Easy Pull Open Motorcycle Trailer

I purchased the trailer directly from the manufacturer, The USA Trailer Store, in November 2018. I was under the impression the trailer was manufactured in the USA. It is not. It is made in China and as such the quality is substandard.After using the trailer three times since May 2019, there are manufacturing defects that could have been catastrophic. Fortunately, these defects were identified prior to any major accident occurring.After the first time using the MT3 to haul two motorcycles on a 3 hour trip, the left light (as you look at trailer from the back) was non-operational. Upon inspection of the light, it was determined that the wires connecting the light fixture to the trailer wires were secured with nothing but wire nuts. Very inefficient as the wires became disconnected.The wire nuts were replaced with weather tight wire plugs ensuring the wires would remain connected and not come loose or create a short circuit in the entire wiring system. Attached are pictures of the faulty light wiring and its fix.The third time using the MT3 to haul two motorcycles was a very short 1 hour trip. When unloading the bikes, it was discovered that the outside rail (on the right as you look at the trailer from the back) was bent and no longer secured to the trailer. The nut/bolt had pulled through the deck bracket of the trailer.Attached are pictures of the bent rail and the nut/bolt that pulled through the bracket of the trailer. This issue has obviously rendered the trailer useless for hauling two bikes. The outside rail is no longer useful.Frankly, the quality has been subpar. After using the trailer three times, it is now useless for hauling two bikes. Fortunately, neither of these defects caused a significant accident, especially if the bike had fallen off the trailer while traveling down the highway.On 1 July 2019, the same date as this review, I have contacted The USA Trailer Store seeking remedy. I am awaiting their response. If possible, I will update this post with the manufactures response.Update #1 - (7 July 2019)After several emails with The USA Trailer Store, they responded on 2 July 2019 with the following: "Our technicians have reviewed your email and pictures. Your trailer was wired the same way we have wired these trailers for 10 plus years. Wire nuts are commonly used in the wiring of trailers, boats and even in the electrical of a residence. They are not unsafe to use. In reference to the rail, nuts and bolts don’t just pop off without stresses being applied. If a motorcycle is aligned properly when loading or tied down properly then the nut or bolt won’t pop off. These are certainly not manufacturing defects of the trailer."The manufacture did offer to send out a new rail, I assume at no charge. When it arrives I will replace the bent rail with the new one.I am getting ready to embark on a 1500 mile round trip hauling two bikes with the trailer. One of the manufactures recommendations is "After the first 1000 miles, check and repack the bearings. Then, repeat the process every 2000 miles thereafter." (owners manual, page 6)I tried using a 4-way lug wrench. The size that fits (13/16) did not fit over the lug nut. There is not enough space between the lug nut and the rim. I had to use a 13/16 socket with a breaker bar. It worked. I am glad I tried this prior to the trip instead of finding out the lug wrench would not work. I will make sure I carry the proper tool in my truck each time I use the trailer, just in case I have to repair the tire. After the upcoming trip, I will update this post.Update #2 - (21 July 2019)The USA Trailer Store sent a replacement rail at no charge. However, it was the center rail, not the outside rail. Both outside rails have a rubber stop where the back part of the trailer sits when folded. No biggie. I drilled a hole in the new rail and replaced the rubber stop.I towed two motorcycles (Honda Shadow 750 & Honda Rebel 250) to Prince Edward Island, Canada. Round trip was approximately 1,400 miles. Prior to the trip I replaced all the bolts and washers on the rails (6 per rail; 18 total) for under $15 dollars. (see pics)You can see in one picture the difference between the original bolt and washer versus the one that was used to replace it. In the other photo, you can see the installed bolt and how it fits over the slot in the trailer. The larger washer (1-1/4 inch) will ensure the washer will not pull through.Towing the bikes was uneventful. There was no issue with the rails or bolts pulling through the trailer deck. The trailer tracked very well behind the truck. There was no swaying. I did repack the bearings per the manual. I will repack them again now that I have towed the 1,400 miles as that is approaching the 2,000 mile repack as suggested by the manufacture.Overall, the trailer, with the modifications I have made, did the job. I will be doing one more update to the trailer. When I tow two bikes, I use 6 tie downs per bike (3 each side). This means that there are multiple tie down hooks attached to just two D-rings in the center of the trailer. If either of those D-rings should fail, you lose a majority of your tie downs. I will be installing anywhere from 2 to 4 additional D-rings in the front of the trailer, just in front of center rail. This will allow for multiple tie down points.If I could do it over again, I would spend the extra money and purchase a Kendon motorcycle trailer.If there are any other issues, I will certainly make updates to this post.Update #3 (13 July 2020)I have used this trailer several more times towing just my bike and sometimes my bike and a second bike (as recently as this week on a two hour trip - one way). As you can see from the photos, I added a trailer jack stand with a wheel. Of course the tongue of the trailer was not suitable to mount the trailer jack stand. So, I mounted the trailer jack off to the side. I drilled two holes in the pipe and then added two braces that I manufactured out of steel (see picture). The metal braces add strength to the trailer jack.In a previous post I mentioned only two center D-rings. If you are hauling multiple bikes, all your tie down points are on these two center D-rings. Failure of the D-rings means trouble for you and your bikes. I added two eye bolts to the front of the trailer on either side of the center chock rail. This allows me to have multiple center tie down points when hauling two bikes. Failure of any one tie down point will have minimum impact as I only put a single strap (3 straps on each side of bike) for each bike to each tie down point. Basically, there are four center tie down points that I can use with six straps (3 on each side of two bikes). This adds a sense of security knowing if one tie down point fails, the bikes will remain in place.I will reiterate that if I could do this over again, I would purchase a trailer from a different manufacturer.

