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Trike and Toad - How?

2chiefsRus
Explorer
Explorer
Just kicking around the idea of getting a trike because DH has always wanted one and I want him to have what he wants. So the question is, if you have a motorhome, AND you are full timers, AND you want to have a toad too AND you don't want to pull an enclosed trailer or give up flat towing, what do you use?

We like what we have don't want to trade our current motorhome so toy haulers are out. We would trade out the Honda Odyssey. Maybe a truck with the Trike in the bed? Would it have to be a full size truck? We have a 10,000 pound hitch on the Knight - would that handle a full size truck and the trike?

I would love to hear suggestions. Thanks for your time.

EDITED TO ADD: Thanks for all the suggestions so far. We are going to rent a trike just to see how we like it before going too far down this road. Probably won't happen until January or so after we get done working for Amazon in Kentucky. Will keep you posted.
Dave & Kathy
2007 Monaco Knight 40PDQ towing 2018 Ford F-150 & 2017 Harley Trike
Fulltime 2007 to 2016, now halftimers
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21 REPLIES 21

timmac
Explorer
Explorer
I know the OPer does not want to use a trailer but after using mine for almost 2 years now I don't find it that bad, never a problem at any of the campgrounds and long pull thru sites are great, it also takes away the wear and tear on flat towing a truck/car.

A enclosed double decker to match your RV can cost well above $35,000, some even cost $70,000 but I had mine custom built for $5000, it gets the job done.



The boat lowers down by winch/pulley system and than the trailer becomes a boat trailer behind the Jeep..

Mile_High
Explorer
Explorer
IAMICHABOD wrote:
mpierce wrote:
Hydralift will work with a trike, and pull the toad.


I saw one of these a while back towing a Honda

Hydra Lift


Looks like it would work, but I don't like the looks of that extended receiver for the 4 door jeep on one of those pics. The extension is supported by the lift, but that isn't where the stress comes from. Side stess would be terrible on that tube.
2013 Winnebago Itasca Meridian 42E
2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara Towed

SoCalDesertRid1
Explorer
Explorer
I don't know that most trikes rear tires would even fit into the back of a pickup bed. The clear tailgate opening width of most pickup beds is only 60".

A long bed 1/2-ton pickup, with the bed removed and a 9' long x 6-1/2' wide flatbed installed in place of the pickup bed could probably haul most trikes. At least there wouldn't be a width issue to contend with. I would probably load the trike backwards on the flatbed, so the bulk of the weight is carried behind the cab, instead of out at the rear most end of the bed.
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SoCalDesertRid1
Explorer
Explorer
That's a very nicely built cart! 🙂
01 International 4800 4x4 CrewCab DT466E Allison MD3060
69Bronco 86Samurai 85ATC250R 89CR500
98Ranger 96Tacoma
20' BigTex flatbed
8' truck camper, 14' Aristocrat TT
73 Kona 17' ski boat & Mercury 1150TB
92F350 CrewCab 4x4 351/C6 285 BFG AT 4.56 & LockRite rear

tatest
Explorer II
Explorer II
How big a trike? Some modern trikes are getting up to 1200-1500 pounds, 6 1/2 feet wide, 10 to 12 feet long. That's pushing what you can fit into a pickup bed or hang on a lift on the rear of the motorhome. They will fit onto a long enough trailer, or a long enough flat-bed or tilt-bed truck.

Even H-D's Tri Glide is over 1200 pounds and almost nine feet long.

You might need to shop the trike to figure out how you might bring it along.
Tom Test
Itasca Spirit 29B

FIRE_UP
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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
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Roadpilot
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Explorer
I've had a Overbilt Lift on the rear of a coach, a Rampage in the back of a truck and a trailer.

The Hydralift with a trike will probably be too much for your coach. A trailer requires more investigation and limits your choices when looking for a campground. A trailer is the best solution if you are going to a small number of known campgrounds in a year. The trike in the truck is the best if you travel to different places a lot and don't need the extra space for stuff.

We had a long trailer that took a car and two Harley's up front (side by side). It also had an extended tongue. It was so long it was very tough to find campgrounds. My wife bought a trike so I had to get a stacker. The bikes go up top and the car down beloe. It doesn't have an extended tongue. It's quite a bit shorter then our single level trailer.

I still prefer loading my Harley in the back of the truck and towing that however.
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JoeH
Explorer III
Explorer III
wildtoad wrote:
Go with the truck with trike in the back. Nice clean setup.


yep-- get a Rampage Lift in the back of the truck and loading/unloading is a breeze. You can find used Rampage lifts on Craigslist for pretty reasonable prices.
Joe
2013 Dutch Star 4338- all electric
Toad is 2015 F-150 with bikes,kayaks and Harley aboard

2chiefsRus
Explorer
Explorer
Twomed wrote:
Single rear axle Knight and Hydralift with that much weight would not be ideal. Truck with an ez-loader would be a safer choice.


Original Poster - We don't have enough rear axle cargo carrying capacity remaining for the trike to be on a hydralift. I did see a really neat winch and ramp system for a pickup on a website while surfing last night after my original post. It was at SportsLift.com if I recall correctly.

Just a dream at this point although we will be doing more research in the coming months. Might be a nice Christmas present for DH. Again thanks for the information.
Dave & Kathy
2007 Monaco Knight 40PDQ towing 2018 Ford F-150 & 2017 Harley Trike
Fulltime 2007 to 2016, now halftimers
Before you give someone a piece of your mind, make sure you can get by with what will be left.
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Tgator1
Explorer
Explorer
The big problem with a trailer is space at the campsite. Most sites do not have space for a large coach and trailer. If there is room, it may have to go beside your coach. How many pull thru sites are 55+ feet long? It's not easy backing a trailer in a small site at a crowded campground! If the Hydra Lift is capable of handling a trike, I'd do that.
Tgator1
2016 Coachmen Mirada 35BH

SoCalDesertRid1
Explorer
Explorer
I would put the Odyssey and trike on a flatbed tandem axle trailer and tow it with the motorhome.
01 International 4800 4x4 CrewCab DT466E Allison MD3060
69Bronco 86Samurai 85ATC250R 89CR500
98Ranger 96Tacoma
20' BigTex flatbed
8' truck camper, 14' Aristocrat TT
73 Kona 17' ski boat & Mercury 1150TB
92F350 CrewCab 4x4 351/C6 285 BFG AT 4.56 & LockRite rear

Kayteg1
Explorer II
Explorer II
I don't understand why so many motorhome owners are against trailers.
They might be cheaper than Hydra-lift, probably easier to deal with on most of occasions and give your precious toys good protection, while requiring minimal maintenance cost.
The only disadvantage is parking them at campground, but having tricycle, you can easy do it.
Repainting tricycle and the toad after few years (due UV exposure) will be more expensive than cost of the trailer.

azdryheat
Explorer
Explorer
If it were me, I'd get an enclosed trailer. It would provide protection from the elements for the trike and toad, it would be much easier than trying to load a trike in a truck bed. As long as you're thinking of a tandem tow, just go with the enclosed trailer. And you get extra storage for other things.
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Twomed
Explorer
Explorer
Single rear axle Knight and Hydralift with that much weight would not be ideal. Truck with an ez-loader would be a safer choice.
Happy Trails 🙂
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