Motorcycle Towing

Desert Captain wrote:

IMHO:
The short answer is no. Few if any trailers will have a robust enough rear bumper to support 600#. If you beef the bumper up you might be able to add a small bike/scooter but keep in mind that the rear bumper is the worst possible place to add weight. That much additional weight all the way back is a sure recipe for sway and the lever action takes the physics in entirely the wrong direction.

What is your tow vehicle? Any way you could load the bike in the back assuming it is a truck with sufficient payload? There are some toy hauler models out there that can handle 600+# but it sounds like you already have the trailer. Good luck.

:C

This...it would take substantial beefing up of the frame on most TT and by the time you add in the weight of the rack, you are probably taking 600lb off the hitch weight...which may only be 500-1000lb to begin with on a travel trailer.

5th wheels do better as they are typically 20-25% hitch weight (compared to 12-15% on a TT) and the wheels are further back so they the math means the same bike will take less weight off the hitch. But a 600lb bike is still really big to hang off the back.

Look at putting it in the truck bed (if you have enough payload) or getting a toy hauler.

Take a look at various loader systems / setups for hauling bike in pickups.

Short answer no. You need to carry the bike in the back of the truck if you have enough payload for the TT and bike.

You didn't say what truck or trailer you have to get a more detailed answer.

If your state allows a double tow behind a TT a bike trailer might work as well.

If you are pulling a tt, I'd look hard at carrying a large bike in the 8' bed of the 3/4 or 1 ton truck towing it.

I've never known that travel trailers have hiches on the back of them. If it's attatched to the sturdy "chasis" of the trailer it might be worth it.

I have 2 solid places to check out and ask. I'd contact a company that manufactures the ramp thing that the motorcycle attatches to. Of course preferably a company that you can see yourself buying one from anyways and email them a message as well as a picture of your setup.

I'd also check out (if you got one near you) auto shop. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't mind taking 10 minutes away from there work to give some advice, and I believe most mechanics know about welding and stuff.

But from my opinion, if the travel trailer has a hookup in the rear that's connected to the "I-Beams" that make up what I call the trailers "chasis" then maybe it will be solid. If it's connected to the bumper then that all depends on your bumper situation and I don't know. But also if you have a local welder/fabricator and some $ I'm sure you could get yourself situated real good. And hopefully you have an adjustable ball on your towing vehicle to get balance on your trailer

Myself, I fit my motorcycle diagonally in my F-150 short bed just fine

There are substantial carriers that attach to a large Class A, but in general the 2" receivers are limited to a 500# tongue load.

I have seen travel trailers and fifth wheels leaving bike week every year with a motorcycle trailer behind the camper. It doesn't look like a wonderfully great idea but, I have seen it. I'd want a camera looking at the bike trailer if I did something like that. Also, kinda looks like a funky train going down the road. Is it legal? Apparently so, in some states. I never looked at the hitches but, my guess is that they welded up a receiver to the frame or something like that. Although, I can't imagine there's a lot of weight on that hitch. When I pull my 900 pounds of Valkyrie Interstate on a trailer behind the Suburban I really don't feel it back there.

szglvs wrote:
I have seen motorcycle carriers that attach to a hitch.
Can you attach a motorcycle carrier to the back of Travel Trailer hitch to support a 600 lb motorcycle?

IMHO:
The short answer is no. Few if any trailers will have a robust enough rear bumper to support 600#. If you beef the bumper up you might be able to add a small bike/scooter but keep in mind that the rear bumper is the worst possible place to add weight. That much additional weight all the way back is a sure recipe for sway and the lever action takes the physics in entirely the wrong direction.

What is your tow vehicle? Any way you could load the bike in the back assuming it is a truck with sufficient payload? There are some toy hauler models out there that can handle 600+# but it sounds like you already have the trailer. Good luck.

:C