Motorcycle on back of Travel Trailer

Been there, done that, won't do it again. I once put a 250 lb dirt bike on the back of a 23'TT, and all was well (more or less) when the water tank was full. When empty, the tongue was way too light, and I nearly ended up in the median due to massive sway.

Westcoasting wrote:
Depends on the unit. I carry a 250 pound bike on the back of my trailer with minimal changes to the tongue weight.

however, make that 500lbs and it could be a bigger issue. and a lot depends on the trailer. I have a lot of tongue weight, well over 15% so when I load up the back I'm still near 15%. other trailers are barely 10% loaded up.

I see people loading big twin Harleys on the backs of pickup trucks and towing trailers at the bike weeks. So are way over their load limit. I also see people pulling bike trailers with their bikes on them, behind the 5th wheels and travel trailers. It looks like an accident looking for a place to happen. The 2500 and 3500 series trucks seem to handle the bike and hitch weights pretty good when hauling a motorcycle. It seems to me that the frame on a travel trailer is no where near intended to carry that much extra weight cantilevered off of the back of the frame. The solutions are a big truck or a toy hauler.

And, some of the toyhaulers are barely enough. The folks that camped near us said that when they had their bikes in the trailer it flexed so much that they couldn't open the side door. Only the rear ramp could be opened/lowered.

Depends on the unit. I carry a 250 pound bike on the back of my trailer with minimal changes to the tongue weight.

I'm SMH over what tow vehicle payload has to do with carrying a motorcycle on the back of a trailer, which would be taking weight away from tow vehicle payload?

As far as if it can be done or not, it can with some common sense, and most likely some reinforcement. It also is not a sure thing that it's going to cause sway, the apocalypse, or anything else.

That's all just opinion and sway fear mongering. God forbid you load toys in a toy hauler or gear and food in a rear kitchen unit, or you may stop the Earth from rotating and we'll all go spinning off into space LOL.

It's the same every time the question is asked in any RV forum, and I've seen the same BS comments / answers to the question at least 100 times in the last 10 years. Amazingly I have now carried in excess of 450 lbs on a rear platform attached to bumper mounted receivers on 3 different trailers, two altered / reinforced, and one stock, without having an issue. It does however take a little common sense and knowledge concerning what a frame, bumper, and a welded connection is capable of.

I'll save someone the trouble. Here is the picture that gets downloaded from the net almost every time and posted on RV forums when a rear bumper question comes up LOL.

Glad you guys mentioned payload capacity. I hadn't thought about that.

It's "just me" and the dog. In doing the math and checking my capacity I'll be right at it, so should be fine but I'll head over to a scale to confirm.

chrisp222 wrote:
Thanks all for you wisdom, this forum has never let me down.

I'm going to have to put air bags in my truck to put the bike in there but that's what I'll do.

Regardless of air bags, Does your truck have 2000# of payload capacity to carry people, hitch weight, tongue weight, and bike? You haven't said what TV you have.

chrisp222 wrote:
I'm going to have to put air bags in my truck to put the bike in there but that's what I'll do.

Unless you're towing with at least a 3/4 ton there's no way you'll have sufficient payload capacity to tow your trailer AND carry the weight of that bike as well. Air bags may make the truck look pretty but they won't do a darned thing to increase the limits of your truck's payload capacity. :(

SDcampowneroperator wrote:

chrisp222 wrote:
Thanks all for you wisdom, this forum has never let me down.

I'm going to have to put air bags in my truck to put the bike in there but that's what I'll do.

wise choice.

Smart man.

Travel trailers are designed with barely enough tongue weight as it is so they can be towed with inadequate tow vehicles. It takes very little weight out back to offset that marginal balance and induce devastating sway. Our rule is, we can load anything we want into the trailer as long as it's in front of the axles.