[rocket1lf]

I have been pulling a trailer behind my Goldwings since 1991. In my opinion the only trailer I would consider is a Bushtec or an Escapade. I'm on my 3rd Bushtec and I like it. I had a shock failure and I have chipped a few wheels over the years. One plus for the Escapade is that you can replace the tires while traveling, if they fail. You can't do that with a Bushtec. One solution to the Bushtec problem. I carry an extra rear tire and wheel in my trailer, and my riding buddy, carries a spare Bushtec wheel and tire in his trailer.

This is why I always carry a spare in my Bushtec. This happened in the middle of nowhere Utah. 20 minutes and I was back on the road.

 

[DDL]

Regarding the Hannigan tongue and how it is configured. These are two pictures of my trailer. The first picture is the tongue connection for the bike. There appear to be two bolts holding the rotating "hitch" and two holding the hitch. Both are "horizontal" (or so it appears to me).

The second picture is from under the Hannigan trailer from the rear and it shows what appear to be two bolts (horizontal) that hold the "hitch pipe" to the trailer. There is a third bolt at the very front of the "hitch pipe" which is vertical and is bigger than the two you see in the second picture.

View attachment 416153

View attachment 416154

It would be the mounting point at the front of the body where the flexing would occur. Usually, trailers have an A-frame point that pushes the "flex point" closer to the coupler where it is reduced so much that it is very harmless. A single bar, no matter what shape or size will have all of the flex where the body attaches to what becomes the tongue. If it is greatly reinforced, square, or horizontal hole at that location, it would be OK. Flex stress left and right is much less as long as you never have "wag the dog" issues caused by poor weight distribution.

This is why I got a Tailwind....

That was a Pic from Tom as my trailer was being built. I added the red box around the tongue dampening design to point it out. I did have to add a swivel to it though.....

This next one was a Hannigan at the same build stage, taken from their web a few years ago. That black cushion and a hole that could be a vertical hole in the bar said that I did not want it.

 

[ssncob]

Couple of pics of my 95 Bushtec Turbo+2. I've got a lot of miles on it. Additional comments post #3.

 

[Dn]

I have over 10k miles on my homemade trailer and I can assure you Pennsylvania has plenty of potholes on the back roads and I have never had my trailer bounce in any shape or manner that I was even vaguely thinking it would turn over. I also do not have a swivel hitch which many state would allow the trailer to do a 180 and not effect the bike being brought down.

A swivel hitch might prevent a bent frame.

 

[Dn]

If a Harbor Freight trailer turns over due to a bounce, that same amount of bounce "might" also cause a Bushtec to turn over as well.

Point is, anything "might" happen, but we assume that risk every time we raise the kickstand.
And by the way, I've been over some of the roughest roads in the country (the Oklahoma state tree is the orange traffic barrel) and never experienced any bounce to the extent that I thought the trailer might flip.
[/

If a Harbor Freight trailer turns over due to a bounce, that same amount of bounce "might" also cause a Bushtec to turn over as well.

Point is, anything "might" happen, but we assume that risk every time we raise the kickstand.
And by the way, I've been over some of the roughest roads in the country (the Oklahoma state tree is the orange traffic barrel) and never experienced any bounce to the extent that I thought the trailer might flip.

I was following a mc pulling a trailer with those small wheels. Right wheel of the trailer dropped off the payment into a pot hole and bounced 3 feet off the ground, almost tipping over. I have seen a demo of a Bushtec dropped 5 feet, and it didn't bounce. You can verify this with the Bushtec manufacturer.

 

[carolinarider10]

Regarding the forward trailer coupling, we shall have to have a wait and see based on mileage and my personal experience. I believe it is and will be a very reliable device.

 

[Wahoo]

We pulled an Aluma for a few years before buying a used Escapade Elite from a buddy who was hanging up his keys. Got a great deal I couldn’t pass up, especially since it matched my pearl white 2008.

Both pull great with lots of storage space. The escapade has the air suspension so you you don’t know it’s back there until you stop quickly.

as others have said, how much use is it likely to see? If you pull it once a year for 2500
Miles, then a $4000 escapade is probably overkill. If you’re going to use it a lot, or have a co-pilot who brings everything plus the kitchen sink, then it’s probably a good move.

 

[Dan45t]

Cool.

 

[Dan45t]

Cool.

 

[JoeHall]

It would be the mounting point at the front of the body where the flexing would occur. Usually, trailers have an A-frame point that pushes the "flex point" closer to the coupler where it is reduced so much that it is very harmless. A single bar, no matter what shape or size will have all of the flex where the body attaches to what becomes the tongue. If it is greatly reinforced, square, or horizontal hole at that location, it would be OK. Flex stress left and right is much less as long as you never have "wag the dog" issues caused by poor weight distribution.

View attachment 416164
View attachment 416165

This is why I got a Tailwind....
View attachment 416166
That was a Pic from Tom as my trailer was being built. I added the red box around the tongue dampening design to point it out. I did have to add a swivel to it though.....

This next one was a Hannigan at the same build stage, taken from their web a few years ago. That black cushion and a hole that could be a vertical hole in the bar said that I did not want it.

