Cushion Hitch?

I have to ask, what impact? My hitch has a bolt on the inside to take out all the slop in the drawbar. Is that what you mean? I have no movement at all in my trailer................or hitch.:shrug:

Buzz57 said:

I have to ask, what impact? My hitch has a bolt on the inside to take out all the slop in the drawbar. Is that what you mean? I have no movement at all in my trailer................or hitch.:shrug:

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:agree: It's easy to forget my cheapo Harbor Freight trailer is attached to the bike. Not denying your experience, just the source of the problem.

CruiseControl said:

I have a little PiggyBacker trailer. Works great. But I would like something like a cushion hitch to smooth out the impact on the frame from pulling out and stopping. No such animal currently offered for a 300 pound trailer. Much too light.

• Suggestions?
• Ideas?
• Proposed projects?
• DIY plans?

Thanks.

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What are you talking about ?? I too have a PiggyBacker and have never experienced what you described above. And I pulled this thing twice across the country.... Not to mention all the traveling within three or four state trips from home.

Love my lil backer !!! :bow:

Those that don't understand what he is talking about probably have not pulled a trailer with a dampened drawbar. There is a noticeable difference.

It is subtle, but when you move from stop to go, there is a real TUG on the trailer. I'm not saying that my clutch control is bad, or that anything is wrong with my Piggy, but there is a very definite feeling that transfers through the system from the trailer. It is an object at rest and it wants to stay at rest.

The engine transfers momentum directly through the turning rear motorcycle tire, but the forward motion to the trailer is linear, through the drawbar, to the hitch, to those little steel bolts on my little aluminum subframe. If possible, I would like to "cushion" that impact.

you could make a sliding coupler on the front of the trailer frame and attach a shock between the sliding coupler and the frame of the trailer. That way it would dampen the momentum of the trailer when stopping or starting. Look up Overrun dampener on Google or youtube and you can see when I mean.

I once saw a two wheeled trailer dolly a guy made for his old Harley. The dolly connected to his hitch and the trailer connected to the dolly which supported all the weight of the trailer. It worked great.

moh58 said:

Those that don't understand what he is talking about probably have not pulled a trailer with a dampened drawbar. There is a noticeable difference.

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Don't the tailwind trailers have what he is talking about?

odd

sounds like he might start by inspecting the trailer and hitch for something loose might find a reason there

Could the type of hitch have something to do with it? I noticed in your amplified post that you mention "sub frame". I have a Bushtec on my 'Wing so the subframe is not a factor.

CruiseControl said:

It is subtle, but when you move from stop to go, there is a real TUG on the trailer. I'm not saying that my clutch control is bad, or that anything is wrong with my Piggy, but there is a very definite feeling that transfers through the system from the trailer. It is an object at rest and it wants to stay at rest.

The engine transfers momentum directly through the turning rear motorcycle tire, but the forward motion to the trailer is linear, through the drawbar, to the hitch, to those little steel bolts on my little aluminum subframe. If possible, I would like to "cushion" that impact.

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I think this has already been brought up, but have you adjusted the slack in your coupler? What you are feeling from stop to go, may be minimized but properly adjusting it.
If you are concerned about impacts being transited to the frame, stop and go are minimal when compared to things like pot holes and speed bumps. that is where a hitch or draw bar with some sort of dampening makes a difference.

ronab said:

Don't the tailwind trailers have what he is talking about?

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Yes, the Tailwind does have a draw bar that does what he is talking about.

howsonIII said:

Could the type of hitch have something to do with it? I noticed in your amplified post that you mention "sub frame". I have a Bushtec on my 'Wing so the subframe is not a factor.

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I use a Bushtec hitch on mine too and it does attach at four points on the main frame it still atatches to the sub frame at two points so there are still forces transmitted to it, but much less than other hitches.