Will Go Westy Trailer Hitch work for Dirt Bike Hitch Rack?

[PDXWesty]

[danfromsyr]

I would haul a moped or small cc scooter on it no problem,
I would not haul my 250cc honda scooter or larger dirtbike much less BIKES dangling off the back of it.. get a trailer or invest in a real piece of steel and structure.

the GW hitch is a very nice unit for what they intended it for.. a rack w/1-4 bikes.. it gets wobbly with 4 bicycles as is. but it's sufficient and safe.
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[skivan]

i bent my tow hooks that way with a moto carrier and dr350. it was just a quick emergency trip and i wouldn't do it again.
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'87 subaru westy syncro
'04 TDI passat wagon

[Alan F]

I am considering lightening some of the load using some trucker straps and running to the top of a yakima raingutter rack system to help "pull up" on the bike and stabilize it and also relieve some of the tongue pressure on the hitch. So, a #175 enduro would be significantly less on the tongue.

[Alan F]

I also have a small sailboat trailer I may be able to modify temporarily in an effrort to grab the bike. Has anyone every tried to put a 175 yamha enduro inside the van (jump seats removed and a weekender package). Will it fit??

[j_dirge]

[danfromsyr]

U-haul rents a regular sized van for $25.. give or take a little.

and yeah, for semi normal hauling I'd consider adapting the small trailer.. even if it'll be a pain in the butt.

or find a local welder/fab guy check in the Jeep crowd and craigslist for a reference.. some will do it for $50 over materials..many won't but some will.
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[Alan F]

New Plan - laying 1 - 2 x 6 and 2 - 2 x 4 down as a tire gutter and strapping to my small boat trailer (which will handle the load) and haul iwth the go westy rack. Also have a call into a friend for pick up borrow.

[IdahoDoug]

Alan,

Good call with the trailer. I suspect you'll have enough attaching opportunities on a boat trailer to figure out how to make that channel work. Mount it as low as you can if its a really small trailer, or you could get a wild multi-axial sway like you see those concrete mixer trailers do on the highway.

As a long term solution, one of those light duty trailers the big box hardware stores sell would make an ideal platform for a couple bikes side by side, plus you would have it for other uses. Some fold up and lean against the garage wall if space is a premium. Several buddies and I jointly bought one and put 6 cheap bike mounts on it for mountain bike road trips. I also see used ones on Craigs List for under $100 regularly with light use.

DougM
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader

[burleymotorsports]

[ ]

[burleymotorsports]

[skivan]

[jberger]

[PDXWesty]

[tam_shops]

I had a 1" hitch and wanted a 4 holding bike rack, so was told to get a 2" hitch. I looked at the Burley one, but liked the attachments that gowesty had, which means their bumper, which meant there hitch. So, when I went to get my bike rack, discovered my bike (of the 4 in the family) didn't fit.

At any rate, went to look at another rack today http://www.yelp.ca/biz/rack-n-hitch-richmond
The man asked me my trailer hitch class b/c I wanted a rack for 4-5 bikes. 5 bike one was on sale and I'm a sucker for a sale. I stared at him w/ a blank look. Got smart and told him to look it up on the gowesty site.
http://www.gowesty.com/ec_view_details.php?id=2582&category_id=&category_parent_id=

He pointed out the same thing that PP did, which is 100# tongue weight. Well, my 1" one had that, WTH is the point of it!? I want to put 1 cheap adult bike, 1 expensive large kids bike, 1 very expensive medium sized kids bike and 1 cheap small kids bike on...But, that's GOT to be over 100#!? NOW what?

Has anyone contacted gowesty to see their opinion on this? Interesting that they're the only business around here that doesn't comment on things when their products are in question!?


WHAT!? What's the point of a 2" receiver if you can't tow and/or put a larger bike rack on there?

[kamzcab86]

[tam_shops]

Thanks Kamz! Hate it when I've done my reading/research, buy something and *then* find out I missed something (especially this obvious) that is so obvious and should have bought a different one...And of course, things change and who knows one day I may want to tow something, then I'd have to buy *another* trailer hitch!?

I will weigh the bikes and do the math. I still see two problems, first my kids will grow and need bigger bikes over the years. Second, you can only go to 80% of the weight allowed, so 80# and it has to include the rack. So, 20#x4 bikes is already 80#.

Will look at the links. Know there is an attachment for funky mountain bikes on a hanging rack, but didn't know that there was anything for kids bikes. What I've noticed is they put one bar through and let the other one just hang free. Freaks me out!

tam

[j_dirge]

Please keep in mind that "ratings" for these aftermarket products (like hitches) are estmates. I doubt GW went out and did any thorough testing. (3rd party engineering calcs and verifications are expensive. Certifications even more so.).

I owned a GW hitch and it worked OK.. I abused it with 350lbs of tongue weight at times. The steel in the GW hitch is not the problem. It is the design. It just is not proper structure to the vehicle to support more than 100lbs or so.

The more wieght and the further out it is cantilevered.. the more stress it will see. And it is not a linear equeation. Add uneven roads into the equation ans its anybody's guess to what safe limits are. It comes down t personal responsibility.

The bolts onto tow loops is a compromise design., is all...


A proper frame mount hitch however will give quite a bit more structure.
I have had both and the two designs are night and day. The frame mount will handle loads that are more than the suspension really wants to deal with.. so that must be managed somehow, as well. Then you get into GVWR and braking capabilities.. a very slippery slope.

It should be noted that the frame mount designs are not likely tested, either.
The only testing is in actual use. And there is ample testimony on this site by a myriad of users of both types of designs to establish safely-managed load parameters. Just no garauntees.
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-89 GL Westy, SVX.. finally.

-57 pan f/g buggy with a 67 pancake Type 3 "S"
"Jimi Hendrix owned one. Richard Nixon did not"
-Grand Tour, Season 1, episodes 4 and 5

[tam_shops]

Uugghhh and Aaaahh and thank you!

So, is the Burley one the only frame mount one?

And, what about this one? It's the one that they lifted the Vanagon up by, right?
http://www.rockymountainwesty.com/Vanagon_Twin_Peaks_Rear_Bumper_p/rmw-tp02.htm

tam

[j_dirge]

I own Burley's hitch.. Mine was an earlier prototype towards the design he sells today to work with the f/g bumpers. It is more robust than the OEM Vanagon braking, suspension, and driveline is capable.
Thats the slippery slope. I have spent a good amount of time making changes to accomodate up to 250-300lbs of tongue wieght.. But then the transmission has its limts, too. And its just not up to heavy towing or hauling IMHO.

I can not speak to RMW's bumpr hitch. I have not seen the structure, under, that holds the receiver. But Mike builds very nice product and I trust his expertise. (I own several engine conversion products of his).
I'd call him and ask specifically how the receiver is attached to the frame members. Ask if there is 2" tubing (or comp) between the frame mounts and the receiver tube itself. (The weakest link in a chain is the likely failure point in a chain, right?)

Dennis Haynes is another manufacturer of a Class III type receiver for the Vanagon.. and is probably the most comparable to Burley's.

I have no intent on suggesting one product is better than another for anyones's specific needs. I can only say that GW's tow loop bolt-on product was OK for the money, but I need/wanted more.
I did not want an entire bumper solution, and thus the "real" frame hitches are the best solution for me.
_________________
-89 GL Westy, SVX.. finally.

-57 pan f/g buggy with a 67 pancake Type 3 "S"
"Jimi Hendrix owned one. Richard Nixon did not"
-Grand Tour, Season 1, episodes 4 and 5