Hitch carrier

[bryanchurch06]

My trainee told me when I was strapping freight to always use more straps than you think you need, no such thing as over strapping

 

[Pfred]

Shock strap makes a version for motos. My buddy bought a set for his UTV and I am sold.

 

[Kev250R]

I use an old Zieman Hitch Carrier (built for a few years in the late 80's-early 90's). It's very Heavy Duty! A friend of mine used to borrow it (like every weekend) to haul his Honda 450 to the track, handled it well. I use mine as a convenience to save having to load a bike in the back of a truck. Only drawback is mine is heavy (~100 LBS) but I can use it solo with no problems.

It does rock side-to-side more then I like, but they make "Anti-Rattle" devices (mainly for hitch-mounted bike racks) which help.

Securing a bike has been debated hotly on this site previously so I'll leave it at do what makes sense to you with regards to tie downs/methods.

FWIW I think my bikes bounce around more when I trailer them then when I haul them on this Hitch Hauler. But the trailer I use for hauling more then one MC has a 3,500 LBS axle under it and stiff springs. A lighter-duty model would likely ride better with a lighter load on it. I added front-mounted recivers to two of my trucks, partly so I can use this carrier on the front and tow my Travel Trailer on the back.

 

[Kev250R]

FWIW Whichever Hitch Carrier you use, you may want to add some sort of brake light/tailight set-up to it. This is a cheap Tail/Brake/Turn strip designed to be mounted under the tailgate and above the bumper on a pick-up truck which I picked-up on Amazon a while back. Works good, may not be needed on a full-size truck (though I still use it when I have it on my Silverado) just to make it more visible. On my Tacoma pretty much any bike I haul blocks the tailights.

 

[m in sc]

^ this is good advice. i use magnetic trailer lights on mine. just stick them on the rail after the bike is loaded. (my rail is also steel) and i had one of those rails, they are heavy and super rigid. good units.

 

[dmonkey]

Something else worth considering is to mount your license plate to the rear of the hitch carrier when loaded. An obstructed license plate ticket can cost around what a carrier does.

Use your own judgement and check local laws.

 

[m in sc]

how then do people with enclosed trailers get away with it? in the 30+ years ive never been pulled over for an obstructed licence plate no matter what im hauling, no matter what state ive been in. that makes no sense. heres a pic w the magentic trailer lights on the rail. the one on the drivers side is behind the front wheel of the bike.

 

[dmonkey]

Enclosed trailers are usually required to have their own trailer plate, some exceptions by location or if it's for farm use. California Highway Patrol hand out tickets left and right for vehicles with loaded bicycle or cargo carriers blocking the plate, IIRC it's just under a $200 ticket in CA. Some of the auxiliary license plate mounts sold for bicycle carriers let you easily move the plate and frame between the vehicle, and a velcro strap system for attaching to cargo or a carrier.

I regularly see cars in the midwest with no plate at all, not even temporary. There is a difference between never being hassled for something and being legally compliant.

 

[m in sc]

yeah, ok. lol. the only time a cops going to pull you over for a obstructed plate with a hitch carrier is if you're doing something else really stupid or suspicious. Like said, 30 years of hauling stuff round and 35 years of driving experience in almost every state in the conus tells me a much, much different story.

 

[sieg]

Enclosed trailers are usually required to have their own trailer plate, some exceptions by location or if it's for farm use. California Highway Patrol hand out tickets left and right for vehicles with loaded bicycle or cargo carriers blocking the plate, IIRC it's just under a $200 ticket in CA. Some of the auxiliary license plate mounts sold for bicycle carriers let you easily move the plate and frame between the vehicle, and a velcro strap system for attaching to cargo or a carrier.

I regularly see cars in the midwest with no plate at all, not even temporary. There is a difference between never being hassled for something and being legally compliant.

What he said.^
Yes. Pulling a trailer with a plate on it that blocks the tow vehicle's plate from view is not the same as blocking the vehicle's plate with an attachment hanging on the back of that vehicle. Same for taillights BTW.

