 Rufus |
 About Mark |
 Ruby The new kid |
 About Jackie |
 Goldy 1998 - 2008 |
If you have taken a picture of us along the road somewhere I would love to have a copy.
Please sent a copy to trailerdogs@hotmail.com
In the beginning this page was just a page of links and or information concerning the trailer setup that we use to haul Rufus and Goldy. Other riders kept asking me where I got the hitch or the swivel. So the page was a simple way to pass the information on without having to find a pencil and paper to exchange email address. It seemed simple enough to say just go to TrailerDogs.com and all the information is there.
When I built the trailer it never crossed my mind that there would be so much attention directed towards the dogs riding in the trailer. Now, after a few years on the road it seems strange if the dogs don't get their picture taken at least once a day. So often people say they wish they had their camera I felt compelled to expand the page into a site to share some of the pictures that I have taken.
It was Sturgis Bike Week 2006 where I got the bug to have a trailer to haul my gear. It seemed that everywhere I went, someone was pulling a trailer. Some were very nice with carpeted interiors others were home made contraptions, some of which looked like they would fall apart at any moment. After getting home I looked at all the trailer manufacturers, weighing the options and the cost of purchasing a trailer. Then my wife said that I could have the little trailer that she had bought before we met and that I had built stake sides for, early in our relationship. The original trailer was designed and built to haul my stepson's dirt bike.
After purchasing a hitch,
Rufus goes for his first ride.
That first ride around the neighborhood made it quite clear that the trailer was too wide by about 6 or 7 inches. I spent some time taking the trailer apart and trimming about 3.5 inches off each end of the cross members. The axle, I took to a welder who removed the appropriate amount from the middle of it. Then I sanded it down and gave it a decent paint job. I put it all back together with some minor modifications to the license plate mount so that it did not stick out past the fender. Then the first little problem appeared, the lights. The Harley has separate leads to the turn indicators and another lead for the brake lights. After a few hours on the internet I decided on a powered taillight converter so as to keep the bike's wiring separate and safe from overloading. It was time to get some trailer lights hooked up. I opened up the harness and soldered the harness splice to avoid problems in the future while on the road. Time to go for a ride.
Since the trailer is a work in progress there have been some changes and additions. It has chrome rims on it now, which I swapped from my touring trailer (yes, I bought one of those nice trailers with a carpeted interior). Improved the tailgate latch method. Added a 360 degree swivel to the tongue. There is a windshield for Rufus (don't have any pictures yet) and saddle bags are on order.
Who says you can't carry it on a motorcycle ???
After 10,000 miles of towing the above trailer and my other trailer,
all I can say is, it beats driving the truck...
Motorcycle Hitch by Hitch Doc
Trailer is from Harbor Freight
My touring trailer was purchased from Champion Sidecars
Swivel was purchased from
Black Tie Accessories Inc
610 S Lake St
Amherst OH 44001-2002
Phone: 440-988-7233