Trailer or carrier Q

randomfish · Sep 15, 2006

I'm shopping around for one, to replace a giant one I had from Harbor Freight.
There are the small one bike trailers, which seem nice, but pricey (2,000?)
and then there are 'carriers'. Looks like a platform that attaches to the hitch, and.. holds the bike at the back of a truck.
I was wodnering if anyone's got feedback on one of those. I ask because they look like.. well, like they'd take the back of the truck off, w/ the weight and all. Or at least put A LOT of pressure on the back. Also wondering how secure the attachment actualy is. Doesn't look very reliable in pictures, but some people must buy them. I'd appreciate any feedback. Or even advice on a good place to shop for one. I just googled and went to the first couple sites that came up.

TIA!

tyesai · Sep 15, 2006

I've got a carrier and love it, just hang it up on the wall, no storing a trailer. Try a search real quick here. I know I have talked about mine several times.

randomfish · Sep 15, 2006

Thanks so much!

randomfish · Sep 15, 2006

I've got another question: would I be able to use a carrier with a smaller SUV (RAV4) It's the new ones, which is a little bit bigger from '05, V6, 4WD, but a smaller SUV nonetheless, and I see most people here have trucks.

tyesai · Sep 15, 2006

I think all that is required is a classIII hitch, if you have that you should be good to go. I guess check your owners manual and find out the max weight capacity. I would think it would be good to go though, I have seen them on minivans. That and one of the guys I work with had one on his Kia SUV, it was pretty small.

mideastrider · Sep 15, 2006

Yeah I have one they work very well. I also have a friend that has one on his explorer and hauls it 100plus miles one way to almost every race no problems. All the ones I know of are for a cat3 hitchs. I don't know about smaller ones.

FruDaddy · Sep 15, 2006

If you do get one, check your max tongue weight. And remember, the bike will be so far out that the force will be multiplied a little. A 200 pound bike could easily become 300 pounds on the tongue.

skooterj · Sep 21, 2006

Just make sure you get one of the good carriers, not some fly by night one made by some guy in his garage. I've got a VersaHaul, and its great. Solid, factory built, i believe in Indiana.

randomfish · Sep 21, 2006

Thanks, I'll check that one out as well. So far I looked at moto tote, moto jack rack, add a bike, and joehauler. I think joehauler was looking best, having read reviews. But still not sure. I'll check out versahaul.

skooterj · Sep 22, 2006

I like the multiple tie down points the VersaHaul has. More straps are always better. And I can still tow behind it.

tyesai · Sep 22, 2006

I can't remember the name of it but I would get the one with the hook that bolts down over the seat. I have one with tie down staps and it is nice but the other looks alot nicer and there is no way the bike is going anywhere.

skooterj · Sep 26, 2006

Wouldn't that make it much harder to store when your not using it? I like being able to tuck my away in the corner of the garage.

tyesai · Sep 26, 2006

skooterj said:
Wouldn't that make it much harder to store when your not using it? I like being able to tuck my away in the corner of the garage.

Maybe, but not much. I don't mind the tie down straps on mine but after a long day of riding, when the truck is dirty and the bike is filthy I hate crawling between them to strap down the side closets to the bed.

joshholmes20 · Sep 26, 2006

I have a joe hauler with the optional aluminum ramp. I have had no troubles so far with using it. It looks a little bit scary going down the road because of the slack between the receiver hitch hole and the joe hauler mount bar. It allows it to rock from side to side. I usually attach a tie-down from the bumper to each end of the joe hauler and that seems to take care of most of the movement. I have loaned my hauler to a friend who used it to haul his '03 R6 streetbike. It seemed to work very well. The only troubles I have had were backing out of steep driveways. It wants to drag a bit if you're not careful.

skooterj · Sep 27, 2006

My VersaHaul came with this bracket that eliminated all the wobble. It pulls the carrier against the top of the hitch really tight, so the only time the carrier moves is when the hitch moves. I get hardly any rocking at all. But yeah, you have to be carefull backing up, whether on a hill or not, because it is sticking out. But you don't have to worry about a trailer fishtailing or anything. And I have the tie downs all hooked up on the inside before I load the bike, then I just have to pull them over, tighten and I'm off..

+30 · Sep 29, 2006

Any of those brands will work, but remember if you get a carrier that uses roll on - off style loading, it wont work as well for performing bike maintenance at the track. I have the motojackrack and have been using it for 5 years, only having to replace the $20 bottle jack once. With the bike locked down on the rack, pulling the wheels on/off for tire changes is easy, (no worrys about dropping the bike off a stand)I use a tie down from the bars to the frame of the rack lock the pegs in and drive anywhere, the optional gas can carrier is nice too. I have a trailer, but still use the jack rack much more often. The bike sits up high enough, ground clearance is a lot better than with those roll on types. To level the vehicle I use supersprings, they do a great job I would recomend them a muddy bike and some gas back there can put a good bit of tongue weight on the vehicle...
motojackrack.com
supersprings.com

Trailer or carrier Q

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