Trailer suggestions

I'm in a jam as to what strategy to follow to address my needs for being able to move my motorcycles (which don't run). I have a 96 Suzuki Sidekick sport. Barely enough power to pull itself forward, in general.

Alternative #1 Uhaul wants $380 to install a hitch. I would then buy a cheap motorcycle trailer to move the bikes, or rent one from Uhaul.

Alternative #2 Rent a Uhaul truck when I want to move the bikes and pay through the nose on mileage.

Alternative #3 Start looking for a cheap beater pickup

I'm leaning to #1 as I doubt I'll be doing a LOT of trailering, but the Sidekick is such an unsuitable vehicle for towing I'm seriously uncertain if I'm buying into transmission failure in the future.

Suggestions?

Not sure of the size of your bikes relative to the Sidekick, but what about one of those hitch-mount bike carriers? It would be less weight & less rolling resistance than a trailer & I would guess cost the same, or less than a cheap trailer.

Here's a hitch for $100, they say it takes 40 mins to install.

http://www.etrailer.com/hitch-1996_Suzuki_Sidekick.htm

Your Sidekick has a 1500 lb towing capacity. A small bike trailer should only weigh a couple hundred pounds. How much do your bikes weigh?

Alternative #4: Offer a friend with a pickup $50 per day to borrow his truck when you need it. MUCH cheaper than renting, or buying a beater truck.

I wouldn't do a hitch-mount bike carrier if it means both wheels off the ground. WAY too heavy.

Alternative #5: How about building a rig built to tow the bike with 1 wheel on the ground? Minimal weight, maximum ease.

Hitch:

Amazon, e-bay, walmart, etc. They all carry good hitches for a whole lot less money than U-haul wants.

Trailer:

Harborfreight, Walmart, etc. A cheap 4x8 trailer will carry a number of motorcycles quite well, or just one. Very usefull for many other projects in the future. Mine for example regularly gets used as the flat building platform for many home construction projects.

Actually u-haul is usually pretty competative on pricing if you buy the hitch from them and install it yourself. Of that $380, $200+ is labor. I've also used etrailer.com twice now and had great luck. Paying someone else to turn 4-6 bolts for you is not the GRM way.

Craigslist and e-bay if you're not in a hurry on the trailer and are OK with a fixer-upper, HF or Northern for a $250 bolt-together 4x8 if you're in a hurry (and weld it before you put the wood on to keep the cheap bolts from coming loose).

stroker wrote: I'm in a jam as to what strategy to follow to address my needs for being able to move my motorcycles (which don't run). Suggestions?

How many bikes and what size? Is it a dead Goldwing or a few dirt bikes? Is this a one-time move because you're relocating or are you carting dead bikes around the country?

If it were me, I would look at a van. Tuck the bikes and parts in the back of the van and get a flat tow hitch for the Zuke. Sell the van when you get settled.

Dan

Hitches are easy to install - I did the wife's Nissan Quest - not bad at all. Only really need a socket wrench and maybe a couple screw drivers when doing the wiring.