School me on trailer hitch motorcycle carriers

[ScottRNelson]

I'm looking to get a more serious dirt bike, probably a WR250F, which weighs around 250 pounds. I'm also seriously considering getting a 2021 Ford Bronco, which is what I would haul it with. I don't really want to own a trailer and have to figure out where to park the thing when I'm not using it.

So I'm hoping that I could use a hitch carrier and just stick the bike on the back. I don't really know how much one of those hitch carriers weighs, but the aluminum ones have to be less than 100 pounds. So what issues am I going to run into having about 350 pounds hanging off of the back like that. I'm assuming that a Jeep would be pretty similar to a Bronco when it comes to hanging a motorcycle off of the back. It would have to be far enough back there to clear the spare tire.

Anybody with knowledge or experience in this area?

I would appreciate any insights on the subject.

 

[matty]

The only issue I could see is it clearing the spare tire, if it does clear the spare it could be really handy to lean the bike against the tire while loading. I use mine on an older van which is long and I haven't really noticed any issues with front end float, but I did use it once with a heavy bike and a fully loaded SUV (4 adults and a ton of camping gear) and I felt like the front wheels of the SUV were off the ground the whole drive home. You probably wouldn't have that issue with the bronco.

 

[Climber]

There are trailers that fold up, taking up a much smaller footprint to store.

 

[Heywood]

I have / use a Black Widow 600. https://www.amazon.com/Black-Widow-MCC-600-Motorcycle-Carrier/dp/B00WFIJ362 I've hauled a 450lb FZ6 to UT and back 70+ mph w/o issue. My only grip, which is unavoidable for the most part, is that b/c the hitch tube is smaller to fit the receiver it create some sag over the distance and the hitch doesn't sit level off the back.
I also upgraded mine and put trailer lights on it b/c the bike blocks the truck lights.
ETA: The other mod I've seen on these is that ppl will mount small casters on the tie down arms to make is easy to roll around when out of the hitch.
Oh and another thing, I added grip tape to the ramp as it's just bare powder coated and to where the rear wheel sits on the platform.

 

[cheez]

I like my Kendon folding trailer a good bit. It does, however, impose a 55mph speed limit no matter what vehicle is towing it. The hitch hauler does not add that constraint.

My suggestion is to buy the heaviest duty one you can find- overkill what's needed to carry your bike- and double up on straps until you develop some confidence with the strapdown routine. The Black Widow above looks solid.

 

[auntiebling]

i've used a hitch carrier to carry a husqvarna supermoto on an SUV and i didn't like what it does to the weight distribution

I like my Kendon folding trailer a good bit. It does, however, impose a 55mph speed limit no matter what vehicle is towing it. The hitch hauler does not add that constraint.

My suggestion is to buy the heaviest duty one you can find- overkill what's needed to carry your bike- and double up on straps until you develop some confidence with the strapdown routine. The Black Widow above looks solid.

this is more or less only in CA, scott is in Idaho and from what i've seen on a few youtube channels Idaho DGAF :laughing

 

[ScottRNelson]

Yeah, I-84 has an 80 mph speed limit all but within about 10 miles either direction of where I live and then it's 65 for all vehicles. People hauling trailers and semis go 80 mph in the 80 mph sections.

I wouldn't be going all that far hauling a bike. Probably less than 50 miles and most of that would be on mountain roads.

I understand that there are lots of good choices for folding trailers, but I really would rather not have a trailer if a hitch carrier works. And that's why I started this thread.

 

[Heywood]

i've used a hitch carrier to carry a husqvarna supermoto on an SUV and i didn't like what it does to the weight distribution



this is more or less only in CA, scott is in Idaho and from what i've seen on a few youtube channels Idaho DGAF :laughing

This is only a CA thing for 55mph. ID, NV, UT, CO the towing speed is the posted limit for passenger veh.

 

[matty]

I wouldn't be going all that far hauling a bike. Probably less than 50 miles and most of that would be on mountain roads.

.

One other thing, they do wobble a bit and it's so disconcerting to look in the rear view mirror and see it wobble, but it's normal. I keep meaning to buy a hitch stabilizer, which should reduce the wobble somewhat.

 

[That Guy]

I have a versaHauler i got for my VFR and if you know anything about VFR's you know they are fat little piggies. Works great and makes the Subaru do wheelies

 

[usedtobefast]

I like discount ramps ... https://www.discountramps.com/carriers/c/2130/

Bought a few ramps from them.

Your basic 2 styles are ... roll on, both wheels on the ramp OR the type that just holds the bottom of the bike.

Personally, I like both wheels on the ramp style, like this:
https://www.discountramps.com/motorcycle-carrier/p/AMC-400L/

The other style is this: https://motojackrack.com/

For the roll on style ... aluminum is obviously lighter but most have a bump ramp style holder vs the steel type have a smooth ramp ... meaning when you roll the bike on the aluminum ones it is bumpty bumpty bumpty vs a smooth roll on the steel flat types. (hope that makes sense). Not a big deal, but you might need a bit more speed/momentum with loading on the aluminum ones.

And then you have the quality and weight, lots of levels to choose from.

For the hitch style, roll bike up, and jack it up. Most guys figure out a way to secure their handle bars (so the front wheel doesn't turn while going down the road). Most of these use the footpegs to clamp the bike to the ramp. Some I think use the frame. I guess a positive of this style is your suspension is not compressed. The "jack it up" part is usually a cheap bottle jack style and then a method to lock the jack in the up position ... but some of those bottle jacks go bad over time and then you either got to fix or replace that. For me, just not a fan of jacking and hoping the bottle jack doesn't leak/die, clamping to pegs? don't like that, and just seems like the bike is a bit floppy with this style. But many many guys love this style.

