I experienced the same problems as everyone else has mentioned here with tie-downs, especially the part of keeping up with them. So, in an effort to reduce the amount I have to keep up with, I started using chains and a binder. I looped a 2' piece of chain through the frame of my ATV just above the front skidplate and joined it with a connector. I then bolted a 1.5' piece of chain to the tongue of my trailer. To tie my ATV, I just connect the chain on the ATV to the chain on the trailer with a binder and then close the binder to pull it very tightly against the floor and the top rail on my trailer. Both chains are permanently attached - one to the trailer and one to the ATV - leaving only a binder for me to keep up with. The one on the ATV also serves as an attachment point for pulling. This method takes very minimal time to fasten my quad and is much more secure than nylon tie-downs.

 

as for lights, i always put one on the fender. either facing foward or on top, that way people can see it and its alot easier to backup at night, you can always tell where the fender is. for tie downs, did you ever see the bike clamp? they make one for quads now, home depot has all the metal you need, a couple of bends and there it is. i just got an enclosed trailer, got lots of plans for it. oh yea, if you have a v-tongue, you can make a nice box in the tongue to store stuff. i blew a tire on my triler once, quad tire fit so i could get to a service station

 

I think I may throw my two shiney cents in as well seeing as how I have a degree( one of several) in trailer fabrication. I make alot of trailers and sell them to local farmers and ranchers. I had one a while back (6X10) but sold it for way more then it was worth. So I am currently building another one(5X12) primairily for atv use. I really don't use trailers to haul my bikes around any more. I have an '85 chevy one ton cube van with an 8x14 enclosed box(7' tall) with two REBEL (not confederate) flags painted on each side. I can fit four bikes, plus gear all in the rear, and then pull a couple hundred gallon fuel trailer to the Little Sahara dune park and stay a good week( when I have time) Also with the enclosed box, I can lock them in there at night, and not worry(as much) about some punk stealing them. I have several other pickups but seldom use them for hauling my bikes because they sit up too high my four byes are flat beds and they have 33's on them with a four inch lift( not a monster truck, but it gets the job done, also I can run duals with 33x10.5x16 super swampers) I also have a couple of 3/4 ton two wheel drives, but one has a utility box and the other has a flat bed on it, but also has a welder in back. I also have a total of seven, yes seven 2 to 2 1/2 ton dumptrucks and flat beds also used for hauling. If all of these trucks seem impossible to have, trust me I own them. When you have over 2500 acres of farm land, a welding business, a hauling business, a backhoe business, a diesel mechanic business(trying to get out of), and a custom farming and trailer fabrication business.......well you do the math. I'm terribly sorry for rambling on and on about things off of the subject, I tend to do that sometimes. So if you need any specific questions answered let me know.

350XX, 250R, 200XX, 450S

 

well heck my lil hauler seems kinda dull compared to all that. my uncle had horses about 10 years ago and when he got rid of them he parked the horse trailer and didnt touch it. well when i turned 16 i took that trailer back to my house, chopped off the roof and sides, and had my neighbor weld railings on the sides. im still working on it but it fits two quads nicely with room for some of my gear. im currently looking for a street legal rail buggy with a trailer hitch to haul my trailer and quads to my riding area. this way i can drive the buggy but still have my quad. by the way i know noone really cares but im still 16


tony
'97 banshee

[This message has been edited by tony (edited 08-11-1999).]