Considering a hitch mounted carrier for the GS

[mimikeni]

Been researching hitch mounted carriers.  There are some positively reviewed carriers in the $180-$250 range.  Anybody use these?  What has your experience been?

[iclrag]

That hooks to the GS or holds the GS?

[mimikeni]

Like the Versahaul design.  The bike sits suspended on a rail perpendicular to the car/truck mounted by the hitch.  Harbor Freight sells one that claims a weight limit of 400 pounds, but the reviews of that item are really bad.  So, I'm looking at the models from dealers specializing in such devices that claim a 600 pound limit, even though the GS only weighs 375 lbs.

[Funderb]

375 lbs DRY. Full of oil and gas you're tipping into the 430ish pound region. You're going to need a class 4 or 5 hitch to be safe, and a hauler that compares to the available tongue load. you can do it with a class 3, but you're going to be close to the limit of the tongue weight.

Those hitch racks are really made for dirtbikes, ive seen other bikes on them, and seen them hit bumps, as the whole assembly twists and bends under the shock load. fun to drive behind.

It would be easier to put it in the back of a truck, or just get a single rail motorcycle trailer. It would be upsetting if the mount shears off on the highway and goodbye little bike.

[DoD#i]

Unless you have a behemoth with a behemoth-rated hitch you're asking way too much of it - and that leads to tears.

My pickup can tow 3500 lbs and has regularly towed 3000. But a hitch carrier and a GS500 on it would overload the poor thing. The entire weight of the carrier and the bike (443 lb wet, according to one thing I can find) are dumped on as "tongue weight" and that tends to be quite limited.

Also - the right trailer is a lot easier to get the bike onto and off of without dropping it. And far more useful for other things.

Either ride the bike, or get a trailer. A 1000 or 1500 lb GVW trailer is cheap, 3-5 times easier on the tow vehicle (10% of the gross (trailer+payload on trailer) load should be tongue weight - so 1500 lbs is 150 lb tongue), and not at the hairy edge of breaking.

[Higgins13]

This seems like an incredibly bad and dangerous idea lol

[adidasguy]

Go by a Weight Watchers meeting. Offer a few twinkies for one or two of the behemoths to stand on your rear bumper as you drive around the parking lot.

Did you enjoy driving with that weight hanging off the back?

Can your car really handle 450 extra pounds hanging off the back? Thats less weight on the front steering. Front wheel drive? That would be less traction.

Like mentioned - hit a bump and that 450 pounds of down weight suddenly becomes 1000 pounds or more, ripping off the back of your car.

Hitches are designed for a linear backward pull/stress. They are not designed for a downward force.

[Huff1371]

Stop considering it. I brought my bike home this way, not fun. My hitch basket thing is rated for 750lbs (which is probably BS ) and it took the weight fine, and my truck didn't notice it back there. My thinking was I didn't want to take off the bed topper so we'll just strap it to what is really used for gas cans and chainsaws when my bed is full, or hauling deer home on. Besides the aforementioned risks its a huge PAIN IN THE ASS TO PUT A MOTORCYCLE on these things. Me and one other picked it up and sat it there but it really really really sucked. Buy a trailer, put it in the back of the truck, or leave it where it is.

[mimikeni]

I am overwhelmed by the negativity of the responses, but I appreciate the advice.   Guess I'll save up for a trailer.
Thanks. 

[bombsquad83]

I thought about getting one of these for a dirtbike.  I had similar concerns about the difficulty for loading and the tongue weight.  I think this thread confirms my concerns.

[DoD#i]

I am overwhelmed by the negativity of the responses, but I appreciate the advice.   Guess I'll save up for a trailer.
Thanks.

Just trying to save you the pain of learning directly. The only people that think these are a good idea are the ones selling them, and they probably don't use them.

If you were willing to spend $250 on a hitch carrier, you're well in range for a small used trailer (see what craigslist has to offer - but know what your vehicle can tow, first, and be patient - lots of dogmeat trailers on our local CL, but good ones do show up from time to time) or $20-30 from a Horrible Fright new trailer. The only reason to save up much more is if you have something that could reasonably tow much bigger and you have other uses where much bigger makes sense. I downsized pickup trucks and needed something to haul the big stuff, so I have a 6.5x14 3000 lb GVW trailer - massive overkill as a bike hauler, but it rarely serves that purpose. If I hauled bikes much a smaller trailer would pay off, as that beast weighs in at 995 empty - but it does mean I can haul a full ton and stuff that's a lot bigger than the 6 foot bed on the current gas-sipping truck (which drinks a bit harder when towing - but not as hard as the old truck did, not towing.)

For bike-hauling and general purpose, a 4x8 1000 lb GVW will do the trick. For a couple of bikes or more general-purpose loading, 1500 or 1700 will do nicely unless you really need a big one (and have something to haul it.)

Know the towing capacity of your vehicle before you go too far - a "5000 lb hitch" does not magically transform a truck that can safely tow 3500 lbs into a truck that can haul 5000 lbs - it just means the hitch itself would be OK towing 5000 lbs if attached to a vehicle that can safely tow 5000 or more lbs. Tow ratings are generally covered in the owner's manual for your vehicle.

Also - get the right drop on your hitch ball - trailers should run level to nose down. If they "sit up and beg" they have excessively low clearance at the rear end, and they tend to pry the rear of the tow vehicle off the road when braking, which can be very bad...

[Tyler.M]

I agree with everyone else on this... I looked at a hitch mounted carrier but ended up opting to search for a small trailer. I have an XJ and the Unibody would not enjoy having an extra 400 pounds of mostly unsecured weight on the rear section of the frame. Besides, if you're hauling the bike with anything that uses a lift gate like an suv or pickup, it'd severely limit your access to the rear compartment with the bike on it. That was my reasoning anyways. Good luck with the search

[iclrag]

i used to put a 250cc dirt bike on there, it seemed fine but it was a bit too risky to even put a 400cc dirt bike on there let alone a street bike, i would just get a small flatbed trailer (cheaper than a special motorcycle trailer) to haul it (plus then you can haul other junk to)