Tilt-a-rack . Advice needed. Thanks

[Octane]

Hello !

I'd really like to have some sort of rack to carry a
lightweight ( around 300 lbs. ) motorcycle on the back of
my 28' Argosy MH .

Came across this brilliant devise in an old thread somewhere



It's a thing called a Tilt-a-rack



That would suit me just perfect. Nifty system I'd say.

Questions:

Being from Denmark I have no clue about US hitch classifications in general
or MH hitches in particular, and the website informs that the
tilt-a-rack requires a "frame-mounted 2" class III or better receiver hitch".

As the MH is in Santa Fe NM, exactly 5174.8 miles away from me here in Copenhagen ,
I can't go check it right now what hitch I have.

Can you see from the pic here, what I've got?



I've read all about how one should NOT put any additional weight
at the rear of the AS trailers, but 3-400 lbs isn't a problem
for the P30 MH chassis...is it ?

Might need some structural inforcement of the hitch-to-chassic mounting?

I guess I'll have to mount an extra set of rear/brake lights on the rack thing
and move the license plate
as the motorcycle will obscure the lights and plate

Thanks for any and all advise !

[Lumatic]

I guess the hitch on your Moho is a class 3. I don't know if it is factory. I also would guess the frame on your MH is much more substantial than a frame on a trailer and would carry the weight. You could also get a lighter bike. My Honda CT90 gets me around just fine and weighs less than 200# and does not need a ramp to load. I mount it on the back of my truck.

The rear end problem you mention is more prevalent in the longer 70s AS trailers. Airstream trailers are a monococque construction between frame and shell. The shell stabilizes the frame and visa versa. The 70s units had a lighter frame. Many do not recommend putting any extra weight on the bumper of those units.

Motorhomes? Maybe someone will chime in that knows more than I do.

[3 Dog Nite]

It looks like your spare tire carrier is on the hitch as well. You'll have to deduct the tire's weight from the carrying capacity of the hitch. The hitch has a tongue weight of 200# & towing weight of 2000#. This is assuming the PO hasn't beefed it up any. Why not tow a small utility trailer with the bike on it? That way you can bring extras like lawn chairs, canoe, grill, etc. A small trailer can be removed & put on your campsite anwhere you feel it is out of the way.
If you do this, don't cheapen out on the trailer. Get a good one you can use for years. Larger diameter tires will keep the bearings cooler on those long multi-state trips.
Ricky

[Smartstream]

I recently bought an aluminum box with the intention of gaining a little storage mounting it by way of the hitch receiver. I started fabricating the mount today and stuck a length of square tubing in the receiver to see how things would look. Resting my foot on the end of a 5' tube I was shocked at how flimsy the receiver is. Putting 5 lbs on the tube would noticeably move the receiver.

I guess at this point beefing up the hitch got moved way up the to do list. The fun thing is my holding tanks live right in front of the bumper so it's not going to be quite as easy as some of the hitch mods posted on other threads.

I guess with owning one of these mohos the fun just never ends.

Cheers, Dan

[Octane]

Thanks a lot guys for input, info and advise.

As for towing a trailer......nope.
I dunno what it is, but I simply dislike towing a trailer
and BTW; the thought of backing this behemoth
with a trailer that I simply can not see,
brakes out sweet on my forehead....haha.

Guess I'll have to wait and see what the hitch
looks like...is it reinforced etc..and take it from there.

One thought:
I'd say that a thing like that would need to be
conneced to the MH-frame somehow ( yellow line )
as there's nothing to keep it from moving about ( red lines )
when it's folded up and carrying a motorcycle
.......................no ?

[Smartstream]

Originally Posted by Octane

Thanks a lot guys for input, info and advise.

As for towing a trailer......nope.
I dunno what it is, but I simply dislike towing a trailer
and BTW; the thought of backing this behemoth
with a trailer that I simply can not see,
brakes out sweet on my forehead....haha.

Guess I'll have to wait and see what the hitch
looks like...is it reinforced etc..and take it from there.

One thought:
I'd say that a thing like that would need to be
conneced to the MH-frame somehow ( yellow line )
as there's nothing to keep it from moving about ( red lines )
when it's folded up and carrying a motorcycle
.......................no ?

I think the ramp part is locked to the horizontal tube when the ramp is in the loaded position. It's an interesting unit but I think it's pretty light weight. Some receiver tubes have a pretty sloppy fit and that thing might be bouncing quite a bit going down the highway.

I have a friend with another brand moho on the same P-30 chassis. He basically mounted two receivers, one on the end of each frame rail at the back of the coach. He built a carrier that mounts in the receivers and uses a winch to raise and lower a ramp. The ramp stays horizontal rather than tilt. He just rolls the bike on with the unit flat on the ground, ties the bike down and then winches the whole thing up to the back of the coach. He rides a full size Harley and the took the bike from Arizona to the East coast and back so the system does work.

I guess anything can be made to work if you want to take the time and effort.

Cheers, Dan

PS. You can check the other thread on hitch modification I posted some pictures of the hitch on my 280.

[Octane]

Originally Posted by Smartstream

I think the ramp part is locked to the horizontal tube when the ramp is in the loaded position

Sorry, I didn't express my self very well:
( English is not my mother tongue)
I understand that the ramp will be locked.
What I meant was that the horizontal tube
would need to be supported ( a bracket ( yellow line) from
the tube to the MH chassis )

PS. You can check the other thread on hitch modification I posted some pictures of the hitch on my 280.

Will do. Thanks !

[Smartstream]

Originally Posted by Octane

Sorry, I didn't express my self very well:
( English is not my mother tongue)
I understand that the ramp will be locked.
What I meant was that the horizontal tube
would need to be supported ( a bracket ( yellow line) from
the tube to the MH chassis )



Will do. Thanks !

Your English is just fine. Sometimes its hard to describe how things work from a picture. Anyway the only connection is the receiver hitch on the truck. The idea is to be able to use the carrier with no modifications to the truck. If you could add attachment points you could greatly increase the capacity.

Cheers, Dan

[Bermshot]

I have used and sold these carriers for yrs. They will rotate a little on the axis as you describe but most models have a lock bolt that will tighten the gap on the reciever.
These work great and the new ones were aluminum when I got out of the retail end. If you have a high fender bike put a block between the top of the tire and inner fender to keep the suspension from compressing on heavy G bumps that could unhook the bar hooks. Also always run a strap on the rear tire so it can't jump up & out of the rail. Run a 2nd strap to the back of RV in of worse case scenerio of the inner strap letting loose, better to fall against the RV than out on the road!
It takes me less than 3 minutes to load or unload.

[Rick F]

If you do such a thing I wonder if it would be a good idea to have a backup camera system as well to monitor it when you're going down the road.. Lord only knows I've heard many a story about bikes falling off a bike rack or the entire hitch receiver coming off in cheaper trailers that weren't designed to have a bouncy load on the bumper.. (which I suspect is applicable to most new trailers these days). Anyway.. just a thought!