found this trailer on craigslist

[borto1990]

Never having towed anything with a bike I don't know much about trailers.. however to me the tongue on this looks extremly long.. anyone see issues with this.. I have not contacted this guy yet, so I don't know if he will go lower or any of that stuff. yet.. here is the link

http://detroit.craigslist.org/mcy/1197398219.html

[coacha]

Tongue length is commonly 1.5 to 2 times the width of the trailer. This one looks like it is in the 2 times width category, which is acceptable. I did something similar, as have CJ and MikeinFL. Cost to do it yourself, would be around $400 if you have to buy everything yourself, or maybe a tad more plus your time. With the cool ammo boxes and the cooler, it isn't a bad deal.

[cactusjack]

A longer tongue would be better than one that's too short. If the tongue isn't long enough, the trailer can have a tendency to "wag", that is - to move side to side, which can have disastrous results at high speeds. The longer the tongue, the less pronounced this effect is.

The ratio to calculate tongue length is to measure the axle from the center of one wheel to the center of the other. The ideal tongue length should be 1.5 to 2.0 times that width. If you have a 40" axle, the tongue length should be somewhere between 60" to 80".

Also, the trailer in the ad looks odd because the cargo carrier sits way back on the chassis. There's probably 2' of overhang at the rear. Nothing wrong with that, it just looks out of proportion.

[ringadingh]

With the cooler on there and the two sideboxes the tongue is probably the correct length. Like CJ said its better to be a little longer than to short.

[rickmeister56]

that trailer is about the same as mine to include the length of the tongue. i have been pulling it for 2 years with no problems. other than the fact my girlfriend tries to fill it......

[Yellow Jacket]

If you're new to pulling a trailer be aware that the tongue weight always needs to be between 10% to 15% of the trailer plus load.

For example, if the trailer and cargo weighs 300 lbs, then a scale placed under the tongue should show 30-45 lbs of weight.

Also, and this is very important, make sure that the center of gravity of the loaded trailer is always in front of the trailers axle. If you get the trailer loaded with the heavy stuff in the rear behind the axle you are in danger of getting severe whip lash (the trailer darting back and forth from side to side.)

A whip lashing trailer can cause heavy pickups and SUV's to crash or even overturn.

I'm not trying to scare you but rather to make you aware of the need to properly load the trailer.

[ringadingh]

Originally Posted by Yellow Jacket

If you're new to pulling a trailer be aware that the tongue weight always needs to be between 10% to 15% of the trailer plus load.

For example, if the trailer and cargo weighs 300 lbs, then a scale placed under the tongue should show 30-45 lbs of weight.

Also, and this is very important, make sure that the center of gravity of the loaded trailer is always in front of the trailers axle. If you get the trailer loaded with the heavy stuff in the rear behind the axle you are in danger of getting severe whip lash (the trailer darting back and forth from side to side.)

A whip lashing trailer can cause heavy pickups and SUV's to crash or even overturn.

I'm not trying to scare you but rather to make you aware of the need to properly load the trailer.

I found that out the hard way years ago, I was pulling my Argo home after it broke and could only load it with the motor to the rear of the trailer. With all the weight right at the back it caused my van to start swaying as soon as I hit about 55 mph.