Third Wheel Trailers

[Road Hound]

If anybody is looking for a single wheel trailer like the Uni-Go, you might want to look at Third Wheel!
They are 5.5 cu/ft to Uni-Go's 5 cu/ft, and $1900 (still pricey)!
They will be on the market next month!

Norm

www.thirdwheelonline.com

[motomac]

The biggest thing I see wrong with that trailer is the lid. They say it holds 5.5 cubic feet, but with that lid design, a lot of that space is unuseable.

[Trekker]

Sweet !!! Pricey, yes... but still cheaper than Uni-Go. I need to ask them some questions like:

- How does it connect to other bikes?
- Is the hitch assembly similar for every bike? (looks like it could be adapted to other hitches)
- What is the tongue weight?

[braindead0]

They don't say anything about mounting. I can see in the pics some sort of 'studs' that attach to the swingarm or axle bolt... but no details.

[Trekker]

I sent a message to them regarding the connection options and other stuff.

Looks like it might be adaptable to other hitches...... maybe.

I'm not sure I would like the hitch connected to the rear wheel axle as shown on their bikes. Most bike hitches are mounted to the frame.

So... we'll see.

[braindead0]

I think that attaching to the axle allows them to make the trailer very low. Attaching to the frame means the height of the attachment point will be variable perhaps requiring more ground clearance to compensate. Attaching to the axle guarantees that the height of that point isn't going to vary much.

I wouldn't think it would affect handling or have any adverse affects, but I've never towed a trailer with a bike....

[Trekker]

As a mechanical engineer... I am not confortable adding more weight to the sprung rear suspension. Attaching the hitch onto the axel could introduce new forces into the bearings and suspension probably not designed for. A frame is designed to carry the load (forces).

There are plenty of ways to keep the trailer frame low. It all comes down to design & fabrication. If the attachment point is never lower than the axel when the suspension is fully compressed, there is no clearance problem.

But.... I'll wait to hear their answer before passing judgment. They may have a very good reason for that design.

[braindead0]

As a mechanical engineer... I am not confortable adding more weight to the sprung rear suspension. Attaching the hitch onto the axel could introduce new forces into the bearings and suspension probably not designed for. A frame is designed to carry the load (forces).

There are plenty of ways to keep the trailer frame low. It all comes down to design & fabrication. If the attachment point is never lower than the axel when the suspension is fully compressed, there is no clearance problem.

But.... I'll wait to hear their answer before passing judgment. They may have a very good reason for that design.Perhaps they didn't use mechanical engineers at all? You never know.. Thanks for the additional info on this. I think lateral forces during cornering being applied to the center of the wheel wouldn't be a good thing.

[Mellow]

I agree with Mac, the lid design means you can't put as much in it without stacking it a certain way - with the uni-go, you just drop things in from the top. A simple redesign of that sure seems like it would be easy.

Much less $$ than the uni-go and for that reason, it may be a winner... I'm not crazy about the exposed frame but that's just being picky.

[GoldWingGL]

Just by looking at the photos, I think it is a poor design all the way around. I have towed many Trailers and have seen many designs and this has to be one of the worst I have seen.

[braindead0]

Just outta curiosity, what's the biggest problem with the design? I can see with the frame below the box that any weight in the box will apply twisting forces to the bike in turns, the axle mount (as others have noted) probably not so hot.

Seems like a lot of money for these things too. What about a pelican 1650/1660, the frame and wheel stuff would be fairly easy to build.. It seems to me that one could build something better for half the price. Of course, I don't know anything about bike trailers... so I could be waaay off ;-)

[Trekker]

One could build a 2 wheeled cargo trailer for a reasonable sum, probably +/- $500. But a 1 wheeled version is tougher. GoldRush fab'd one up some time back and admitted it cost more than he liked.

Thinking about the loading capabilities of this new design compared to a Uni-Go.... this new one is more like a regular cargo box, eh? What I think makes up for that feature is the internal rings to attach the bungy nets to.

I remember from my backpacking days the guys that used a top loading pack sometimes complained about always needing to pull everything out to get the one thing wanted, which was always on the bottom. Small detail to be sure.

