New Roll-A-Home Maiden Voyage

[jkane13]

Been researching here for a while. Finally bought a camper a couple weeks ago. Took it out for it's trial run last weekend. I swore 6 years ago when we sold our big pop-up we'd never tent camp again. But things change and now we want to be with others who camp so we're back!

We had some simple requirements. First, it had to be off the ground. Second, it had to be completely connected to the trailer. No stakes, poles, or legs that needed to be set up. I am lazy when I camp. ;) So we went in search of what would do this. Timeout has a great price! We went to see one, but my wife is very short, and has bad joints. She couldn't get into it. Too high off the ground. We would have to spend more on one that was only inches off the ground. In the end, we narrowed it down between a Leisure Lite and Roll-A-Home. The Roll-A-Home has taller tires which sacrifices the storage. It is also heaver which is a negative. But it has access to storage both on the road and after being set up. In the end, it has all the features we wanted. The only bad part was the size and weight. Oh well, we'll live with it! We went with the Roll-A-Home in the end for a few trivial reasons also.

At 60 MPH, it drops the mileage on my H-D Ultra from 38 to 36. At 65, it goes down to about 35 MPH. At 70, it is down to 31 MPH!

I needed a hitch, and it ended up being a MCHitch. The price was good, and function is all there. Bought a ball at a local auto parts store, and got a cotter pin for the receiver instead of bolting it on all the time. I went with a more complicated light set. It was the one that is pretty much plug and play. It costs a lot more, but was worth saving my time and the neighbors got to hear less swear words. Only one crimp had to be made for the fuse going to the battery. Otherwise it simply plugged in and needed to be tie wrapped down. Very simple install. Less than 30 minutes for me by myself. That surprised me because I am mechanically inclined, but never have the right tools, or something always goes wrong. For instance, I added a power commander this summer, and it said 20 minutes to install. It took me over 2 hours to do that one!

Let me see if I can post pictures. If not, I'll follow up with a web link.

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[GoldWingGL]

trust me, you did not sacrifice on storage & you will love the trailer. looking forward to pics more of what you think about it.
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[GoldWingGL]

Now that I am on my PC I see your Pics. Nice unit…..
If I may give some advice or a suggestion. I would pick the nose up on it a bit to make it level. If you are able, it looks like about a 2” riser on the Hitch would do the job, not sure if your hitch will accommodate though. It will tow much better sitting level.

[Tx White Knight]

Welcome Jeff

thanks for your thoughts on the trailer, my wife said if I sell my boat I can get one too :)

[jkane13]

Interesting comment about the tongue height. At first, I was thinking it might be an optical illusion. I guess where it sits on the jack is level. And since I do have to lower it a bit to hook up, it may be low when towing. Not sure if there is a small receiver with a rise to it. Have to look around a little and see. I know it's not 2" like my Jeep. ;) Looks to be about a 1" square tube. Never shopped for such a small size before.

[GoldWingGL]

Interesting comment about the tongue height. At first, I was thinking it might be an optical illusion. I guess where it sits on the jack is level. And since I do have to lower it a bit to hook up, it may be low when towing. Not sure if there is a small receiver with a rise to it. Have to look around a little and see. I know it's not 2" like my Jeep. ;) Looks to be about a 1" square tube. Never shopped for such a small size before.

Well, it sounds like you do have a receiver type hitch so this should be easy for you. The RH tongue is 14 inches high when level..or more to the point, when you are sitting on your bike with it loaded, have someone measure to the top of the ball. It should be 13.5 to 14 inches from the ground to the top of the ball. You should be able to get a receiver with a lift that will get you close, and yes, those small receivers are available.

[Abnmarine]

Keep checking for a reciever with a 2 1/2" rise. I found mine at a tractor store. I just bought my Roll-a-home and also use the McHitch on my HD Street Glide. The 2 1/2" rise will level it out and it towed so smooth I had to check to see it back there.

