Reinforcing the Tie-Downs in Eddie Bauer AS for a Motorcycle

[AnnaLoveG]

We have a new-to-us 2015 Eddie Bauer with the rear hatch back. We'd like to put a motorcycle inside. I know the tie-downs currently provided are not reinforced enough for a moto. The AS dealer estimates 20 hours of labor for this at $129/hour -- ouch. We're looking for other ideas and hoping to spend less. Has anyone had luck doing this? If so, where did you have the work done?

[uraljohn]

How big of a bike and how much does it weigh? I have heard of the Eddie models but have no idea how much cargo capacity they have. If your thinking Harley or Gold Wing size bike putting all that weight aft of the axles could be a problem. Maybe the smaller hooks were installed for a reason. Just a couple things to consider. Would not want you to wind up with a scary towing experience due to not enough tongue weight. Check the specs, get rig to Cat Scale before and after loading to make sure balance is good. Happy travels with your very special Airstream.

[ROBERT CROSS]

^
X2

If the MC is more than 200lb & dealer is aware of it, I would question their motives.😳
The 'light' tie-downs are there for a reason. 👍

Bob
🇺🇸

[eganwh]

Check out the picture in post #16 of this thread:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f531...ck-120196.html

If you have access to the underside near the edges of the trailer you could use threaded hardware to mount new rings or replace the self tappers of the existing rings. Possibly add a backing plate to the underside to spread the load or mount directly through the steel member pictured.

I can take a look this week at my 27' to see if this might be possible.

[AnnaLoveG]

Thanks eganwh for the link to the older thread that is super helpful. I had been looking for some without any luck. I haven't looked underneath yet to see what I can see, but the dealer mentioned having to remove the underbelly which was driving up the cost. The moto that I want to put in the AS is under 300 pounds. Our larger/heavier bike would go in the bed of the truck. eganwh, if you have a chance to look under yours when you have time that would be great. Thanks!

[eganwh]

If you havn't drilled down to this forum already, check out some of the other threads here.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f531/

Couple threads on others experiences hauling motos in the EB.

[eganwh]

The belly pan covers the entire rear of the 27' FB except for the area where the steps fold up and store. So, I can see why the dealer quote is high. Any threaded hardware nut to bolt on frame solution would require removing (and replacing) the belly pan skin or cutting (and repairing) access holes in the skin - both expensive options.

At a minimum, you could try and verify that your existing self drilling hardware is actually tapped to the frame - unlike what is shown in post #16. Recommend backing out one of the accessible d-ring fasteners and using a feeler (metal awl) to poke through hole in the subfloor to determine if you have metal below it. If your rings are tapped into this frame, this might give you some confidence in the installation execution. Hope this helps.

[AnnaLoveG]

Originally Posted by eganwh

The belly pan covers the entire rear of the 27' FB except for the area where the steps fold up and store. So, I can see why the dealer quote is high. Any threaded hardware nut to bolt on frame solution would require removing (and replacing) the belly pan skin or cutting (and repairing) access holes in the skin - both expensive options.

At a minimum, you could try and verify that your existing self drilling hardware is actually tapped to the frame - unlike what is shown in post #16. Recommend backing out one of the accessible d-ring fasteners and using a feeler (metal awl) to poke through hole in the subfloor to determine if you have metal below it. If your rings are tapped into this frame, this might give you some confidence in the installation execution. Hope this helps.

Thanks eganwh. I will check the rear four tie-downs. We already learned the front one was not in the frame (Post #16 only helped confirmed our experience). But, thank you for looking under yours. We're just getting to know ours and your explanations help us understand what's involved.