I guess the one important feature of this 1 wheeled trailer is.... the price! This appears to be about $1000 less than a Uni-Go.... that's a lot!

[Mellow]

Also, the lowest point is 4 inches.... not sure how well that would handle going over a speed bump or a dip in a parking lot onto the road.

[georgeorge]

As a mechanical engineer... I am not confortable adding more weight to the sprung rear suspension. Attaching the hitch onto the axel could introduce new forces into the bearings and suspension probably not designed for. A frame is designed to carry the load (forces).

There are plenty of ways to keep the trailer frame low. It all comes down to design & fabrication. If the attachment point is never lower than the axel when the suspension is fully compressed, there is no clearance problem.

But.... I'll wait to hear their answer before passing judgment. They may have a very good reason for that design.

I can first-handedly confirm what Dave says, here. Back about 15 years ago I had a Honda CBR1000F Hurricane and fabbed up a hitch to haul a small trailer with. Actally the same trailer I still haul today behind the ST except without all the mods to make it the nice trailer it is today. I used to scuba and wanted to have a small utility trailer to haul all the gear to the dive site behind the bike. Anyway, being young and dumb back then, I fabbed up a hitch that bolted with 2 bolts to the left side of the swingarm and 2 bolts to the right side of the swingarm. It didn't touch the frame of the bike at all. It worked OK for about 500 miles. All of which were rough riding because every bump in the road was transferred directly to the swingarm. None of the bump was dampened by the suspension. Anyway, after 500 miles of trailer pulling miles, my rear wheel bearings were toast. The needed to be replaced with about 8000 miles on the odometer of the bike. It put all the jolts of the road directly into the wheel bearings. Live and learn. Now on the ST I have fabbed the hitch very similar to the UNI-GO setup so that the hitch is attached to the frame of the bike and so far after over 10000 trailer pulling miles, I've had zero problems. Same trailer.

[Road Hound]

Personally I prefer the lid design on this one as appose to the Uni-Go. Trekker hit on one problem with the "small" lid design of the Uni-Go but interstingly, sealing problems was one of the Q/A problems with the US model. I cancelled my order and lost $500.

The lid design on the Third Wheel will require some stacking but I think it would be better for long objects, plus it is similar to the "car top carrier" design which is are known to be water tight!

At this time I am most concerned with how the trailer is attached to the bike! I don't want it attached directly to the axle. How balance will it be attached to a conventional hitch?

Norm

[Mellow]

I would think they have some type of u-joint setup, wish there were more detailed pics. Once they start selling, they'll have to have bigger and better pics.

Still, even at $1,900... it's hard to swallow when for $1,500 you can get this:

http://www.thomasamerican.com/trailers_for_sale_detail.asp?StockNumber=2425
http://www.thomasamerican.com/ProductImages/trailers/detail/MCT%20Forest%20Green.jpg

[Trekker]

Yeah but.... for $1900 you get an aerodynamic, good looking, almost invisible to pull cargo trailer.

For that $1500 you get a well made, easy to use, stable when parked, brick.

Don't get me wrong, I like useful, stable designs. For my money I prefer something a little more "slippery" in use. While many of us have large displacement bikes with plenty of power to pull... I don't care for the idea of utilizing any more of my available power to drag more than necessary through the air.

Oh hell.... If I had bags of cash lying around I would buy a Texellent Tailwind trailer! ;)

[braindead0]

Seems to me that perhaps it's much cheaper to buy better quality, smaller packing, lighter gear. And not need a trailer at all ;-)

[Mellow]

I understand. I don't remember my uni-go having any affect at all on my gas mileage. The difference between that and a -5 mpg would add up over the years and probably offset the difference.

Then again, I ride a tank.

[Road Hound]

I would think they have some type of u-joint setup, wish there were more detailed pics. Once they start selling, they'll have to have bigger and better pics.

