Opinion on box truck vs truck/trailer

[Iron Maiden]

Bill and I were thinking (again) about purchasing something to trailer our bikes. We really don't want to have a separate truck and trailer setup so we were thinking about buying a used box truck. It is 8x16 with a ramp and of course we would need to purchase or fabricate some ramps for the trike and add tie down points. It would also be used for other things where a truck is needed as well.

Can anyone think of a reason not to do this?

[2crzy]

Well its a good idea, but make sure you get a power tailgate to lift your bikes up. The ramp will have to be quite long to load a bike on the truck. The angle to enter the truck will bottom out the bike or trike your loading. I tried this before and turned into a Shit Show to say the least. Not a Safe way to load expensive bikes.
Fuel mileage is another issue with these trucks. A nice custom built trailer for your needs would probably be better in the long run and you could pull it with a regular pickup truck. A small fifth wheel trailer with a bed up front and a bathroom/ shower on the bottom with your bikes is the ticket. You can stay anywhere with your bikes being safe in side with you.
Just saying!!!

[tjy]

But again a toyhauler/camper has a pretty steep ramp for a v8chopper trike. The best way we found,We have been trailering A lot of years, is a trailer like our 18' lark tamden axle trailer with ramp. We also have a 26' featherlite stacker triple axle with elevator. Hauls both the trikes and the mini Cooper. Pulled by our 43' tiffon motorhome. Feel free to stop by and I show them to you.

[CanuckHoss]

Your biggest issue would be the ramping for both the bike and the trike so that you did not bottom out. Almost impossible with your trike being so low unless the ramp is really long. We load a lot of bike year round into a lot of different vehicles for people and have seen almost everything.

If you got a truck with a tailgate lift then you could have someone fabricate a longer addition to the tail gate so that the trike could be driven on to the tailgate...lifted level and then driven in.

A trailer is the easiest...one that has a ramp door and beaver tail ...meaning the back portion of the trailer...6 feet or so angles down so there should be no bottoming out of the bike or trike. There are lots to choose from..custom not necessary in my opinion.. Used one are fairly cheap.

As far as trailer sizes it is no harder to pull a 24 foot than a 16 or 20 foot really...most of it is wind resistance.

Instead of buying a truck to pull the trailer...rent one for the times you want to go to events with the trailer load...food for thought.

[Gila]

I so agree with everyone here ,,, When I rode back to Kelowna BC Canada from the Paris rally I hit shit weather (Snow and high winds) in northern Washington ,,, pulled over and rented the smallest U-Haul with ramp ,,, still had to find a ramp to use the attached ramp so I wouldn't bottom out ,,, then I got like 10 MPG ,,, trailer with a half ton is my suggestion ,,, but keep it low ,,, Barry is totally right by saying the wind resistance is the efficiency problem with either way ,,, Mike

[randy burkey]

I pull a haulmark low hauler designed for bikes,,7" x 12'..I get my Boss hoss and Dawns street glide in (barely!)..pulls real nice but would like more room,,Ron Redulski hauls his boss trike in a 1 ton box truck..Real nice set up, But added blocks and ramps to interior to keep from bottoming out makes truck pretty much 1 dimensional ....But it seems to work for him.

[502wingman]

I would prefer a trailer. Less cost and maintenance.

Sue, you have seen my trailer: the smaller the wheels, the smaller the problems with the ramp.

I also prefer trailers with the back door beeing used as the ramp. Nice and wide enough to keep the feet down when loading the bike.

[petitemoose]

My opinion is that trailers are easier and more convenient. I have all types and can tell you that the enclosed trailers will take your fuel Mileage down to 10 easily. With either of my enclosed trailers, I get 9 at highway speeds. 10 - almost 11 back-roads where I rarely exceed 60 mph. Open trailers do not seem to make too big of a difference until loaded and then its a drop of maybe 2mpg.

I can see where a box truck would work for you guys because you would only be purchasing one vehicle. The Viper will not haul a trailer very well and your boss is gonna wonder why there is a hitch on the Focus

The problem with a used box truck is that the low deck height trucks are usually not sold until they hit over 150k miles. They sell them then because they know they are about to start breaking down and get expensive to maintain. Buying a new one I bet will be rather expensive.

