easy hyra trail (1 Viewer)

[PAT N PAUL]

Been to pick up a new easy hydra trail today, very well made and a professional set up, we were given a full demonstration on how to put it all together.
Its nice to see a one man set up who takes pride in his work, highly recommended.
landyman

 

[peter]

Good trailer, but very pricey. Got rid of mine as it seemed a bit unstable for me to feel comfortable with carrying my 200Kgs plus Triumph Bonneville on it. Fine for a smaller bike. Been all over Europe with my Yamaha 125, but the Triumph, no chance.

 

[MikeD]

I like mine, been round Spain/Portugal twice and not had any problems with it (Vespa 300 GTS 165kg). Probably around 8k miles total.

A friend broke his with a heavier bike on the broken pot holed tarmac strips we call roads.

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[Adrian1]

Used mine v strom 650 france and spain great

 

[StitchesnFluff]

Used mine v strom 650 france and spain great

How heavy is the v strom? Using the hydra easy lifter for my Honda forza 300.

 

[Adrian1]

The v strom about 215kg went to spain moto sept towed very well

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[zac]

I had one with my 200kg Sym 300cc scooter on it, we covered around 3000 miles on ours down to the south of spain through france with no issues. The only issue i had was with it bending my towbar but that was down to the flimsy towbar supports on my motorhome. Once they were reinforced there were no issues. I have now sold it but only because i no longer have the scooter else i would still have one. There was no extra on the tunnel for me using it. It is a bit of work though as it is quite heavy if removing it a few times. I purchased a ramp for mine as this made it easier to get the bike on and off without having to remove the wheels if only staying for a short time somewhere. Overall i was impressed.

 

[Adrian1]

To zac when you went on the tunnel did you have any issues saying it was not a trailer as I was told it is classed a a trailer which it is not

 

[peter]

To zac when you went on the tunnel did you have any issues saying it was not a trailer as I was told it is classed a a trailer which it is not

Ah! That's another reason I sold it. Went by tunnel twice with it, but third time got nabbed by a jobsworth who told us it was a trailer. We had a long argument about it, but the manager agreed with his employee and we had to pay exactly the same for the Hydratrail as we paid for the van. So £100 odd quid lighter and lesson learned. Bought a box trailer instead and carried loads of other stuff to Spain as well, and brought loads of wine back.

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[zac]

To zac when you went on the tunnel did you have any issues saying it was not a trailer as I was told it is classed a a trailer which it is not

I always selected the option to say we have Bikes on the back and never once got stopped going through the tunnel. there has been a discussion around this since it was first made about trailer / or extension of existing motohome. I can only speak from my personal experiences.

 

[Adrian1]

Thanks if any help when we went from Plymouth to France the ferry company just wanted the whole length of the van and hydratrail all ok no problems

 

[Geo]

Ah! That's another reason I sold it. Went by tunnel twice with it, but third time got nabbed by a jobsworth who told us it was a trailer. We had a long argument about it, but the manager agreed with his employee and we had to pay exactly the same for the Hydratrail as we paid for the van. So £100 odd quid lighter and lesson learned. Bought a box trailer instead and carried loads of other stuff to Spain as well, and brought loads of wine back.

Shoulda took the wheels off
Bike rack simples

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[maison]

I had one with my 200kg Sym 300cc scooter on it, we covered around 3000 miles on ours down to the south of spain through france with no issues. The only issue i had was with it bending my towbar but that was down to the flimsy towbar supports on my motorhome. Once they were reinforced there were no issues. I have now sold it but only because i no longer have the scooter else i would still have one. There was no extra on the tunnel for me using it. It is a bit of work though as it is quite heavy if removing it a few times. I purchased a ramp for mine as this made it easier to get the bike on and off without having to remove the wheels if only staying for a short time somewhere. Overall i was impressed.

We have just ordered the hydra trail but like the idea of a ramp for overnight stops.

Where did you buy it? Was it made specially to order?

 

[TheTwoOfUs]

If your thinking of a ramp, make sure the scooter can be powered up it or you're strong enough to push it up. Some makes including MP3s have a pressure sensitive switch under the seat to prevent it from being powered when no one is sat on it.
As a reference for anyone thinking of a Hydratrail, this was mine attached to the rear of the Frankia. I made sure the towbar assembly was like a brick built sh**house to resist any twisting. Now that we've swapped to a Dethleffs I've got it all to do again.

 

[maison]

@TheTwoOfUs
Thanks for the post.

We used to carry our m/bike on a previous motorhome, mounted on a tow ball carrier.

