Not to mention the campgrounds that aren't paved......Sorry, we're NOT fair weather riders!! We RIDE the bike as if we stole it and wouldn't have it any other way.
-paul
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08-25-2014, 08:59 AM
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#49
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 14,885
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Hi Paul;
We ride our bikes in all kinds of weather as well if we encounter it. Just do not do it deliberately. We like to tour and will take trips of 4,000 to 10,000 miles. We put a Bunkhouse trailer and camp most of the time.
I have seen some pictures of people riding with snow on the road and have to admit I am glad it is not me. I have ridden with snow on the edge of the road but thankfully the driving lanes were bare. I turned back when there was snow on the road.
We have a couple rules for riding. We never start a trip when it is raining. We get a hotel if it raining when it is time to set up camp.
Our main problem with keeping the bikes clean is bugs. Bug spatter is a huge problem.
I guess our experience is a bit different (when hauling the bikes) than yours. We snowbird and routinely haul through snow and ice storms. In the 6 years we have been snow birding we have had one out of the 12 one way trips on dry roads. Having the bikes in an enclosed trailer (toy hauler and stacker) is our preference. We also keep our bikes in a garage at home.
I realize the thread is primarily about hauling your motorcycle on a lift. I added the trailer suggestion as an alternative. I have talked with folks who have expressed dissatisfaction with having to unhook a toad to back up. Also followed threads where the concern was gravel rash on the front of the toad. An enclosed trailer would solve both of those issues. And keep the bike and toad clean.
__________________
Gordon and Janet
Tour 42QD/InTech Stacker
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08-25-2014, 11:18 AM
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#50
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Senior Member
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Polk City, FL
Posts: 3,368
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You know if it wasn't' for the added length on site I'd buy one of those hauler trailers for my toad and toys just for the convienience of keeping them clean and being able to backup. I think if I was a migrating RV-er who tended to live on one site in winter and another site in summer I'd do that. I tend to move around the country more and parking my 45footer with a toad is hard enough to find sites.
__________________
Dave & Debbie
2021 Newmar DutchStar 4369
2016 Ford Edge&2019 Ford F-150 toads
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08-25-2014, 04:03 PM
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#51
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Anacortes, Wa.
Posts: 529
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Carrying th Harley
Yes, I struggled with idea of an enclosed trailer too and I do the Winter/Summer exchange but didn't want to deal with paying additional amounts to store the trailer also (both ends of trip). Clean car and Bike sounded good but the HydraLift works great and absoulutely no problem with ground clearance. (Yes we did the Top of World highway across the Yukon River too.)
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John
08 Intrigue
2014 Ford Edge
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08-26-2014, 08:57 AM
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#52
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 290
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gordon Dewald
Hi Paul;
We ride our bikes in all kinds of weather as well if we encounter it. Just do not do it deliberately. We like to tour and will take trips of 4,000 to 10,000 miles. We put a Bunkhouse trailer and camp most of the time.
I have seen some pictures of people riding with snow on the road and have to admit I am glad it is not me. I have ridden with snow on the edge of the road but thankfully the driving lanes were bare. I turned back when there was snow on the road.
We have a couple rules for riding. We never start a trip when it is raining. We get a hotel if it raining when it is time to set up camp.
Our main problem with keeping the bikes clean is bugs. Bug spatter is a huge problem.
I guess our experience is a bit different (when hauling the bikes) than yours. We snowbird and routinely haul through snow and ice storms. In the 6 years we have been snow birding we have had one out of the 12 one way trips on dry roads. Having the bikes in an enclosed trailer (toy hauler and stacker) is our preference. We also keep our bikes in a garage at home.
I realize the thread is primarily about hauling your motorcycle on a lift. I added the trailer suggestion as an alternative. I have talked with folks who have expressed dissatisfaction with having to unhook a toad to back up. Also followed threads where the concern was gravel rash on the front of the toad. An enclosed trailer would solve both of those issues. And keep the bike and toad clean.
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Gordon, us old truck drivers would spray Pam Cooking Oil on all of the front end the bugs slide right off and the spray washes right off we do the same thing on our Aspire, works Great!!
