Pitbull rear restraint
- Thread starter tryzbiak
- Start date
tryzbiak
New Member
Thank u for that... i actually am loading another bike which will be pushed up front.
I do appreciate u lookin out.
kbro45
New Member
Thank u for that... i actually am loading another bike which will be pushed up front.
I do appreciate u lookin out.
I just went through all of this myself setting up my trailer. I still haven't picked up the TRS, but it is on my [very long] list of things to buy. I'm wondering though, is it difficult to unload by yourself? I don't have a kickstand so it looks like it would be kind of a balancing act to get it unloaded.
rhill
Member
IMHO the TRS is slightly more difficult to load/unload than a wheel chock and straps. With the TRS, you have to balance the bike while tying up and untying the brace....and the balancing can also extend into aligning the bike properly for the base engagement if the bike isn't positioned correctly on the first shot. With a wheel chock, shove the bike into the chock and it is secure enough to leave go...and aligning is easy since steering control is on the wheel going into the chock. After this point, the TRS wins, because you are already done....with the chock you still have to strap the bike down.
I wouldn't say one is necessarily better than the other in all aspects....for example, a chock is universal, TRS, is make/model specific. A chock requires additional side to side space for triangulation of the straps, TRS you could mount a bike directly on the edge of the trailer. For that reason, my trailer has both a baseplate for the TRS and wheelchock mounted to it all the time even though I normally use the TRS alone.
It will make it safely as long as the wood the TRS is mounted to is secure, and if you don't use additional straps, watching the front suspension work and soak up bumps (with an open trailer) is enjoyable.
I wouldn't say one is necessarily better than the other in all aspects....for example, a chock is universal, TRS, is make/model specific. A chock requires additional side to side space for triangulation of the straps, TRS you could mount a bike directly on the edge of the trailer. For that reason, my trailer has both a baseplate for the TRS and wheelchock mounted to it all the time even though I normally use the TRS alone.
It will make it safely as long as the wood the TRS is mounted to is secure, and if you don't use additional straps, watching the front suspension work and soak up bumps (with an open trailer) is enjoyable.
HondaGalToo
Control Rider
Love my TRS. Sometimes I don't get it lined up the first time. There's a bungee included to hook the TRS up off the floor to a rearset or similar so you can move the bike.
As far as no kickstand, I use a jackstand under one footpeg (fixed peg). Works well as a surrogate kickstand. I'm too short to balance stuff, lol.
As far as no kickstand, I use a jackstand under one footpeg (fixed peg). Works well as a surrogate kickstand. I'm too short to balance stuff, lol.
DblD
New Member
I am looking into setting up my first trailer and thought I was the only one who got a little nervous using the Pit-Bull TRS all by itself.
Tryzbiak, what brand of trailer is pictured?
Anyone have a favorite open trailer to hold 1 bike and be towed by a 2013 Subaru Outback 2.5L (2700lb max towing)?
Thanks!
Tryzbiak, what brand of trailer is pictured?
Anyone have a favorite open trailer to hold 1 bike and be towed by a 2013 Subaru Outback 2.5L (2700lb max towing)?
Thanks!
mpusch
Micah
I really wouldn't be nervous just using the Pit-Bull. Read up on the WERA forums if you want more input on what real people think about the TRS (and the company in general). You'd be hard pressed to find a remark that was only mostly impressed.
Also, Rhill's comment about the TRS being a bit more difficult to load/unload is surprising to me. Maybe we're not quite doing it right, but strapping down both bikes on the trailer takes about 20-25 minutes by the time everything is ready to go. Looks like it takes about 2 minutes for people with a TRS.
My friend and I already made a pact that we're buying a TRS for each other for Christmas. I have no doubts it'll be less of a liability than our current front chock/strap method. Also nicer on the suspension. FWIW, going to have both bikes on a typical Harbor Freight 4x8 open trailer. Total weight for everything is probably about 1150 pounds or so. If you've got the budget for a nicer trailer, certainly nothing wrong with that either!
