Hitch bike carrier questions

T-Fish
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T-Fish 10/6/2020 11:40am
10/6/2020 11:40am
Tim507 wrote:
I've been using one of these for years, durable!!! Big Bikes or small bikes [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/10/05/452701/s1200_Versahaul.jpg[/img]
I've been using one of these for years, durable!!! Big Bikes or small bikes


This is what I use as well, except mine is the one that holds two bikes. It’s much, much stronger than anything else I’ve ever used. I also have a Harbor Freight one but I never use it.

I’m curious what the reason for the downvote is for. Price?
1
Dirty Points 10/6/2020 1:06pm
10/6/2020 1:06pm
premiersportsoutlet wrote:
I found mine in my uncle’s abandoned house. It’s heavy AF and does the job. [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/10/06/452929/s1200_D4376D22_9CA9_44FA_A2E6_CB5611E2CC52.jpg[/img]
I found mine in my uncle’s abandoned house. It’s heavy AF and does the job.
Which abandoned house is that? I was thinking of getting another carrier.
1
HazemG
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HazemG 10/6/2020 2:13pm
10/6/2020 2:13pm
FWYT wrote:
Semi related- I made this set up for my Escape a couple years ago and it works FANTASTIC. (Team Green has seen it in action and...
Semi related-
I made this set up for my Escape a couple years ago and it works FANTASTIC. (Team Green has seen it in action and can verify. Smile )

I welded some receivers to the sides of the factory class II hitch. Then those hoops just slide in when needed. The middle receiver is used as the mounting point and those load links hold the bike SOLID. When not in use, the pieces just sit out of the way in the back of the car. Nothing to stash on the side of the house or anything. Works unreal. I'm actually working on V 2.0 at the moment that is going to be even better.







Be careful to tie those down when they’re in your cargo area being stored. Something like that could turn from harmless to a catastrophe in an accident, God forbid.
1
premiersportsoutlet 10/6/2020 2:16pm
10/6/2020 2:16pm Edited Date/Time 10/6/2020 2:17pm
premiersportsoutlet wrote:
I found mine in my uncle’s abandoned house. It’s heavy AF and does the job. [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/10/06/452929/s1200_D4376D22_9CA9_44FA_A2E6_CB5611E2CC52.jpg[/img]
I found mine in my uncle’s abandoned house. It’s heavy AF and does the job.
Dirty Points wrote:
Which abandoned house is that? I was thinking of getting another carrier.
My uncle and his ex wife split up so they abandoned their house. I went back to check on the property right before it was foreclosed and found the carrier. I’m not sure who makes the hitch carrier but it’s very heavy and does not move around when transporting the bike. I’d recommend it to anyone but I don’t know who manufactures it.

The Shop

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TeamGreen
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TeamGreen 10/6/2020 2:56pm
10/6/2020 2:56pm
FWYT wrote:
Semi related- I made this set up for my Escape a couple years ago and it works FANTASTIC. (Team Green has seen it in action and...
Semi related-
I made this set up for my Escape a couple years ago and it works FANTASTIC. (Team Green has seen it in action and can verify. Smile )

I welded some receivers to the sides of the factory class II hitch. Then those hoops just slide in when needed. The middle receiver is used as the mounting point and those load links hold the bike SOLID. When not in use, the pieces just sit out of the way in the back of the car. Nothing to stash on the side of the house or anything. Works unreal. I'm actually working on V 2.0 at the moment that is going to be even better.







This system works and is stronger AND lighter than most systems I've seen.

You need to fab and sell these.
5
captmoto
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captmoto 10/6/2020 3:01pm
10/6/2020 3:01pm
premiersportsoutlet wrote:
I found mine in my uncle’s abandoned house. It’s heavy AF and does the job. [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/10/06/452929/s1200_D4376D22_9CA9_44FA_A2E6_CB5611E2CC52.jpg[/img]
I found mine in my uncle’s abandoned house. It’s heavy AF and does the job.
Dirty Points wrote:
Which abandoned house is that? I was thinking of getting another carrier.
Looks like a Joe Hauler. They are very stout and well made. A friend hauled a KTM350 on the back of a 4runner with no problems.
captmoto
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captmoto 10/6/2020 5:08pm
10/6/2020 5:08pm Edited Date/Time 10/6/2020 5:09pm
I use this carrier but it's flawed. It is bolted together and the weak point is an aluminum extrusion that bolts a holder that bolts to the rail portion. It flexes and mine after 5+ years the aluminum extrusion was cracked and acting kind of like a teeter totter. I removed the extrusion and welded the straight section to the steel that bolts to the rail. Sounds kind of convoluted but eliminating the aluminum and welding all the steel together has turned it into what it should have been all along. It is really solid now.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Motorcycle-Hitch-Receiver-Mounted-Aluminum-Dir…
TeamGreen
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TeamGreen 10/6/2020 5:40pm
10/6/2020 5:40pm
captmoto wrote:
I use this carrier but it's flawed. It is bolted together and the weak point is an aluminum extrusion that bolts a holder that bolts to...
I use this carrier but it's flawed. It is bolted together and the weak point is an aluminum extrusion that bolts a holder that bolts to the rail portion. It flexes and mine after 5+ years the aluminum extrusion was cracked and acting kind of like a teeter totter. I removed the extrusion and welded the straight section to the steel that bolts to the rail. Sounds kind of convoluted but eliminating the aluminum and welding all the steel together has turned it into what it should have been all along. It is really solid now.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Motorcycle-Hitch-Receiver-Mounted-Aluminum-Dir…
That appears to be the same one that Harbor Freight sells.
1
toomanykaws
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toomanykaws 10/6/2020 6:10pm
10/6/2020 6:10pm
My harbor fright special. Adding the wheel chock helped

