opinions on hanging a dirtbike off the back?

Dano1955 wrote:
This is no problem for a class A motorhome, I see it all the time. But what about a hitch receiver on back a 10000+gvw fifth wheel with a bike lift and say 350-400 lbs of dirtbike?

Gotta consider the load effect for sure, but how safe or unsafe?

It appears you have a new FW. As long as it's in warranty, any frame mods will likely void the warranty on the frame. A real a-hole mfr might try and void the entire warranty if you have any issues at all. I agree with the others that you should have a 2 receiver setup for stability.

Lyle

All I'm going to add to this is to use a fork brace instead of compressing the forks when tied down. Fast stops, and the forward/rearward bouncing on the trailer could cause the bike to lean 'forward' and the handlebar could contact the trailer as the front suspension compresses more (and also causes slack on the opposite strap).

I carry my XR400 on a hitch carrier on my truck (tonneau cover), and my last truck had a camper shell and I packed a porky KLX650 on it.

I double tow sometimes, with a couple bikes on a small trailer. My factory receiver on my FW says 300 hitch-3000 trailer. If I was only taking the dirt bike, it seemed over kill to double tow.

I bought a nice aluminum dirt bike carrier to carry my 250 lb off road. It works great on the truck, and I don't have to remove my FW hitch. Although it has a good hitch bar stabilizer, I decided not to use it on the FW, per the manufacturer stating not for FW/TT use. If I had a rear camera, I'd consider trying it. It uses 4 tie downs, and I could strap to the rear ladder also.

I suppose my wife could ride in the FW, with radio/phone contact to cab. She could sit in a swivel rocker and face backward, looking out the picture window. :) On second thought, I don't think I would want to hear what she would be saying!!!

If I had enough need, I'd consider putting a receiver on the front of the truck. I think E-trailer has them.

Jerry

Use a decent class of reciever and triangle brace it forward to reduce twisting moments at the rear area of trailer frame and flimsy bumper.

For a carrier we like our Versahaul.

Versahaul carriers

because it uses a receiver lock to prevent the carrier from flopping around

No need for cussin trying to get 2 bars plugged in to two receivers

Versa haul anti tilt lock

Of course a lot depends on the strength of your 5th wheel frame. But something like the Idaho Tote is going to add more weight to the back of your 5th wheel than a single dirt bike. My Smart Trailer added about 600 lbs. to the rear of my 5th, but removed only about 100 lbs. off the hitch weight.

I think my main concern would be securing the bike so it doesn't move around and the handlebars don't pound on the back of the 5th wheel. And having a remote camera back there is always a good idea. Hate to get to your destination minus the bike. :)

Have two 2" receivers welded to the frame rails... One in the middle will not hold 600 lbs very long. Forget a lift and make a ramp that pivots on the left receiver tube that needs to be 4 feet long for tying the handlebars down. Manually lift the back of the ramp up and put a 2 foot long receiver tube under it in the right receiver. You will need a second person to tie the front tire to the upturned front of the ramp and then to help you lift the back up once you have the handlebars tied down.
By lowering one end of th 8' long ramp to the ground it's fairly easy to get the bike up the ramp as you can control it from the ground. A 5er has so much excess tongue weight that putting 600 pounds on the back will not affect the handling unlike a travel trailer which might get squirrley if you did this.

Frame welded, I'd do it. Beware that if you have a new RV, at least one manufacturer has used the addition of such things to deny any warranty issue on frame issues.

350-400 lbs of dirtbike sounds like two dirtbikes, or at least one really big heavy one.

We've hauled two on a "rack" hanging off the back of a Tundra. It required welding more than one input hitch in to get the required stability.

Find a good, local welding shop. I had a hitch put on the rear of our previous 5th wheel just for hauling bicycles, but it would have hauled something larger. The welder took photos prior to putting the belly back on. He put gussets on it and sprayed undercoating on all the new parts. Very stout hitch. I think I paid a couple hundred dollars.

You might want to check on the IDAHO TOTE attachment extension for your RV. This may not be considered a trailer in most states since it is permanently attached.

Idaho Tote



Just be aware how flimsy the current so called bumpers are installed. I would only let a qualified welder guy look at this for me and tie into the main frame under the trailer...

I suspect what you have now just barely supports your spare tire setup...

Just saying
Roy Ken

Just for reference, my Jayco factory installed Class 3 receiver is rated to 3,000 lbs towing or 300 lbs tongue weight. So if going for aftermarket, it would be advisable to find a reputable hitch shop that can advise. Plus a call to Jayco about proper attachment and how big you can go without risking frame issues. I'd guess you need to go to Class 4, at least.

Ditto in spades for the actual carrier. For bicycles there are almost no models where the mfg. doesn't specifically state that they are not to be used for "trailers" (only 2 brands I am aware of, and the specific models are very limited). The added length rear of the axles means a huge increase in the pounding the carrier and hitch assembly will be subject to. And, you have to extend even further back than "normal" to clear the bumper. 400# of dirt bike is many, many times more load than 100# of bicycles because of that. So you'll want far more strength for everything than you might otherwise assume.

You might be better off getting a mini-trailer for it, and making sure you can double tow.....