motorcycle hitch carrier good idea or not

[konarider94]

Has anyone used one of these or have had any experience with them? This one happens to be from cabelas. It claims a capacity of 500 lbs which is obviously more than my xb12s. i have an 05 grand cherokee with the 5.7L in case your wondering what i am planning to use this with. also i looked at some airbags to prevent sag. for less than 300 bucks i could take my bike anywhere. seems a lot more cost effective than towing since i dont have a trailer.

what does everyone think?

hitch carrier

air lift

 

[07Bolt]

if it doesnt exceed the payload of ur cherokee, go 4 it.

u can always reinforce the hitch. i think iv seen 4-wheelers on there?

the tongue load of a trailer is always way less than the cargo load.

 

[rndrkeagle]

it does say not to use it with bikes larger than 450cc... "Due to uneven weight distribution"

My brother has one of those that he uses with his dirt bikes... after seeing how his little 160lbs bikes wobble on it, there's no way in hell I'd put my 'Bolt on it. The receiver may be rated for the weight.... but when you go around a corner the weight of the bike wanting to "Twist" would be a load that the receiver wasn't designed for.

 

[konarider94]

i have a max tongue load of 720 lbs so i should be good in that respect. im pretty confident in my hitch. it is a class IV. i understand your concern about the torsional load but i dont think it will be a problem.

was the wobble due to the hitch flexing or because the carrier wobbled inside the receiver?

and i did notice that about the uneven weight distribution. buells mass is pretty centralized but i might avoid that specific carrier for that reason. but fwiw a drz400 is only about 70 pounds lighter than a lightning.

i should just do this.

 

[browland]

LOL that pic is classic one day I will do something that awesome

 

[Kidder]

Those hitch carriers shouldn't be used with anything more than a dirtbike. I've read reviews that they're not very stable. Don't waste your money.

 

[07Bolt]

find one rated for an off-road 4-wheeler or something.

 

[faseljd]

I got one of these but I havent used it yet. Much more heavy duty, longer ramp, and front chock. Its the SMC 600R and its rated for 600lbs. They are reasonably priced on E-Bay.

 

[xtremelow]

I have a buddy who has one that holds 2 dirtbikes, it does wobble but all he did to fix that was throw on a ratchet strap on either side to the frame and wobble gone, well for the most part. Going to get some movement no matter what but you get the idea.

 

[Jornum1]

For that price you can buy a 4x8 trailer from harbor freight. It has a 950lbs capacity. You just need to buy some plywood for the floor and sides if you choose to put them on.
I have had one for 3 years now, drove it down to florida and back from NJ at full capacity. I put my buell on it all the time. You can buy a wheel chock for another $35 from them as well as ramps for not much more. They also sell a spare tire kit that I would recommend. Around $400 and you have everything you need. I got mine on sale for about $250.
It also folds up and stands on end so you can store it in a garage or something. Though I have never used it that way. I just store it next to my shed with a tarp over it.

I know harbor freight has a bad name, but some of their stuff is decent quality, you just need to pick and choose. I have not had any problems with my trailer and have probably put 6k on it over the past 3 years.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=42709

 

[ridendude]

I built one for myself a few years ago. I've got an XT550 that it carried just fine. the only thing that I did was to use a couple ratchet straps from the corners to the truck frame to eliminate the 'wobble' associated with the fit of the stinger in the receptacle.

 

[konarider94]

hey jornum,

how fast do you pull that trailer? id like to go 75mph. it looks like a decent option.

there seem to be a lot of mixed reviews about these hitch haulers. people either love them or hate them.

 

[Miami78]

I almost bought that trailer from harbor freight...actually would have if I had my wiring harness installed earlier. Found a Buell sized enclosed trailer on CL for $500 though, so did not get the one from harbor freight. I did still get the wheel chock for $29.99, and it works really well. Used the trailer for the first time this week to rescue a friend with a broken belt on her blast, should work great for my upcoming 2500 mile drive to Vegas!

 

[xtreme6669]

Most of the haters have never used them thou so that's really just speculation. I prefer using a truck or a trailer but have used hitch haulers in the past and they were fine for loading 2 crf450 mx bikes on, as stated above there stable if you strap the base of the carrier to the frame of the vehicle to take up the play.

 

[Jornum1]

As most trailers state you arent supposed to go over 55mph, but I did 70-80 the whole way to florida from Jersey with no problems.
I have not had the problem, but have heard of people saying that some bolts will shake loose. Like I said I have probably put 6k on it without a problem. But just like anything, do a quick inspection of it periodically and you will be fine.

If I were doing it again, I would just throw some red locktite on all the frame bolts just for piece of mind.
But I have not had any problems.

Even for a little more a trailer is a lot more useful then a hitch mount. I can tow my atv, wood, furniture, or anything. Its very useful to have.

As miami stated you should check craigs list, you might be able to find a good deal on a landscaper grade trailer. Hard times have fallen on a lot of people and there are great deals on used equipment if you have the cash.