 

[Heywood]

One other thing, they do wobble a bit and it's so disconcerting to look in the rear view mirror and see it wobble, but it's normal. I keep meaning to buy a hitch stabilizer, which should reduce the wobble somewhat.

Yes they do. The BW one I have comes with one and it's a necessity. It also utilizes a bolt and compression sleeve to use in place of the hitch pin that draws the hitch tight against the side the receiver to eliminate the wobble with use of the stabilizer. I actually ran a couple weld beads across the hitch to take up some of the wiggle room. I now have a tight slip fit with the hitch to receiver and it also removed the sag.
Scott, you should also check the tongue weight to ensure you're not exceeding the capacity. At tree fiddy you should be fine, trust but verify...

 

[CDONA]

One issue, the ride. Soft long travel dirt suspension on the Bronco, with a short wheelbase, may get you nose high and twitchy steering.
The longer the stinger, more leverage, may have to move the spare.
Or a nothing burger, with helper springs like a 3/4 ton load carrying suspension.

 

[PaleHorse]

I have a versaHauler i got for my VFR and if you know anything about VFR's you know they are fat little piggies. Works great and makes the Subaru do wheelies

+1 for the versahauler. Can handle almost any motorcycle out there with the exception of cruisers. They also have a beefier model with a hitch attachment on it so you can tow a trailer behind / off of it. More expensive but better product.

 

[wilit]

They carry a WR250F perfectly fine. Here's my old WR on the back of my F150.

 

[Cabrito]

I've run a Ultimate MX Hauler and a Black Widow 600lb tray type like shown above, and now just go with the Black Widow tray type on my FJ Cruiser.

I've had zero issues with my XR400 or CRF250X.

I don't even know the bike is back there and run normal freeway speeds up to 85-90 on occasion.

The Ultimate MX hauler needed an extension to clear my spare tire, and that's why I ended up changing to the traditional tray type. The MX Hauler flops around quite a bit, but I've never had any issues and have hauled my 400 on some bumpy rutted dirt roads without issue.





The Tray type is solid and I use a StowAway Hitch Tightener that takes any slop out of the receiver and the carrier so it doesn't move much at all. I'm not really worried about departure angles because I don't plan to take it 4-wheeling and the FJ is higher off the ground than a car anyway. It clears my spare tire easily.



The Black Widow one is totally overbuilt for how I'm using it and it's 97lbs! You can totally get by with a smaller one for a 250cc bike.

 

[NoobCorpse]

I've run a Ultimate MX Hauler and a Black Widow 600lb tray type like shown above, and now just go with the Black Widow tray type on my FJ Cruiser.

I've had zero issues with my XR400 or CRF250X.

I don't even know the bike is back there and run normal freeway speeds up to 85-90 on occasion.

The Ultimate MX hauler needed an extension to clear my spare tire, and that's why I ended up changing to the traditional tray type. The MX Hauler flops around quite a bit, but I've never had any issues and have hauled my 400 on some bumpy rutted dirt roads without issue.





The Tray type is solid and I use a StowAway Hitch Tightener that takes any slop out of the receiver and the carrier so it doesn't move much at all. I'm not really worried about departure angles because I don't plan to take it 4-wheeling and the FJ is higher off the ground than a car anyway. It clears my spare tire easily.



The Black Widow one is totally overbuilt for how I'm using it and it's 97lbs! You can totally get by with a smaller one for a 250cc bike.

+1 for the Ultimate MX Hauler, I love mine. A bit more pricey than the tray carriers, but the "no see-saw action" aspect really makes it worth it. I use tiedowns to steady it a bit, and it is 100% probably the easiest to load/unload solo.

Cabrito, nice roof tent! Which one is that? Been considering one for my 4runner...

 

[ScottRNelson]

The other style is this: https://motojackrack.com/

How do you get the bike up onto one of those?

Oh wait! It has it's own jack? Nice trick. Too bad that it costs twice as much as the other style - that makes the decision harder. But I like the idea that it wouldn't take up much room when stashed in my garage.


You guys have been a big help so far. :thumbup

 

[Cabrito]

+1 for the Ultimate MX Hauler, I love mine. A bit more pricey than the tray carriers, but the "no see-saw action" aspect really makes it worth it. I use tiedowns to steady it a bit, and it is 100% probably the easiest to load/unload solo.

Also makes it nice to remove wheels easily.



The lightweight aluminum one on the element is holding a XR400R - no problems

Cabrito, nice roof tent! Which one is that? Been considering one for my 4runner...

NoobCorpse, the tent is a Basic FrontRunner that I got on CL a few years ago. I added the Annex. It's got issues, but it's a really functional setup.

 

[Eric B]

I have had this style of hauler for a while.
- https://www.discountramps.com/motorcycle-carrier/p/AMC-400/

Steel, where it’s important, aluminum, where it’s ok. About 40 lbs.
the tie down anchor points are in the center, so the bike rolls fore & aft, around fast curves. Small straps at each wheel solved that.
Used with a Jeep Cherokee & a Nissan Frontier. I added airbags to the rear suspension on these vehicles, to level the load. (Both are kinda softly suspended). Add some psi(10-20)when transporting a load, run 5 psi when empty.
No complaints. I hope this helps.