Trail-Gator Tow Bar Children's Trailer, Black One Size

My 5 year old daughter and I are very happy with the Trailgator.We took it for a 5 mile ride last weekend and it worked great. It negotiated hills and turns well, although you do have to be careful on tight turns (as you would with a bike trailer). My daughter is pretty skittish when things don't feel secure, and neither of us noticed any wiggle on her bike when it was attached to mine. I definitely feel her, especially when we're going slowly and she pedals (it's a bit more work to balance), but I would assume that I would experience the same thing with a regular trailer bike, and I don't really notice it when we're actually moving along at a regular pace. It would also perhaps be less of an issue for a larger adult with a large child-adult ratio. I weigh 120 lbs. and she weighs 42 lbs.It did take a bit of time to install to make sure that everything was attached correctly--and there are a lot of things to attach--but I felt that the instructions were clear given that the unit has to be able to work with so many different types of bikes. I attached a Raleigh Retro 16" to a Trek 7000 26" Women's bike. I did end up having to replace my seat post from a square-topped suspension post to a regular round one in order to mount the tow bar high enough to clear my rear wheel, but once that was done everything installed smoothly. My husband put thin rubberized shelf liner between the U-bolts and the head tube of my daughter's bike to try to minimize damage to the paint. It hasn't affected the security of the bolts (perhaps it keeps them from slipping?). We'll see how the paint fared when we remove the bolts. I didn't notice the problems others have reported with loose connections--I'm not sure if Trailgator improved these parts or what the problem was. Although we just used Allen wrenches to tighten all the bolts rather than a torque wrench (but we really cranked the wrench), I haven't noticed a problem with anything slipping.Connecting and disconnecting the bikes goes smoothly and quickly--not that much more time consuming than connecting up a bike trailer--and the tow bar stores securely when it's not in use. I was concerned after reading some of the reviews, but I'm glad I got this. My daughter and I love using it.

This is a wonderful idea but it needs perfecting. The stablizing bar that keeps the front wheel aligned kept popping off. The connector apparatus that goes on the child's bike tends to move no matter how much you tighten it causing the bike to slant at an angle making it unsafe for use. I really wanted this to work and gave it a good chance (re-installed it twice). All I got out of it was a scratched up new bike from the connector.Now, on the positive side, I did return this and got my money back in a timely manor. This product was shipped directly from Amazon.

The Trail-Gator is awesome, and as safe as any other tow-behind when installed correctly. It seems the two main complaints are that is difficult to install (I agree - but it's totally worth it), and that it's unsafe (strongly disagree - but you do need to install it correctly).It comes with a number of shims that allow you to adjust the angle of the kids bike (front wheel high enough to clear small obstacles, but not so high that your kid is sliding off the back). You will likely need to install it and partially remove it a few times to get the right combination of shims. This can get time consuming, but it is the only way to offer a universal connection. I was able to attach it to my 3 year old sons Ridgeback Scoot (a very small balance bike, with an odd head-tube configuration). I am convinced it can be installed on nearly any bike.The connections on your childs bike need to be made VERY TIGHT!! You really need a deep well socket set. Crank it TIGHT. It's going to scratch the paint - just deal with it. If you don't make it tight enough it's going to dump your child sideways and scrape them up bad. A lot of 1 star reviews are from people who made this mistake. Once you have it fully assembled have another adult try and tip the kids bike over while you hold the adult bike upright, if the bracket on the kids bike shifts at all - it is not tight enough.While it is difficult to install correctly - that is no reason for less than five stars. It is that AWESOME once you are riding. The instructions say it has only been tested on smooth paved roads, but I have taken my son off-road on a beginner mountain bike trail without a problem. You certainly can't go off any sizable drops (nothing larger than your average street curb).