Still, even at $1,900... it's hard to swallow when for $1,500 you can get this:

http://www.thomasamerican.com/trailers_for_sale_detail.asp?StockNumber=2425
http://www.thomasamerican.com/ProductImages/trailers/detail/MCT%20Forest%20Green.jpg

I've looked at those and they are a well made trailer but at around 200 lbs before I put anything in it and two wheels tracking behind me, I think I would be giving something up in the handling department! But I must add that I have never trailered anything behind my bike.

Joe, have you ever trailered a 2-wheeler behind your bike? If so, how would you compare it to your Uni-Go? I think Motomac is also qualified to answer that question.
Norm

[Trekker]

Then again, I ride a tank.

But it's a beautiful and nimble tank! :D

[Mellow]

Motomac is a better resource for that question, I've never trailered anything but the uni-go.

[GoldWingGL]

Motomac is a better resource for that question, I've never trailered anything but the uni-go.

Hell, I must have just vanished right off the edge of the planet…lol

[motomac]

Hell, I must have just vanished right off the edge of the planet?lol
Nothing against Mac, but......

That really wasn't meant to be a slight against you Chris. He's never ridden with you, he and I have quite a few miles together, so he knows me a bit better.

[motomac]

Now, to answer the question of two wheeled trailers versus one wheel trailers. When I tow the Bunkhouse, I probably pull it faster than the average Winger. I have run 85 down I-15 through Utah in the twisties that the speed limit is I think 60. I have pulled the Unigo at triple digits chasing Joe across New Mexico and I didn't look at my speedometer when we were going through the mountains in NM. The Unigo behind the ST was not nearly as stable as it was when I pulled it behind the Wing. I also pulled the Bunkhouse behind the ST from MT to WA to Ontario to OH. I had no problems once the ST got rolling. The ST had to be revved a bit higher than the Wing on initial takeoff. Once rolling though it was just fine, and I didn't baby it as I had to be in ON for ONSToc a week after WeSToc in WA. A two wheel trailer if it is suspended and the weight distributed right won't tend to slow me down much. I wouldn't want to do Deal's Gap towing the Bunkhouse, but I know I could if I had to. I actually pulled the front end off the ground a couple of times pulling the Unigo with the ST. Scared me both times as I didn't think I was gassing on it that much!!!

[sandman]

Hell, I must have just vanished right off the edge of the planet?lol
Nothing against Mac, but......

But Chris, you're so far out there on the left coast, I thought you were about to fall off the planet...LOL

:tent6: :hatw1:

[GoldWingGL]

But Chris, you're so far out there on the left coast, I thought you were about to fall off the planet...LOL

:tent6: :hatw1:

Ya well, sometimes I feel that way..LOL

[Mellow]

Hell, I must have just vanished right off the edge of the planet?lol

LOL.. I didn't know you have pulled a uni-go before... sorry about that.

[Mellow]

I do have to say... weight makes a huge difference... if you think about the tongue weith. On a 1-wheel trailer, the contents make a huge difference but with a 2-wheeler, you can distribute the weight. you might have 25 lbs of downward force for a 1-wheel that has 60lbs of gear.. yet, you could have 20 lbs of downward forces on a 2-wheel trailer that has 500lbs of stuff.

So, two things affect the handling, downward force as well as the lateral weight that will be transfered to the bike. You'll feel the heavier 2-wheel more on take off because it's holding you back and also it will take longer to brake, some have their own brakes, like some bunkhouse trailers.

[TWT Rider]

very interesting thoughts, great reads P^

[quadancer]

My only experience is of course with my DIY monowheel, but I can say it's rock steady in places like the Dragon, has a heavy tongue weight, and no problems up to 95 mph or more.
Admittedly I have scraped the outriggers as well as the boards, but this with the wife on board too. http://inlinethumb45.webshots.com/33196/2633801740106878013S600x600Q85.jpg

With enough draw bar, the weight on the back end doesn't seem to affect it much at all; just slow speed handling when it's top heavy makes one want to take off or stop a little faster. [URL=http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2151042220106878013gVzTBi]http://inlinethumb49.webshots.com/14128/2151042220106878013S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2633801740106878013idShht)
http://inlinethumb14.webshots.com/47501/2686643040106878013S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2686643040106878013dZgRUS)