motorcycle lift

[litespeed]

any 1st hand experience with the M/C lift? I am considering an Excel...primarily because of this option,,am curious as to how satisfactory it is. I met one of the reps from hydralift...and the unnit looks 1st class. My only concer is wether it will rip the back of the 5th wheel off after a few years..especially with a 750 lb m/c on it.

[litespeed]

any 1st hand experience with the M/C lift? I am considering an Excel...primarily because of this option,,am curious as to how satisfactory it is. I met one of the reps from hydralift...and the unnit looks 1st class. My only concer is wether it will rip the back of the 5th wheel off after a few years..especially with a 750 lb m/c on it.

[Lindaxtwo]

HI Jay and Lee,
We just received our Excel and ordered it with the lift to carry our bike. We visited the Excel factory last Feb and after talking to the folks about the frame and weights, etc. I feel that they totally thought out the impact and engineering to everything when they decided to add this as an option (was not an option when we were out there last year but were happy to see it added). Since we're in the middle of winter here in PA, have not put the bike on it yet to test it but it is built very rugged and has high clearance off the ground. We can't wait to test it out this spring when we hit the road.

[TXiceman]

Putting 750# on the rear of a 5er will take weight off the pin and possibly cause bucking wot the truck. You need to make sure you keep enouh pin weight to keep the truck loaded and the front of the trailer down.

From an engineering stand point, it is not good to hand such a large load at the end of a stick. It will shake it pretty good and you need to have a very strong frame attachment.

I'd make sure that the warranty from the M/C lift is worded so that you have recourse in the event of a problem with the trailer frame.

Ken

[litespeed]

i am having an endless debate with myself. I met with the guy representing Hydralift...and they have put many of these on Motorhomes. The lift is very stout and never breaks. It is the attachment to the frame that is problematic. They see that as a " 5th wheel " issue. Up to me to determine which frame is strong enough. Most Fivers CAN'T accept a lift. So far Excel is only mfg to offer one as factory option..so I am assuming they have done their homework. I would think XCEL would cover warranty on frame/lift. Now for damage to my m/c if the whole thing falls off on I-70....whoknows?

[ChiefJohn]

Jay & Lee,
I would not be concerned about Peterson Industries (PI) standing behind their Excel frames. Their engineers have "blessed" the motorcycle lift as an option or they would not be offering it (IMO).

[wrongway]

Your not going to have worry about how Excel installs their MTC lifts. On any of their units when a lift is installed at the production level, the units are all 10" Box Frame 3/16" thick steel. And the foreman of their frame plant is a very pickie, to the letter, type of welder. It has to be strong, and engineered to be able anytype additional weight (to a limit)a person wants back there. Even their hitches are rated extemely high for a rear hitch (on limiteds and classics 4000lbs with a 400 lb tongue weight, and on RT's that is in half). And also Excel's warranty is top notch. They take care of more than what they probably should. In everything that I have studied with them, it has been pretty good.
I wouldn't worry about a lift and or the much if any of a pin weight reduction.

[24him]

from what i have seen, the excel has the strongest frame in the industry, so the lift isn't going anywhere and nether is the m/c !!
if your are not sure about it, well wate and add it on later..
good luck and keep smiling ..


24him

[Roger Watts]

I'm curious about how do they offset the weight of the motorcycle and lift on the pin. They say that there picky about the fiver's having right at 20% pin weight, so do they shift the axles around a little on the frame with the consideration that there will most likely be a motorcycle back there? Or is the
axle put in the regular position and let the driver shim the pin weight by adding weight to the front ?

[wrongway]

Excel doesn't do anything different with the Axles or frame, unless it is 30' or less. Then they increase the size of the frame from 8" To 10" (on 26' to 30', over that it already has 10" frame). With the axle placement being approxiately 2/3's back on the trailer, this gives Excel 1/3 of the unit to work with on weight. Putting a 1000lb Bike on the rear at 20% of Weight is only going to decrease the front pin Weight by 200lbs. So figuring a 30 limited with a Dry Pin Weight of 2400lbs, you now have placed it in the 2200lb range and you still have not placed any of your mechandise or extra belonging into the unit. With a Bike on the rear of the unit, you are only extending the complete length of the unit by approx. 48" to 54", (this being out to the tip of the handle bars, with the center of the bike with in 24"-27" of the rear of the unit. So realisticly there should not a large issue with difference in Pin weight or bucking of the trailer vs. the tow vehicle. FYI

[Roger Watts]

Wow, thats a good answer. Are you a engineer for Excel? You sound like you have the inside scoop. Thanks for the info.

[TXiceman]

Wrongway, It is only two feet behind the rear of the trailer, but how many feet behind the rear axle.

I am a mechanical engineer and when you have an action, you have a reaction. Hang several hundred pounds of hitch/lift and a motorcycle, at that long of a lever (moment)arm, you will decrease the pin weight. If you have the weights and lengths, it is pretty simple to work out the moment arm and it's counter effect on the pin. I would expect to see something well over 200# lighter.

Once in motion, you are no longer dealing with a static weight, but a dynamic weight. The forces now are much greater and it is possible to reach a situation where you can get bucking.

Ken

[wrongway]

This would depend on which model/floorplan that you are looking at for how far it would behind the axle. But has length goes up, so does the distance between the front end of the unit vs. the front axle and rear vs. rear axle. The thing that you do not want to consider or think of is that you are not playing with a tetor-toter. The weight proportions that Excel has placed on their units deems the extra's that you may place on the rear as well as what you may load in the front. This is why they have one of the largest carring capacities for an RV in the industry. I understand on how you are thinking about the force factor, but I think you maybe over thinking the fact, Just mo.

[wrongway]

now I think I am over thinking the issue, especially to be typing at 2 AM in the Morning. Something else to concider when you are thinking about the down pressure force is that we care not rocking on a rigid form to cause a overset of weight such as in a tetor-toter. We are working off a spring/leaf axle system and/or a mor-ryde suspension. So there is going to be give in the suspension as you travel. So I can give you some measurements I will measure a couple of units for you in the morning,(in a little while) to give you some axle placement figures. I have a 36 and a 30 so can give you big to small. Hope that will help with some of the questions.