Will a bicycle trailer damage my (steel) bicycle? I have a rhode gear trailer with a 100 lb capacity, similar to the burley and other brands, that attaches to the left chainstay (see image of hitch below). I currently have it attached to my heavy-duty commuter, and I am not concerned with any adverse effects that it might have. However, I am having so much fun with it that I would also like to attach it to my road bike, which has a steel frame built for racing.

I accept that this can affect the paint, but I don't want to cause structural damage (e.g. bend or break) the frame. Should I be concerned?



Thanks!
These hitches don't work very well. They don't grab tightly enough, so they can twist around the bar and bump in to the wheel. As they twist they will take off the paint. They also require a lot of turns to attach and remove.

I had two trailers with this kind of hitch, and 3 bikes to pull with. I bought this Burley flex connector for each trailer:



I used this kind of hitch:



It works pretty well, but on one bike it's slippery, so the quick release lever can turn a little even when tight. But not enough that it's going to make the wheel fall out. Also, on one bike it bumps in to the QR, so I have to put it in just the right spot.