View attachment 416167

I just looked at my (2011?) Hannigan Sierra, and the entire tongue is square, not sure when they went to round. Your top pic here, showing catastrophic failure does not look like a Hannigan. Looking at mine closely, it appears rock solid, despite a 3/8" vertical bolt holding the black cushion in place, as well as anchoring the trailer tub. Some folks can mess up a steel ball with a rubber hammer. Overloading, and improper loading sufficient to cause wagging would seem problematic for any trailer behind a motorcycle for lotsa reasons. I have seen a few such abominations wagging down the road, and I always try to get far away from them ASAP, lest I witness a senseless accident. I have only a couple thousand miles pulling the Hannigan, and it's my first motorcycle trailer, but pretty sure if I use common sense, there'll never be a problem. Then too, due to axle placement being so far rearward, it's difficult to imagine any load condition that would cause it to wag. Possibly 200-300 pounds of steel bars placed all the way rearward behind the axle, but I doubt it.

 

[Dan45t]

A swivel hitch might prevent a bent frame.

I do not have a swivel hitch and have laid my bike over on its side. Trailer stayed upright and both tires still on the ground.
( not a wreck, bike and trailer was sitting still on shoulder of the road )

 

[Thorsome]

Thanks everyone for your responses!!
I was initially concerned about the trailers that have a lot of cargo space in front of the axel, but this doesn’t appear to be much of an issue, based on your experiences.
So I called USA trailer, but the guy I spoke with was not interested in conversing, whereas the guy at Bushtec was very personable and since they some on display, I’m headed to Bushtec.

 

[JoeHall]

Don't let the name fool you, USA motorcycle tow behind trailers, at least their Lumina, is made in China. OTOH, Bush Tech, and a handful of others are made in USA. The Lumina is a copycat of a USA made trailer company, but I have forgotten it's name. Easiest way to distinguish the two, is the China trailers have rounded fenders, and the other is flat and squared.

 

[Wahoo]

The #1 dealer for Aluma trailers is the place in Iowa. I can’t remember the name but one of their guys is a member here and posts occasionally. Stay away from those junk Chinese trailers.

 

[carolinarider10]

I just looked at my (2011?) Hannigan Sierra, and the entire tongue is square, not sure when they went to round. Your top pic here, showing catastrophic failure does not look like a Hannigan. Looking at mine closely, it appears rock solid, despite a 3/8" vertical bolt holding the black cushion in place, as well as anchoring the trailer tub. Some folks can mess up a steel ball with a rubber hammer. Overloading, and improper loading sufficient to cause wagging would seem problematic for any trailer behind a motorcycle for lotsa reasons.

I am super impressed with my Hannigan because of what it can handle. Next trip we take, I will take a picture of the stuff we "pack" when it's sitting on the motel "cart". It's one of the things I liked about the Hannigan. In general things are stored (in my case anyway) flat on the floor. What we carry

A cooler (fits snugly in the back of the trailer, two clothing "bags" that fit linearly on the trailer floor (not stacked), a smaller rain gear bag that fits between the wheel wells, and a Keurig coffee maker in its cardboard box between the rain gear bag and the other two clothing bags.

Room in the nose for a "used" clothing bag. Spare parts for things fit behind the cooler in individual plastic boxes.

I have not measured the tongue weight but..... it's not light and it's not heavy, so probably ok.

 

[JoeHall]

I am super impressed with my Hannigan because of what it can handle. Next trip we take, I will take a picture of the stuff we "pack" when it's sitting on the motel "cart". It's one of the things I liked about the Hannigan. In general things are stored (in my case anyway) flat on the floor. What we carry

A cooler (fits snugly in the back of the trailer, two clothing "bags" that fit linearly on the trailer floor (not stacked), a smaller rain gear bag that fits between the wheel wells, and a Keurig coffee maker in its cardboard box between the rain gear bag and the other two clothing bags.

Room in the nose for a "used" clothing bag. Spare parts for things fit behind the cooler in individual plastic boxes.

I have not measured the tongue weight but..... it's not light and it's not heavy, so probably ok. View attachment 416202

View attachment 416203

I'd like to mount a YETI on the tongue, but not quite enough room. Perhaps with a swivel hitch, which adds a couple of inches, I can make it work.

 

[Bullet Bob]

Joe. We'll have to get together & compare trailers. Mine's a '14 with a swivel hitch.

 

[DDL]

I just looked at my (2011?) Hannigan Sierra, and the entire tongue is square, not sure when they went to round. Your top pic here, showing catastrophic failure does not look like a Hannigan. Looking at mine closely, it appears rock solid, despite a 3/8" vertical bolt holding the black cushion in place, as well as anchoring the trailer tub. Some folks can mess up a steel ball with a rubber hammer. Overloading, and improper loading sufficient to cause wagging would seem problematic for any trailer behind a motorcycle for lotsa reasons. I have seen a few such abominations wagging down the road, and I always try to get far away from them ASAP, lest I witness a senseless accident. I have only a couple thousand miles pulling the Hannigan, and it's my first motorcycle trailer, but pretty sure if I use common sense, there'll never be a problem. Then too, due to axle placement being so far rearward, it's difficult to imagine any load condition that would cause it to wag. Possibly 200-300 pounds of steel bars placed all the way rearward behind the axle, but I doubt it.