This time I want to keep the rear axle weight down. I intend to power it up the ramp and know it will run "unseated" from previous experience. Until I can see the Hydra trail "in the flesh" I'm not sure how to set up and/or carry a ramp.

We would normally fully dismount the bike but, for an overnight stop and quick trip out, it could be an advantage to just ramp it off.

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[Rob e Lee]

I've had one of these trailers for a couple of years and I also bought a ramp as I found it quite a faff to keep jacking up and taking wheels off every time scooter was needed.

The fellow who manufactures these trailers could be missing a trick. Why not offer same principle with wheels but make them fixed - not removable. No jack would be required and less engineering to make I would think. Obviously, the jacked version would be an option if so desired.

When we take trailer off of Motorhome all we do is swivel wheels and roll into garage, it takes up very little space.

Rob

 

[maison]

@Rob e Lee
Where or how did you buy the ramp?

 

[Rob e Lee]

I used this firm, luckily they are very close to where I live, I went and picked one up.

Don't worry about ramp being slightly wider than trough on trailer, it works well
http://www.theramppeople.co.uk/

Rob

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[zac]

We have just ordered the hydra trail but like the idea of a ramp for overnight stops.

Where did you buy it? Was it made specially to order?

I got the company who made the hydra trail to supply me one so i new it would be compatible as he put some extra welds on it so it would work. Obvioulsy this is a chargable option

 

[maison]

@zac
Many thanks. Since I only ordered it yesterday I will contact them to add the ramp to the order.

 

[peter]

Shoulda took the wheels off
Bike rack simples

Then it would have fallen to the ground. If you had one you would know that. Plus it would have massively overloaded the rear axle.

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[gibbo57]

I bought a Hydra Trail two years ago and have used it to carry my Suzuki 125 to Spain, Croatia and to the South of Italy. Only issue with it was while driving in wet weather the wheel bearing seals let water in and caused corrosion resulting in noisy bearings. Had to change the bearings in Italy. Impossible to get locally and had to have them sent out from Ireland. It would be advisable to get a spare set of bearings if heading to Europe, relatively easy to change if you have a problem.

 

[OldAgeTravellers]

@zac
Many thanks. Since I only ordered it yesterday I will contact them to add the ramp to the order.

Hi,
We have been travelling with a friend who uses a hydra trail, usually he just takes one wheel off and the Hydratrail then drops down on one side and becomes a ramp. He then just powers the scooter on to it. Perhaps a bit steeper than a ramp but it only took him seconds.
Steve

 

[OldAgeTravellers]

Then it would have fallen to the ground. If you had one you would know that. Plus it would have massively overloaded the rear axle.

Just to prove to the jobsworth who would have had no facilities to weigh the rear axle. Just jack it up and remove the wheels leaving the Jack attached and extended and put the wheels in the garage. You could then drive slowly up the lane or even on to the Chunnel using it as a rack. You obviously wouldn't drive it on the road like that. Reading a very long thread on the dark side (about page 30) VOSA have actually written to a guy and stated that they consider it is a rack not a trailer.
Steve

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[StitchesnFluff]

Just to prove to the jobsworth who would have had no facilities to weigh the rear axle. Just jack it up and remove the wheels leaving the Jack attached and extended and put the wheels in the garage. You could then drive slowly up the lane or even on to the Chunnel using it as a rack. You obviously wouldn't drive it on the road like that. Reading a very long thread on the dark side (about page 30) VOSA have actually written to a guy and stated that they consider it is a rack not a trailer.
Steve

Thanks for this info, sounds about right to me

 

[Ashwells]

I Have a 200Kg scooter used and hydra trail , how easy is it to get the bike off and on using ramps being that its pretty high, would def be less frath

 

[maison]

I Have a 200Kg scooter used and hydra trail , how easy is it to get the bike off and on using ramps being that its pretty high, would def be less frath

Sorry, can't comment on the weight at 200 kilos but we carry a 130 kilo scooter.

We have just completed a 2,500 mile trip with the Hydra trail Easy Lifter trailer. After initially loading at the start of the journey, at all other times we loaded and unloaded it via the ramp. We had no problem running the scooter up the ramp using the engine but I guess it will depend on how high your carrier is mounted as to whether or not you can reach.

Obviously it is easier with a scooter because of the automatic transmission too. Without the assistance of the engine it could be a struggle.

Good luck.

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[gibbo57]

I have a Suzuki AN125 and I drive it up the ramp and let it roll back down using the brake to control it. Very easy one person job.

 

[100brian]

I have a Suzuki AN125 and I drive it up the ramp and let it roll back down using the brake to control it. Very easy one person job.

@glbbo57
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