TWOLOST: Hauling a motorcycle without a trailer...

[twolost]

This is a mock-up for now as I am still trying to work out the bugs with my old MotoJack Rack (slight interference with jack and rear box at 0g, overall hitch extension slop, inherent rack pitching, and rear-view camera angle.











The days of leaving 'my' old friend at home in the garage during extended trips is nearly over...

[Ford_6L_E350]

That seems like a lot of weight cantilevered way out back.

Could you mount it on a front hitch? Much closer to the van and wouldn't add to rear weight.

Mike

[twolost]

I agree that the bike is sitting waaaaay back there and I was more than a little skeptical that this was going to work - in any road condition. In fact the jury is still out on this. The bike is roughly 280lbs. The SMB is roughly 10K lbs. The diesel engine just forward of the front of the tires is 1K lbs itself. From the front seat perspective, you dont even know that bike is there (smooth road). Different story on a rougher road because the bike is not stationary/fixed because there is too much slop in the rack and hitch extension.

Two concerns with putting this bike on the front.

• The bike is so tall that it would impair air flow to the radiator (something the diesel has issues with already).
  My wife's smaller TTR motorcycle goes on the front...

Once I get the bike in the rear stabilized, I will take a few progressively longer field trips on varying terrain and then measure both the temps of the rear tires as well as the temps of the rear air bags to see if how much added heat hauling the bike in this manner is adding to the system.

I should also mention that to do this I am removing the stock BFG 'D' rated tires and am swapping them out for Toyo 'E' rated tires as well. This is a must do mod for this project and it will increase my per tire load from:

BFG All Terrain
LT315/70R17/D, 34.5 (inches dia), 3195@50 (max load in lbs @ max psi)

to

Toyo Open Country M/T
35X12.50R17LT 125Q E/10, 34.8, 3640@65

[EMrider]

I've put thousands of miles on our SMB while carrying a 280lb bike on my moto jack rack. Key difference is that we don't have the cargo box on the back. As a result, I don't need to use a receiver extension for the moto jack rack due to clearance issues. The bike clears the rear spare tire by a few inches. But there is no rubbing on the spare tire and the bike is carried both higher and closer to the rear doors. It is, however, a bit of a PITA to get the bike up onto the MJR. I've got to use some creative body english to get it up about 6-8 inches onto the MJR platform.

The first couple times I carried the bike on the MJR behind the SMB I DID use a receiver extension because it was easier to load the bike. Big mistake. With the extension, there was no way to stabilize the play inside the hitch receiver. As a result, the MJR and bike bounced around in a VERY worrisome way on even small road bumps. That was very stressful.

If you can find a way to properly stabilize the free-play in the hitch receiver, you should be OK. IMHO, that is the key variable more so than how far back the bike is carried. My MJR has a built in stabilizer and it works very well. I don't notice any significant difference in handling when driving with a bike on the back.

R

[Ford_6L_E350]

Originally Posted by EMrider

If you can find a way to properly stabilize the free-play in the hitch receiver, you should be OK.
R

You can get the free play out of the hitch receiver. I had a storage box on the back and didn't like the box moving around.

So, I got a 5/8" SHCS that fits through the hole in receiver. Then I made a new hole through the insert - 5/8" on one side and smaller on the other side. Tapped the small hole for the 5/8" bolt. I also made a tubular insert to go inside the insert and pressed it into place (so it would stay where I wanted it). Now I tighten the bolt down and the hitch never moves - even off road with a loaded storage box. I also modified the hitch for the SMB trailer and I never hear rattles from the trailer hitch.

Mike