TW200 & Motorcycle Hitch Carrier

[jlw33]

I have a JLUR

I tow my TW200 motorcycle (280lbs wet) on the Harbor Freight motorcycle hitch carrier (92 lbs). That puts me at 370 lbs vs. 350 lb tongue weight although there may be more of a fulcrum effect with a carrier vs. hitch?

I've done it several times with no issues and no signs of stress. There's no real trailering risk here being overloaded on brakes, jack-knifing, etc..

How concerned should I be? What is the likely to be the point of failure? What if any can I upgrade?

I like to tow this little bike out to campsites (including some off-road driving)

Anyone do anything similar?


https://www.harborfreight.com/600-lb-capacity-motorcycle-carrier-57720.html

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[Bryce919er]

Definitely a moment there beyond just the tongue weight alone that does not exist on a trailer. Don't know if enough to be concerned about though.

 

[Dyolfknip74]

I have a JLUR

I tow my TW200 motorcycle (280lbs wet) on the Harbor Freight motorcycle hitch carrier (92 lbs). That puts me at 370 lbs vs. 350 lb tongue weight although there may be more of a fulcrum effect with a carrier vs. hitch?

I've done it several times with no issues and no signs of stress. There's no real trailering risk here being overloaded on brakes, jack-knifing, etc..

How concerned should I be? What is the likely to be the point of failure? What if any can I upgrade?

I like to tow this little bike out to campsites (including some off-road driving)

Anyone do anything similar?


https://www.harborfreight.com/600-lb-capacity-motorcycle-carrier-57720.html

Almost all JLs except recently have a 3500# weight rating here in NA. In Europe, exact same vehicle has a 5000# rating. Take that information and do with it as you please, lol.

In saying that, you will be hard pressed to get anyone to definitively say this is safe or not.

 

[SlickRicksWilly]

I would say it's fine. But I am no expert on anything towing related and I do stupid stuff like the video below. I am willing to bet it's much safer than this.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

You're likely going to need an extender to clear the spare. And that's not only your tongue weight limit, that's a lot of side to side torsion, plus up and down torsion, that a trailer tongue would never put on there. If it was a class 4 hitch, you may be able to get away with it. But with the way the hitch is mounted on the JL, I wouldn't do it.

I'd be more inclined to get a small utility trailer to haul it. One with a longer tongue is easier to back than those that have a short tongue. The trailer will also allow you to pack gear in bins and strap them to the trailer vs packing it all inside.

 

[flick2614]

Confused here; are you towing or just using a hitch carrier? Jack knifing a hitch carrier would take some real skill.

Regardless of the rating the hitch mounted motorcycle carriers are really not great. They lean like Snoop at 1am regardless of how much weight is on them. 300+ lbs would be downright terrifying on the highway. Also any little bump rocks them every way possible putting all kinds of stress on the bike and drivers behind you.

Save the liability and just get a light weight trailer.

 

[jlw33]

Confused here; are you towing or just using a hitch carrier? Jack knifing a hitch carrier would take some real skill.

Regardless of the rating the hitch mounted motorcycle carriers are really not great. They lean like Snoop at 1am regardless of how much weight is on them. 300+ lbs would be downright terrifying on the highway. Also any little bump rocks them every way possible putting all kinds of stress on the bike and drivers behind you.

Save the liability and just get a light weight trailer.

No I'm saying there is NOT the usual risk of an overloaded trailer (like jack-knifing, etc.)

I have done it many several times for several hundred mile trips to camp. The bike is stable on the carrier and the jeep's suspension handles it totally fine. I am more concerned with potential long-term stress on the hitch / hitch mount.

It is 370 lbs. Consider that apparently the exact same JLUR is rated for 5,000 lbs (500 lb tongue weight) in Australia.

 

[Ear Responsible]

I have a JLUR

I tow my TW200 motorcycle (280lbs wet) on the Harbor Freight motorcycle hitch carrier (92 lbs). That puts me at 370 lbs vs. 350 lb tongue weight although there may be more of a fulcrum effect with a carrier vs. hitch?

I've done it several times with no issues and no signs of stress. There's no real trailering risk here being overloaded on brakes, jack-knifing, etc..

How concerned should I be? What is the likely to be the point of failure? What if any can I upgrade?