I think that the TRS can be a bit more "difficult" to load/unload, but absolutely takes way less time to do either and is way better for the bike as well as far easier to get around. I have two TRS's in my enclosed trailer. I also have a (very heavy built) home made "see-saw" wheel chock, and a "WheelDock" (http://www.wheeldock.com/store/item/wheeldock). The "easiest" to load/unload is the Wheeldock. However, you still need to at least use one strap on it, and even then I don't think it's as secure as the TRS. The total time to really secure the bike or remove it longer than the TRS, and as mentioned the TRS is way better for your suspension.
I find that with the TRS, you sometimes have to make a couple runs into the setup to get it to lock on both sides. Unloading it requires some balancing. It takes getting used to. But especially with an enclosed trailer, using the TRS eliminates straps, which makes it possible to load bikes much closer together, and makes it easier to get around them for loading and unloading other things.
For my track bikes I won't switch from the TRS to anything.
tryzbiak
New Member
The trailer is harbour frieght, up to 1200 lbs load.
Light, i added some wood and all.
The system is awesome.
I lined it up, and it rolls in no prob with no help. After i got over my fear of the whole thing being held by one arm it actually works awesome no worries...
I can send u pics. Pm you cell
Light, i added some wood and all.
The system is awesome.
I lined it up, and it rolls in no prob with no help. After i got over my fear of the whole thing being held by one arm it actually works awesome no worries...
I can send u pics. Pm you cell
rhill
Member
Difficult does not equate to time consuming, a task can be very quick while still being extremely difficult.
How many times will you miss when rolling a bike into a wheel chock? After you use the TRS for awhile, your success rate for lining up the drag bar will go up, but it will never be as easy as hitting a chock. You also need to drop the restraint bar while balancing the bike....more difficult than allowing a chock to hold the bike upright while cinching down some straps.
The bike is unsupported longer when loading/unloading using the TRS than it is with a chock...in my mind that makes it more difficult and also adds more risk.
Not saying one is better than the other....I like and use both every time I go to the track; TRS for the bike and chock for the bicycle/second bike.
Fitting 2 bikes on harbor freight trailer is a tight squeeze, but managable. Thats what I use to haul my gear.
rhill is absolutely correct. Difficulty is very different from time consuming.
The "easiest loading" I have ever done in 45 yrs of loading bikes is with the "WheelDock". It is ridiculously easy, safe, and incredibly fast - BUT you still have to use at least "some" straps. It is far more elegant than a Baxley or a Condor wheel dock, and is way "easier" than a TRS.
Most of the time I'll get the bike close enough to "force" the lock-in with the TRS on the first try, but it takes more thought and effort. On the other hand, I've gotten better over time, and once it's locked in, you're done. And the final solution is far more secure IMHO.
It is all at least to some extent personal preference - with the exception that it is not just opinion that the TRS is better for your suspension - that part is not really open to argument IMHO. The other disadvantage of the TRS is that it's completely bike specific, where as other options are more flexible. One model of the "WheelDock" will work with virtually any sport bike. A Condor for example is even more flexible. Everyone has to make their own decisions.
The "easiest loading" I have ever done in 45 yrs of loading bikes is with the "WheelDock". It is ridiculously easy, safe, and incredibly fast - BUT you still have to use at least "some" straps. It is far more elegant than a Baxley or a Condor wheel dock, and is way "easier" than a TRS.
Most of the time I'll get the bike close enough to "force" the lock-in with the TRS on the first try, but it takes more thought and effort. On the other hand, I've gotten better over time, and once it's locked in, you're done. And the final solution is far more secure IMHO.
It is all at least to some extent personal preference - with the exception that it is not just opinion that the TRS is better for your suspension - that part is not really open to argument IMHO. The other disadvantage of the TRS is that it's completely bike specific, where as other options are more flexible. One model of the "WheelDock" will work with virtually any sport bike. A Condor for example is even more flexible. Everyone has to make their own decisions.
raineman021
Eric Raine
Like D-Zum said, I trust the TRS more than ANY method out there, regardless of how much "effort" it takes. The point of the system is security during transport, not make it easier.