Anyone use a hitch motorcycle carrier

[ryani]

Since getting rid of my truck in favor of my 98 4runner I was wondering if anyone has used a hitch mounted motorcycle carrier on the back of their runner? I have 8 wrap LC coils in the rear and 882's up front. How much will rear sag with it on?
Just trying to get away from using my trailer. Trying to be self contained

I had an 97 yukon I used one on but it obviously is a beefier vehicle.

Thanks

 

[cruiseroutfit]

If my wife isn't coming out I haul my bike on my hitch-hauler. It brings the back down ~2" and the front up a noticable inch.

Some pics of mine and others here:
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37633

 

[mhiscox]

My Joe Hauler on the Sprinter, with my XR600 aboard, barely sags at all, but a lot of that is due to the air bags on the back. It's obviously got a lot to do with what you're carrying and the specific carrier. To wit . . .

What is more the issue with my Joe Hauler is the dramatic effect on the departure angle. The carrier part of the Joe Hauler in its standard position looks to me to be a good foot farther to the rear than it would need to be to carry a normal trail bike. This makes it more likely to drag and also makes the "lever angle" longer, making the rear bounce up and down more than it seems like it would need to and putting more stress on the hitch and carrier.

I recommend the Joe Hauler for street use because it is extremely stable, but there might be other carriers better for off-pavement use by virtue of being "tucked in" tighter.

 

[Martinjmpr]

I've seen those and I would think they'd be OK for a lightweight bike for street use only.

My concern about a heavy bike or off-road use can be summed up in one word:

Torque.

When I was considering adding a rear spare tire carrier to get my tire out from under the body, I found several that would attach to the receiver. They all looked very slick and I loved the idea of a carrier I could easily remove when it was not needed.

But what kept nagging me was that issue of torque. Specifically, what happens when you are on a bumpy trail and that heavy load is swinging side to side. That hitch was designed to carry a fairly static load, or at the worst, a load that is bouncing up and down. It is absolutely not designed to carry a load that is twisting side to side.

My biggest fear (and the thing that kept me from getting that rear tire carrier) was that such forces could cause weakening or even cracking in the welds or in the metal - and that the catastrophic failure wouldn't happen while I was off-road, it would happen when I was flying down the interstate at 70mph and hit a pothole.

I love all the cool things people can put into receiver hitches, but I think it's important to remember what that hitch was designed to do.

 

[ryani]

Thanks Kurt for the thread post.
I'm going to be doing plenty of riding this summer and it will be myself and the mutt going to the black hills to meet friends. So I would rather just use my hauler instead of the trailer for one dirt bike. I have 01 cr250 set up for single track so its still pretty light vs some of the four stroke trail machines.

Can't wait until the snow melts!!

 

[J-man]

yea- i used my 98 4runner to bring up my yamaha 350 up from cabo over x-mas and went offroad quite a bit - It worked better than i had expected. Just have to watch the departure angle when climbing over things. I forget the make of mine, but its just an aluminum tray thats bolted to an extended hitchbar & i use ratchet straps to cinch her down.

 

[ryani]

Thanks J-man. I'll have a tube bumper on by may so I will weld a tube on each of the edges so it the bike hauler will have 3 points of contact to the bumper. That should minimize the rocking back and forth stress on the reciever tube.

 

[zidaro]

UltimateMXHauler.com You can also find them on ebay. been using it awhile as it is a buddies, works great and can use it as a MC workstand, doesnt compress your boingers while you drive, dont have to lift the bike onto your truck, minimal rocking offroad esp. if you tie-off to truck. I think this is the best one out. I really dont like ramp hitch carriers esp. after a great ride-very awkward to load at times.

aaron

 

[scarysharkface]

The rocking back and forth can really screw with your vehicle's handling. Multiple points of contact to firm it up is an absolute must, as far as I'm concerned. I run straps from my spare to the ends of the hauler, and that helps immensely.

John

 

[ryani]

Ziardo,
I've seen the mx hauler. Looks liked an awesome unit. Does it suck the bike up close to back of the vehicle? Thought about getting one. I've seen used ones on craiglist for 100 or so but they are in cali and I'm in So Dak. Might still have to pull the trigger on one those units.

 

[jnelson4x4taco]

I used one on my Tacoma with an XR250 on it and it did really well. It wiggled at first, which I didnt like so I rand some straps to the shackle mounts on my bumper and that kept the sway at a minimum. It squatted the rear a bit but nothing major and I didnt really notice it on the highway or even off road on some mild fire roads. I think they are a great idea and if you have any fab skills, making one would be pretty simple. Its basically a loading ramp bolted to a hitch extender. Obviously it needs some serious support but its a very simple design. I thought about adding another attachment point to each end so it would actually slide in at 3 places on the bumper, to minimize any saying. I say go for it, but check out Craigslist, they pop up cheap every so often, the one i used belonged to a buddy who picked it up for $175 locally

 

[zidaro]

Ziardo,
I've seen the mx hauler. Looks liked an awesome unit. Does it suck the bike up close to back of the vehicle? Thought about getting one. I've seen used ones on craiglist for 100 or so but they are in cali and I'm in So Dak. Might still have to pull the trigger on one those units.

Ya, pulls in pretty tight but not too close to make you nervous. good quality built hauler and i think they are the best option out there. Hydraulic lift is sweet.

 

[ryani]

A guy had one a fullsize pickup where we ride and I asked him why doesn't he just push into the bed and then he showed me the hydraulic jack thing and he said that's why. No pushing! haha. It looked pretty slick!

 

[ldivinag]

you can install airbags (from airlift) in the coils. add some air to re-level the vehicle.