Flat Towing a DCT??

[Joe Jones]

I am wondering if the 2018 DCT can be flat towed, with the REAR wheel rolling on the ground, and with the FRONT wheel off of the ground, and the engine NOT running.

Joe

[Rambozo]

I doubt it as even standard GoldWings should not be flat towed as the transmission shafts won't get lubed without the engine running.

[Joe Jones]

I want a trailer that will safely carry my Wing, when I go to leave my truck at a service center, or whatever. I would tow the bike to the dealer on the trailer, and use the bike to tow the trailer home again.

I am looking at the trailers sold by the big box stores. They are rather expensive, given that they are CHEAP construction and they are BOLT-TOGETHER trailers.

I am seriously considering buying steel and welding a trailer together. I am a former AWS certified welder, so the project is not challenging. However, I have to find the motivation to get out there to the shop to DO it.

I just can't imagine spending a thousand dollars on a 5x8 trailer made out of 10 ga. steel and Chinese bolts!

Joe

[Joe Jones]

I doubt it as even standard GoldWings should not be flat towed as the transmission shafts won't get lubed without the engine running.

The running engine on Wings lubricates the transmission shaft?!?

Joe

[Rambozo]

You could flat tow it backwards. Build some type of hitch mounted lifting rear wheel cradle.

Like you say the real problem with those bolt together trailers is the crap hardware. I modified one of those Harbor Freight units for my friend to tow his GoldWing on. Replaced the hardware, welded most of the connections. Add some used shock absorbers to the tilt, so it didn't slam down when you rode the bike up on it. He bought it on CraigsList for cheap and even a new one is under $500. You can hardly buy all the bits to make your own for that price, and at least here in Calif. it made it easy to get plates. Home built trailers can be a pain to get tags for here. I think of it more as a kit, and a good starting point. You would probably want to make it narrower to tow behind the bike. The big issue with a trailer, is that you have to store it a lot more than you use it.

[Rambozo]

I doubt it as even standard GoldWings should not be flat towed as the transmission shafts won't get lubed without the engine running.

The running engine on Wings lubricates the transmission shaft?!?

Joe

Yup, they are pressurized lube from the oil pump. They get some splash lube, too. I'm sure the DCT is like most modern stuff and totally pressurized lube.
I only know of a few automatic transmissions that have rear lube pumps and can safely be towed with the driveshaft in place.

[WingAdmin]

I doubt it as even standard GoldWings should not be flat towed as the transmission shafts won't get lubed without the engine running.

The running engine on Wings lubricates the transmission shaft?!?

Joe

Yes. The engine and transmission are lubricated by the same oil. Rotating the rear wheel rotates the output shaft of the transmission. If the engine is not running, there is no oil flowing to the bearings or gears on the output shaft of the engine, so by dragging the bike with the rear wheel turning, you're basically running the output portion of the transmission with no lubrication.

[Lumberjack1844]

I don't own a Razor trailer but same concept and is a ground loading lay-flat trailer.
https://razortrailers.com/

[Joe Jones]

I have a similar trailer design on my "Wish I had the time and energy!" list. I really like this Razor trailer, but my design would not require the hitch to be uncoupled. However, I am not in the trailer building business, and I have no intentions of jumping into it! If I built one, it would be a gooseneck design.

Joe

[WingAdmin]

That's actually a really cool trailer, I like the idea. I went onto YouTube to find a video of someone demonstrating it in use:



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[Joe Jones]

Ummm ... not to "poo poo" the video but ... as a guy who ran a motorcycle towing service for 13 years, this horrified me!

Not the trailer concept. THAT is a great idea. However, he tied it down with ONLY two straps to the FRONT of the trailer. If he were to rear end someone, there is NOTHING to prevent that bike from flipping over the front wheel and BOMBING the truck cab with a 600 lb. motorcycle.

He strapped the bike to prevent it from moving rearward. That is fine. But he did nothing to prevent the bike from moving forward. Drive down a steep driveway and the bike might roll over the wheel chock and into the back of the vehicle. Hit a trailer-flipping pothole, and the bike's rear wheel hops to one side, allowing the bike to then lay over as the steering column turns.

The other thing that bothers me is the fact that the design relies ENTIRELY on the sheer resistance of two pins. If for WHATEVER reason those pins fail, the front of the platform drops to the ground. Catch a sewer lid or a rut and the driver would go straight through the windshield when the truck suddenly came to an abrupt stop. I would use a MUCH stronger steel bar or three, to prevent that possibility.

"Oh Joe! Those pins won't fail!" I guess you have never encountered Beevis and Butthead, two squirrely brain dead teenagers who would think it was FUNNY to partially hacksaw through the pins while you were in your hotel room or at a concert, etc. They DO exist!

I understand he was only demonstrating loading and unloading, but I would REALLY like to have seen some serious attempt to tie down the BIKE too!

Joe