[Abnmarine]

Here is a pic of mine attached.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c252/Abnmarine/DSC01134.jpg

[GoldWingGL]

that looks perfect..nice setup
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[jkane13]

I see them online, so I know they are around. Gonna look locally over the winter before buying online. No hurry since won't be towing it long distances again until spring.

[mmowat@inethome.ca]

So has anyone found any negatives with the Rollahome. We have a Leisure lite but the bed setup looks better in the Rollahome.
Thanks
Michelle.

[Abnmarine]

So has anyone found any negatives with the Rollahome. We have a Leisure lite but the bed setup looks better in the Rollahome.
Thanks
Michelle.
If I had to come up with one, it was having to ride to Wisconsin from Virginia to pick it up. They weren't familiar with shipping one.

[jkane13]

I got a rise hitch. It's solid metal and not hollow. Seems a bit on the heavy side to me. And, it has the hole back much farther. That puts the ball another 5 inches or so behind the bike. That will make the weight of the tongue more pronounced, won't it? Should I cut it off and drill a new hole?

Actually, I tried drilling a second hole, but missed the center by just enough that I will either have a hole to big for a tight fit of the pin, or cause some other issues if I miss a second time. :-( Fortunately, I drilled before cutting, so it will still work in the original position. It is just an ounce lighter now with that extra hole in it. ;)

[wwells]

If your hitch height is an odd size you can have a fabrication ship weld the correct spacer to your bar and weld the ball to the spacer. I had that done for my cargo trailer. I have 12" wheels on the trailer and needed a 4+" spacer.

[Abnmarine]

I got a rise hitch. It's solid metal and not hollow. Seems a bit on the heavy side to me. And, it has the hole back much farther. That puts the ball another 5 inches or so behind the bike. That will make the weight of the tongue more pronounced, won't it? Should I cut it off and drill a new hole?

Actually, I tried drilling a second hole, but missed the center by just enough that I will either have a hole to big for a tight fit of the pin, or cause some other issues if I miss a second time. :-( Fortunately, I drilled before cutting, so it will still work in the original position. It is just an ounce lighter now with that extra hole in it. ;)

Jeff,
I think mine is the same type. It also was too long but the guy at Roll A Home cut and drilled it to fit nicely.

[jkane13]

Interesting thought! He's only 20 miles away. ;)

[G wizz]

I got a rise hitch. It's solid metal and not hollow. Seems a bit on the heavy side to me. And, it has the hole back much farther. That puts the ball another 5 inches or so behind the bike. That will make the weight of the tongue more pronounced, won't it? Should I cut it off and drill a new hole?



Actually, I tried drilling a second hole, but missed the center by just enough that I will either have a hole to big for a tight fit of the pin, or cause some other issues if I miss a second time. :-( Fortunately, I drilled before cutting, so it will still work in the original position. It is just an ounce lighter now with that extra hole in it. ;)



If you have a good welding shop nearby (or are a good welder yourself) you can make the recever hitch with square tubing and 3/8 steel flatstock to any height you need.
It's what I did to get the right trailer tongue height.

G wizz

[jkane13]

Funny you say that! ;) My wife's trike did not have a receiver. I bought the tube and had my nephew weld it to some angle iron. Painted and drilled some holes and mounted it. It's too low like it is, but in an emergency, she could pull the trailer if we had to.

I think I will stick with getting the rise hitch instead of messing with the receiver on my bike!

[ImRubicon]

my directions that came with my RollaHome said it should ride a little low at the tounge as it then levels out when you hit the brakes so better handleing when you really need it .
The rear of the bike rises on most bikes a little when hitting the brakes hard I would think

[GoldWingGL]

my directions that came with my RollaHome said it should ride a little low at the tounge as it then levels out when you hit the brakes so better handleing when you really need it .
The rear of the bike rises on most bikes a little when hitting the brakes hard I would think

Not sure what directions you are referring to but the RH rides best when level going down the road. If the Braking issue that you refer to is true, the weight displacement on the Trailer during Heavy Braking would help to keep it level as well as the Bikes rear end down.