Big_papa_nuts Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 I need a way to carry 4 bikes outside the car on an extended road trip. I don't want to ruin my bikes driving in foul weather or risk getting them stolen so I want an enclosed solution. The Black Box (and maybe the Hitch Hotel) is the only solution I can find, but am also considering custom, I just wanted to see if anyone had any experience with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntonioGG Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 That thing is very cool! I don't have experience with it, but that price is starting to approach the price of a new 5X8 or used 10X6 enclosed trailer (some are actually cheaper). I have a friend who has an open trailer for when a bunch of us would go riding. It's a cheap trailer and he has a cheap bike rack on it and it's perfect. We can fit a large boat type cooler in it and 4 bikes. Our family has a 4-bike Saris rack and that thing is heavy and I've been toying with the idea of a small trailer for longer trips and just a 2-bike rack for local use. The other thing, I think you have a truck IIRC so the class III requirement is probably not an issue, but that seems like a lot of tongue weight. I hated how my truck would drive when I had too much tongue weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_papa_nuts Posted December 6, 2018 Author Share Posted December 6, 2018 Recently started the trip with a 6x12 enclosed trailer and had to double back because we disliked it so much. I'm trying to get the bikes out of the van so we can just sleep in there. I agree though, the price is crazy and a small trailer may be a good compromise. Though I have found that I HATE towing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fontarin Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 On 12/6/2018 at 11:03 AM, Big_papa_nuts said: Recently started the trip with a 6x12 enclosed trailer and had to double back because we disliked it so much. I'm trying to get the bikes out of the van so we can just sleep in there. I agree though, the price is crazy and a small trailer may be a good compromise. Though I have found that I HATE towing. Did you have any sort of sway control? If not, that makes a big difference with feeling better towing. There are some pretty cheap options that are easy to set up. Something like this: https://www.harborfreight.com/trailer-sway-control-kit-96462.html Better quality ones will probably make a bigger difference, but probably not needed for something small. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_papa_nuts Posted December 12, 2018 Author Share Posted December 12, 2018 7 hours ago, fontarin said: Did you have any sort of sway control? If not, that makes a big difference with feeling better towing. There are some pretty cheap options that are easy to set up. Something like this: https://www.harborfreight.com/trailer-sway-control-kit-96462.html Better quality ones will probably make a bigger difference, but probably not needed for something small. The trailer was actually very stable, I mostly didn't like maneuvering in traffic, parking, backing up, stuff like that. Plus it's a pita not just having everything in one vehicle. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntonioGG Posted December 12, 2018 Share Posted December 12, 2018 13 hours ago, Big_papa_nuts said: The trailer was actually very stable, I mostly didn't like maneuvering in traffic, parking, backing up, stuff like that. Plus it's a pita not just having everything in one vehicle. That was my guess for it too. Picking a restaurant with pull-through parking is very limiting. With lighter trailers, I wouldn't worry, but when towing a car, having people cut in front of you, how the electric brakes feel when they engage, the mpg hit, estimating when it's OK to change lanes, etc. I don't miss that. I'm guessing a smaller trailer is much nicer to tow though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fontarin Posted December 13, 2018 Share Posted December 13, 2018 (edited) Yeah, it can be a pain to get used to and to tow, especially in a city. We tow a 35ft fifth wheel, and it's annoying going through cities like Dallas/Austin. You have to carefully choose places to eat, etc. Still worth it for the camping, but I can see some people saying it's not worth it. Edited December 13, 2018 by fontarin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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