Hi --
I am configuring a Hitch Hauler platform with some storage boxes, and will also be carrying my two bicycles;I've got a piggy-backed bike+hitch-haul setup. shown here:
My trailer hitch says that the max tongue weight is 500 lbs (Hitch brand is "Ford" so who knows who made it.)
I'm not quite sure how to interpret the max load information: whether it applies only to towing situations, or whether this is also the safe upper limit for a static load like a cargo rack (seems like the max would be lower then, but it has been too many years since I slept through physics class to attempt drawing vector diagrams...).
Having not weighed anything yet, I'm guesstimating -- generously: hitch haul + bike rack = 100lbs, bikes = 80lbs, and stuff = 120 lbs, for a total of 300 lbs on the hitch. Does that seem safe?
Thanks,
GreyDawg