Has anybody put a motorcycle rack on the bumper of their escape?

[Arathar]

Hi All,

I'm considering putting a rack for an old Postie Bike (Honda ct110) on the the back of my Escape. The motorcycle weighs less than 200 lbs. Has anyone else made this modification?

I have the hitch (Bike rack) on the trailer too, so I could go that route.

Thanks,

Glenn

[bryan]

I too am interested in doing the same thing. It looks as though one of the board members already has and it would be interesting to know what their thoughts are on it. The motorcycle I'm thinking of mounting weighs about 155 lbs and the motorcycle rack would be another 75-100 after all the mounting was done.

[Arathar]

Harbor Freight is selling an 400 lb rated Motorcycle hitch carrier for $110. This is heavier than I need but I still don't know what the rating of the trailer hitch receiver is.

I know it was called a bike rack receiver when my trailer was built. Does anyone know how much load it will bear?

Thanks,

Glenn

[cpaharley2008]

I'm aware of one member having their's reinforced at the factory for 500#, but the stock unreinforced?? Ask Reace or Tammy.

[santacruzer]

I'm sure you've considered the dynamics of how this might affect your tongue weight. Might not be as pronounced as it would be on a single axle trailer, but something to watch.

[Jim Bennett]

I definitely noticed a bit of change on my 19 with the bike rack and two bikes. Only 105 lbs sticking out there with them too. I did shift some weight forward to compensate, but never weighed the hitch.

[RickM]

This may help, on my Escape 19, I carry two bikes that weight a total of 66.4 pounds and the Thule rack is 23.1 pounds or a total of 89.5 pounds. The tongue weight is reduced by 40 pounds when carrying the bikes

[Jim Bennett]

I can't edit, but that weight I posted is supposed to be 105 lbs.

[LBaranyai]

Originally Posted by Arathar

Hi All,

I'm considering putting a rack for an old Postie Bike (Honda ct110) on the the back of my Escape. The motorcycle weighs less than 200 lbs. Has anyone else made this modification?

I have the hitch (Bike rack) on the trailer too, so I could go that route.

Thanks,

Glenn

Glenn:

If you go to here
www.escapeforum.org/forums/f13/our-new-escape-1313-2.html
you will find my posts regarding our motorcycle carrier. Our trailer is an Escape 17B. I ordered the trailer "bike rack ready" but specified it re-enforced to support 500 lbs. My husband's bike weighs 200 lbs. I believe the carrier itself weighs about 75 lbs. My husband determined that the carrier would be better as close to the trailer as possible. He drilled an extra hole in the carrier's steel tubing so it could slide mount further into the trailer's receiver.

Our carrier was purchased at Trademasters in Chilliwack, near the Escape factory. It has a drop down ramp that makes loading the bike fairly easy. Check out tilt-a-rack.

[Arathar]

Yes, that is one of the methods that I am considering. Thanks for the info. Hitch bike racks make me nervous because of the torsion.

Since the cycle can rotate the handlebars 90 degrees for storage, I thought I might be able to mount the carrier right on the bumper. The spare tire looks like it will still be in the way. Maybe I can find space on the front for it.

[LBaranyai]

I think the spare tire provides extra protection between the trailer and the bike when my hubby's on bumpy back roads though with the straps on, that motorcycle is solidly locked on the back. No matter where you put your bike, you have to remember tongue weight. I bought a Sherline tongue weight scale so we can make sure it's safe. Hubby loads up his water jugs and puts them up front to adjust for tongue weight. We also had additional lights on the back added up high because we thought the motorcyle would partially block the regular brake lights. My husband also carries a 12' fishing boat on a boat loader on top of the Tacoma so there's that weight too.

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by LBaranyai

I think the spare tire provides extra protection between the trailer and the bike when my hubby's on bumpy back roads though with the straps on, that motorcycle is solidly locked on the back. No matter where you put your bike, you have to remember tongue weight. I bought a Sherline tongue weight scale so we can make sure it's safe. Hubby loads up his water jugs and puts them up front to adjust for tongue weight. We also had additional lights on the back added up high because we thought the motorcyle would partially block the regular brake lights. My husband also carries a 12' fishing boat on a boat loader on top of the Tacoma so there's that weight too.

Hi: LBaranyai... A guy can't be expected to leave all his toys at home...can he?
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[LBaranyai]

Originally Posted by escape artist

Hi: LBaranyai... A guy can't be expected to leave all his toys at home...can he?
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

No, I guess that's true. Unfortunately he's got so many toys, there's no room for me!

[gocamp]

Ultrafab introduced a New haler. A 500-pound load capacity, the Ultra MX securely holds up to a 450cc dirt bike or scooter, includes a loading ramp.
Ultra-Fab Products, Inc.| - Rental

[woodie]

Have just been mulling this over too.Acording to the Escape Web page, under options the bike rack ready option is only rated for 150 lbs. LBarayai would you be able to post a picture of your reinforced hitch so we can see what they did to make it able to stand 500lbs?
Also ,how would a that effect the tung weight on my 15'A?

[cpaharley2008]

your 15' trailer would probably rise as soon as you unhitched if you had that on the rear!!

[woodie]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

your 15' trailer would probably rise as soon as you unhitched if you had that on the rear!!

Probably ,but it would have to be unloaded first.Was thinking more about how it would effect things while traveling or driving.

[cpaharley2008]

that is what I'm saying, your tongue weight may even be negative, you will definitely have sway.

[182king]

I talked to Reace about modifying the receiver hitch for 500 lbs. He has no concerns about the frame or the receiver hitch weld being able to handle the weight. His concern is with that much weight on the back of trailer is the frame will flex and pull the bolts thru the fiberglass that hold the trailer to the frame.

On the 19 under the bed you have four bolts that hold the trailer to the frame. Two bolts on each side. To prevent them from pulling thru they add plate aluminum about 1" x 18" to act as a washer to more evenly distribute any pull on the trailer from frame flex.

I have hauled my Yamaha WR450F Dirt Bike on the back. The bike and carrier adds 380 lbs to the back. Even with loading the front of trailer with extra weight to increase tongue weight, I will get negative tongue weight when going over any bumps at highway speeds.

As a result I'm not real comfortable with hauling the trailer more than 25 miles with the motor bike on back. As you have to keep a close eye on the trailer.

[LBaranyai]

My husband has towed our 17' Escape with a motorbike on back for several long trips over the last couple of years. When fishing, he also has the weight of a boat and loader. He religiously checks his tongue weight - even takes his scale with him as he seldom loads up exactly the same way on the return trip. For example, he has to take into account the additional weight of any game he brings back in his tow. He has not experienced any handling issues but he drives safe. I have even followed behind him a couple of times on drives through the interior and viewed the way the trailer handles with the bike on back - no problem. Of course, he did a lot of research, bought the right equipment and most importantly, his enduro motor bike is small - it's only about 180 pounds. For our tow vehicle, it works out great. Of course if you had a large truck and big bike, it would make more sense to put the bike into the truck's bed.