2ChiefsRus,
Speaking from experience in hauling and towing in various arrangements, I have really great thoughts and praise for each operation. When we started out in retirement, I carried our Honda Golding in an enclosed trailer which, kept things ultra neat, clean AND SAFE when we were not around the campsite. But, as you well know, the small enclosed trailer for the bike only, does not allow for the carrying of a toad too, unless it's a much larger one.
So, we opted for the Hydralift. I did the install and, while a bit technical, it was fun to the challenge of it. Anyway, the Hydralift by far, is the best lift on the market. And, according to their website, they can haul the weight of a trike. But, it's not the lift capacity that you're worried or, have to think about. It's the carrying capacity of the rear of the coach. We did it with a single rear axle, 36' Itasca Horizon with the 330HP CAT engine.
It worked absolutely flawless. I loved that lift. And, it allowed for us to tow our '04 Jeep Rubicon too. But, I ended up overweight which, I knew I was going to be when I started the project. I coped with it and, it worked for well over 8,000 miles.
But things changed and we changed our "MO" as the cops say. We decided to purchase a full sized truck. It's an '11 GMC Sierra 1500 Extended Cab 4x4.
And, in the bed, I installed a Rampage lift. That truck and the lift now carries the Wing. And, if and when it's needed to run the truck around for some quick errands etc., the bike can remain in the back of the truck easily. There's no real issues in handling or safety etc. by having it in there while driving the truck. It's designed to have that kind of weight in it.
And, I designed the system so that, when the Rampage is not needed, it can and is, removed from the truck, in approximately 1-2 minutes. I designed and built a cart, that is the same height as the bed of the truck. So, when we arrive home, the bike is unloaded and, the cart is rolled up to the back of the truck.
The bolts that hold that lift in are removed rather quickly. Then, the winch is unplugged and, I slide the lift out about 1/2 way. Then, I lift it up a tad and, the wife rolls the cart right into place. I lower the lift onto the cart and, roll it away for storage. The truck is now a truck again to be used for whatever.
And, towing a full sized truck for about 99.9999% of the diesel pushers out there is easy. Our truck tips the scales at 5,300 lbs. It's no big deal. I use the Blue Ox Aventa II, 10,000 lb. capacity tow bar and, I also use the best braking system on the planet for this application, the M & G Braking system. There is NOTHING on the inside of the truck for application of the brake pedal. Only a short air line is connected from the coach to the truck, DONE!
Scott
P.S. The Rampage lift can easily be configured for Trike application.
Scott and Karla SDFD RETIRED2004 Itasca Horizon, 36GD Slate Blue 330 CAT
2011 GMC Sierra 1500 Ext Cab 4x4 Toad
2008 Caliente Red LVL II GL 1800 Goldwing KI60ND