Easy-Lifter - Hydra-Trail trailer

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I went to Loughborough this morning to pick up my new trailer, direct from the maker.

Happy to say it was a good experience and a pleasure to meet the company’s owner (it is very much a one man band) at his metal bashing workshop, where he makes all of his lifts and trailers. He gave me a very clear explanation as to how to assemble the trailer correctly, along with details on the most common mistakes people make. That, when disassembled, the whole lot fits in the back of my VW Polo is just a bonus.

http://www.easylifter.co.uk/hydra-trail.htm

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Very different principles.

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The Motor Lug trailer carries the motorcycle lengthways, making the combined towing vehicle plus the trailer’s combined length longer. The Hydra-Trail trailer carries the motorcycle sideways, reducing the combined length considerably. The two trailers also reverse very differently, with the longer trailer much more likely to swing; the Hydra-Trail, due to its very different design, does not swing.

As you can see in this video, unlike a conventional trailer, the Hydra-Trail trailer’s wheel ‘swing’ (like a shopping trolley) so that the trailer will always track the rear of the towing vehicle:

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It can also deal with some pretty steep slopes:

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From a quick look on the internet, both trailers are similar in price. My TowPro trailer (see below) was cheaper but only in as much as I bought it roughly 15 years ago, when it was about £800. A lot of money then and now.

Your Motor Lug is much more similar to my very good TowPro trailer, as used by the AA / RAC etc. This too I can break down and carry in my VW Polo. It will carry heavy motorcycles, right up to my 1600 GT or a fully loaded Goldwing, with all the trimmings, a weight greater than the Hydra-Trail can manage to carry. As far as I can see, the Motor Lug’s maximum weight carrying limit is 350 kg ie. not sufficient to carry my 1600. The Hydra-Trail can mange up to 250 kg. This is less than the Motor Lug but easily sufficient enough for my Himalayan.
 
What I should add is that I also received very good endorsements of the product from two other members of UKGSer, which helped to confirm to me that it was a worthwhile purchase. My thanks to them both.
 
unlike a conventional trailer, the Hydra-Trail trailer’s wheel ‘swing’ (like a shopping trolley) so that the trailer will always track the rear of the towing vehicle

I likes that, very clever :thumb
Maybe i could have had a trailer behind the van
Thanks for the video Richard
 
Having owned one for a while, I’m very pleased with ours, can’t assemble it as quick as the video, but it doesn’t take long. As Richard has stated, it’s very short and reversing is much simpler. On the long run down to the Lizard it was no trouble at all.
 
I likes that, very clever :thumb
Maybe i could have had a trailer behind the van
Thanks for the video Richard

For bikes and / or scooters under 200 kg then the same manufacturer also offers two different carriers, both without wheels, which can be mounted on a tow bar. My Himalayan might have been just light enough but it was very marginal. The advantage of the trailer with wheels is, of course, that roughly 85% of the weight of the combined trailer and bike is carried by the trailer’s wheels, not by the towing vehicle.

One possible advantage of the un-wheeled option is that the ferry companies (and possibly the Chunnel) treat the set-up as a bike rack, not a trailer. This can reduce costs.
 
Having owned one for a while, I’m very pleased with ours, can’t assemble it as quick as the video, but it doesn’t take long. As Richard has stated, it’s very short and reversing is much simpler. On the long run down to the Lizard it was no trouble at all.

Indeed, it was your very helpful assistance that pointed me towards getting one.

Thanks again.
 
Sadly, the TowPro website has been down for several months. I hope that the very helpful owner (Richard) hasn’t gone out of business.
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One possible advantage of the un-wheeled option is that the ferry companies (and possibly the Chunnel) treat the set-up as a bike rack, not a trailer. This can reduce costs.

Other advantages of the un-wheeled option are that you are not stuck with the towing speed limit of 60mph and you can also use the outside lane of 3 lane motorways.

tom
 
I’ve used one for years, must have towed it for thousands of miles, no issues at all.
:beerjug:
 
That is a very fine motorcycle on that trailer.

Indeed and as fine as its current owner.

Other advantages of the un-wheeled option are that you are not stuck with the towing speed limit of 60mph and you can also use the outside lane of 3 lane motorways.

tom

Aren’t they, like all other limits, purely advisory and open to personal interpretation as to what is appropriate?
 
I went back to Loughborough today, catching up with Tony who builds the trailers.

The Hydratrail trailer mounts onto the towing vehicle via a dedicated square mounting point. This requires the removal of the conventional ball hitch. This is fine, except that to then tow a conventional trailer or mount a bicycle rack, you then have to unbolt the Hrydratrail towing mount and bolt on the conventional ball hitch on again.

I asked Tony if he offered a tidy / easy adaptor, to save the bolting and unbolting process. The good news is that he does.

To use it, you bolt the normal ball hitch to the adaptor. The adaptor then slides into the square mounting point. It is then secured with a padlock, through the drilled holes.

A top bit of kit and highly recommended.

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so long as he is using the standard square trailer hitch mount, you can buy the tow ball attachments all over the place any decent trailer shop should have them, amazon or direct from any number of shops on the internet
 
so long as he is using the standard square trailer hitch mount, you can buy the tow ball attachments all over the place any decent trailer shop should have them, amazon or direct from any number of shops on the internet

I did go looking for those before calling Tony.

Those that I found seemed to be purposed to be used with horizontally orientated square mounts, whilst the Hydralift’s square mount is orientated vertically.

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It’s very likely I looked for the wrong thing or used the wrong words in my Google search. Do you have an easy link to a vertically orientated hitch please, as it will maybe save others contacting Tony directly. Thanks.

PS I was staying in Stratford-upon-Avon for a couple of days, meaning it was just a short (one hour) run up to Loughborough to pick one up.

:beerjug:
 


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