 

[m in sc]

then why aren't they outlawed, illegal to use carriers then? has ANYONE on here ever been pulled for obstructing a plate with a hitch carrier? I'm guessing -zero-

 

[AZ7000']

yeah, ok. lol. the only time a cops going to pull you over for a obstructed plate with a hitch carrier is if you're doing something else really stupid or suspicious. Like said, 30 years of hauling stuff round and 35 years of driving experience in almost every state in the conus tells me a much, much different story.

I was pulled over once with a bike on the hitch hauler. I deserved the got pulled over part, the cop had the same carrier and said I should work on it being more visible. I didn't get a ticket for the original "issue" or the blocked plate.

 

[Kev250R]

I've never been stopped for having an obstructed plate, but don't doubt that people do get stopped/cited for it. My local PD recently announced a crack-down on people with custom-wrapped license plates (a lot of people have their plate wrapped so the color of the letters or the background match the color of their car). It seems like enfocement of such things goes in phases.

 

[m in sc]

intentionally hiding a plate with a cover I've seen before, its inherently deceptive and will def get ypu pulled over. . I'll continue to 'risk' but it's like saying g don't spit on the sidewalk or sing out of tune in public because it's illegal. please.

 

[jimzpsd]

FWIW, my carrier will be mounted to my front hitch while the camper is in the back hitch. No plate or brake lights being obstructed.

 

[Kev250R]

FWIW, my carrier will be mounted to my front hitch while the camper is in the back hitch. No plate or brake lights being obstructed.

This is a (not very good) shot of my Hitch Carrier mounted to the front hitch on my Silverado. With my TW on it, it blocks a lot of things (High-beams were the most annoying). If I hauled bikes this way more often I'd probably wire a connector to the front that would allow the front turn signals to work with the Amber/Red strip light I have on my carrier, however since that picture was taken ~2.5 years ago and is the only trip where I've used that carrier on the front of one of my trucks, it's safe to say that doing that is very low on the list LOL!

 

[TrailBoss]

I gave the Harbor Freight 600 lb hitch carrier a good test a week ago. It checks out. This was with a 380lb KTM 390 Adventure on it, so a Trail 125 would be cake.

Things to know:
1. There is some sway front to back (not side to side though, the included stabilizing plate takes care of that) under braking and just general driving. I would love to come up with a gas shock support or something along that line to try to reduce it.
2. Depending on the height of your vehicle and weight of the motorcycle it can definitely be a two person operation to load/unload these safely. With a Trail 125 probably a 1 person deal, but the KTM for instance was a 2 person job to do it safely.
3. The chock at the front is great, it holds the bike all by itself so you can easily strap/unstrap.
4. Going to need to drill some holes so I can relocate the license plate, as well as get some of those remote lights because the brake/turn lights are definitely not as visible.
5. There is no grip tape on this as it comes, so I bought a roll of 6" tape from Amazon and applied it to the ramps. Worked perfect, no slipping while loading/unloading.
6. They include only bolts for the part of the chock that cups the back of the tire (pivots). I instead used steel pins so I can easily move this piece depending on if I'm hauling the KTM (19" front wheel) or the Trail (17" front wheel).

Overall a thumbs up.

Link: https://www.harborfreight.com/600-lb-capacity-motorcycle-carrier-57720.html

 

[martysgone]

I wanted to chime in with an alternative to the single receiver hitch in case you are like me and never really trust them much. I have always hated seeing bikes sway from a single receiver. I welded two Harbor Freight receivers on to my frame mounted hitch (Class 5 Curtis). I then welded up a simple bike rack and I can carry two bikes, or a much heavier bike. This is the second time I have done this to one of my vehicles and it's not much work. The bikes are solidly held and I just don't stress about bikes moving in the rear view anymore. I think you could easily modify any bike rack to be supported this way.

 

[martysgone]

I guess I should mention, I think most bumpers would need to be modified. I just took mine of and made the rack so that it will slide in tight to the rear as the bumper. The second bike rack is removable, however, I never take it off. Maybe it's laziness, but it's good to have that purpose built look if you are driving around in an old red van.

 

[Cpd419]

They make a brace goes between the receiver and hitch. It helps. Harbor freight has them. The trail is easy by yourself to load and unload