Hitch mount Dirtbike carrier/ small camper pulling?

Imposter71

Imposter71

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Jan 12, 2017
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NC, United States
I have a small endure motorcycle that I bought for my son/wife to try trail rides. I had picked up a hitch carrier on craigslist and was wondering if anyone has used one on their jeep? Also what about pulling a small camper. I need to get a bumper/tire carrier and trailer hitch already. Wondering if anyone else had one they used for any of this and if so, what kind. Or should I not do it.

bike and carrier.........
TWhitch.jpg
 
I've never used a hitch carrier to put a bike behind the TJ, but I wouldn't hesitate to do it.

I believe you're not supposed to tow more than 1500 lbs. with the TJ, so as long as your camper trailer is under that, you'd be fine. If you're going to get a new bumper / tire carrier, now is the perfect time to get one with a built in receiver hitch.
 
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I use one to carry stuff weekly, but nothing as heavy as your bike. Mine is rated at 600lb, but I wouldn't carry more than 250-300lbs. I'd reiterate what JP98 said, how much does the bike weigh? Looking at it on the Suburban, I personally think it would be more than fine.

As for a small camper, most TJ's are rated to pull 2,000lb. The LJ is higher.
 
I was planning to purchase one, then the guy asked what I was going to use to haul it with. I told him my TJ, and said that he tried that some time ago, and would strongly suggest not doing it. I decided against it. I think I'll just get a real light trailer, or take my old beater pickup.

I think an LJ could be different though.
 
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I'll check the weight of the bike. It is small, only 200cc. I could use a trailer but don't have a good trailer yet and would not really be doing it that often. Trying to gather info. Since I like the LJ so much when I do things to it I want to make it as versatile and useful as possible. About the camper. My brother in law has a little Scamp camper I can borrow so that is what made me think of that. Also my wife and I are in the process of becoming "empty nesters". She likes to camp so I want to find a way to incorporate the jeep into it. Here is what the camper sort of looks like. It is not this one but this is a cool pic of a guys set up that I met in the outer banks of NC.
wagscamp.jpg
 
Keep in mind that a hitch on a TJ is typically only rated to support 200 lbs. on a 2000 lb capacity hitch, and 350 lbs. on a 3500 lb. hitch. A Jeep's 1500 to 2000 lb. towing capacity is just that, its TOWING capacity, not what can be placed on the receiver hitch as dead weight. A 2000 lb. trailer will only place about 200 lbs. on the hitch as tongue weight.

Personally, since I have experience with hauling a small motorcycle on my previous TJ and on a small trailer, I'd definitely go with a small trailer like you can buy from Harbor Freight.

Before going with a trailer, I carried my son's trail bike on the front of my TJ on special receiver hitch that was made to carry this small motorcycle's weight but it was also located right next to the frame, not far back (which gives it additional leverage against the hitch) as it needs to be in the rear to clear the spare tire.

I don't recommend this, it didn't work out as well as I hoped... that's why I ended up buying the small trailer for his motorcycle. This is from 15 years ago.

2002_0901_132011AA.JPG
 
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You could always use a weight distribution hitch if you're worried about tounge weight or if the trailer makes the Jeep squat too much.
 
My hitch hauler is built for a bike, If I can ever get the time to get that bike running right I'll look at it all closer and post up what I decide and how it all looks. Same with the camper if I decide to try it. I would go somewhere close first as a test run. My brother in law that has the camper works at a local state park here. It is about 2 miles from my house, and there are others within about an hour drive that would be nice to go to for a night or 2.. I am very tempted to order one of the Dirtworx bumpers that someone here had suggested in a thread awhile back.

Jerry I love that Yamaha. That looks pretty vintage even for 15yrs ago. Didn't Yamaha go monoshock on the rear in the early 80's? Plus it looks like a metal tank as well. That is cool. I rode Yamahas from the time I was 8 up until I was about 18 or 19. Then I got a job in a Suzuki dealership so I was lucky enough to get to play with all the new Suzukis in the mid 80's.
 
Jerry Bransford said:
Keep in mind that a hitch on a TJ is typically only rated to support 200 lbs. on a 2000 lb capacity hitch, and 350 lbs. on a 3500 lb. hitch. A Jeep's 1500 to 2000 lb. towing capacity is just that, its TOWING capacity, not what can be placed on the receiver hitch as dead weight. A 2000 lb. trailer will only place about 200 lbs. on the hitch as tongue weight.

Personally, since I have experience with hauling a small motorcycle on my previous TJ and on a small trailer, I'd definitely go with a small trailer like you can buy from Harbor Freight.

Before going with a trailer, I carried my son's trail bike on the front of my TJ on special receiver hitch that was made to carry this small motorcycle's weight but it was also located right next to the frame, not far back (which gives it additional leverage against the hitch) as it needs to be in the rear to clear the spare tire.

I don't recommend this, it didn't work out as well as I hoped... that's why I ended up buying the small trailer for his motorcycle. This is from 15 years ago.

View attachment 12656
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Why didn't it work out? I am contemplating this set up, but only to carry a 200 lb scooter. What issues did you run into? What can I expect?
 
Jeeper5usa said:
Why didn't it work out? I am contemplating this set up, but only to carry a 200 lb scooter. What issues did you run into? What can I expect?
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Just difficult to get it on and off, and it took quite a while to get it secured well enough for long trips so I wouldn't worry about it.

Almost 20 years ago, that's my son.
2002_0901_132011AA.JPG
 
Those little bikes are mechanically dense and will hit the scale about 250 pounds or better without fuel

That’s a pretty good point load and torsion on the hitch mount.

I would lean toward a small trailer..But I’m confident with some thought and you can make a hitch mount work I would just think about outbound stability.
F22D3101-79C7-4085-94E6-2A2621E7AA88.jpeg
This is an Enduro bike by modern definition...300 cc Transfer port injected two stroke with an automatic clutch...You definitely don’t want this Austrian made machine to fall off the back. Bikes are so fun. They are extremely easy to ride now days.
 
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Chris said:
I've never used a hitch carrier to put a bike behind the TJ, but I wouldn't hesitate to do it.

I believe you're not supposed to tow more than 1500 lbs. with the TJ, so as long as your camper trailer is under that, you'd be fine. If you're going to get a new bumper / tire carrier, now is the perfect time to get one with a built in receiver hitch.
Click to expand...
doesn't the owners man.on my 04 rubi say 2000lbs towing...I pull that on my trailer all the time.
 
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