Trailer Shopping

Monday - I went trailer shopping this morning after the early test session. Home Depot and Lowe's both have 5'x10' trailers in stock. This is the Lowe's version. It is made from galvanized steel with a steel deck, torsion suspension, steel fenders, and 13" wheels. The inside width is exactly 60" so the Ural will barely fit between the fixed sides. 

The Home Depot version is steel tubes, a wooden deck, leaf spring suspension, plastic fenders, and 14" wheels. Both are similar in weight and price. The inside width is 58½" but the sides fold down for loading.

With either trailer, the ramps look barely adequate to support the weight of the Ural and will probably need to be reinforced. The Lowe's version has tie-down points built into the deck but the open sides of the HD version make tie-down simple enough.

Monday evening was the monthly get-together of the BMW Airheads. One of the vehicles was a newly restored 1958 BMW Isetta 300. It was only its second time out on the road and it looked fabulous. 

He also brought a Citroën 2CV, also nicely restored. There were about a dozen bikes not all of which were Airheads or even BMWs. After all, the Ural was there. 

Tuesday - I finally made a decision on a trailer. This is the one from Lowe's and is 1½" wider than the HD trailer. When I picked it up, it looked like the electrical connector was a little damaged. Fortunately, I had the magnetic lights with me, so getting home was no problem. Now to see if my measurements were even close.

Wednesday - The Ural does fit on the trailer but it’s a pretty tight fit. I have two 2”x10” planks for the tires to sit on. Plus, I needed another 3” of boards of height for the front tire near the gate for the left cylinder to clear the side. Today, I finished the licensing and title and got a permanent tag. 

I need to bolt the planks to the trailer deck so they don’t move while loading the bike. And I think I know how to make the other planks temporary as I only need them for the front tire.