Easylifter warned off!

[jerryz]

I have been looking at easy lifter for my Ducati for my MH for months ,, am actually bidding on 2 at the moment , but 2 of my pals who both have MH and big bikes , say my Adria 680 which is actually 7.26m long with a 1.6m over hang is not suitable for an easy lifter partly due to ground clearance height and the sheer length of overhang , they say it will be very difficult to actually get the easylifter hydraulic ram high enough to get dolly wheels on ,,,Joe has an easylifter and he knows all the issues with them , his van is shorter and more ground clearance and Dave uses trailers for his bike as his van is also low ground clearance like mine and he borrowed Joe's easylifter and it was not a good working solution

now im concerned ,,,

 

[EuroTrotters]

It appears I have the same as the op was looking at, the Hydra Trail.

That’s great.

I wanted to know how it was assembled and reversed

 

[TheTwoOfUs]

They can be towed empty, that's how I collected mine from the manufacturer. However the problems and faffing about loading etc turned me off it and I now have an Armitage side loading one. BTW when we switched to the Dethleffs with a long overhang the jack wouldn't lift, instead it was trying to lift the back of the van. I tried all sorts of ideas to overcome it but it just wasn't having it.

 

[ChrisL]

I now have an Armitage side loading one.

How do you find reversing it?

 

[TheTwoOfUs]

I have a reversing camera and provided you go VERY slowly, keep an eye on it and stop as soon as it gets out of shape it's fine. It's the last bit that matters the most, stop and go forward to straighten it up and start again. The trailer can be moved around by hand even when loaded up which the Hydratrail can't so you can get it ready the night before and connect up when you're ready for the off. Also if you arrive on a site which can't take the length of the van + trailer it's easy just to unhitch and move it to the side. This is especially useful if you are just having an over night stop before moving on the next day. Even if you get into a difficult situation where you can't manoeuvre it you can just uncouple and sort the van out - ie 3 point turn in a narrow road.

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[jerryz]

They can be towed empty, that's how I collected mine from the manufacturer. However the problems and faffing about loading etc turned me off it and I now have an Armitage side loading one. BTW when we switched to the Dethleffs with a long overhang the jack wouldn't lift, instead it was trying to lift the back of the van. I tried all sorts of ideas to overcome it but it just wasn't having it.

yes thats what i found but i have seen nasty videos of empty easylifters flopping aound

 

[jerryz]

I like the armitage one but i would have to upgrade my old Camos reverse camera to a permanent rear view so I can see whats going on when under tow ,, also lookin at a few others ,,

 

[ChrisL]

Here is an interesting transverse trailer with castoring wheels which appears to drive quite nicely, the video shows it with a trike on it but they are built to order so you can have a front wheel clamp instead of the stopper bar shown in the video, the website says sold out but also has a note saying they are not sold out but built to order.

 

[Lenny HB]

1.6m over hang is not suitable for an easy lifter partly due to ground clearance height and the sheer length of overhang

1.6m is a very short overhang, ours is 2m which is quite short, 2.4m is more normal.

 

[TheTwoOfUs]

The Remolque has the advantage of being tow ball mounted with a stabilising strut. The position of the strut and the ball help to minimise any twisting on the chassis which occurs with the Hydralift. The downside is the cost, a few thousand euros I believe.

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[jockaneezer]

I bet there's quite a bit of nose weight on the towball of that remorque as the trike isn't over the wheels ?

 

[jerryz]

Im liking the ERDE
gcsfarms.co.uk/online-shop/ols/products/motorcycle-trailer-with-1m-loading-ramp-300kgs-indespension-trailer

some bike trailers dont have suspension

Does the armitage one have suspension

 

[TheTwoOfUs]

Mine has Indespension type units.

 

[ChrisL]

Im liking the ERDE

Interesting comparison between the Erde and the motolug, the bike on the motolug does not appear to be strapped properly to me though.

 

[Oldrat]

I don't think either of them are strapped properly.

Those rippling straps can happen to either during a lengthy trip causing a hook to flip off.

Relying soley on the hook part of the strap is for me a ‘no no’.

I use threaded carabiners through the eye of the hook and they physically cant come off accidently.

Something like this..
But it depends upon how much you value that cargo

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[ianp]

Im liking the ERDE
gcsfarms.co.uk/online-shop/ols/products/motorcycle-trailer-with-1m-loading-ramp-300kgs-indespension-trailer

some bike trailers dont have suspension

Does the armitage one have suspension

I think all trailers have to have 'suspension' of one kind or another for them to be road legal. On the easylifter the pantograph is offered as the suspension I believe, as the trailer rides up and down.

 

[jockaneezer]

I'm not sure you can categorise the "pantograph" as a suspension item as it doesn't appear to have any springing or damping elements, it appears to be more involved in the "easylift" part of the process ?
A standard ball hitch allows limited up and down movement, but I wouldn't call that a "suspension" system ?
No active/independent suspension for each wheel makes the trailer itself into an old fashioned "beam axle" and must exert some unwanted torsional loads into the joints of the pantograph, if one wheel is subjected to a bump or pothole, unless the pantograph has a swivel attachment to the trailer bed ?
The two wheel Easylifter has developed from the early single wheel unit, but would benefit from an upgrade to independent suspension.
I wonder what our resident trailer/A frame expert thinks of them ?

Just read this all back and it seems like I've got it in for Easylifter, but that's not my intention. I like the idea of it, but just think it needs a bit more development ?
I've built a few conventional trailers myself over the years and have made my own "indespension" style units with rubber cords and as I mentioned earlier, I did look into building a "castoring" style trailer, maybe I should resurrect it as a "winter project" ?

 

[ianp]

I'm not sure you can categorise the "pantograph" as a suspension item as it doesn't appear to have any springing or damping elements, it appears to be more involved in the "easylift" part of the process ?

I would tend to agree with you but if memory serves then I seem to recall a long discussion regarding the legality of some 'trailers' and or 'Chassis extensions' wherein the easylifter was quoted as being in that grey area of being possibly one or the other but common to both was the need to have 'suspension' in order to comply with the 'Construction and Use' rules. The pantograph therein being offered as meeting the 'suspension' requirements. As to if or whether a suspension requires damping or not under those rules, well then that's another story and well beyond my pay grade. Like you I think the easylifter is a great bit of kit and actually have one and know it wouldn't be beyond the whit of man to fit a swinging arm to the castors but is there a need to fix what might not be broken?