by Neal Pillsbury 1998 U270 36′
For a few years, we used the coach associated with business and traveled w/o a tow car. Then we towed Honda Odysseys and an Acura MDX, 4 wheels down, for the better part of a decade.
After retirement, we got back into touring motorcycles and I knew that I didn’t want motorcycle lifts, open trailers or dollies as options. We pride ourselves on keeping our belongings in “like new” conditions and that wasn’t going to happen with those options and the amount of traveling that we like to do.
So it came down to the choice of a trailer. Featherlite was one of only 2 or 3 that met my weight and strength criteria and also had the advantage of the highest resale value if I wanted to back out of my decision (there are many good reasons that the NASCAR circuit loves these Featherlite, as well as the professional car haulers).
One knows that the trailer is there and the coach behaves more sedately but is still no slouch. I just turn everything down a notch, when the trailer is along.
I also found that I fretted over many inconsequential things (like campground lot availability and small campground navigation) as well as failed to discover some things that have the most impact (like how important and specialized trailer tire selection turns out to be if you want to have a “trouble-free” trailering experience).
Here’s some (+’s) and (-‘s) that you may not have thought of:
Beyond the obvious clean, secure, protected contents and easy travel cleanup:
1. The coach handles it as though it is much longer. The suspension becomes even more mellow and stable and the linear stability becomes rock steady. A 36′ coach becomes an actual 60′ coach!
2. The ability to “back up at will” is extremely liberating in that one is able to navigate tighter areas without fear of having to free a bound up hitch and release the toad in an ever so slightly misjudged tight area.
3. The trailer is the same width as the coach and it is easily visible (including all four tires and the marker lights at night) at all times in the side mirrors.
4. The fully proportional braking system (I use a Tekonsha P3 and the Featherlite uses 4 wheel electric disc brakes) is infinitely tunable and very effective in both manual and fully automatic modes, with or without the use of the coach retarder.
5. The trailer can be parked and unhooked in two minutes, if necessary, and I have the SUV set up to tow it when needed. Hookup is just as fast, once one becomes proficient.
Disadvantages:
1. One doesn’t have to but traveling runs much more smoothly if you call ahead and weed out the non-friendly overnight accommodations. With a Woodalls, the RV Park Reviews app. and a few phone calls, we seldom have any difficulty or unexpected challenges. Really only one poor experience in over six years of use of the trailer. We usually don’t even mention the trailer. We just say we prefer a pull through but what do they have for 60′ or greater, Big Rig sites.
2. One must have a 50 amp extension cord that is as long as your trailer, or you are eventually going to be inconvenienced. Same with water. Sewer sometimes (maybe 30 to 40% of the time) becomes a “when you arrive/or when you depart/or use the dump station”. I only carry one high quality, 10′ sewer hose.
3. For a car to ride safely and well, it needs to ride on its own suspension. The bike won’t tear out the “D” rings, but a car will! DO NOT TIE DOWN A CAR DOWN BY ITS FRAME! Therefore, tie-downs need to be “strap baskets” that cage over the tires or I just use straps that cinch through the spokes of the 4 wheels and ratchet to the Featherlite 4 “D” rings mounted IN THE TRAILER FLOOR to the trailer frame. So of the four above, that’s the first one that I consider to be an actual “option imposition” disadvantage. Mostly because you need to think ahead and load the car when it is clean and dry if you don’t want to roll around in the mud and the wet. The other thing is that this takes a little more than twice as long to accomplish the four straps as it does to simply hook up a tow bar, a braking system and verify hookup for 4 wheels down towing.
4. The SECOND significant disadvantage is having to crawl in and out of the driver’s window to access or egress the car. The door will only open 2 ” and it’s easier to go in and out of the window than to crawl over the driver’s seat and out the hatchback (plus the DW generally has STUFF in the car anyway).
5. The only other significant disadvantage is the need to select and maintain good tires. The trailer is being pushed to near its weight rating as well, so good tires are mandatory. And they deteriorate even more quickly than coach tires. I use the “Michelins” of trailer tires:
Carlisle Radial Trail, ST235/85R16
ST = Special Trailer
(for Trailer Service Only)
DO NOT TRY TO USE LT (Light Truck) Rated Tires
Canadian mfg
LR F = 12 Ply
Tread: 3 Polyester, 2 Steel, 1 Nylon
Sidewall: 2 Polyester
Max Single, 3960 Lbs. @ 95psig Cold (I run mine at 90 psig)
I learned early on that trailer tires are expensive, safely last only four years, and need to be cared for as well or even more carefully than coach tires.
There’s probably more that I should mention, but these are the things that come readily to mind.
After 6(+) years and around 50K(+) miles, of trailer use, I wouldn’t go back, at least while we’re still riding the Goldwing and still limber enough to crawl in an out of that driver’s window. Plus it’s great to be able to select and protect any vehicle(s) I want (they don’t have to be 4 wheels down compatible) as our transportation.
How I arranged my tow(s)
Tried them all abreast……………. That irritated the natives.
Tried them stacked………………… Had trouble with the Parkway overpasses.
Tried them in tandem…………….. That seems to be working.
Featherlite 3200#, Lexus 4500#, Goldwing 850# = 8550#
Vehicles in tandem in the trailer, 6″ between bike and car, 6″ between car and tailgate/ramp.
The problem with side doors is that on 102″ wide trailers, the doors must swing above the tire fender wells of the trailer.
Lightweight/light-duty trailers have smaller diameter wheels that extend less into the interior space of the trailer or the trailers ride higher off the ground, both of which are not desirable for reliable driving, strength, and heavy service.
My interior fender wells are 7.5″ wide X 15″ high X 6.5 feet long. They are great for standing on to get into the car but allow only about 3″ space on either side of a full-size vehicle.
If one has a vehicle with a raised suspension and/or “high water sneakers” that will allow the door to clear the fender wells, then one has to have a taller interior trailer (mine is 6.5′). That involves custom design/fabrication, more structural materials, more weight, less carrying capacity, more frontal area, other inefficiencies. It is the most cost-effective and much higher resale market pool if one stays with the smallest standard design that will work for your particular application. Being a KISS principle person, I stayed away from side door concepts – too many negatives for me.