Hauling on hitch mounted rack with RAV-4

Hi all,
I called my local Toyota service center to confirm if I could haul my 125 on a rack (w/ 2" receiver) on my 2018 RAV-4. They said it would support the weight of the 260 lb bike plus the 34 lb black widow rack. When I had a Beta X-trainer I used my F-150 but it was a pain to load/unload because of the height. Anyone else carry their 125 on a small SUV?
Thanks!

I have on my edge before. Its bigger than a rav 4 but not a lot, zero issues. class of hitch is what matters. if its a class 1 id pass, i assume its a class 2 or 3.

According to the Toyota website the tongue weight max on a regular Rav4 is 150 pounds, slightly more for a hybrid. The Trail weighs about 260, assume the rack is 40 puts the gross at 300. Will it work, probably but it is double what Toyota recommends. We have a Rav4 and it pulled a Kendon Trailer with no problems. Never used the hitch carrier with it though, also have a Tacoma and the tongue weight on that is 175, I've used the hitch carrier with the Trail 125, no problems.

I actually had to look that up.. yup, that's kinda dismal. Not sure if that applies to an aftermarket hitch but id be leery as well.

That's twice the recommended weight... I would look very carefully at how that receiver is attached. I assume it will carry more than they claim, but 100% might be a stretch... nothing worse than a Donkey being dragged down the road against it's will!

Dirt Girl said:

Hi all,
I called my local Toyota service center to confirm if I could haul my 125 on a rack (w/ 2" receiver) on my 2018 RAV-4. They said it would support the weight of the 260 lb bike plus the 34 lb black widow rack. When I had a Beta X-trainer I used my F-150 but it was a pain to load/unload because of the height. Anyone else carry their 125 on a small SUV?
Thanks!

Click to expand...

So in reflection of my previous post, It was not my intent to throw water on your being able to haul your bike, and I'm not suggesting you should just go out and buy a bigger car/truck. So what I would do is crawl under there and look at how the receiver is attached, if it's not a full frame of metal that spans across both the main frames of the vehicle, I would look for an aftermarket alternative that as others have stated is rated for Class 2 or 3. Alternatively, you might be able to get someone to reinforce/improve what's there, but if a rated hitch is available that's what I would do. Something commercially rated might not be better than home made, but then if it fails, you have someone other than the Girl in the mirror to be angry with, sometimes that has value. If you aren't familiar with these things, look at some pictures of class 2 or 3 frames for sale for say a Toyota tundra or F-150 or something, and compare that to what's under your Rav-4.

Getting a hitch that will support the weight and is well mounted will ensure your bike will not just fall on the ground (assuming you strap it properly), but it won't do anything to improve the suspension situation... having a structure that will support the weight is different than having a suspension that is designed to carry it. It's possible to correct that as well (maybe), but it's a different topic. If you are just going to load up the bike and take it somewhere for a day ride I wouldn't worry to much about that personally, but if you plan to load up 800 lbs of gear in the back of the SUV, then hang the Donkey on the back... you might look more carefully at this topic.

small trailer would be my go to if i was in your shoes. .02

m in sc said:

small trailer would be my go to if i was in your shoes. .02

Click to expand...

I agree with this. If the rated hitch weight on that vehicle is 150lbs I would NOT go with a hitch carrier, no matter how it appears to be attached. There are lots of options for small and relatively inexpensive utility trailers out there.

+1 for a small trailer maybe??

From Flagstaff to Ensenada with a stop at a vineyard... The TDI handled it without an issue. Trailer was a single jet ski trailer with 3 harbor freight loading ramps, had some angle iron around and i learned how to weld on that bad boy. My friends nicknamed it "A bong hit and a dream" Not sure why? Still runs strong with 3 full size motos!

Harbor freight has a small fold up trailer that would probably work.

Dirt Girl said:

Hi all,
I called my local Toyota service center to confirm if I could haul my 125 on a rack (w/ 2" receiver) on my 2018 RAV-4. They said it would support the weight of the 260 lb bike plus the 34 lb black widow rack. When I had a Beta X-trainer I used my F-150 but it was a pain to load/unload because of the height. Anyone else carry their 125 on a small SUV?
Thanks!

Click to expand...

First off, welcome to the forum!

I use a Hitch Carrier on my Tacoma to carry my TW200 and Trail (not at the same time) and have had no problems or seen any problems with the hitch, however this is a Class 3 frame-mounted Receiver bolted in several places to the frame of the truck. A smaller SUV like a Rav has a different frame construction (Unibody as opposed to body-on-frame) so I would guess you probably have a class ! or 2 Receiver.

If it was mine I'd have a stronger, aftermarket hitch/Receiver installed at a local welding shop (a lot of times non-chain exhaust shops do this sort of work for reasonable prices). You'll also want to make sure that the added weight of the Hitch Carrier and bike aren't going to overwhelm your rear suspension, especially once you have all your gear loaded in the back as well.

All that said, with a proper Receiver and upgraded rear suspension bits I wouldn't be afraid to haul a trail with a Rav. You don't mention what year Rav you have but if it's the generation which had the spare tire mounted to the rear door then that will likely get in the way of hauling a bike. I used to have an Isuzu Amigo which I used for just about everything off-road for a few years, but I could never haul a bike on a Hitch Carrier with it because the spare tire was in the way.

Good luck!

The ratings seem to come down at least partially to available power. I have an Outback XT with 3500lb towing and 350lb tongue weight capacity. A naturally aspirated standard Outback has 2700lb towing and 270lb tongue capacity. These two models have the same frame, suspension, and two-inch hitch towing package. I used a hitch carrier for a couple of short trips. I rented a uhaul motorcycle trailer for a 2.5 hour trip and while I had more peace of mind, the extra hassle made it seem not so worth it. Also, I didn't measure it, but I'll bet the tongue weight was greater than 150lbs after I put the bike on there. The bike is small enough that the entirety of the bike is in front of the trailer axle, and while you're supposed to front load a trailer, you don't need 100% of the weight in front. Unfortunately the smaller uhaul trailers weren't available if the start and end locations were different.

If you do go with a hitch carrier (and this is for anyone that uses one) I highly recommend using a hitch stabilizer. It really cuts down on the amount of bouncing and swaying while driving and also cuts down on the twisting when loading and unloading the bike.

I'd be careful if it were my car. I dont think the hitch rating is soley due to the strength of the hitch itself.I remember seeing a post somewhere of I believe a Subaru being deformed around the rear door openings from hauling a hitch carrier.

being someone who has actually done the math, designed, and built a hitch from scratch , then welded it straight to a (full frame) car, i can say this much: i wouldn't risk it on a modern small suv if it's not rated for it.. Get a trailer.