Reciever Hitch Motorcycle Carrier Advice

Hurco550

Keep er' Between the Ditches
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Ive got a question for all of you "wise ones" out there.

I'm thinking about building one of those receiver hitch style bike carriers. I have family down in the Chattanooga area, and when my wife and I go visit, I like to take the DR650 to go explore the beautiful back roads and woods around there. I don't mind loading it in the truck when its just me, but when its the two of us (and lets be honest... all her stuff) its hard to pile in the single cab silver-ay-doe and do the 1200 mile round trip.

My wifes car is a 2010 ford flex eco boost with the optional towing package. The towing capacity is 3800 lbs, and the max tongue weight is 450 lbs. The dr650 weighs 355 (ish) wet, so if I make the carrier less than 100 lbs, I should still be "fine"

I was just wondering if any of you guys have ever done any long distance hauling on one of those style hitches, and if so, would you recommend it?

Here is what im talking about, though I doubt ill make mine pivot like that
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I assume it's AWD, but another consideration is the cantilever and all that weight extended out pulling a bunch of weight off the front end. Maxing the tongue weight or beyond will certainly cause the front end to float.
 
irk miller said:
I assume it's AWD, but another consideration is the cantilever and all that weight extended out pulling a bunch of weight off the front end. Maxing the tongue weight or beyond will certainly cause the front end to float.

That's what I was thinking too. plus tongue weight from a trailer would exert different downward forces than the carrier would (being a tortion force)

There seems to be two very biased opinions on using them online.. people that log thousands of miles with no issues, and people that hate them. Cant say ive read of any real failures though....

it is awd though
 
My dad has one on the back of their little RV. He's hauled a Norton on it no issues but it'a a very different vehicle than your Mrs. Motolady even built one and hauls a honda rebel on her toyota pickup.
 
Sav0r said:
Get a Hitch Helper.

https://mrtrailer.com/hellya.htm

that's getting dangerously close to "just pull a trailer" territory lol
 
Except it would be marginally easier to back up, which might be more wife friendly, depending your wife of course. I know my wife wouldn't tow a trailer.
 
Sav0r said:
Except it would be marginally easier to back up, which might be more wife friendly, depending your wife of course. I know my wife wouldn't tow a trailer.

That's absolutely correct actually. My wife would pull a trailer down the highway im sure, but any backing up or parking would have to be done by yours truly lol Maybe that could be an add on later on if this proves to be to much weight.
 
Do you guys carry anything in the cabin as well? Generally that hitch weight is with a basically unloaded cabin, meaning you get some unaccounted for load balancing when you put your tooth brush and spare undies in the passenger seat instead of the trunk.

My father and I were actually coming home from Daytona with our racing trailer on the back of our Winnebago when we encountered a slow moving tractor. My father tried to stop the Winnebago but the weight transfer from the trailer unweighted the front tires enough that we understeered right into the trailer. Totaled the Winnebago. Our trailer and everything inside it was fine. The tractor and trailer experienced virtually no damage. All passengers survived, the worst injury was a bloody nose. Basically all I am saying is that this topic is sort of near and dear to me since I've been there and it wasn't much fun.
 
I carry my beemer on the back of my GMC (motorhome).
It's 600lbs wet.
The carrier itself can certainly carry it.

The only way to really know is to do it.
I'd be hesitant to put that much bike on the back of that car personally, but you never know till you try.
Make the carrier aluminum.
 
A major point to me bringing up the cantilever is that the example you plan to model is made to clear the hatchback, so it hangs pretty far out there. Designing it to hug the back of the car can make a huge difference.


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irk miller said:
A major point to me bringing up the cantilever is that the example you plan to model is made to clear the hatchback, so it hangs pretty far out there. Designing it to hug the back of the car can make a huge difference.


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nope, no hopes or plans to clear the hatch, im snugging it up as close as I possibly can to the car with the hatch closed.
 
Sav0r said:
Do you guys carry anything in the cabin as well? Generally that hitch weight is with a basically unloaded cabin, meaning you get some unaccounted for load balancing when you put your tooth brush and spare undies in the passenger seat instead of the trunk.

we do carry some in the cabin. basically weekend luggage of clothes and stuff, and then ill have my riding gear ect then us as well.
 
SONIC. said:
I carry my beemer on the back of my GMC (motorhome).
It's 600lbs wet.
The carrier itself can certainly carry it.

The only way to really know is to do it.
I'd be hesitant to put that much bike on the back of that car personally, but you never know till you try.
Make the carrier aluminum.

Sonic, to late, half done building it from steel. I had steel laying around, and im to cheap for aluminum haha

Ill build it, load it up and drive around, if its to sketchy, ill just take the truck

a camper is definitely different from a ford flex, though a big part of why we bought this vehicle was its towing capacity and room for road trips. It sports some pretty descent towing specs, and unlike a mini van with a hitch on the back, it was actually put together from the factory with towing in mind. It came off the assembly line with a class IV hitch. People use them for towing quite a bit, I just wasn't sure about the carrier itself and whether people liked them or not.

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I was super sketched out driving around at first with the bike on the carrier. It just seems so precarious. I called and updated my bike insurance before driving it down the road for the first time haha.

I drove from TN to Montana and back, 6000 or so miles, dragged it across curbs with the bike on it, drove offroad, drove washboard until I thought my teeth would fall out, etc etc. No issues.

I would now not hesitate at all to use the carrier in any situation so long as the vehicle can handle it.
 
SONIC. said:
I would now not hesitate at all to use the carrier in any situation so long as the vehicle can handle it.

Well that's the answer I was looking (hoping) for. Im not terribly worried about the vehicle itself as much as how seemingly sketchy the setup is.

I figured ill go for it. Threw this together at lunch break. The main frame is 3/16" X 3" X 3" angle with some 3/16" wall 1.5" x 2" rectangle tubing for the tie down anchors.

Still gotta weld on the tube for the receiver (2" x 2"x 1/4" square) and some guessets, as well as a wheel chock. Still gonna be under 100 lbs. im hoping, but I didn't wanna build it chincy and have it break half way across the country.

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Looks good,
A little late now, but it would have been better to move the tiedowns inboard so they are inline with the handlebars and the back tire, that way you're pulling straight down and if one strap breaks or fails the others don't pull the bike off the carrier.

I use one strap on each side of the handlebars and then one more over the back tire.
 
SONIC. said:
Looks good,
A little late now, but it would have been better to move the tiedowns inboard so they are inline with the handlebars and the back tire, that way you're pulling straight down and if one strap breaks or fails the others don't pull the bike off the carrier.

I use one strap on each side of the handlebars and then one more over the back tire.
I'll have a wheel chock front and back to keep the bike from doing any rocking back and forth.

About got er licked.

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