The Box truck is going to get 10 mpg unloaded and probably 9 loaded. The biggest hurdle will be having a custom ramp made that can be assembled, disassembled and stored with relative ease. a Ramp strong enough to handle 1500 lbs easily that can be broken down and stored conveniently will not be cheap.

For a little outside the box thinking ... Ever thought of looking at the Trucks designed for lawn mowing businesses? They are dove tailed in the back and already have ramps for riding the lawn mowers up into them. I have seen both types, enclosed and expanded metal sides. The cabs are available in 2 seater, extended cab and 4 door configurations. Perhaps its an option for you?

In case you haven't seen the trucks I am referring to ...

http://www.commercialtrucktrader.com/Is ... C764866627

[CanuckHoss]

Susan...this is pretty much my trailer...8 X 24...shorter would too...click on the red trailer for a look at what a beavertail is...also the door is a ramp door that folds down and used as a ramp...easy peasy getting both into it

http://www.haulmark.com/bumper-pull_car ... rt-85wide/

This is NOT just one company that makes them..a good one...there has to be good used ones cheap fairly close...

[3FOR2]

Good discussion. I've gone round and round on this myself.

If money is no object, how about one of these?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwAIxFV6A9g

http://dallassmithcorp.com/products/chassis/

Or

Something different to pull a trailer might be a Volkswagen Touareg - towing capacity of 7,700 + luxury amenities, ride, fuel mileage?
http://www.edmunds.com/volkswagen/touar ... el/review/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAp4U4UqJkw

[Ron Radulski]

I have a 2008 Chevy Express Duramax Diesel 16 foot dually box truck. Like Randy said I haul a Boss Hoss Sierra Truck Trike in it. It's no ordinary box truck. This box was made by Supreme Body. It's the Vanscaper model, which means on this particular unit the box is flat on the first 12 feet, then the remaining 4 feet is beavertailed. In other words, the last 4 feet are on approximately a 45 degree angle. The width is 8 foot wide. The spring-assisted expanded metal ramp that is stowed away very neatly on the back end is also 8 foot wide and 6 foot long, making the total ramp length 10 feet long. There were 2 other things I had to do to make this work. 1st: Buy aluminum ramps for a pick-up truck from Tractor Supply and place them on the Truck ramp so I could clear the tailpipes on the trike. 2nd: Double up 2x12's and incorporate the exact same angle on the doubled up 2x12's and bolt them to the truck's floor. This provides clearance so that the header flange won't hit at the angle on the floor. This is NOT a 1 dimensional box truck. I helped our Son move with it, camped in it, hauled building supplies in it, and took a big area rug to have it cleaned, just to name a few. I never needed to unbolt the doubled up 2"x12"x approx. 4 foot long ramp from the floor to achieve any of the above. I've trailered before, and I hated it! This set up is AWESOME!

[2crzy]

I wasn't talking about a big fifth wheel toy hauler I was talking about a motorcycle trailer with a bed and a bathroom in it. It looks just like a regular motorcycle trailer with a rear ramp door but there is room up front for a bathroom. The fifth wheel model is the best to pull and can be a lot shorter and using the neck part for a bedroom and a bathroom on the bottom with your bikes behind that. The bottom of the trailer would only be 20' long, that would give you lots of room for your toys and bathroom. Eliminates buying hotel rooms and that way you can park where your party is and don't have to travel to hotels/motels far away from events. All you need is a bed and a Bath when you travel. Just look on line for motorcycle trailers with living quarters. Here is one link and you can customize how you want it inside.
www.aluminumtrailer.com/LQ.php

[Swiss V8]

As I have no trailer nor a Van or truck to haul the bikes, I might not be a good judge. But here are my thoughts:

In Europe you find a lot of vans with a foldable ramp or even with an electric ramp. With a strong motor they go as fast as 150km/h that's about 95miles/h!
If you add air suspention you can lower the backend to prevent bottoming out the trike while loading/unloading...
Friends of mine have a long Mercedes Van with an electric ramp as backdoor and haul their '32 Coupe and a BB bike in there.

