Motorcycle carrier on back of 5ver??

[Sarge]

Has anyone added a carrier for a motorcycle to the back of your 5ver?? I am looking into the possibility, and would like some input. The bike is a Honda 750 Shadow, and weighs in at about #500. I have seen a few on the back of Motorhomes, but not on a 5ver yet. I talked to the Dealer where I bought the rig today, and he indicated that it was possible, and was going to talk to a rep from "Hidden Hitch. " Evidentally it is possible, I just don't know how much Any knowledge is appreciated, and a pic would be really great. Thanks, Sarge

 

[guava]

I've been looking at this project also. Its easier to do on a motor home or trailer since your not getting into any of the driving gear or spare tire.



The answer appears to be 'custom fabrication'. Typically any trailer place will make a custom receiver hitch with two receivers and then build the carrier with two posts to match.



The problem mention was the weight of the bike with this type of set up. You'd need to use a ramp which by its nature makes the bike awkward (sp?) given your position.



He highly recommended the type of hydraulic lift where you just park the bike on the platform and then lift the bike vertically. Dual receiver set up is the same.



I thought this would end up to be an expensive option. I'd really just like a way to carry my bike on the back of the truck and leave the canopy in place.



John

 

[John - K5AWO]

What I have seen done is to make the bike support hinged on the street side. The curb side is fabbed up to unlock and then swing down.



Various methods could be used to raise the ramp after the bike was secured. A hydraulic jack would work very well if a pad were fabbed under the ramp about a 1/3 rd of the way from the street side. The pad should be on an axle so that it would stay level with the jack as the ramp goes up.



I did something very similar to this back in the 70's when I hauled my Yamaha 650 single with me. That is a medium weight bike roughly 400+ pounds if I remember right.



Once the ramp is level and locked, I had a bar fabbed to lock the rear package rack on the bike to a support on the trailer. That made for a 3 point tie down if you count the two handle bars. I used a cinch strap from rear axle down to the ramp to prevent rear wheel hop up. Oo.

 

[Fireman]

Sarge,

There are quiet a number of manufactures out there producing carriers of this type. Some are simple while others use electric motors or hydrolics to lift the bike. They are used mostly on large motorcoaches, although I have seen some on FWs. We had a toyhauler for 4 1/2 years and wanted a nicer unit with more room, so I looked into this option. Most FW manufacturers discourage the use of this type of carrier. One engineer I talked to recomended a max hitch weight of 300# if I were to put a reciever hitch on their FWs. As you might guess most of the carries that operate as lifts weigh that much by themselves. So you would be hanging 800-1000# from the rear of the frame of your FW, and they are not designed to support that kind of load. Not to mention the fact that the addition of that much weight to the rear of the trailer could upset the balance and you could wind up with an ill handling or even dangerous trailer.

I just sold my toyhauler, and one of the guys that looked at it had a Prowler FW that he had added a carrier to. A number of people advised him against it =, but he did it anyway and after several years of carring a bike he has damaged the frame of his FW.

The only manufacturer I know of that condones the use of rear frame mounted carriers is Teton Homes. They can even be ordered with a carrier installed, but how many of us can afford a Teton.

The best thing to do would be to pull a bike trailer behind the FW. I have also toyed with the idea of a trailer that is fixed to the rear of the FW and has two caster type wheels on the rear, but that's just me taking off on another of my hair brained... ... ...

Not trying to be a wet blanket here, just trying to help.

Fireman

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

This is why I have a TT and not a 5er - the bed is open to haul two bikes which I regularly do.

 

[Sarge]

My fiver is made by Forest River, and is a hybred named "Americana". They have a small ad in back of Trailer Life magazine. Anyways, talking to the dealer, he is calling Hidden Hitch for me. Americana makes a 5ver with a enclosed motorcycle carrier that the bike loads on a ramp with an electric winch. It adds too much length to the back of the rig, about 5 feet. He just recommended to go with the dual hitch option like John suggested to avoid bouncing by the bike. If anyone can remember the name of any of the manufactures that already make a carrier, please let me know. If it works out I will post the results with some pics.



Thanks for your input... ... Sarge

 

[RThompson]

mc carrier

I carried 650 offroad bike (340lbs. ) for several years across the back of Alpenlite 5er. Didn't notice any difference in handling but quit taking it along when the frame started to sag slightly from the extra load. Taking a sight line down the side of trailer once in a while will allow you to determine if the frame is bending. Frame could always be strenghtened from the center of the suspension back but the additioal load and the marginal tires and suspension makes going this route very 'iffy' on most trailers I have looked over. My advice would be stay with lightest bike possible.

 

[John - K5AWO]

I forgot to mention that after hauling that trailer with the rear weight on it, the frame had a nice "C" section appearance to it. I guessing now, but I think the rear bumper dropped maybe 4 inches or more. Made the aluminum siding on that 27' Yellowstone very wavy. Had huge waves that stuck out about 2 inches or more.



I used the trailer as a two-way radio repair shop in the oil patch then and appearance didn't mean anything to me. No women to get upset because "You ruined it!"

 

[Sarge]

Hmmm, all very good points... ... ...

 

[XJSuperman]

Not sure on the safety isuues with this but since my wife and I each have motorcycles we are checking out options on taking them with us.....

