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apopj · 05-05-2019, 08:18 AM

Hello all,

The wife and I are beginning our full time journey and have come to a decision making stage. Do we tow a car or carry our scooter?

I know the 2001 Holiday Rambler Admiral will tow the dolly with our 2018 KIA Soul, but my question is:

Can I put a carrier (one that is rated for the weight of the scooter 500#) on the hitch and carry a 500# scooter on it? The tow rating is 5000# but I haven't found information on the vertical carrying capacity.

Also, can anyone recommend a decent rack to carry it on? I really don't want a $3000 hydraulic whiz bang Harley carrier, just something that will carry the load.

Thanks so much
Jeff and Diane
Houseless Not Homeless

AZ RV'r · 05-05-2019, 08:24 AM

I googled "motorcycle truck carrier."

Hows $85.00 ? It caries 500lbs.

https://www.amazon.com/Direct-Afterm...36115876&psc=1

I don't know your age or strength but these will require your to muscle them up a ramp and then strap it down. Big advantage is no trailer registration tires or maintenance. just plug one of these into your receiver and go. This one is just an example there are dozens of different ones to choose from.

Good luck!

PbdBlue · 05-05-2019, 08:35 AM

Most likely your hitch is rated for 500# tonque weight. A scooter should be under that (including the hitch rack). I would not go too cheap on the rack. Those $100 racks (Harbor Freight, etc) are notorious for failing.

Check out

https://www.discountramps.com/carriers/c/2130/

BonS · 05-05-2019, 08:52 AM

This link here is worth a look if you're looking into hitch carriers. They are rated up to 600 pounds depending upon model and your hitch capacity. Your manufacturer's hitch capacity x 10% is a good guide as to how much vertical weight (or tongue weight) your hitch can carry. This is a good read about those limits. In general, for up to 500# of tongue weight you need at least a class III hitch. For anything above that you'll need a class IV hitch. These weights include the weight of the carrier + load.

FIRE UP · 05-05-2019, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by apopj

Hello all,

The wife and I are beginning our full time journey and have come to a decision making stage. Do we tow a car or carry our scooter?

I know the 2001 Holiday Rambler Admiral will tow the dolly with our 2018 KIA Soul, but my question is:

Can I put a carrier (one that is rated for the weight of the scooter 500#) on the hitch and carry a 500# scooter on it? The tow rating is 5000# but I haven't found information on the vertical carrying capacity.

Also, can anyone recommend a decent rack to carry it on? I really don't want a $3000 hydraulic whiz bang Harley carrier, just something that will carry the load.

Thanks so much
Jeff and Diane
Houseless Not Homeless

Jeff,
First off, if your "scooter" weighs close to 500 lbs., that's a fair sized scooter. Are you talking something like a Burgman 400 cc? The Burgman 650 I think is over 500 lbs. but, I'm not an expert on those. Yes, your hitch "tongue weight" is what you need to find out. It could be at or near 500 lbs. as has been suggested.

But, here's the deal. That receiver is a SINGLE receiver. So, putting any motorcycle rack on/in it, that "potentially" could handle upwards of 500 lbs, is asking a bit of it. Most folks that might take on a venture like this, also think about putting DUAL RECEIVERS back there. That way, the entire system is more stable and structurally more sound.

Now, getting a system like that, that can SECURELY hold the scooter AND, tow a toad, is not that easy to come by. Not only that but, also as has been stated, "manhandling" that 500 lb. scooter up into the traveling position on that rack, is more for the YOUNG, not the older folks. Then there's the "backing it back down" thing too. I've been there, done that. It was with a Yamaha TW 200 which, if I recall, tipped the scales at about 275 lbs. or so and, I'm 6' 2.5" and a mere 235 lbs and, at the time, was about 57 years old or so.

So, just for your protection, do your homework, search around, and be careful loading and unloading your toy so you don't get hurt and can't enjoy your travels. That would suck big time.
Scott

Crasher · 05-05-2019, 12:03 PM

If you ever get to central WI, I have a Blue OX carrier I used for a 900# Yamaha Venturer that I no longer need. It uses the center 2" receiver plus two smaller receivers welded to the bottom of the frame for a three point attachment. It's very stabil. I then added a removable slide in winch bracket with a 2500# capacity electric winch. My wife operated the winch while I balanced the bike as the winch pulled it up the ramp into place. It has an extended center receiver for towing four down. We are going to clean out the things we no longer use, so it's yours if you want it.

alank · 05-05-2019, 08:27 PM

I think you will generally find that a 5000# hitch is rated for 500# of hitch weight. That is saying that the coupler of the trailer, or whatever, that is placed on the hitch ball can weigh 500#. That is not saying that you can put a carrier in the receiver that places a 500# scooter about 3 feet out behind the location where the hitch ball would be located. Doing that would be about the equivalent of placing 1500# on the ball due to the leverage factor. I don't think it is possible to get a carrier that places the center of gravity of the 500# scooter over the area where the hitch is rated to carry 500# of weight. The hitch ball is just too close to the coach.
I know it's done all the time, but if there is an accident or failure of some type, I think you would find that the hitch would be rated as overloaded.

Dutch Star Don · 05-06-2019, 03:43 PM

I read the OP's question which was started with...."The wife and I are beginning our full time journey and have come to a decision making stage. Do we tow a car or carry our scooter?"

They then asked if their hitch would support a scooter. I think to answer the first question....I certainly would NEVER go fulltime with just a scooter. You eliminate travel in wet weather, cold weather, grocery shopping and visiting many places that require a drive of a few hours, like a National Park.

Second, your hitch carrying weight is typically 10% of towing weight. "FireUp" also brings up a good point. You would need a fairly heavy duty rack for fulltime carrying of a scooter.

Lastly....if you can't decide and plan to use a dolly for the Kia, buy one of the dollies that allows you to place the scooter on the dolly with the car behind it.

There are several companies making these.....

https://www.tandem-tow.com/Models.htm