ck
3
captmoto
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captmoto 10/6/2020 9:47pm
10/6/2020 9:47pm
TeamGreen wrote:
That appears to be the same one that Harbor Freight sells.
It does but I bought mine on line.
davis224
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davis224 10/7/2020 2:48pm
10/7/2020 2:48pm
Looking more at how low the hitch would be on my CX5 has me convinced a standard hitch mount carrier won't work, and I'm not about to cut holes in my bumper and weld something to my frame. I could absolutely make my own out of carbon steel, but then I'll be worrying about it weighing too much combined with the bike.
JMed651
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JMed651 10/7/2020 2:57pm
10/7/2020 2:57pm
Nothing to add OP, I’d suggest NOT buying one at a thrift store and making a post about your score though. That doesn’t end well here. 😬
1
MillsHondaRider 10/7/2020 5:55pm
10/7/2020 5:55pm
Just bought a Grand Cherokee with plans to retire the 1992 Club Wagon. Got a Black Widow AMC-400 hitch carrier when I don't wanna tow the trailer (functionally replacing throwing one bike in the van).

Only 1 trip so far and it hauled great. We noticed how the bike blocked the tail lights so I found these.



2
ToolMaker 10/7/2020 8:34pm
10/7/2020 8:34pm
MillsHondaRider wrote:
Just bought a Grand Cherokee with plans to retire the 1992 Club Wagon. Got a Black Widow AMC-400 hitch carrier when I don't wanna tow the...
Just bought a Grand Cherokee with plans to retire the 1992 Club Wagon. Got a Black Widow AMC-400 hitch carrier when I don't wanna tow the trailer (functionally replacing throwing one bike in the van).

Only 1 trip so far and it hauled great. We noticed how the bike blocked the tail lights so I found these.



Not a bad option, very affordable. This is our Auxiliary Lighting Bar. It has a quick release
system so you can easily remove it while loading and unloading. So you don't accidentally stuff a foot peg
through the light. Also has a provision for a small pad lock.


brian9
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brian9 10/8/2020 7:37am
10/8/2020 7:37am
davis224 wrote:
Looking more at how low the hitch would be on my CX5 has me convinced a standard hitch mount carrier won't work, and I'm not about...
Looking more at how low the hitch would be on my CX5 has me convinced a standard hitch mount carrier won't work, and I'm not about to cut holes in my bumper and weld something to my frame. I could absolutely make my own out of carbon steel, but then I'll be worrying about it weighing too much combined with the bike.
What year is your CX5? Here's a video showing a hitch install on a 2018 CX5 and it shows the hitch as 12.5" high.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI6opEHL_dA

That would put a hitch hauler at around 9" to 10" off the ground. My hitch is about 2" higher on my SUV and it's fine. So it's not too far out. At 9", it is on the low side... might be ok with a light aluminum single bike carrier. I wonder if anyone with a lower SUV could measure and share their experiences?
1
ToolMaker 10/8/2020 8:40am
10/8/2020 8:40am
davis224 wrote:
Looking more at how low the hitch would be on my CX5 has me convinced a standard hitch mount carrier won't work, and I'm not about...
Looking more at how low the hitch would be on my CX5 has me convinced a standard hitch mount carrier won't work, and I'm not about to cut holes in my bumper and weld something to my frame. I could absolutely make my own out of carbon steel, but then I'll be worrying about it weighing too much combined with the bike.
brian9 wrote:
What year is your CX5? Here's a video showing a hitch install on a 2018 CX5 and it shows the hitch as 12.5" high. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI6opEHL_dA That...
What year is your CX5? Here's a video showing a hitch install on a 2018 CX5 and it shows the hitch as 12.5" high.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI6opEHL_dA

