norcalvandwlr
New member
I haul my scooter to the race track on my front mount and works great
Motorcycle carrier on FRONT of truck?
- Thread starter Martinjmpr
- Start date
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
Well, looking into it now but the front hitch seems to come with a huge drawback: A not-insignificant loss of ground clearance.
Here is a screenshot from an Amazon review:
Obviously I could put a lift on the truck but man, that thing hangs low. I suppose if I wanted to I could just remove the front receiver when I don't need it. But I envision digging that receiver into the ground on even a mild off road trail.
Here is a screenshot from an Amazon review:
Obviously I could put a lift on the truck but man, that thing hangs low. I suppose if I wanted to I could just remove the front receiver when I don't need it. But I envision digging that receiver into the ground on even a mild off road trail.
pith helmet
Well-known member
No doubt, that’s too low!
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
Reading my mind, Ace!
I was at a dentist appointment this morning and while I was getting my teeth cleaned I thought "Rather than something off the shelf, what about a custom setup?" I actually would be OK with a "low" mount like that as long as it was easily removable. I don't know if that's a thing or not but it seems to me that if you can have sway bar mounts with quick disconnects, why couldn't you have a front receiver with a quick disconnect of some kind?
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
OK, now my brain is really firing!
So I'm sitting here thinking about how the off-the-shelf center-mounted 2" receiver mounts (of which there are at least 3 for the F-150) are not ideal because of the ground clearance issue. And I'm thinking of having a custom bumper fabricated, as Ace suggested above.
And then...I'm thinking "well, if I'm going to have something fabricated, I'm not actually 'stuck' on the whole center-mounted-single attachment point, am I?"
Having all that weight wiggling and twisting on a single center attachment has never sat well with me. So then I got to thinking that some RVs and Travel Trailers have a fold-down cargo carrier that attaches at TWO points instead of one. Here's an example of one I found on e-Trailer:
As you can see, the carrier attaches with a couple of pins that go into a hole on the frame carrier, acting as a hinge.
So, it seems to me that it wouldn't be that difficult to have a front bumper fabricated that incorporated a couple of attaching points (similar to a shackle mount) and then modifying a standard motorcycle hitch carrier to work.
Obviously, this exact item wouldn't work (It's limited to 250lbs capacity total and would require something underneath it to support the platform in the extended position) but I would think there should be a way to get something like this to work. As a bonus, it would be a lot more robust than a typical single-receiver mounted carrier.
So I'm sitting here thinking about how the off-the-shelf center-mounted 2" receiver mounts (of which there are at least 3 for the F-150) are not ideal because of the ground clearance issue. And I'm thinking of having a custom bumper fabricated, as Ace suggested above.
And then...I'm thinking "well, if I'm going to have something fabricated, I'm not actually 'stuck' on the whole center-mounted-single attachment point, am I?"
Having all that weight wiggling and twisting on a single center attachment has never sat well with me. So then I got to thinking that some RVs and Travel Trailers have a fold-down cargo carrier that attaches at TWO points instead of one. Here's an example of one I found on e-Trailer:
As you can see, the carrier attaches with a couple of pins that go into a hole on the frame carrier, acting as a hinge.
So, it seems to me that it wouldn't be that difficult to have a front bumper fabricated that incorporated a couple of attaching points (similar to a shackle mount) and then modifying a standard motorcycle hitch carrier to work.
Obviously, this exact item wouldn't work (It's limited to 250lbs capacity total and would require something underneath it to support the platform in the extended position) but I would think there should be a way to get something like this to work. As a bonus, it would be a lot more robust than a typical single-receiver mounted carrier.
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
So here's what I'm thinking (and I'll apologize in advance for my crude Powerpoint/photo editing skills, but I think this communicates the gist of what I'm going for.)
Start off with a basic front bumper. I'm using the Ranch Hand Bull Nose bumper as my template because I like the design of the Bull Nose. Here it is in original form:
I don't need the "stinger/hoop" or whatever it's called, just the bumper. So that would not be on it. Then, TWO 2" receivers would be put in, near the point where the bumper attaches to the frame (for maximum strength and support.)
Here is an example of a "generic" motorcycle receiver mount. Note that it attaches with a single 2" receiver in the center:
But it seems to me it would not be that difficult to modify it with two receivers to match the spacing on the bumper, as such:
At this point, the biggest hurdle for this setup is likely to be cost. But it might be worth exploring, at least.
Start off with a basic front bumper. I'm using the Ranch Hand Bull Nose bumper as my template because I like the design of the Bull Nose. Here it is in original form:
I don't need the "stinger/hoop" or whatever it's called, just the bumper. So that would not be on it. Then, TWO 2" receivers would be put in, near the point where the bumper attaches to the frame (for maximum strength and support.)
Here is an example of a "generic" motorcycle receiver mount. Note that it attaches with a single 2" receiver in the center:
But it seems to me it would not be that difficult to modify it with two receivers to match the spacing on the bumper, as such:
At this point, the biggest hurdle for this setup is likely to be cost. But it might be worth exploring, at least.
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
The more I look at that picture, the more I think that has to be on a lowered/slammed 2wd truck. Reviews on E-Trailer say that the Curt hitch hangs about 9" above the ground while the Draw Tite is another inch or two lower.
The one in that photo looks like it's sitting at maybe 4"? Good grief, that thing would ground on speed bumps.
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
Of course, there's also a possibility I'm totally overthinking the ground clearance issue.
Before I spend thousands of $$ to fab up a new bumper, I might just be able to take a factory front hitch mount and have it slightly modified to sit higher.
Before I spend thousands of $$ to fab up a new bumper, I might just be able to take a factory front hitch mount and have it slightly modified to sit higher.
pith helmet
Well-known member
i would be surprised if you would need to double the attachment points. i have carried a 250 on my rear set up on various vehicles and its surprisingly stable with just one.
another thought is, if you do not really need the bumper, a good quality frame mount winch carrier could easily be fitted with a 2" receiver. cheaper.
Last edited:
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
?
You know, that's a really interesting idea.
See, that's why I like posting questions like this here, because other people can think of things I didn't.
So if I'm tracking, you are thinking of something like this:
That mounts behind the front bumper.
A 2" receiver could be welded into the base plate that the winch would normally sit on.
Given the 100+ pounds that a winch weighs, not to mention the amount of force that USING the winch puts on the frame, it should easily be able to handle a ~350lb /160kg load, don't you think?
Ace Brown
Retired Ol’ Fart
You know, that's a really interesting idea.
See, that's why I like posting questions like this here, because other people can think of things I didn't.
So if I'm tracking, you are thinking of something like this:
View attachment 695027
That mounts behind the front bumper.
A 2" receiver could be welded into the base plate that the winch would normally sit on.
Given the 100+ pounds that a winch weighs, not to mention the amount of force that USING the winch puts on the frame, it should easily be able to handle a ~350lb /160kg load, don't you think?
Yes but when you weld that to your plate it’s a very critical weld. Got to a great welder. Might want to gusset that also.
I have a moto carrier that I’m not using. If you were closer it could be yours cheap.
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