Small motorcycle on the front hitch

I have an aluminum carrier from Noethern Tools. It has a capacity of 400# and I carried a Kymco 150 scooter on a front hitch. It worked well. Being that I sold the scooter, I no longer need the carrier. Hint hint.

I use a versahaul for my XT225 which weighs 260# or so. But I use it on the back. I don't think a front mount hitch would be able to handle the weight. You have to keep in mind that the 'tounge weight' rating on any hitch assumes the load is within a certain distance of the end of the hitch box where the coupler goes in. The versahaul effectively multiplies the tounge weight due to the distance it has to extend to accommodate the handle bars of a motorcycle. Long story short, why not use the rear hitch which is more likely to handle the weight safely? I have a 2000 F250 with a class 5 hitch and it still bounces and sways when driving over highway undulations and bumps.

I've run an Xr400 Honda ~280lbs on a front hitch rack for many years. No problems at all on my f350 not sure how a f150 frame and front axle would handle the weight though. Nice thing about front mounting is i still could tow a boat and it was out of the way if I didn't tow.

I share dirtpigs concern: the camper has pretty much maxed out the F150's payload capacity.

Can the truck handle the motorcycle and it's rack too?

With a half-ton truck and a camper, it is better to put the motorcycle on a small utility trailer and tow it. Alot less weight on the truck from trailer tongue than carrying whole motorcycle and carrier on truck. You can also transfer some outdoor use storage items from camper to trailer, further saving weight on truck.

whizbang wrote:
I share dirtpigs concern: the camper has pretty much maxed out the F150's payload capacity.

Can the truck handle the motorcycle and it's rack too?

As I mentioned in the first post, the front axle weight is reduced 200 lbs when the camper is loaded. I have a few hundred lbs in reserve on the front.

I am wrong it added 200lb to the front.

I tried this on my 2000 F250. On my truck, the hitch location puts it too high for me to see over the motorcycle (DRZ 400). I researched hitch carriers and chose a Moto-tote. Expensive, but great reviews. It is quality built and heavy duty. After loading my bike, which was really tough given the height of the hitch, and realizing it wouldn't work due to the height, I bought a light weight aluminum trailer. The trailer has worked really well. My TC extends beyond the bed by about 14", and the trailer has a 4' tongue which gives plenty of room for turning. Also, I'm able to carry other stuff on the trailer. Tongue weight is minimum.

I think the front hitch with a carrier on the right truck would work fine, but it didn't on mine.

This thing is little.

The center of gravity location of that camper is way too far behind the truck's rear axle if the camper is removing 200 lbs off the truck's front axle.

You need to figure out how to load it further forward, or remove everything stored in the rear of the camper and either store it in the overcab bed area, or in the cab of the truck.

That's rediculous for a camper that short to be removing 200 lbs from the truck's front axle.