Towing jeep and motorcycle tongue weight

[rockcrawlingyota]

So this might not be the right place to ask this but I'm already a member here so I wanted to post here first.

I am moving across the country from Alabama to Utah. I want to take my yamaha r6 and my 95 wrangler. My plan is to use a tow bar to haul the jeep behind my cruiser and hook the bike onto a carrier on the hitch of the jeep. The problem is the hitch is rated for 500 pounds on the jeep.. if the bike is 413 pounds and the carrier is 95 that's over the 500 pound mark and I dont know if its gonna break something. I'm wondering if your just not supposed to overload your tongue weight because it will make the car handle poorly which wouldn't be a problem cause I'll be towing it.

What do you guys think?

 

[Somebodyelse5]

I would say, no. I vote ship them both and save yourself the trouble. Or find a real trailer and load them both.

That tongue weight limit takes into account more than just handling. Dynamic loading (impacts, bottoming suspension, an accident) is the real issue when it comes to the load ratings on components, that 500 pound limit is probably a conservative poke at maximizing fatigue life and preventing a dynamic loading failure. I wouldn't mess with it.

 

[joseywales]

It’s 8 lbs over. I highly doubt that will cause a failure unless there is serious rust or other damage like a bend in either the frame or hitch. The 500 lb rating is going to have a substantial built in safety margin. If it were 108 lbs over I’d give it a second thought.

 

[rockcrawlingyota]

Thanks guys I think you both make valid points. Due to me being very low on cash I think I'm going to carry it behind me on my trip instead of shipping it but that was a good recommendation anyhow. Thank you both for taking the time to help me out.

 

[Somebodyelse5]

It’s 8 lbs over. I highly doubt that will cause a failure unless there is serious rust or other damage like a bend in either the frame or hitch. The 500 lb rating is going to have a substantial built in safety margin. If it were 108 lbs over I’d give it a second thought.

That’s a good poin too^

 

[joseywales]

That’s a good poin too^

Well, there are definitely two ways to look at it, and I respect your thoughts as well. I think I’d give it a go, while being careful to check the hitch and area for any signs of movement or fatigue over the course of the drive. If anything is noticed, there is always U-Haul near pretty much everywhere these days, so you could get a trailer and re-load if it becomes necessary. If it’s all interstate driving, there shouldn’t be too much bouncing going on, and it should be fine.

I spend a lot of time on Cummins Forum and the number of people who regularly load well beyond the legal limits of their trucks and say “it’s no problem” is truly frightening. And they’re right. It isn’t a problem... until it is. And then it’s usually a BIG problem.

 

[TTViper]

Those hitch carriers are not made for sportbikes. I wouldn't put more than a dirt bike on one of those when using a proper SUV/Truck. I definitely wouldn't be using one of those with a short unstable wrangler wheelbase that's already being towed. It's generally about $500 to ship a bike across country, or just sell the bike and buy another when you get out there.

 

[Somebodyelse5]

Well, there are definitely two ways to look at it, and I respect your thoughts as well. I think I’d give it a go, while being careful to check the hitch and area for any signs of movement or fatigue over the course of the drive. If anything is noticed, there is always U-Haul near pretty much everywhere these days, so you could get a trailer and re-load if it becomes necessary. If it’s all interstate driving, there shouldn’t be too much bouncing going on, and it should be fine.

I spend a lot of time on Cummins Forum and the number of people who regularly load well beyond the legal limits of their trucks and say “it’s no problem” is truly frightening. And they’re right. It isn’t a problem... until it is. And then it’s usually a BIG problem.

To be fair, I didn't add of the weights, just saw that it was over the limit and made my call. I'd think there is enough of a factor of safety built in that a few lbs wouldn't be a deal breaker.

One thing to consider would be how far off the back the motorcycle carrier is going to put the weight, it could potentially get a pretty significant moment on the hitch

 

[hoser]

I think you might be pushing the limits. Your hitch receiver might have a tongue weight capacity of 500lbs but what are the specs on your YJ? Probably more like 200-300 lbs of tongue weight? The motorcycle carrier extends the weight ~18" beyond the hitch pin... which is at least double the length of a typical ball mount. So you might be double the tongue weight capacity at double the distance.

Do you have a supplementary braking system for the Jeep? Each state is different on what you can flat-tow without brakes. In CA it's only 1500 lbs.

 

[codertimt]

Going to throw another thing out there...your not going to be legal in regards to weight being towed without brakes... Not that you're liable to be stopped for it as 90% of towed vehicles out there exceed the 3000lbs limit the majority of states have(some less such as Utah...some more such as Texas) and I can't imagine all of them have a fancy integrated braking system. But definitely something to think about as you have to get across the Rockies somewhere and will have ~3500+ lbs pushing you down the western slope...

 

[bamabrock]

Ship the jeep. I've flat towed one behind my 100 a few times around town but there is no way I'd drive across the country like that.