Tow BAR style towing of Slingshot

    Saw a video of a guy pulling his SS around with a Modified Trike Trailer. The rear wheel went into cradle and attached to the Ball, rig had to be widened for big ass back tire so the front wheels were on ground and steering had to be locked with bungee's. He made NO accommodation forum-even surfaces and the rig would twist horribly exiting a raised parking lot onto a street. Anybody come up with something better?? There has to be a GOOD tow method without thousands$$ for a trailer.

    There are 2 main forums for the Slingshot. Slingshotinfo.com is by far the more active site now. Slingshotforums used to to be the main site and still has some useful info, but nowhere near the activity this site has. At least 2 folks on the old site (@ribrunner and Denver Bill) and at least one member on this site (@scootertash and mayber others, I can't remember at the moment) developed slightly different approaches to tow dollies, but all were similar in that they used a pivot plate to mount the rear wheel on the dolly, lessening stress on the rear wheel/axle during turns. These designs did not address any flex that might occur when exiting a driveway while turning. Between the several designs that can be found on this site or the older site, I'd estimate that tow dollies have been used to tow Slingshots in excess of 10,000 miles and I have yet to hear about any damage to the rear wheel/or/swing-arm assembly. I'd assume the use of a ball-hitch allows the trailer tongue to move enough to minimize any twisting force when negotiating driveway dips while turning. This doesn't necessarily mean such damage will never happen, but nobody has reported any problems and a lot of thought has gone into the use and design of tow dollies for the Slingshot. Due to the toe-in on the Slingshot's front wheels, some folks think you will see additional tire wear and others recommend flipping the left and right front wheels while towing to reduce build-up of water under the tires, increasing the chance of hydroplaning.


    Initially, I wondered about using a simple A=frame tow arm mounted to the front of the Slingshot, but Polaris said don't do that, presumably to avoid damage to the rear drive line. I'd assume an A-frame tow arm would work fine if you are willing to loosen the belt enough to prevent the rear wheel turning the rear angle drive and transmission and if the metal box frame at the front end of the Slingshot is strong enough to mount the A-frame tow arm.

    Edited once, last by BKL ().

    Quote from slingshark16

    Saw a video of a guy pulling his SS around with a Modified Trike Trailer. The rear wheel went into cradle and attached to the Ball, rig had to be widened for big ass back tire so the front wheels were on ground and steering had to be locked with bungee's. He made NO accommodation forum-even surfaces and the rig would twist horribly exiting a raised parking lot onto a street. Anybody come up with something better?? There has to be a GOOD tow method without thousands$$ for a trailer.

    @slingshark16 have you seen the new dolly kits offered by us at ww,ssbodykits.com ? Ater conferring with @scootertrash and @BKL who very well answered some of your concerns above, we are pleased to have put one of these swivelling tray dollies design into production, and yes the ball on the hitch does dampen most twisting tendencies when entering uneven parking lots etc. if you happen to be going to Eureka Springs Ozark Invasion next month Im told by @scootertrash you will see at lest four of his Indy club guys there towing with these designs and yes they have accumulated thousands of miles , incident free with these dollies, heres one of mine you can view at my thread, first vendor to offer tow dollies, you,ll find it in active topics today or yesterday.

    @kev - I just noticed the body panel / license plate holder - Seems to clean up that area nicely.


    Will the panel work with Welter dual rear exhaust? My initial thought is no as they probably use the same mounting location and real estate.


    But, I like the look.


    Actually @JeffWelter and I had a very cool discussion about that at SSITR as he thought there might be some interest in that mold modified to accommodate his duals. SO I SUGGESTED , a tunnel section up the centre encapsulating his y pipe and risers then have the last three inches or so of his mufflers exiting out a cut out on either side of the plate , and at the same time I would flare out the top surround of the pate opening giving a shading like effect over the plate and blending in well with the the angled tips of his mufflers, then I though what the hell why not add at the very bottom of the riser tunnel a fender extending rearward out of that , So yah, you will see one sometime this winter maybe as soon as I RETURN FROM eureka , I,m hoping Jeff is still as enthusiastic about this and tries to entice me with a smoking deal on his duals at Eureka ! So I can tool up for that mold when I return as Winter here in Ontario wont be too far behind . ANYBODY THINKING THIS WOULD BE A GOOD COMPLIMENT TO THE WELTER EXUAUST SYSTEM , PLEASE LET JEFF KNOW ABOUT IT !


    Quote from Bigdog

    What's the additional bracket on the back of the bike for?
    Steering wheel locked or unlocked?
    Are those dolly wheels turning too?


    yes @Bigdog as @KayTwo and @BKL suggested those are the carriers for my Givi luggage bags, while the bags fit initially they have to be removed when dollying, as they are in the way for the swivelling of the dolly tires. the brackets can remain on and just snap the removal bags back on once unloaded from the dolly.

    Quote from Live-a-Little!

    So the exhaust would be coming out of the body panel through a cutout? That should look pretty good.

    yah the exhaust centreline is right above where my panel turns almost 70 degrees up so most of their black muffler would just be a couple inches out but as my panel slopes back, more of their mufflers are shown , just enough to see the WP logo , we both thought it would look sweet. Also I recommended not painting that panel but using my texture spray black to make that panel look like part of the factory tub. cant wait to get onto this one actually! It would be sold , purchasers choice of paint .


    Oh and @Bigdog I just remembered in your comparison post the other day you noted having to buy mag lights as a requirement on wheel lift or dolly kits , you do realize don't you in this sale purchase price I do include not only shipping but wireless mag lites ? (what was I thinking ! ) you can see where I place mine below headlights, magnetized to vertical frame member, the wireless transmitter just plugs into your trailer four way plug then magnetizes to tailgate on truck

    I wasn't sure if there was anyplace available on the front end to attach a magnet...I was already thinking about heavy duty Velcro on the black part of the front spoiler. I have my deer whistles mounted there.


    I love Velcro....


    I really do like the design of the hoisting tow apparatus...pretty well thought out...just like a mini tow truck would use...


    I can't wait to get it and try it out. I'll take pictures and give everyone my thoughts...


    Kev, I just noticed the red lights in the above picture....that looks like a perfect spot for them...


    As a side note....I had a pair of wired lights I bought to bring back a VW from North Carolina.....the wire rubbed the side of the car during the entire trip and the paint looked like it.....so the wireless lights are a big small investment in keeping your paint from getting goofed up....


    One more thing about the lights I had....they were magnetic....and the wind would spin them sideways....that said Velcro won't spin...


    Kev, just to clarify things make a list and post it in this thread of everything that's included in your price. I think it's a bargain and anyone that's considering one should jump on the sale price which ends the end of this month.