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08-26-2014, 11:41 AM
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#53
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 14,885
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dawg44b
Gordon, us old truck drivers would spray Pam Cooking Oil on all of the front end the bugs slide right off and the spray washes right off we do the same thing on our Aspire, works Great!!
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Will try it.
I looked at the photo of the motorcycle on the lift and had pictures of myself and a friends bikes as we returned from riding to the Yukon. Our bikes (and ourselves) looked just like his bike.
It took me hours to clean the bike so it looked presentable (cleaning me was easier as I threw all of my riding clothes in the wash and spent some time in the shower), however there was clumps of dried mud falling off of the bike for months. Removing the plastic bits covering the innards revealed there was mud everywhere.
IMO riding the bike and getting it dirty is vastly different that getting it dirty while hauling it. Anytime you go to a rally they will not let you enter the show and shine if your bike is trailered. Perhaps a change of mind could be set if the photo was showed to the judging committee.
I have speculated what my bike would have been like had it been on the back of a diesel pusher with the warm radiator baking the accumulated grime.
__________________
Gordon and Janet
Tour 42QD/InTech Stacker
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08-26-2014, 01:07 PM
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#54
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Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Finally
I have an enclosed trailer for carry my motorcycle, car, two kayaks and two bicycles. My bike and car stay clean and secure. Out of site, out of mind!
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This sounds like an awesome setup. Inspiring!
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08-26-2014, 11:21 PM
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#55
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 277
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dawg44b
Gordon, us old truck drivers would spray Pam Cooking Oil on all of the front end the bugs slide right off and the spray washes right off we do the same thing on our Aspire, works Great!!
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I've gotten a kick out of the comments on my dirty bike. I chose that photo because that was the worst it got, on a dirt road that had clouds of dust and then rain. It wasn't that bad to clean up...getting the mud out of the engine fins was the worst.
But this comment on the PAM gives me shutters. Maybe I didn't do it right, but I read something similar before we went to Alaska and sprayed PAM all over the front of our MH. Worst thing I ever did. It didn't wash off, I've been scrubbing it off for a year. It seemed dust impregnated it and then it baked on. I've never had as much trouble getting rid of bugs (just spray, let them soak and rinse/scrub them off). With the PAM, I tried pressure washing, washing with soap and without, warm and cold water and soft brushes. It was just miserable to clean off.
__________________
07 Newmar VTDP 3330
02 Kaw Vulcan Nomad 1500 on CruiserLift
16 GMC Acadia w/Air Force One & Blue Ox Avail
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08-27-2014, 06:38 AM
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#56
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Senior Member
Damon Owners Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Hollywood Beach, FL & New Braunfels, TX
Posts: 863
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Flanz - why not?
I noticed early on the thread someone mentioned an alternative to the lift idea. It died quickly and no one went back to it.
I have an old friend in Austin who has installed lifts, from all the major manufactures for years. It seems every time I stop by there's an RV of one type or another having an installation done. One thing I've learned is that they have a common thread - each one has a unique frame attachment, but each one has to be customized to some degree to specifically fit (snugly and correctly) to that particular RV. Yes, they are supposed to be bolt on applications, but all the shops mentioned so far on this thread do the same thing - adjust the fit to the rig. What one person may experience with his or her installation may not be the same for yours. Thing about this - there are frame differences on some models within the same line - Freightliner, RoadMaster, Spartan, ect - any they could have the same RV body. So, it makes sense they have to be customized to some degree for your application. And you're to be complemented for doing your research and asking all the right questions about them.
I do however have some curiosity about one thing. Why are you looking at the lift at this point? If I read correctly you have a Tocoma p/u as your TOAD. Why not, as a interim step, use a truck bed application like a Rampage Power Lift in the bed or something? Not only is it a less expensive entry level solution, but it provides the same benefit, without the negative aspects of driveway clearance, overhang, and all the other stuff mentioned?
I choose to go that way, not because I didn't like the lifts mind you, but because going with a power lift in the back also allowed me to run small road trips without having to take the MH or a trailer (with the associated "where do I park the trailer" issues). My Rampage fits the back of my FX4 and I also use it as my TOAD - despite th fact that I have a Class A Toyhauler.
I'm not trying to start a debate on the merits of one or the other - although I suspect I just did - but rather, just asking the question on if you've look at that solution as part of your research?
Best of luck either way.
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