I have put about 450 miles on this trailer with about 200 miles of that mileage with a single 2002 Harley Davidson FLSTC onboard. In that interval, the right wheel bearing dust cap and the left trailer light have fallen off. I attribute these events to sloppy attention to detail when attaching these items so if you purchase this trailer, make sure that these items are connected tightly. For some reason, the manufacturer did not use locking washers or nuts with the tail lights so the nuts vibrated loose pretty quickly. The right tail light was hanging on by a single loose nut when I caught it in time. My other complaint with this trailer is that the loading ramp is a little too narrow to my liking but otherwise works well with a little practice. The trailer tracks well with a single Harley onboard. I did notice a slight natural frequency vibration at 60 mph on some road surfaces but no vibration below and above that speed. I have not tried two motorcycles yet. The trailer folds and stores easily. Overall, I recommend this trailer. Just be sure to tighten everything including the lug nuts before using.Addendum: After emailing the manufacturer, they sent me a new pair of wheel bearing dust covers free of charge. Since my original review, I have put an additional 50 miles or so on the trailer with a motorcycle on board. I noticed that the trailer lights were working sporatically. While trouble shooting the problem, I found that there is very limited clearance between the trailer fenders and the tires. The trailer light wiring is routed under the fenders before passing through holes in the top of the fenders to reach the trailer lights. On both sides, the trailer lighting wires had been rubbing on the tires. The tires had worn through the wiring isulation and most of the copper on several wires. I repaired the wiring harness and rerouted all the wiring to the top of the fender. It looks fine and the trailer lights now work perfectly. I still recommend the trailer but take an hour after delivery and reroute the wiring harness.Addendum #2 (written 10-13-12) I just recently completed a 1600 mile round trip from southwest Ohio to Killington, Vermont with this motorcycle trailer. It carried a single 2010 Harley Davidson FLSTC on this trip. The trailer performed flawlessly for the entire trip through both sun, wind and heavy rain. It tracked well and I noticed no vibration. I had no additional problems with the trailer lights (see Addendum #1). With this extra load, the highway gas mileage at 65mph with my 2011 Mazda CX-9 with all wheel drive dropped from the usual 23 mpg to 18mpg which I thought was pretty good.

I have put over 100, 000 miles with my trailer hauling motorcycles all over the country. This was my business and I used this trailer because of the quality. You can see me hauling 100s of motorcycles with this trailer if you google prius trucker or green technology transport. This trailer is so efficient and low rolling resistants, that I hauled all motorcycles with a prius and averaged excellent mpg. I give it 5 stars for the price and how easy it was to upkeep. Out of the 100, 000 miles I put one set of new tires on it, one set of bearings and led tail lights because I got tired of bulbs blowing. Excellent product.

The good points of this trailer are price, ease of use, and folding up to take less storage space. The downside is that after moderate use it falls apart, literally. Bought this trailer 18 months ago and have been to Pennsylvania, Maine, Georgia, and Florida with it......about 6000 miles total. The first trip I noticed wheel bearing grease all over the inside of each wheel. Stopped at a garage to have the bearings looked at and found that the dealer had used too light weight of grease. The mechanic used the proper weight of grease and problem solved. On this last trip the passenger side fender fell off while we were in traffic. The two flanges holding the fender to the housing had metal fatique and broke apart. The good news is no one ran over the fender before I could stop and pick it up. When we got home I took a look and the driver side fender and found a 3"crack running across the top of it. Also, there are 3 bolts holding the fender housing to the frame, one of those bolts is missing. Overall, the lack of quality in this trailer is a safety issue, especially for any long trips.