Need experienced users of cargo carriers on back of trailer

[dpgllg]

Hello,

I want to haul an adult tricycle with us. My 5th wheel comes with a receiver factory installed. I am looking at several carriers and have found two that I think will work.

Ultra Fab

Haul Master

The Ultra Fab is more money but I really like the fact that the ramp folds in half. The Haul Master from Harbor frieght is a lot less money and in fact I found one used on Craigslist for $45. It is the high ramp on the Haul Master that has me concerned. I envison it hitting the back of my 5th wheel and damaging it. I also am concerned about the quality of this carrier.

Anyone with experience with either of these ramps please let me know the pros and cons of each.

I also would like to hear from people who have used any cargo racks and thier experiences with them. Both good or bad. What do I need to know to keep the load secure and not damanging my 5th wheel?

Thanks!

Dave

[Grit_dog]

Just don’t put your dog on it.....

[NMDriver2]

Just be sure to check your hitch welds/bolts etc after each trip and get a camera to watch the load. It took 10 years but eventually the top weld on my hitch cracked. Nothing was dropped or lost since the braces and other welds all kept things from falling completely apart. I was within 2 blocks of home when I noticed things were not right in the rear view camera (a definite sag in the top of the generator).

$150 of professional welder time and material to fix. It has been another 3 years and no problems when using the Harbor Freight cargo rack nor when pulling the boat.

[fyrflie]

https://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Anti-Rattle/MaxxTow/MT70258.html

Another option for the slop in the carrier.

[WTP-GC]

Amazon for the cargo carrier. We have a Curt and it was highly rated and it’s pretty darn good and it’s foldable and...
Get a hitch and tightener too from Amazon and it will take out all the slop.

[dpgllg]

tarnold wrote:
Slop is easily resolved. Go to any big box store and purchase a pack of plastic shims, used to install doors and windows. Drive the shim along side the receiver till very tight. Snap off the excess if you want.

OP Here,

That is very good advice! The only two things outstanding are how to brace it and should could I use that tall ramp safely?

The back of my 5th wheel is smooth with no bumper. I'm thinking some ratcheting straps to somewhere underneath but I also have an enclosed underbelly. Any thoughts on these issues?

Dave

[tarnold]

Slop is easily resolved. Go to any big box store and purchase a pack of plastic shims, used to install doors and windows. Drive the shim along side the receiver till very tight. Snap off the excess if you want.

[mat60]

I may get heck for this but I have been around long enough to no the Haulmaster WDH was built well with very little slop in my receiver. Im thinking not all receivers may not be the same size along with cargo carriers and such. I also think all the carriers need some bracing .

[n7bsn]

I have the haulmaster, I found I had to modify the bar by welding a 16 ga plate as a shim.
The haulmaster fit so loosely into the receiver that I thought it moved too much.
I suspect there is a lot more slop in the manufacture of the haulmaster then I was happy with, in other words, todays one could be 0.05 inches larger and fit fine, or even 0.07 larger and be too tight.

[DutchmenSport]

dpgllg is correct. The tricycle is not very heavy (yes, more like 35 pounds), but it's just bulky and awkward. I probably have 40 pounds of lumber on that rack, and the rack weighs about 40 - 45 pounds (without the sides). But factory hitch is rated about 500 pounds or so, and welded to the bumper. So the bumper is strengthened also. That's how I can get away with this.

dpgllg, you may be able to run a cable from each corner of the carrier and attach the other end under the trailer some how underneath. With tension pulling both corners downward opposite each other, that would keep it from rocking wildly also. I'm sure there's some way you can stabilize it from rocking. You've got to think outside the box. But you'll find a way.

[dpgllg]

drmopar wrote:
I have-how heavy is the bike? that is the most important issues.

It is not that heavy as I can lift it by myself. Just big and awkward. My receiver is rated to 300 pounds and the rack is rated to 500 pounds. My guess is trike is less than 100 pounds maybe 50 at most.

I like the homemade approach but I do not have a bumper on the back of my 5th wheel. I am concerned about how stable the rack would be.

"The thing I had to figure out with the carrier when I originally purchased it was to stop the side to side rocking, which I'm sure would have eventually broken something. I built 2 supports (with 2x4's) under the carrier, and they actually rest on top of the bumper, preventing any rocking. It's stable."

[mat60]

Its funny now that Im older I look at your bike and think ,that would come in handy for a quick trip to the store or whatever while camping.

[DutchmenSport]

I have a Dee-Zee cargo carrier purchased from TSC - Tractor Supply Company - that we've used on our Outback for several years now. This year we bought an adult tricycle and wanted to bring it with us. Well, creativity and ingenuity prevailed. I took the sides off and made my own holder. At the time I did this, it was suppose to be just a quick and dirty attempt to slap something together. So I used old lumber laying outside. It was never intended to be a permanent fix. And actually, it's become a permanent solution. I suppose until the wood rots, I'll just keep using it this way.

Fyi, one thing you REALLY need to figure out, you may get one of those carriers with the attached ramp, but how wide are they... really?

My Schwinn Tricycle turned out to be much wider than the carrier, which resulted in the following design.

Before:







After we got the tricycle, this is how I modified the carrier.











Granted, I have to lift the tricycle up to get it on the carrier, but that's not too much of a problem.

The thing I had to figure out with the carrier when I originally purchased it was to stop the side to side rocking, which I'm sure would have eventually broken something. I built 2 supports (with 2x4's) under the carrier, and they actually rest on top of the bumper, preventing any rocking. It's stable.

Someday, I'll remove all that wood, and make the supports that hold the wheels out of PVC pipe or aluminum pipe. .... someday!

[drmopar]

I have-how heavy is the bike? that is the most important issues.