That would put a hitch hauler at around 9" to 10" off the ground. My hitch is about 2" higher on my SUV and it's fine. So it's not too far out. At 9", it is on the low side... might be ok with a light aluminum single bike carrier. I wonder if anyone with a lower SUV could measure and share their experiences?
Like I wrote in an earlier post, we incorporated a lift for just such applications.
The thing your missing is that you are measuring the height before the suspension
squats when you load the bike. You'll lose several inches at the back of the carrier.
But again, it's not yet a standard offering we do limited
production runs of those.
TM
captmoto
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captmoto 10/8/2020 9:46am
10/8/2020 9:46am
toomanykaws wrote:
My harbor fright special. Adding the wheel chock helped [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/10/06/452955/s1200_90C25011_DCD4_4107_ADA0_FBDF9CEE1A59.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/10/06/452954/s1200_33FE0F54_C56E_465F_84BB_B04FE4CE4E61.jpg[/img] ck
My harbor fright special. Adding the wheel chock helped

ck
All I use are tiedowns to the bracket on the tube and then another back to the receiver hitch safety chain holes. It is designed to pull the bike down, compressing forks.
toomanykaws
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toomanykaws 10/8/2020 10:21am
10/8/2020 10:21am
toomanykaws wrote:
My harbor fright special. Adding the wheel chock helped [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/10/06/452955/s1200_90C25011_DCD4_4107_ADA0_FBDF9CEE1A59.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/10/06/452954/s1200_33FE0F54_C56E_465F_84BB_B04FE4CE4E61.jpg[/img] ck
My harbor fright special. Adding the wheel chock helped

ck
captmoto wrote:
All I use are tiedowns to the bracket on the tube and then another back to the receiver hitch safety chain holes. It is designed to...
All I use are tiedowns to the bracket on the tube and then another back to the receiver hitch safety chain holes. It is designed to pull the bike down, compressing forks.
It’s sort of windy where we trek out to ride in the desert. Sometimes driving in 30-40 mph winds. Side and cross winds tend to make things move and flex. Saves from having to stop and tighten anything up.
2

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glattime
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glattime 10/8/2020 1:42pm
10/8/2020 1:42pm
davis224 wrote:
Looking more at how low the hitch would be on my CX5 has me convinced a standard hitch mount carrier won't work, and I'm not about...
Looking more at how low the hitch would be on my CX5 has me convinced a standard hitch mount carrier won't work, and I'm not about to cut holes in my bumper and weld something to my frame. I could absolutely make my own out of carbon steel, but then I'll be worrying about it weighing too much combined with the bike.
I ran into this with my CX-5 too. I mounted a hitch carrier(Joe Hauler) and it was just too low to be comfortable as well as the bike being significantly wider than the car. I bought a Harbor Freight foldable trailer after that and it was a much better solution. I left the rear foldable section off and decked the 6 feet of trailer with ply and it is easy to move around and store.
byke
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byke 10/8/2020 1:56pm
10/8/2020 1:56pm
FWYT wrote:
Semi related- I made this set up for my Escape a couple years ago and it works FANTASTIC. (Team Green has seen it in action and...
Semi related-
I made this set up for my Escape a couple years ago and it works FANTASTIC. (Team Green has seen it in action and can verify. Smile )

I welded some receivers to the sides of the factory class II hitch. Then those hoops just slide in when needed. The middle receiver is used as the mounting point and those load links hold the bike SOLID. When not in use, the pieces just sit out of the way in the back of the car. Nothing to stash on the side of the house or anything. Works unreal. I'm actually working on V 2.0 at the moment that is going to be even better.







TeamGreen wrote:
This system works and is stronger AND lighter than most systems I've seen.

You need to fab and sell these.
I love that it splits the weight across two separate mounting points. Unfortunately, there's no practical way to just make a kit like this. You'd have to sell it with a modified hitch and nobody's going to want to do that.
2
KurtJ99
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KurtJ99 10/8/2020 2:29pm
10/8/2020 2:29pm
FWYT wrote:
Semi related- I made this set up for my Escape a couple years ago and it works FANTASTIC. (Team Green has seen it in action and...
Semi related-
I made this set up for my Escape a couple years ago and it works FANTASTIC. (Team Green has seen it in action and can verify. Smile )

I welded some receivers to the sides of the factory class II hitch. Then those hoops just slide in when needed. The middle receiver is used as the mounting point and those load links hold the bike SOLID. When not in use, the pieces just sit out of the way in the back of the car. Nothing to stash on the side of the house or anything. Works unreal. I'm actually working on V 2.0 at the moment that is going to be even better.







That is the most clever hitch mount I've ever seen.
Eliminates
-the center hitch load in one place.
-rocking torsion in the center hitch
-Smaller and only has material where needed

Moves weight of bike closer to car.