[Ron Radulski]

Iron Maiden, your idea is excellent! I did it over 2 years ago. It's the best thing I ever did! I'm from Michigan, but if you guys want to check mine out, I'll be visiting some friends in DeBary during Daytona Bike Week this March. My truck was a rare find! I pounded my computer keys 3 Winters ago for about 2 months before coming across this one in Dayton, Ohio. It's true, a gas version of my truck will get you 9-10 mpg. Most gas box trucks have a 4:10 or 4:11 rear axle ratio. My Duramax Diesel has a 3:73 rear axle ratio. My best mpg so far has been 15.5 mpg! You can give me more contact info if you're interested in looking at mine. Also, go on Supreme Bodies web site and look up The Vanscaper model, made for golf carts, riding lawn mowers, And Ron's Boss Hoss Trike!

[Iron Maiden]

Wow some great ideas and some costly ones!!! We are trying to keep cost down and be able to fit both a boss and a chopper trike.

Triker I would love to see some pics and a approx cost if you don't mind. I just saw your post and would love to meet up in Daytona.

Thanks for everyone's comments/opinions/ideas- keep'em coming!

[petitemoose]

On one of the links, I saw some trucks that were under $20K You would have that in a decent truck and trailer easily! If you had a truck I would tell you to come get my 20' trailer. I would let you guys have it cheap. I don't really need 5 trailers ... or is it 6 now?

[Ron Radulski]

Susan, You really need to go on Supreme Bodies web site and look at the "Vanscaper" model. This is the one I have. Mine is a 16 foot box. They come in different lengths. Mine is a perfect fit for a Boss Hoss Sierra truck trike. For a Chopper trike and a BH bike, you might need something longer, it all depends on the width of your trike and bike if they would fit staggered in my unit. As far as cost goes, back in 2013 when I bought my used 2008, a brand new one with the diesel option cost around $52,000.

[Iron Maiden]

Thanks Triker and everyone else for your responses. We have some research to do and Petite, that just might be our best option to take one of your trailers off your hands for "cheap".

[Ron Radulski]

Bill and Susan, I just did some research, Supreme Body no longer make the Van Scaper model box anymore. I'm still in for DeBary this early March for you guys to look at it if You'd like. IMO, used is the only way to go. Mine only had 56,000 miles on it when I found it. Google: Supreme Van Scaper body-Truck skin | Advertise BIG.. Use.. You'll see a pic of my body. Good Luck!

[Ronald]

I know it sounds weird, but I have used it a couple of times and it is the best solution, a Tow Truck, think about it, moving ramp, no problem bottom up, less effort loading, depending size you have plenty of room, still one vehicle and when not in use you can always rent it to someone!! or set a side business for some extra cash

[Ron Radulski]

Ronald, in all due respect, what you are saying is true. The only thing that is wrong with that idea is hauling it to Daytona Beach for Bike Week in March with a tow truck that is NOT enclosed coming from Michigan (or any other State that has snow) when at that time of year it can still be snowing, which means possible salty road conditions, which creates rust on all of your chrome, probably worse than living by the misty salt water ocean. With my box truck I can rent it out or set up a side business also, without the worry when I'm hauling my trike in the Winter time to Florida or any other warm climate State about it getting trashed from the salt or rain. IMO this is the best solution!

[petitemoose]

Truth be said, The EASIEST solution would be to sell both bikes and buy a Mini. If you want to go somewhere, simply drive it. If you don't want to drive it ... have 4 guys pick it up and put it in the back of a pickup.

[Swiss V8]

Truth be said, The EASIEST solution would be to sell both bikes and buy a Mini. If you want to go somewhere, simply drive it. If you don't want to drive it ... have 4 guys pick it up and put it in the back of a pickup.

[V8Bikers]

Dennis,
out of all the suggestions, I have to say yours is the best solution but only if they come with it.

phpBB [video]

phpBB [video]

[GordonBH]

Now that's the best Mini Accessory ever!!!!!