As having new model hogs are in trend, it is quite natural to own more than motorcycles for anyone. But the problem arises when the motorcycles need to be transferred across the country or cross country. As every bike owner is really worried about their gears while transporting and the concern becomes doubled one requires to arrange a trailer according to multiple dimensioned bikes.
Generally, people hire professional transport service to transport multiple motorcycles. The shipper used to settle more than one bike inside one large trailer and the procedure is a bit tricky. In this article, we will focus on a quick breakdown that would be helpful for choosing an accurate sized trailer for transporting three motorcycles.
Usually, to transport a single bike to any short distance, you can hire or buy an open trailer but when you are planning to ship three motorcycles at a time, it is recommended to go for choosing an enclosed trailer. It also ensures your hogs’ security from cosmetic damages in transit. As per size, for multiple smaller bikes and dirt bikes, a 6’×12′ bike trailer is enough, whereas for larger and heavier bikes’ you might require a 7.5’×14′ to 16′ trailer to fit the motorcycle into the trailer without staggering them to each other. There are lots of different trailers designed by different manufacturers that produce customized trailers for three motorcycles to fit inside at a time. You can also ask the retailer to customize your trailer according to your multiple motorcycles’ overall size and shape.
However, whatever the size of a trailer you pick for transporting your three different motorcycles at a time, yet it seems tighter when you tend to settle the bikes inside the trailer at once. This problem can be solved if you arrange the motorcycles in forward and backward facing ways. Such as, stake the middle positioned motorcycle facing forward and the bikes of both the sides facing backward. The motto is to confine the bikes in the smallest possible space, so that they won’t wobble or tremor much in the moving trailer. Moreover, focus on artistic ways of using space in the interior of the trailer rather than thinking over the scientific ways to settle down the bikes for shipping. That doesn’t mean that you can’t make the bikes fit side by side facing the same side, but it will consume more space and moreover you have to leave extra space to avoid hustle-bustle of the bikes with each other.
After settling the bikes inside the trailer, the next task is to secure them properly. If you want to save your hogs from getting physical injuries, you can wrap them with shrink wraps or sponge sheets. But it won’t be applicable if you have chosen an open trailer for shipping your bikes, as the wraps may tear up due to the wind produced by the motion. There are mainly two types of tie downs, such as ratchet straps and cam buckle. Both the tie downs are easy to access and anyone can secure bikes with them by oneself. To secure the bikes from damaging due to unusual bumping on the road, you must tie down the bikes from both front and back sides. Tighten up the tie straps with the trailer bed’s hooks tightly. Additionally, instead of selecting metal tie downs, pick up soft nylon based straps to avoid cosmetic body damages of the bikes.
Cost
There are several types of motorcycle trailers available in the market. The average price might vary between $2900 to $4200. If you are in search of buying a quality and cost effective one, you can go for Tandem axle trailers that also assure smoother rides even if they might contain uneven weights inside.
Additional considerations
- Check for extra heights when you are planning to buy or hire a trailer for hauling multiple motorcycles. It is recommended to look for a trailer that is of an average height of a bit more than 6′.
- There must be at least two lights in the interior portion of the trailer, so that you don’t have to face inconvenience in case of loading at night or early morning.
- Never forget to measure the interior of the trailer while selecting one. Because having an extra garage inside the room is really important for shipping multiple bikes as you might need to store extra equipment that is related to your hogs.
- Do invest in having proper wheel chocks and use couples of quality wheel chocks. Focus on the installation of the chokes according to directions.
- Install ¾” plywood inside the trailer to the bikes’ scraping on the trailer’s walls.