Loading a bike onto a trailer

[cave weta]

And I might get a bit as well - great idea ha

I spend all week putting bikes on and off trailers by myself

what the others say is mostly all good but heres a couple of extra tips.

attach your tiedowns to the bike then shorten them up and hook the bottom ends to the bike as well. - that way they are ready to go when you get the bike on the trailer without having to stretch and grovel for them.

Buy an aluminium ramp or use a wooden one at least metres long- WITH SIDES! nail sides on if you have to- a 200kg bike hanging off the side of a plank is no fun at all!

[madbikeboy]

You can do it single handed easily enough - the advice has been good. What I'd also suggest is getting used to moving your bike around before hand. Walk the bike like you would a push bike, gives you time to work out how to find the balance point, and how heavy it is etc.

It's just practice and confidence. A GSXR600 weighs nothing.

[Winston001]

Buy an aluminium ramp or use a wooden one at least metres long- WITH SIDES! nail sides on if you have to- a 200kg bike hanging off the side of a plank is no fun at all!

Yes thats a good point. The sides only need to be a lip say 25mm high, just enough to guide the tyre back from the edge. A strip of 2 x 1 (50 x 25) would do it, or even less - could cut a strip of particle board except it doesn't like getting wet.

The only downside is the ramp is now getting heavier and bigger. I'd suggest decent width and only have small lips. Heck, even a length of plastic 20mm pipe nailed along the top of each edge would be enough.

[McDuck]

The benefet of adding sides (if done proper like) is they also add a lot of strength to the beam.

[HenryDorsetCase]

I am not very big, nor very strong. What works for me is that I give myself about 20 feet of runup, and push the thing as fast as I can so that its momentum carries it up the ramp. I have to be a bit nimble getting up into the trailer as well.

I also bought a decent aluminium ramp, and a ventura front wheel stand so I can run the thing into the stand then let go of it to tie it down. being a trackbike it has no stand.

[HenryDorsetCase]

I spend all week putting bikes on and off trailers by myself

what the others say is mostly all good but heres a couple of extra tips.

attach your tiedowns to the bike then shorten them up and hook the bottom ends to the bike as well. - that way they are ready to go when you get the bike on the trailer without having to stretch and grovel for them.

Buy an aluminium ramp or use a wooden one at least metres long- WITH SIDES! nail sides on if you have to- a 200kg bike hanging off the side of a plank is no fun at all!

amen brutha.

[cave weta]

my old woody was a good ramp- it was a 2metre strip of 12mm ply and the edging caps of wooden trellis was screwed down the edges and 25x50 cleats screwed accross for traction

But my folding alloy ramp bought on a $1.00 reserve TM auction just rocks!!
The seller was pacific hardware - look em up.






I still use the woody as a spare or when Im loading homochariots (sportsquads)

[FROSTY:Me]

Billi --um ya just gonna hafta trust somebodys word here.
Ive been doin the power/push the bike thing for nigh on 25 years and never had a problem--and Me be a skinny lil white bloke.

[vgcspares]

We had an eighty year old turn up to haul away a Goldwing he'd bought as a wreck - the backing up to a bank the same height as the trailor thing worked just dandy ... not sure if he used the same MO at the other end though

oh and of course we helped but those suckers weigh 700-odd pounds so there was no way of pushing it up a plank

[Patch]

Billi --um ya just gonna hafta trust somebodys word here.
Ive been doin the power/push the bike thing for nigh on 25 years and never had a problem--and Me be a skinny lil white bloke.

exactly - easiest way is to be shown the technique and work out what best suits you and what you have.


I've always ridden my bikes onto the trailers - bugger walking, that requires work.


It ain't as hard as some of these muppets make out.

[mdnzz]

ride up coast down, as taught by the YMCA when I was 10 years old, never fell off, but never doubted that it couldn't be done either.

O and yup I am a skinny white fella too an that don't mean nothing