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Old 01-22-2019, 10:51 AM   #1
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Enclosed Trailer for 2 Harley's and a Smart Car

I currently pull an 2500 HD GMC, however both the wife and I have Harley's. I have been toying with buying a 24' enclosed trailer to haul all three. Anyone ever seen this done? My coach has plenty of power to pull. Just looking for some advice.

Thanks,
Joe
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Old 01-22-2019, 11:40 AM   #2
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Here are some things to consider. The combined weight of the truck and cycles. Then the weight carrying capacity of the trailer and the weight rating of your hitch. Then check and see what the chassis manufacturer recommends as the maximum towing weight and finally the combined tongue weight and rear axle weight (you may overload the rear axle weight limitations.

When you're done thinking about that, check your local laws and find out if you're over length when the trailer is hooked up to your coach.
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Old 01-22-2019, 11:44 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PoetryJoe View Post
I currently pull an 2500 HD GMC, however both the wife and I have Harley's. I have been toying with buying a 24' enclosed trailer to haul all three. Anyone ever seen this done? My coach has plenty of power to pull. Just looking for some advice.

Thanks,
Joe
Yes. I have done it but it was a Razor and two harleys in a 24' Mighty Mover trailer. It was a stout trailer.....make sure yours is as well. I hauled mine with a F250 6.7 diesel

You will be fine
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Old 01-22-2019, 06:37 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PoetryJoe View Post
I currently pull an 2500 HD GMC, however both the wife and I have Harley's. I have been toying with buying a 24' enclosed trailer to haul all three. Anyone ever seen this done? My coach has plenty of power to pull.
If GCWR and trailer weight capacity of the coach are not a problem, then you still have at least two concerns.

First is combined length of the rig. A 24' box length of the trailer will be a total trailer length of about 28', including the tongue and rear bumper. Most states have max length set at 65' so a motorhome towing a trailer in those states would be a max coach length of 37', tip to tail,. However there are 12 states that have max length of less than 65', including NJ that has a 50' max overall length, and others that have 55' and 60' max combined length.

Next concern is payload capacity of your coach. GVWR is the limiter. A 24' cargo trailer or "race" trailer is probably going to gross 10k pounds when loaded for the road. Average tongue weight is 13%, so that's 1300 pounds tongue weight, plus another 100 pounds for a good weight-distributing (WD) hitch = 1400 pounds hitch weight. If you subtract the weight of your wet and loaded coach from the GVWR of the coach, do you have at least 1,400 pounds of payload capacity left for hitch weight?

Next concern is often overlooked. The weight ratings of your receiver hitch on the coach must have at least 1,400 pounds tongue weight (TW) capacity to handle the hitch weight of your race trailer.
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Old 01-22-2019, 10:34 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by LJowdy View Post
Here are some things to consider. The combined weight of the truck and cycles. Then the weight carrying capacity of the trailer and the weight rating of your hitch. Then check and see what the chassis manufacturer recommends as the maximum towing weight and finally the combined tongue weight and rear axle weight (you may overload the rear axle weight limitations.

When you're done thinking about that, check your local laws and find out if you're over length when the trailer is hooked up to your coach.
Thanks - also, I misspoke, I would be hauling the two Harley's and a Smartcar not the truck.
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Old 01-23-2019, 06:25 AM   #6
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I hauled a SXS and 5 motorcycles, generator, chairs, tools etc in my 8.5x20 enclosed. For us the trailer was the perfect setup when we werent pulling the pickup. You might not need 24ft if your creative on how you load.
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Old 01-29-2019, 08:12 PM   #7
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Saw a couple almost ready to full time. Their DP pulled an enclosed trailer with one motorcycle and a 2 door Jeep. They added air bags to the Jeep to move the trailer around. Smart is not going to do that, so some impact will result from parking site limitations.
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Old 12-31-2020, 09:08 PM   #8
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I know this thread is a year old but wondering/looking for advice on the layout/placement of a car (Scion xB or Jeep Wrangler) and full dresser Harley into a 8.5x20 enclosed trailer? Thanks...
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Old 01-01-2021, 06:08 AM   #9
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Do some measurements and lay it out on the ground if you don't already have the trailer. I would start by putting the HD in first on as much angle as i could and load the car or Jeep after. You might need a jack with wheels to get the HD into position.
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Old 01-01-2021, 06:16 AM   #10
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How about a trailer with a side door in the front for the bike and a rear ramp for the car.
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Old 01-03-2021, 07:15 AM   #11
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Thanks NevadaNick and Roy-c....both great suggestions. I do have a Jack with wheels and a side door on the trailer (but would need to invest in a ramp wide enough to have foot room to balance as not tip on entry/exit).
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Old 01-04-2021, 06:38 PM   #12
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My buddy tows a 26' double decker car trailer with his race car and either his caddy CTSV or his '62 'vette....all behind his 40' Beaver Marquis...

Dave
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Old 01-04-2021, 07:47 PM   #13
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Smart weighs about 2500lbs. Harley weighs about 850lbs. Would expect Harley is for fun and SC is for utility. Therefore, the Harley should be in the front and the SC between the wheel wells.

20 ft .... where would the axles be located? Likely slightly biased to the rear, so you may need to bias the load more over the axles. Harley is 8 ft long. SC is just short of 9 ft long. That is a total of 17 feet. I would start with the Harley all the way forward and the SC slightly behind it. Then if the tongue weight was too high, I would shift the two vehicles backward until I had the tongue weight I wanted.
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Old 07-24-2021, 06:48 AM   #14
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Smart weighs about 2500lbs. Harley weighs about 850lbs. Would expect Harley is for fun and SC is for utility. Therefore, the Harley should be in the front and the SC between the wheel wells.

20 ft .... where would the axles be located? Likely slightly biased to the rear, so you may need to bias the load more over the axles. Harley is 8 ft long. SC is just short of 9 ft long. That is a total of 17 feet. I would start with the Harley all the way forward and the SC slightly behind it. Then if the tongue weight was too high, I would shift the two vehicles backward until I had the tongue weight I wanted.
Discovered that my trailer was really 18 ft (falsely advertised when I bought it on Craigslist) but through ingenuity and determination (ha…replaced the Scion xB with a MINI Cooper)…figured out how to make it work.
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