Having had no replies to the above post (which wasn't a surprise!), I wondered if anyone had experience or thoughts on carrying the tandem on a trailer?  My thinking is to mount it on the trailer upright, supported by diagonal struts and possibly with the front wheel removed to reduce the length and the forks secured to the "A" frame, although this would remove the cushioning effect of the front tyre. Any thoughts or suggestions appreciated.

We use a trailer. Our Anssems trailer has rails for mounting a roof rack on it, so I just use regular tandem carriers on that. It's much easier to get the bike onto the trailer tha the roof. You could also look at the Atoc tandem carrier - it doesn't get away from lifting entirely but is much easier than a traditional lift and clamp.

Hi Cliff - In case it's any help, on our motorhome tow ball we use a Thule clamp on bike rack to carry the bike horizontally across the back of the vehicle with the front and back wheels removed. We don't have racks or mudguards on our bikes so they just fit within the vehicle width. Depending on your car and bike dimensions and specs, it might work for your situation. Chris

Hi Cliff, we used to have a Pendle 6-bike trailer, which had a tandem attachment, that allowed up to two fully assembled tandems to be carried along with solos. While this was good when our children were younger, we found it rather poor taking just the tandem. The trailer was quite bouncy due to the light weight. Also it was quite large for storage, difficult to manoeuvre without bikes on it as you couldn't see it and on its own, quite heavy to push around. I think tow ball mounts with a tandem that splits would be the ideal solution, but perhaps not the cheapest if it means changing your tandem. 

Cliff - I was in the same boat as you (e-tandem being too heavy to deadlift onto roof bars) and reviewing other options (trailer - urgh, modifying a Thule kayak carrier - hydraulic)  but I waited for a BTS hydraulic assist to come on the forum. I'm glad I did. I can lift 28kg of e-tandem onto the roof of our BMW estate with ease. All I did was add a bracing strut to stop any "wobble". 
 

I can now take a tandem and two road bikes at the same time  

If you can - just be patient - one will eventually come on the forum or eBay. 
 

T

Cliff - I was in the same boat as you (e-tandem being too heavy to deadlift onto roof bars) and reviewing other options (trailer - urgh, modifying a Thule kayak carrier - hydraulic)  but I waited for a BTS hydraulic assist to come on the forum. I'm glad I did. I can lift 28kg of e-tandem onto the roof of our BMW estate with ease. All I did was add a bracing strut to stop any "wobble". 
 

I can now take a tandem and two road bikes at the same time  

If you can - just be patient - one will eventually come on the forum or eBay. 
 

T

I agree with the towbar bike carrier option. I used to have a Pendle "behind the tow ball" bike carrier suitable for 4 bikes and carried a tandem mounted diagonally with the front wheel removed. The various tube joints on a tandem frame make this quite an easy option to secure it at around a 45 degree angle.

We've ridden tandems for 30 years and transported them for the same time, always on car roofs. We had non-electric 'normal' tandems for most of that time but for the past 5 years we have ridden a Gepida Thoris e-tandem and love it. We are in our 70s and it is too heavy for us to lift into an upright position on roof bars, but we can manage to get it onto the car roof without hydraulics using the admirable Helton carrier.

As you may know, one loads the tandem on the Helton frame on the side of the car, and then lifts and slide it onto the roof bars (after securing the front wheel with a strap) where it is held horizontally. Incidentally, this feels much more stable then a tandem held in the usual upright position, as the weight is distributed to the 4 corners of the roof bars. It requires the 2 of us to lift our e-tandem onto the Helton frame on the side of the car, and again both of us need to do the final 'jerk' of the lift up onto the roof bars. We have tried JDs tandem carrier (expensive and beautifully made!), but that is too heavy and awkward a lift for us with the e-tandem.

I have no connection with Helton, but can recommend their carrier from experience.

https://www.heltontandemcarrier.co.uk

Thank you for the replies which have all been helpful, more helpful than my wife's suggestion that I join a weightlifting club!