Hitch haul two dual sports - possible?

[Dane]

I really appreciate the suggestions, but I'll be honest, when we go camping we take a lot of stuff. Like it seriously fills up the bed and cab (but that means I'm camping with a happy wife!), so I just can't see it working. Also, it gets more complicated. In a perfect world I'd like to be able to flat tow my Jeep via the bike carrier (no tongue weight on the flat tow, but I'd probably reinforce the carrier first). I do have the hitch carrier you are talking about already - I tend to slap it on the back of the jeep if I'm flat towing. So, a brief camping trip I could probably make it work, but we usually put in a couple good week long ones and it just wouldn't work.

So, I'd like to explore the airbag idea a bit more. I understand the above comments referencing the 500lbs tongue weight. However, what is the actual limiting factor? I realize this isn't what you are SUPPOSED to do per the manual and blah blah blah, but rules are boring. Why would this not work? The airbags should be WAY more than sufficient to provide adequate support for the couple extra hundred pounds I'm talking about. Let's assume these airbags aren't affecting travel (when deflated) as the shop claims. What real worries do I have here?

---------- Post added at 08:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:52 AM ----------

Say goodbye to your leafs and shocks loading it up like that, there is a 1000lbs max payload for a reason.

Shouldn't the airbags take as much weight off of those components as I set them up to? The frame and axles are more than stout enough (where the airbags would be putting the weight. I'm talking about pushing the envelope by maybe a couple hundred pounds, not a thousand - and no hard wheeling at all in that setup either - just traveling from A to B.

 

[Icecobra]

I am no artist but here is the physics..

 

[Dane]

I am no artist but here is the physics..

So are you saying it would make my front end too light?

 

[Icecobra]

What I am saying the end result would most likely be your hitch twisting and you dual sport laying in the road. The further out from the hitch you go the bigger the problem will become. It work as a lever and with a big enough lever you can move anything... To do what you want would really involve welding to the frame a piece further forward the bike mount would go through to help reduce the amount of leverage being created.

 

[Dane]

What I am saying the end result would most likely be your hitch twisting and you dual sport laying in the road. The further out from the hitch you go the bigger the problem will become. It work as a lever and with a big enough lever you can move anything... To do what you want would really involve welding to the frame a piece further forward the bike mount would go through to help reduce the amount of leverage being created.

So, if I'm understanding what you are saying, this item fundamentally won't work with any hitch and should result in a broken hitch and catastrophe?
Double Dual Dirtbike Tow Hitch Rack-Fits 2 Dirtbikes

 

[Icecobra]

They can sell anything and I would note if it fails there limit of liability to you is going to be the amount you paid for the item.. I would tell you physics is a fickle b itch and when it happens there going to have an escape clause... But if you trust it its your truck do what you want, you asked for opinions if this will work, "no" is mine...

 

[Dane]

They can sell anything and I would note if it fails there limit of liability to you is going to be the amount you paid for the item.. I would tell you physics is a fickle b itch and when it happens there going to have an escape clause... But if you trust it its your truck do what you want, you asked for opinions if this will work, "no" is mine...

I do want opinions and I appreciate them. I'm not trying to discount anything, just understand. So you think this hauler wouldn't work, period. For any truck with a Class IV hitch (hauling 600lbs of dirt bikes)? Nor for that matter, ANY dual dirt bike carrier (most have a 600lb rating)?

 

[Ditchplains1]

Dane,
If you go the route of the dual bike carrier....put the heavier bike closer to the bed. If you go to RPG/ICON/SDHQ/Rogue et al and look at the rear frame bump shock packages. Some of them allow for longer bump shocks/downward placement of the bump shocks which in effect creates overload springs. Of course the best way would to install National/Deaver/ etc heavier duty springs to carry the heavier loads...
Good luck; I'd love to pack up a dirt bike and go roaming around....
Eddie

 

[Icecobra]

I do want opinions and I appreciate them. I'm not trying to discount anything, just understand. So you think this hauler wouldn't work, period. For any truck with a Class IV hitch (hauling 600lbs of dirt bikes)? Nor for that matter, ANY dual dirt bike carrier (most have a 600lb rating)?

To be honest I am not there too look at it and see if, how much, the hitch may begin to twist. I would test it this way, place bikes on the hitch mounted rack, heaviest first. Then jump on the rear mounted bike and see if any twist occurs while jumping up and down. If it fails then you have your answer. Sometimes I don't know how they come up with the weight capacity of something. In the real world your rolling down the highway and hit a large bump and the articulation of the rear axle is up the frame is loaded going down. Its a lever and something would give, this is where bump stops would be a tremendous advantage. But the real test is the twist motion in the hitch will it fail? Your betting two dual sports it wont.. I would not make that bet myself... The weight limit for the bike carrier maybe 1000 pounds but where your hitch may fail and it does not always meet...

 

[Dane]

To be honest I am not there too look at it and see if, how much, the hitch may begin to twist. I would test it this way, place bikes on the hitch mounted rack, heaviest first. Then jump on the rear mounted bike and see if any twist occurs while jumping up and down. If it fails then you have your answer. Sometimes I don't know how they come up with the weight capacity of something. In the real world your rolling down the highway and hit a large bump and the articulation of the rear axle is up the frame is loaded going down. Its a lever and something would give, this is where bump stops would be a tremendous advantage. But the real test is the twist motion in the hitch will it fail? Your betting two dual sports it wont.. I would not make that bet myself... The weight limit for the bike carrier maybe 1000 pounds but where your hitch may fail and it does not always meet...

Oh man, I've been TOTALLY misunderstanding your concern, but now I get it. IF I decide to go this route I'll take your advice and abuse the thing a bit before actually driving with it to make sure I have confidence in it.

The bigger question I'm trying to solve is the hitch weight and the payload issue. It seems like 700 lbs doesn't exceed the actual hitch weight, but takes up a substantial portion of the payload. This is the problem I'm considering solving with air bags.