650 lbs scooter carrier (1 Viewer)

[FredZ]

Hello
Any experience or suggestion for a heavy duty hitch mounted Suzuki Burgman 650 Scooter (650 lbs) carrier for my 97 FZJ70 (SC)?
Thanks in advance.

 

[BILT4ME]

Hello
Any experience or suggestion for a heavy duty hitch mounted Suzuki Burgman 650 Scooter (650 lbs) carrier for my 97 FZJ70 (SC)?
Thanks in advance.

The hitch for these will only hit a maximum of 500 lb tongue weight for class 2 hitch.

Class 3 are not made specifically for these.

I carry a power wheelchair that is 400 lbs and the lift for it is 125 lbs. Technically it exceeds the rating, but it works.

Otherwise, you may have to build a custom hitch and rack.

Or get a trailer.

 

[FredZ]

Thank you the reply & suggestion. According to scooter specs, dry weight is about 520lbs. Custom hitch/receiver & dedicated trailer can be costly. Maybe I have to get rid of my fun scooter.

 

[cartercd]

You may want to look into a swivel wheel carrier.

 

[FredZ]

cartercd,
Thanks for the suggestion. I guess this will take care of tongue weight issues but how reliable & costly are these? reversing issue?

 

[cartercd]

I have zero knowledge of how these perform, but seems like an interesting medium between a hitch carrier and a trailer. Website Cruiserlift/Swivelwheel-Carrier/Hauler Systems by Fastmaster Products. $1,000 to $2500 depending on model.

 

[BILT4ME]

cartercd,
Thanks for the suggestion. I guess this will take care of tongue weight issues but how reliable & costly are these? reversing issue?

These are an option. They reverse well. The rear wheel is a caster type wheel, but rated for highway speeds. There is a similar version available for power wheelchairs on smaller vehicles. Those are also $3500 and have two caster wheels.

FWIW, we use a Harmar AL500 lift. They are about $1500+ new. We bought both of ours used and we use a grill cover to cover the wheelchair. Watch Craigslist for these.
Harmar Lift


Also, if you plan on doing this, you WILL need air bags inside your rear springs. The power WC makes it handle a bit wonky unless you have 4 people in the truck to offset the rear weight. Otherwise, you get a real bad tail-wagging-the-dog scenario on the highway. At least we do on the 80.
Makes a good argument for a winch with a steel cable and an ARB front bumper........

 

[coax]

Any fabrication skills? I’d be tempted to make a custom carrier that uses the 2” receiver but then also bolts to the 4 holes in the frame above it. Build do the scooter stirs as close to the body as reasonably possible. I’d imagine that would suffice and paired with the appropriate rear springs and shocks may fit the bill. And then just limit how much gear you put in the back of the cruiser. I’ve had my 315 spare on a dual swing out plus trailer with about 350 lb hitch weight and rides well. Toss a dual battery in the front of the truck to even out the weight a bit