I ran a typical hitch mount on SUV for years and can appreciate the thought that went into the design.
1
1
davis224
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davis224 10/8/2020 5:30pm
10/8/2020 5:30pm
davis224 wrote:
Looking more at how low the hitch would be on my CX5 has me convinced a standard hitch mount carrier won't work, and I'm not about...
Looking more at how low the hitch would be on my CX5 has me convinced a standard hitch mount carrier won't work, and I'm not about to cut holes in my bumper and weld something to my frame. I could absolutely make my own out of carbon steel, but then I'll be worrying about it weighing too much combined with the bike.
brian9 wrote:
What year is your CX5? Here's a video showing a hitch install on a 2018 CX5 and it shows the hitch as 12.5" high. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI6opEHL_dA That...
What year is your CX5? Here's a video showing a hitch install on a 2018 CX5 and it shows the hitch as 12.5" high.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI6opEHL_dA

That would put a hitch hauler at around 9" to 10" off the ground. My hitch is about 2" higher on my SUV and it's fine. So it's not too far out. At 9", it is on the low side... might be ok with a light aluminum single bike carrier. I wonder if anyone with a lower SUV could measure and share their experiences?
2016
FWYT
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FWYT 10/9/2020 12:47am
10/9/2020 12:47am
FWYT wrote:
Semi related- I made this set up for my Escape a couple years ago and it works FANTASTIC. (Team Green has seen it in action and...
Semi related-
I made this set up for my Escape a couple years ago and it works FANTASTIC. (Team Green has seen it in action and can verify. Smile )

I welded some receivers to the sides of the factory class II hitch. Then those hoops just slide in when needed. The middle receiver is used as the mounting point and those load links hold the bike SOLID. When not in use, the pieces just sit out of the way in the back of the car. Nothing to stash on the side of the house or anything. Works unreal. I'm actually working on V 2.0 at the moment that is going to be even better.







KurtJ99 wrote:
That is the most clever hitch mount I've ever seen. Eliminates -the center hitch load in one place. -rocking torsion in the center hitch -Smaller and...
That is the most clever hitch mount I've ever seen.
Eliminates
-the center hitch load in one place.
-rocking torsion in the center hitch
-Smaller and only has material where needed

Moves weight of bike closer to car.

I ran a typical hitch mount on SUV for years and can appreciate the thought that went into the design.
Thank you!
Working on V2.0 at the moment and it is going to be even better.
sowers711
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sowers711 10/9/2020 6:07pm
10/9/2020 6:07pm
Harbor freight carrier and GPX 250e both cheap and both work great. A little low on the CX-5 though.


1
jevyguy
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jevyguy 10/9/2020 9:38pm
10/9/2020 9:38pm Edited Date/Time 10/9/2020 9:41pm
I have a HF carrier and I wouldn’t trust it in “stock” form. The square aluminum piece that slides over the steel hitch portion isn’t stout enough (IMO) to handle the rocking back and forth motion.
captmoto
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captmoto 10/9/2020 11:09pm
10/9/2020 11:09pm
jevyguy wrote:
I have a HF carrier and I wouldn’t trust it in “stock” form. The square aluminum piece that slides over the steel hitch portion isn’t stout...
I have a HF carrier and I wouldn’t trust it in “stock” form. The square aluminum piece that slides over the steel hitch portion isn’t stout enough (IMO) to handle the rocking back and forth motion.
Mine cracked so I removed it and welded the piece holding the rail directly to the mount and it is now rock solid.
T-Fish
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T-Fish 10/16/2020 7:43pm
10/16/2020 7:43pm
I can load three bikes like this, or I can put a pair side by side in the bed and use the rear rail for the third.



If I’m solo, I’ll load them like this and use the bed to hold everything else.

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lumpy790
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lumpy790 10/17/2020 9:20am
10/17/2020 9:20am
Bought used for $50 from a local on thumpertalk about 15 years ago.

2
sf702/410
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sf702/410 10/18/2020 12:35pm
10/18/2020 12:35pm

I just built this guy. About $90 in materials and a good day of tinkering. Detachable ramp that pins on when loading and secures via knob screws. Figured I'd torture test with my wife's scooter before I put the yz on the back. Lol




Blackie59
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Blackie59 10/20/2020 8:14am
10/20/2020 8:14am
toomanykaws wrote:
My harbor fright special. Adding the wheel chock helped [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/10/06/452955/s1200_90C25011_DCD4_4107_ADA0_FBDF9CEE1A59.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/10/06/452954/s1200_33FE0F54_C56E_465F_84BB_B04FE4CE4E61.jpg[/img] ck
My harbor fright special. Adding the wheel chock helped

ck
How does the wheel chock attach to the railing? Did you have to do any drilling or modifications to get it to fit or did the railing come predrilled to mount it?

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