Front hitch and motorcycle questions
I have a 13 Dodge 3500 4x4 which I plan on getting a front hitch to carry a motorcycle. The weight capacity of the hitch is 500 lbs per the manufacturer. Anyone carrying a heavy bike on their front h...
Forum Discussion
First, weigh the truck with the camper on board and see how close you are to axle weights. Rams are usually pretty close to the limits but in 2013 or 2014 the increased the front axle rating giving a bit more load capacity.
While a hitch may be rated for 500 pounds, that is for the weight only being less than 6" from the end of the hitch. The COG for the bike will need to be at least 18" from the hitch which reduces the capacity to about 300 pounds. So while it may be possible to carry a light motorcycle, I wouldn't want to carry one more than about 200 pounds.
An alternative would be to replace the two took hooks with snub receivers then build a custom rack using both points. This will greatly reduce the wobble and double the load capacity. However, I still would not want to carry a 400 pound bike, but a 300 pound bike would be within reason.
On a bike rack using the two points and a single ratchet strap, I carry two bikes and the only movement is a bit of handle bar vibration. Trick is I have a solid point to pull the frames against and have a block of wood between the bikes so everything can be pulled tight together.
While a hitch may be rated for 500 pounds, that is for the weight only being less than 6" from the end of the hitch. The COG for the bike will need to be at least 18" from the hitch which reduces the capacity to about 300 pounds. So while it may be possible to carry a light motorcycle, I wouldn't want to carry one more than about 200 pounds.
An alternative would be to replace the two took hooks with snub receivers then build a custom rack using both points. This will greatly reduce the wobble and double the load capacity. However, I still would not want to carry a 400 pound bike, but a 300 pound bike would be within reason.
We carry two adult bicycles (est. 70 lbs.) on a front hitch and they bounce around like crazy. We use six bunge cords to dampen the bouncing.
On a bike rack using the two points and a single ratchet strap, I carry two bikes and the only movement is a bit of handle bar vibration. Trick is I have a solid point to pull the frames against and have a block of wood between the bikes so everything can be pulled tight together.
