Towing a trailer

Hi guys n girls
Im looking on information on towing a mobility scooter in a trailer.
We have a auto sleeper symphony, petrol, 1997. I'm not sure if you can, or where to start. Any information would be much appreciated. We haven't bought a trailer yet and the solution has to be affordable.

It shouldn't pose a problem on a Symphony, but towing can be a bit of a pain in terms of reversing and parking. It's obviously not a major problem as a lot of people do it, but you will have to adapt your driving, obviously.

I don't think it can be done on the cheap - if you don't have a towbar already then adding one and the electrics will be at least a couple of hundred quid and decent small trailers are not cheap either.

There are alternatives - for example I have seen a rack fitted to the back of a van with a winch arrangement, which allows the scooter to be driven onto a small platform which is then winched up the back of the van. However, this obviously has to be accounted for in the loading of the rear axle, and would obviously be more of an issue in that respect than a trailer.

Whenever we go away for any length of time we always take a quad-bike with us on a trailer.

My advice is to get everything in order as follows:

1.  Get a suitable towing hitch and lights fitted.  (Suitable in that you will need to be able to fit a trailer to the hitch so if it sits underneath a bike-rack you may need a hitch extension.)

2  Obtain the mobility scooter. (Because the size of the trailer depends on the weight and dimension of the scooter.)

3.  Decide on the size and type of trailer.  (We bought a Paxton Trailer and have been more than satisfied with the price and quality of the product.)

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Things to look out for are:

o  Will you need an un-braked trailer?  (Cheaper, weight limited to 750kgs and be very careful when driving to make sure that you can stop with the extra weight pushing you forward.)

o  Make sure that you can easily get the scooter on and off the trailer.  (This is why we bought a Paxton Ranger.  The tailgate is well worth the extra.)

o  Where are you going to store the trailer when not in use?  (Ours just fits into the garage but it takes a bit of patience to get it there!)

o  What security arrangements do you need to make to keep the trailer safe?  (We use a combination of trailer locks and wheel clamps.)

o  Don't forget to carry a spare tyre and also make sure that you can actually change the wheel if the occasion arises.  (In our case I need a separate jack to lift the wheel and a different spanner for the wheel-nuts.)

Hope this helps. 



Dutto

This might be ideal for what you want, specially if rear axle loading is a problem. Reversing is not a problem with a trailer - it's all but impossible (for me anyway in the van!!) but this trailer even solves that.

I've seen them in France and an owner demonstrated for me a couple of years ago, and it really was that good.

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There is more than one manufacturer of similar trailers if it catches your interest. I think it's probably the best possible solution to yours, and other people's towing problems when the item to be towed is quite small. Getting a double hitch towbar sorted out shouldn't be too difficult, once you know the precise separation for fitting the towballs.

Dave

I tow a lider trailer (French made) carry all our bulky stuff in it, have been towing it for 3 years now and wouldn't be without it.I learned very quickly how to reverse with it when we had gone in the wrong lane on a French toll booth in the middle of the night.

John.

When we had our little Camelot we needed a trailer to carry all the kit that we couldn't fit inside. I was quite used to maneuvering and reversing, having towed a Rice double horse trailer for some years. However, the problem with the small trailer we bought was that we couldn't see it at all from the driving seat. It was unnerving enough driving along not knowing whether it was still there or not but trying to reverse was impossible.

We solved this by fitting four of the fibreglass safety flags made for cyclists, like these:

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We fitted three along the rear of the trailer, one in each corner and one in the middle, then the fourth was fitted to the middle of the trailer front.

It was then a doddle to sight exactly what the trailer was doing when reversing and seeing the flags fluttering away in the rear view mirror was reassuring when driving along.

cheers
Roger

Gromit wrote:This might be ideal for what you want, specially if rear axle loading is a problem. Reversing is not a problem with a trailer - it's all but impossible (for me anyway in the van!!) but this trailer even solves that.

I've seen them in France and an owner demonstrated for me a couple of years ago, and it really was that good.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

There is more than one manufacturer of similar trailers if it catches your interest. I think it's probably the best possible solution to yours, and other people's towing problems when the item to be towed is quite small. Getting a double hitch towbar sorted out shouldn't be too difficult, once you know the precise separation for fitting the towballs.

Dave

I was parked behind a motorhome in a layby out here in France and scatching my head  wondering why it had 2 tow balls on the back instead of one in the middle. Now I know thatnks. 

Gromit wrote:This might be ideal for what you want, specially if rear axle loading is a problem. Reversing is not a problem with a trailer - it's all but impossible (for me anyway in the van!!) but this trailer even solves that.

I've seen them in France and an owner demonstrated for me a couple of years ago, and it really was that good.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

There is more than one manufacturer of similar trailers if it catches your interest. I think it's probably the best possible solution to yours, and other people's towing problems when the item to be towed is quite small. Getting a double hitch towbar sorted out shouldn't be too difficult, once you know the precise separation for fitting the towballs.

Dave

thats a great solution . There is a single wheel version designed and built in the UK I'll try and find a link.

Alternatively you could fit a rack to the towhitch bar . i'm in the process of building one  for a Lambretta scooter.
It will tilt up out the way when not in use, freeing up the tow hitch.

There are a few people who rally use these vans to tow trailers with wheelchairs or scooters in.  One elderley couple in ASOC use a Harmony and do many miles with seemingly no problems

In around 1997 I fitted Watling Engineers towbar PP29 to my 1995 Boxer Harmony. This has provision for a 230mm wide rear step and has proven perfect for my needs.

See their pricelist at: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Bartfarst