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  1. #1
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    Carrying a motorcycle

    Has anyone carried a 500 lb motorcycle on the back of a Solitude 5th wheel? Did you reinforce the receiver hitch on the trailer? Any negative pin weight consequences? Please tell me about the pros and cons of doing such a thing.
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    Site Team Second Chance's Avatar
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    Not something I would even dream of doing via the hitch receiver on the back. They are rated for 300 lbs. tongue weight max. I have seen people using the swivel wheel "trailers" behind fifth wheels for that purpose. A Goldwing is in toy hauler territory.

    Rob
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    Quote Originally Posted by KLR650goldwing View Post
    Has anyone carried a 500 lb motorcycle on the back of a Solitude 5th wheel? Did you reinforce the receiver hitch on the trailer? Any negative pin weight consequences? Please tell me about the pros and cons of doing such a thing.
    There are no "Pros". The load amplification aft of the axels are tremendous. I foolishly loaded a gallon of milk on the refrigerator shelf. In my Reflection model, the refrigerator is located against the rear bulkhead of the trailer. That is about 3" from where your hitch is located. After the 50 mile stretch of I-95 in South Carolina, I found the shelf and milk at the bottom of the refrigerator and the molded, plastic mount from the inside of the door ripped off. Maybe with a Morryde Suspension the ride would be smoother. With some of the bumps you are going to hit, that bike will weigh 2000 pounds.

    I haul my 120# generator on the rear hitch and check it every time I stop. I can live with losing a $400 generator. Grand Design did a great job at installing the hitch. I found more welds holding it on than the welds for the wheels. You aren't going to beef it up very much. I would take Rob's recommendation and Grand Design at their word.
    Last edited by wjpatter; 11-11-2021 at 03:14 PM.
    Bill & Marsha
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  4. #4
    Seasoned Camper Cannon07's Avatar
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    If you have a 12" frame and beef the hitch up you're probably ok at 500lbs. My last fiver I pulled a swivel wheel trailer with a Harley trike for two years with no problem. Half the weight is tongue weight when you pull a swivel wheel. My tongue weight was over 700lbs. I did beef up the hitch and was pulling a 43ft. with over 3000lbs pin weight.
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  5. #5
    Rolling Along
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    Quote Originally Posted by KLR650goldwing View Post
    Has anyone carried a 500 lb motorcycle on the back of a Solitude 5th wheel? Did you reinforce the receiver hitch on the trailer? Any negative pin weight consequences? Please tell me about the pros and cons of doing such a thing.
    What do you mean by “on the back”? If you mean a Cruiserlift Click image for larger version. 

Name:	D4BBF9C8-EB29-42C5-A8D0-36921844C8C0.png 
Views:	26 
Size:	1.16 MB 
ID:	37649 or or similar then no, the frame is not strong enough. If you mean on a trailer then no problem. I have hauled my HD bagger on a Aluma single place trailer (https://www.alumaklm.com/recreational/motorcycle) for years, no problem.
    Last edited by Bungy; 11-12-2021 at 06:06 AM.

  6. #6
    Seasoned Camper Sportsdad60's Avatar
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    ^^ I agree with beefing that hitch up. Upon close inspection these hitches are simply welded with a 1/4" of weld. I I ever carry/tow anything more than a cargo carrier with an empty cooler, I plan to use some 1/4" L bracket steel and bolts to beef it up.
    2021 310GK-R - MorRyde suspension and pin box. Sumo Springs. Solar, 7k axles.
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  7. #7
    Rolling Along jjbbrewer's Avatar
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    I would be VERY cautious about hanging that much weight to the back end of a trailer.

    I have experienced a rather scary weight distribution problem with a 16 gal can of fuel (~110 lbs). Moving it from the back of the toy hauler garage to the truck bed made a huge difference very similar to this demonstration.

    https://youtu.be/6mW_gzdh6to
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  8. #8
    Seasoned Camper Cannon07's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jjbbrewer View Post
    I would be VERY cautious about hanging that much weight to the back end of a trailer.

    I have experienced a rather scary weight distribution problem with a 16 gal can of fuel (~110 lbs). Moving it from the back of the toy hauler garage to the truck bed made a huge difference very similar to this demonstration.

    https://youtu.be/6mW_gzdh6to
    I can't tell any difference if I have 1500lbs or empty in my garage on the 351. I have over 3000lbs pin weight with 1500 in garage. Have never checked the pin when garage was empty.
    Last edited by Cannon07; 11-12-2021 at 02:33 PM.
    2021 351MR
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  9. #9
    Long Hauler
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    Very unlikely that adding a few hundred pounds to the rear of a heavy 5th wheel like a Solitude will be very noticeable. I once pulled a swivelwheel trailer behind my Big Sky 5th wheel, which added nearly 700 lbs. to the rear, and it made no difference, handling wise.
    Howard and Peggy
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  10. #10
    Rolling Along jjbbrewer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hoopy Frood View Post
    Very unlikely that adding a few hundred pounds to the rear of a heavy 5th wheel like a Solitude will be very noticeable.
    If KLR650goldwing is talking about loading the bike on a hitch hauler, the problem isn't weight, it's lateral force and dynamic stability. 500 lbs. of motorcycle located 40 feet behind the 5th wheel pin will generate 20,000 ft-lbs of torque about the pin. That's a lot of (extra) force to put on the tire sidewalls and the suspension when the rear is disturbed.
    Quote Originally Posted by Hoopy Frood View Post
    I once pulled a swivelwheel trailer behind my Big Sky 5th wheel, which added nearly 700 lbs. to the rear, and it made no difference, handling wise.
    That's pretty much the same as what Cannon07 said. That's the only even reasonable way to do this. I doubt you'd be able to find a reputable trailer/RV technician who'd be willing to put a 500# motorcycle hitch mount on the back bumper of a Solitude.

    There are a lot of published studies on articulated vehicle dynamics that apply to this situation. The ones I looked at are impressively extensive and contain physics calculations beyond my understanding level for sure. If anyone is interested, I bookmarked some of them.
    Last edited by jjbbrewer; 11-13-2021 at 01:21 AM.
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