I had exactly the same question and I have a 200lbs dirt bike with a light weight aluminum motorcycle hitch carrier. When I plugged the data into AI and looked at its conclusion it turned out to be a terrible idea. It’s the lever effect and torsion that is the issue. And if you go over a slight bump the forces triple

I like to tow this little bike out to campsites (including some off-road driving)

Anyone do anything similar?


https://www.harborfreight.com/600-lb-capacity-motorcycle-carrier-57720.html

 

[Stagewex]

Almost the main reason that I do own a JL is off-road capability. Not the Jeep itself but to tow and/or bring my 2 and 3 wheelers to the woods. And sometimes when things go wrong... to retrieve them.
Let's start with the OP's question and specific to a TW200 which weighs approximately. 275ish lbs. Absolutely no problem at all. Previous to my current '25 JL and previous '19 JLU and when I was not towing a trailer (bringing a buddy-bike) I always used my MC carrier for my TW200 as well as a xr250L (260lbs). No real feel in any kind of handling at all. But using common sense that yes indeed, "something is back there".
Currently when solo riding I'm using my Versahaul (very heavy) carrier for a KLX300. And that bike is 300lbs. You need to add the weight of your bike and the carrier. My Jeep is stock so no need to worry about anything but if I was going any heavier of a 2-wheeler I'd upgrade the shocks.
But for a TW200, you are very well within the green-zone.
When owned a 2-door Wrangler (the picture with an actual TW on it) you'd definitely notice the headlights pointing upwards. Thus the JL, never a problem.

I prefer the carrier even though the time to tie it all down and make safe takes longer than the trailer. But here in NY where I live many of the "Parkways" as opposed to streets/roads and highways are prohibited to commercial traffic and any kind of trailer commercial or not. I guess it does make them a nicer drive but a PITA when I do sometimes take a chance with the MC Trailer (a Kendon) or a boat.

 

[Stagewex]

I should add that after pulling up the ramp under power and shutting off in gear it is nice that there is just a bit of space to lean the bike into the spare tire, thus freeing my hands to deal with the tie-downs and straps. I do straighten and adjust so it is NOT leaning on the tire when driving. But I do (you can see it in the KLX picture) throw a strap around the bike and thru the spare as an added safety for added stability. Probably overkill but most of the trails I ride and camp at are over 100+ miles away. After the first 20-30 miles I don't notice that I even have it back there at all.

 

[AzCoronaDog]

I have carried my CRF300LS (311 lbs) on the HF carrier on my 2024 Rubicon with no issues.
I have an aftermarket rear bumper and I use 2 turnbuckles that attach from the carrier to the shackles that greatly stabilize the setup. I used it a couple of times before I added the turnbuckles and it was fine, but I didn't like how much side to side movement it could do.

Update: I looked up the specs, and my 2024 4 door Rubicon has a 500 lbs tongue weight rating. 2024 2 door models are only 200 lbs, and some 4 door models are 350 lbs.

 

[Stagewex]

Sometimes it is not the way you tie-down your bike but the actual stability of the hitch in the channel. The VersaHaul that I have is probably one of the more over-the-top expensive carriers. I think mine is rated for 500lbs? Seen too many motorcycle carrier "fails" on YouTube I guess. But the hitch stabilizer that comes with it sucks. I use one of these from Amazon, the $9.95 model. Works excellent. The bike and carrier become one with the car/Jeep. Nothing and I mean nothing moves from side-to-side at all, highly recommend:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=trailer+hitch+stabilizer&crid=YIX5DRZKDA0R&sprefix=trailer+hitch+stabilizer,aps,131&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

 

[Ear Responsible]

Sometimes it is not the way you tie-down your bike but the actual stability of the hitch in the channel. The VersaHaul that I have is probably one of the more over-the-top expensive carriers. I think mine is rated for 500lbs? Seen too many motorcycle carrier "fails" on YouTube I guess. But the hitch stabilizer that comes with it sucks. I use one of these from Amazon, the $9.95 model. Works excellent. The bike and carrier become one with the car/Jeep. Nothing and I mean nothing moves from side-to-side at all, highly recommend:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=trailer+hitch+stabilizer&crid=YIX5DRZKDA0R&sprefix=trailer+hitch+stabilizer,aps,131&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Tongue weight is totally irrelevant when you are talking about a weight sticking out sitting in mid air. With the torque and lever effect if your hit a bump with even 300lbs you risk damage to the frame

 

[jlw33]

Tongue weight is totally irrelevant when you are talking about a weight sticking out sitting in mid air. With the torque and lever effect if your hit a bump with even 300lbs you risk damage to the frame

Yeah these are my types of concerns of long term. Have you seen this happen to anyone before and why do you think frame damage is a real risk?

 

[Ear Responsible]

Yeah these are my types of concerns of long term. Have you seen this happen to anyone before and why do you think frame damage is a real risk?

A carrier creates 3x more strain than a trailer. So that 300lbs is really 900lbs. That’s without hitting a bump. I did it in the past and got away with it because I was lucky. Now I know better.

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