I did say several times that the broken trailer was a ZZ Trailer. The failure is from up and down tongue flex from trailer load in general and little to do with what % is tongue weight as bumps at speed, braking, and accelerating all cause this up and down flex at the weakest point between the axle and coupler. Poor loading causing wagging causes a right and left flex and being on a motorcycle is a far greater danger than braking the tongue off, plus, I have never had a trailer wag on bike as I put a fish scale on it freshly loaded and fixed it long before any wagging could happen. The failed trailer had nothing strengthening anything to push that flex point forward close to the coupler and that same issue is seen in the Hannigan frame I pictured. Now, if you want to compare the ZZ with a H. Sierra; the ZZ body size is about half the capacity, as such; my GVW on the ZZ fully loaded was about 325lb (this was less than the max rated GVW, only what I regularly loaded in it to 100% full). The H. Sierra bar is about a 1/4 inch larger diameter than what the ZZ was and I have no data on steel thickness. But I was not willing to stake my life on never having a repeat on a similar bad choice in mounting the front of the cargo box on a much larger trailer. If it had been square or a u-bolt or welded on tabs at the time I was looking for a replacement trailer, I may be pulling a Hannigan because of cost difference saving a few thousand $ even with it being crated and shipped as apposed to riding to Texas and picking up my Tailwind.

I am glad that your Hannigan has a square tongue and frame at the front box mount. It is only those of any trailer make with a round tube with a vertical bolt hole through it that I hope and pray never, ever experience such catastrophic failure; be it a motorcycle, car, pickup, or farm tractor.

 

[Swampdonkey]

Looks as if the OP may have already decided the Bushtec is his choice. And there is no doubt the Bushtec is a great trailer. A few pros and cons but none the less a great choice. I am only commenting because of DDL's post with what appears to be a bad experience he had with a ZZ Trailer. I'm not a metallurgist and have know ideal on the effects of a horizontal verse a vertical hole drilled through a round pipe and how it is affected by stresses. I would think the composition of the pipe metallurgy would be a factor also. With that said here is my experience.

In 2016 I purchased a 2008 Hannigan Sierra from an individual in Norman Oklahoma, I live in Houston Texas and rode to Norman to pick it up. An 8 year old trailer I purchased.

The first picture is the day I picked the trailer up, the next is the trailer tub off the frame going to get painted and the next two are the trailer frame. The same picture DDL posted and quoted as being from Hannigan's website, just not true. This is an 8 year old frame, yes the black square mid pipe rail is a round to flat adapter/cushion with a vertical hole through the pipe for securing the trailer tub to the tongue/frame. I have posted this picture on this forum before because someone had inquired about the Sierra frame and I just happened to have a picture.

The trailer after new paint job.

These next pictures are just testament by landmarks to how far this 8 year old trailer has been dragged from Houston Texas.

I have loaded this trailer that produced tail wag. But as soon as tail wag presented itself, I pulled to a stop and re-adjusted the load. This happened very few times and you learn as you go and make the necessary adjustments with your loading arrangements. I have always carried an 60 quart igloo positioned over the axle with the rest packed to the gills with luggage. This trailer has always been an excellent pull.

After experiencing Tom Finch's commentary on this forum, I sought a Tailwind. His engineering prowess, brilliance and dedicated expertise with motorcycling trailering is unrivaled on this forum, probably one of the greatest missed members on this forum, RIP Mr. Finch. This is not meant as any dis-respect to any other deceased members, just my self experience.

I purchased a used 2011 Tailwind in December of 2018. A significant better chassis under the trailer tub as shown in DDL's post. Still carry a 60 quart igloo over the axle in this trailer. Easier to load/unload, plus a on-board air compressor and a shock absorbent trailer tongue. The design of this trailer prohibits loads shifting to the rear contributing to trailer wag. An excellent engineered and pulling trailer.

In 2022 I purchased another 2011 Tailwind, but made with carbon fiber

My point is showing one failure of a particular design doesn't prove to be an inferior design, maybe there are other factors with the failure that DDL experienced. If the bolt installed in a vertical drilled hole in a round trailer tongue is a design flaw, wouldn't there be much more evidence and complaints on this design or trailer manufacturer. Both these trailers have served my needs without complaint.

 

[JoeHall]

SwampDonkey after looking at pics of your 2008 H. Sierra, with round tongue, I wondered what year they changed from square to round. So checked mine's title, and it is a 2007. I now wonder if 2008 was the year they switched to round. On the Hannigan web site, looking at current Sierra tongues, they are round. I have no idea which is 'better' of stronger, just know mine is square, and apparently 2008 and later are round. Mine's box frame looks identical to yours and others I have seen online, including Hannigan's web site.

What were the conditions where yours wagged? Looking at the rearward axles, it's hard to imagine getting too much weight behind the axle. Thanks