Just a few weeks ago I was surprised to see this setup... guy was driving a 2nd gen ctd. Had his 5th wheel TT hooked up and it had a hitch on the back of it towing a small trailer... open style with 2 motorcycles on it. It was only about 8 feet long and after being next to and behind him for a while it seemed to be a stable setup.

Again I'm not sure on the saftey and/or legality of it BUT it loks to be a possibility at least.

IF it were I would look into getting a small enclosed trailer... . thus being able to carry the bike(s) and even more gear.





Steve... on your setup... what do you use to get the bikes in and out of the bed. I've been looking for ways to do this and I need at LEAST a 1,000 lb rated ramp (or whatever is used) as my roadstar with me on it is just at 950 lbs.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

I use a bi-fold aluminum ramp that is rated for 1500 lbs. If I were to do it again I'd go with this one - http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/...70&PHOTOS=on&productId=200305455&categoryId=0 . With mine I have to back the truck up to a hill or curb because my bike won't clear the top of the ramp on flat ground (only need a few extra inches) - with that curved ramp it would go right in. Search around there on northerntool and on http://www.harborfreight.com and I'm sure you'll find one to fit your needs.

 

[RThompson]

The mc lift maker is going to say yes and I would be willing to bet the trailer maker is going to say no. So you gotta decide this one on your own. 500 lb bike plus the weight of the carrier is quite a bit of weight in the wrong place.

I started out hauling a light 250 mx bike (220lbs), then I put my NX 650 on the rack so my wife could ride along. The additional weight was noticeable but not of any concern till I noticed the back of trailer was pulled down about 3/16". The 5er frame was 5x2 tubing, We do a lot of long trips and I decided that strain on the frame, axles, tires and wheels was just more than I wanted to deal with.

There is also the issue of tail lilght visibilty.

Just my experience with a mc carrier.

Good luck with what ever you decide to do. .

 

[LHallmark]

Sarge and Fireman... ... I have a friend who pulls his large 5th with an attached trailer carrying two ATV 4-wheelers..... big ones.

I understand he acquired the trailer in Denver, however I know there is an outfit in Rockport TX that makes them also.

The trailer is attached to the 5th with two receivers, one on each frame member. The rear of the trailer is supported by a single castering wheel assembly with dual tires and suspension(shock and leaf springs). Since this setup does not pivot behind the 5th, it is considered to be part of the 5th. He has no additional registration requirements, little or no additionmal weight on the 5th, and he full times all over the U. S. It must be legal..... no ticket history.

He is pulling a 38 ft 5th with this 8 ft extension with a 3500 Dually.

The ATVs are loaded via ramps stored in slots built into the trailer.

Easy to connect and disconnect... . even has an adapter to fit behind the truck... ... ... really a neat rig... ... ..... Sorry I don't know the brand or the identity of the builder. ... ... . BUT the product is outthere and available.

 

[drtrox]

Here are some sites to look at:



http://www.overbiltlifts.com/



http://www.motorcycleramps.com/rv_motorcycle_lift.htm



No that you looked at those, look at this:



http://www.rv-lifts.com/index.html



and this:



http://www.cruiserlift.com/

 

[Fireman]

LHallmark,

Thanks, now if I decide to go that route I won't have to fab it myself.

Sarge,

I threw all of that stuff out a while back, but you can find some on the internet. The best one I found was made by a welding shop in central FL.

Fireman

 

[TowPro]

I had a 30' rockwood wildwood 5th wheel that weighed around 5000 lbs (really, saw it on a scale).



I used to carry a KTM LC-4 620 on the back (around 300 lbs)



The camper had a 1. 5" x 6" boxed frame (inside mess. ), so I built one using 1. 5" sq. box tube that slide into the frame about 3'. I drilled and mounted a couple 1/2" bolts through the frame 1. 5" up so the tube slide into the frame and hit the bolts on the top to cause a "tube" that it slide into. Then I used pins that passed through it to lock it in place. "



What I noticed was if I ran with the bike on the back, and no water in the fresh tank (in the front) the 5er would sway like it was a normal trailer that needed a sway bar! Way to little pin weight. I could not keep the front water tank full because after a weekend of dry camping while I rode it would get used up.



Plus the handle bar "bark buster" hit the alunimum siding once when I hit a pump leaving a good size dent.

 

[SEmerson]

you guys need lighter bikes. My GSX R 1000 only weighes 370.

 

[Sarge]

Thanks guys, tons of great info... ... ..... the attached trailer idea is interesting... ... . Sarge

 

[XJSuperman]

Originally posted by SEmerson

you guys need lighter bikes. My GSX R 1000 only weighes 370.

Perfectly happy with my 'mega-cruiser'. I couldn;t ride comfortably on a crotch rocket any how.

 

[dremelts]

Originally posted by LHallmark

The trailer is attached to the 5th with two receivers, one on each frame member. The rear of the trailer is supported by a single castering wheel assembly with dual tires and suspension(shock and leaf springs).

That's a very interesting concept. It should eliminate the problems you would have backing up with a pivoting trailer connected to the 5er. Also negates the problem of having to keep track of which states do not allow double trailers.



I like it.