Hitch mounted motorcycle carrier on class c

The only way to know for sure is load it up and get to a {hopefully}, nearby scale. My guess is you will be so light on the front axel as to be dangerous not to mention well over the rear axel rating.

IMHO: Adding 500 extra pounds on the rear end just is not going to work. you might want to look at some of the motorcycle trailers that are available. Here are a couple of shots of the Kendon single that I use. It stands up and stores taking very little space {at your site or back in the garage}:





I added the 2 X 8's to provide a nice stable place to put my feet when walking the bike {Harley Dyna Super Glide - 700#} on or off:

That rack does not look all that heavy duty to me. The problem may be that the 400lb bike and the hitch at 80 lbs mounted 10 feet behind the rear axle will be like a lever and may remove more weight from the front axle than would be considered safe. Plus the 480lbs bounching 10 feet behind the rear axle will multiply the weight and could fail the rack your using causing the bike to end up on the road. Without having the motorhome run over scales to get the before bike and after bike weights your not going to know for sure what the weights hanging out back will do to the front steering. I would think a trailer like Desert Captin is describing would be a lot safer for your transporting. Just my opinion as an Ex-Weigh-It-Guy.

It would probably be better to put a receiver hitch on the front of the motorhome and carry the motorcycle up front. Motorhomes usually have unused front axle carrying capacity, while using up all of the rear axle carrying capacity.

Other alternative is to put the motorcycle on a small utility trailer. On the trailer, you can also put other storage items, such as fire wood, gas can, chairs, etc that you may not want inside the motorhome.

I'd be somewhat concerned about that much weight on the hitch itself. I assume the motorcycle carrier extends further back than a typical trailer ball hitch, so the torque from the tongue weight is magnified somewhat due to the additional leverage. Many class C hitches are already relatively constrained in terms of tongue weight (it's not uncommon, for example, to find them with hitches rated to tow 5000 pounds but with a tongue weight limit of 350 pounds).

You can compute the effect on the weight and balance by measuring the distance from the motorcycle to the back axle and from the back axle to the front axle. If, for the sake of simple computation, they are equal, then you're unloading the front axle by the weight of the motorcycle plus carrier (or about 500 pounds) and loading the rear axle by twice that amount (about 1000 pounds). It's probably not going to work out very well weight wise.

Maybe you could borrow or rent a rack to try. Local cycle shop or Craigslist?

The best rack I've had was a custom build and it did not use the standard trailer hitch set-up. It used two 2"trailer hitch receivers welded to the ends of the frame rails. Two 2" square tubes extended out the back and the rail was welded to the square tube. This was used to haul a Yamaha TW200 (300 lbs.?) This was with a 22-24' MH with much shorter overhang. You could feel it on the back, but it was OK. Can't say how yours would be.

Currently I use a 5X8 Wells Cargo enclosed trailer.

Pluses for the trailer: The bike is out of sight, protected from the elements and I can throw other stuff in the trailer (BBQ, ground cover etc.). The best part is I leave the bike in the trailer and it doesn't take up space in my shop. Tows like it's not there.

Negatives: A short trailer behind a long MH is a bear to back up. Many states have lower trailer speed limits. You need a space to park the trailer and you are adding several feet to the overall length of your rig.

Norm's 2 cents

Really don't think you should even try this. We have an entry level 31-ft Jayco with no slides, Same 218" WB as your Greyhawk. We're probably classified as "heavy packers" but still only two of us traveling, we're 4600 front, 9300 rear, 13900 total. That's coach, provisions, supplies, clothes, water, fuel, and us.

You have a slide forward. That strongly suggests you can't carry the cycle on the front without exceeding GAWR even if you have a 2008+ chassis with 5000 front axle.

I'm certain that 500 on a rear hitch will overload the rear axle. That weight will de-stabilize the rear. It'll sway and when a Ford sways, it steers. Uncommanded. You don't want that. You will also unload the front to a degree. We have engineering titans here who can calculate how much, but there's a good chance that the front will unload to less than the 1/3 of total weight that Ford recommends.

At least, load it as for travel, crew and all, go weigh it on a legal-for-trade scale. Four corner is best but axle weights will do. If you go to a truck stop, and already have a toad or trailer, bring it too. You'll get Front, Rear, and Toad/Trailer weights.

I think those weights will direct you toward a trailer for the bike. You said "wife's" so I wonder if you have one as well. Might start looking good to bring both.

I have a 40-pound aluminum hitch rack as sold on Ebay. I have a 188 pound Honda Trail 90. Our 27 foot Tioga handles OK with the rack and trail bike on the back but steering feels somewhat lighter. The same combo on a 30 foot rig would probably make steering feel considerably lighter. A 400 lb motorbike or scooter on an even heavier rack will likely make steering too unsteady. I have carried the same Trail 90 on a front rack but that is not ideal. Access to the truck engine with bike in front is limited, straps and clips tend to abrade the hood, headlights are blocked, airflow to radiator may be reduced. A lighter rack and lighter electric bike, etc. may be more practical. I carry a portable electric mobility scooter in the cargo bay of our rig currently. Folding bicycles are another option.

What SoCal said.... Put it up front. I carry them up front and it does not adversely affect visibility of cooling.

Also the extra bounce at the rear of a motorhome probably wasn't really accounted for my the rack's MFG.

Saw one today with rear wheel on the ground with front wheel raised up and attach to the motorhome. No bike trailer.

Unless I missed it I haven't seen anywhere what the hitch weight rating on the RV is. Now since the motorbike is going to be cantilevered out more than a trailer ball would be, that increases the effective load on the hitch.....and frame extensions.