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Fisher_Bill's avatar
Fisher_Bill
Explorer
Sep 13, 2017

Motorcycle mount on back of 5er

I did some reading before I bolted a Reese receiver hitch to my back bumper for a bike rack and found a youtube clip of a guy who rebuilt the bumper because the 4 bikes that were carried on the back simply peeled the square bumper right off the welded supports from the frame.

Continuing on I learned that some of those bumpers are really not rated for much and if the sewer hose is stored inside they can start to rust the bumper out.

I've been carrying two bikes on the back of mine but I want to get a dual sport motorcycle and find someone to weld up a strong platform to the end of the trailer framing as well as a receiver mount to further extend the bicycles.

Has anyone done this and could you post pictures for ideas I can show a local welder?

Any input for pros and cons welcome, I have to chuckle when they rate those receivers for 500#'s, I want a Kawasaki KLR 650 and they weigh about 450#'s plus bags and gear and I want to be sure it's going to carry the load plus...

Thanks for any pictures and input.

Bill

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  • Fisher_Bill's avatar
    Fisher_Bill
    Explorer
    Sep 14, 2017
    And this one doesn't look like it's going anywhere but the campsite...


    moderator edit to re-size picture to forum limit of 640px maximum width.

  • Fisher_Bill's avatar
    Fisher_Bill
    Explorer
    Sep 14, 2017
    I always try and keep an open mind, if you take a look at this picture I don't think this set up is expected to eject any time soon...



    http://hydralift-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/hl4285-axle-wlogo-f.jpg

    joebedford wrote:
    Make sure you add a camera to the back of your 5er so you'll know where to return to pick up your bike.
  • joebedford's avatar
    joebedford
    Nomad III
    Sep 14, 2017
    Make sure you add a camera to the back of your 5er so you'll know where to return to pick up your bike.
  • Nv_Guy's avatar
    Nv_Guy
    Explorer III
    Sep 14, 2017
    Better have an experienced welder do this, as there are lots of pitfalls here. You will definitely want to spread the load beyond the last bit of the frame.
    As mentioned, your ride may or not change. Same thing with the handling, you may find things are a bit tail happy. Regardless, be careful here, vehicle dynamics can be tricky, I have seen a good towing rig made into a mess with just the addition of a small generator on the back.
  • Bionic_Man's avatar
    Bionic_Man
    Explorer
    Sep 14, 2017
    I don't think that is much different than having a hitch welded onto the back with the expectation to tow tandem, which is where I have experience.

    My recommendation would be to get a good, experienced welder to custom fab the hitch. Might want to reinforce the trailer frame in the back (mine is reinforced all the way past the axles).

    I am not sure if your towing experience will be the same, but with my little boat (around 2500 pounds with maybe 300 pounds tongue weight) I don't notice any different in the road manners of the rig. With my big boat (5500 pounds, over 500 pounds tongue weight), it really degraded the ride. Every bump was magnified. Still better than not taking the boat, or taking two vehicles though.
  • fj12ryder's avatar
    fj12ryder
    Explorer III
    Sep 13, 2017
    You more than likely won't even notice it back there. I had about 600 lbs. on the rear of my 35' fifth wheel and it actually seemed to pull better with it back there.

    With about 600 lbs. on the back the front of the truck was about 120 lbs. lighter. Basically it wasn't that noticeable.
  • Fisher_Bill's avatar
    Fisher_Bill
    Explorer
    Sep 13, 2017
    I want to incorporate the mount to the frame, not the bumper and while it will add weight to the back it will only be about 100#'s more than my secondary rear grey water tank (42 gallons) so if I travel with that tank empty it should be close to the same weight.

    Again, I'm not wanting to weld something to the bumper but rather the framework of the trailer.

    What I won't like more than a little extra weight is not having my dual sport with me when I travel.


    romore wrote:
    You won't like towing it, the tail will wag the dog with that much extra weight so far behind the axles. Trailer bumpers are not designed to carry loads for a reason.
  • azdryheat's avatar
    azdryheat
    Explorer
    Sep 13, 2017
    We need more test pilots on this forum. Give it a try then report back to us how it went, or didn't.
  • romore's avatar
    romore
    Explorer II
    Sep 13, 2017
    You won't like towing it, the tail will wag the dog with that much extra weight so far behind the axles. Trailer bumpers are not designed to carry loads for a reason.

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