From what I have observed, the Trailgator has a few drawbacks :
– The child can use their brake (a minor inconvenience, in that the child can be told so)
– Many (most?) 12" and 16" bikes are very low quality. The ones my daughters used were great for learning to balance, but I would not have used them for any significant trip.
– When attaching the child bike, the front end has to be raised, which means the seat angle changes. Unless you readjust its angle, the child may have a really sore rear end.
– Most importantly, on many bikes, the attachment to the Trailgator is very sloppy. I think the possibilities for success or failure really depend on the exact configuration of the head tube of the child bike.
I have seen a few that were riding with the child inclined by about 15-20 degrees!