Motorcycle Carrier

[chula9201971]

Just bought a used Adventurer and need to find a motorcycle carrier that can be hitched to the back. Does anyone know were I can go to find one. It has to hold at least 800 lbs.

[Perry White]

38ft?

[dc8cappie]

Something like this?

Swivelwheel Trailers

[Road Pilot]

Overbilt and Blue OX have lifts that are welded onto the rear frame and will hold 800 pounds.

[Long Island Mac]

I have a 38' cpass A and am looking at the hydralift. Not sure if the weight (800+-) is too heavy for the rear end. check hem out.
Home Page - Hydralift-USA

[Conquest102]

Several styles on Ebay as well didn't see any FANCY hydrolic ones.

[RJay]

Chula,
Something to think about is if you have 800 lbs. on a bike rack that weights 100 lbs hanging off the back of an RV with a 10 foot overhang(center of rear wheels to center line of bike rack) it will add about 1350 lbs. to your rear axle weight and 450 lbs uplift on the front axle. The uplift on the front axle is critical because it can reduce steering control and cause different front end handling. I carried a 450 lb bike on the back of a 37 foot Suncruiser and noticed a difference in steering.

[bluepill]

Good point - Lighter is better.

[Orchardhill]

Might try items for sale i IRV2. there are one or 2 isted on there now.

[DAN L]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Road Pilot Overbilt and Blue OX have lifts that are welded onto the rear frame and will hold 800 pounds.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chula9201971 Just bought a used Adventurer and need to find a motorcycle carrier that can be hitched to the back. Does anyone know were I can go to find one. It has to hold at least 800 lbs.

800# is going to lift the front of your gas moho. you will have to shift your loads forward in your storage compartments and travel with a full water tank.
here is the one i was considering before buying a dolly to haul my toad.

Mighty Hauler - 1000M

[FIRE UP]

Chula,
Well Sir, I just went through all that. We had a Bounder 34V and the frame assembly just was not up to the task of carrying our Honda Goldwing. So, we changed coaches to a 2004 Itasca Horizon 36GD with the 330 CAT in it.

I just finished doing the install of a "Hydralift". Those lifts are capable of 1000 lbs and you can still tow an 8000 lb load. They are normally around $4400.00 plus shipping to a dealer close to you. I got lucky and found mine on ebay and picked it up for $1800. It works flawless. I'm in the process of installing the "Hydralift HGLC" or, garage/cover on it now so the bike will remain clean and out of the weather while we're transporting it down the road.

I don't know if you will be doing the install or not of any of the available lifts but, it's quite an undertaking. You say it must hold at least 800 lbs? Our Wing is around 850-900. If, you're going to attempt to do this on a gas coach, you better do some homework first. The lift weighs in around 300 lbs itself. Then add the bike. So, you're adding around 1200 lbs to a "cantilevered" position on the back of the coach.

You must make sure that one, the GVWR of the coach will not be overloaded. Two, specifically the rear axle. Even if your frame will handle the alteration needed for such a load, have your coach weighed and see EXACTLY what your weights are, front, rear and total. I'm running right at the limit after installing mine and the weight of the bike.

Hydralift is one of the lightest available and has a great lifting capability. Blue-ox is another one but, from what I understand, that lift starts out weighing around 800 lbs WITHOUT ANY MOTORCYCLE ON IT!!!!
Overbuilt is another one that has a large carrying capability but, it's a cable/winch/pulley operation that I was not too much in favor of. There's one more on the market and it's called "Cruiser lift". You might check them out on the net. If you want to PM me I'd be glad to explain some of the technicalities and issues you most likely will have. Just click on the first picture to see ours in action on a test run before we put the bike on it.
Scott

[Automobilist]

Looks good, Scott, but I can't begin to comprehend the physics involved having that much weight levered out so far behind the rear axle. How does it affect handling? Does the bike shake around some on the lift? I would think the torsional stresses / vibration must be very high. Can't imagine ANY gas coach could be strong enough to handle that weight. Good thing you've got one of the best motorhomes ever made!

[Road Pilot]

We had our Overbilt on a 40 DP and a 45 DP with a tag. With both we towed a car or truck. With the 40 no tag I felt the reduced weight on the front end at higher highway speeds. I valled it my speed control. With the 45 tag, I never knew it was there. I carried a Harley Electraglide.

By the way I don't have the lift now, I carry my bike on a Rampage lift in my truck that I tow and the DW's bike in the front bay.

[FIRE UP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Automobilist Looks good, Scott, but I can't begin to comprehend the physics involved having that much weight levered out so far behind the rear axle. How does it affect handling? Does the bike shake around some on the lift? I would think the torsional stresses / vibration must be very high. Can't imagine ANY gas coach could be strong enough to handle that weight. Good thing you've got one of the best motorhomes ever made!

First off Sir, thanks very much for the nice comment. Yes Sir, it does add a considerable amount of weight back there. I'm right at the limit of the GAWR of the rear axle. In the preliminary set up, as you see in the pics, I had only one set of tie-downs on it. The bike was on there just to see/check for clearances, tolerances etc. Later, I placed 4 more tie downs on it and that stabilized it considerably more. Now, it's never going to be as stable as it would be (and I have) on a trailer.

If you strategically place the tie down points on a trailer floor, your bike will be a ROCK! But, here on the lift, it will be stable but, surely not as much. The lift is well engineered. The frame attachments I chose were 6"x4"x 3/8" x 45" angle iron, tied directly to the bottom of the frame. I removed the factory hitch in order to do it in that fashion. That's some serious angle iron. Five, 9/16" x 2" fine thread, grade 8 bolts, grade 8 washers and grade 8 lock nuts were used, on each side.

As for "How does it effect the handling"?, I haven't had a chance to test the whole "AMTRAK" out just yet. I purchased a travel cover for it and am busy installing it at present. I should be done with that portion today. Then, it's the big question, will my lifted Jeep, even with a tow hitch extension of about 14", fit behind the lift and not get it's lights punched out when I make turns and go into and out of driveways etc???????


If any of you are interested in this kind of setup, just go to Hydralifts web site and they have over 172 pics of many coaches, brands and models, including gas rigs, with various versions of their lifts installed with all sorts of toys on them.
Scott