scooter toad May 30, 2019, 11:32:02 am I have a question , does anyone carry a small scooter, motorcycle on the back or front for a semi like toad?Im wondering if times that is not a better idea than a toad. We have rode motorcycles all over the 48 states so that is a pretty good fit. Our issue is on the weight of carrying the unit. How much weight should a person be able to carry on a 23.5 FL lazy daze rear by mounting on the hitch system. I am pretty sure the possibilities of beefing it up are there. Maybe even the front building a carrier up there .FYI our interest so far are in the 400/450 # range. Thanks Grumpy of
Re: scooter toad Reply #1 – May 30, 2019, 11:46:59 am Quote from: Esther Spradlin - May 30, 2019, 11:32:02 amI have a question , does anyone carry a small scooter, motorcycle on the back or front for a semi like toad?. How much weight should a person be able to carry on a 23.5 FL lazy daze rear by mounting on the hitch system. I am pretty sure the possibilities of beefing it up are there. Maybe even the front building a carrier up there .FYI our interest so far are in the 400/450 # range. There are some who carry small MCs, one member carried a 350-lb Vespa Scooter for years. It requires a custom built carrier that that uses two insert mounts, for a stable rack that doesn't rock. It can get interesting loading and unloading the bike. especially as we age. We have seen a few failures where a bike falls off the rack, during loading.The rack can weigh quite a lot and adding a bike in the 450-lb range is way over the rated numbers for tongue weight, upgrading the rear suspension may be in order. The post 2002 23.5' models have a lot of CCC and would be the best floorpan to carry a heavy bike, just do it right.Larry
Re: scooter toad Reply #2 – May 30, 2019, 11:55:10 am I envisioned carrying a small motorcycle on a rack mounted to the back of our 27MB, but when I realized the limitations of the wimpy little factory hitch , I decided that a small trailer is a better idea. A small motorcycle like a Suzuki DRZ400S is about as light as you can get (for two-up exploring) at 317lb. , but combine it with the weight of the hitch and the dynamic stresses of boucing up and down will add more vertical strain to the hitch than it was designed to handle.Some forum members carry a scooter, but scooters have limitations that many motorcyclists find unacceptable.YMMVHarold
Re: scooter toad Reply #3 – May 30, 2019, 02:14:52 pm Here is an option I have looked at when I had a small motorcycle.clicky herethe best part of this is that you can back up with no problem 6 Likes
Re: scooter toad Reply #4 – May 30, 2019, 04:41:01 pm We hauled our Vespa 250 (346 lbs) on our ‘06 (E450) TK for ten years. We rode it two-up all over the country, from the Outer Banks to Hurricane Ridge. Grocery shopped, laundry runs, you name it. We had a custom rack built and installed here in SoCal by Eckharts Trailer Hitch using, as Larry described, two box tubes welded to the frame to support the rack, bypassing the LD bumper and hitch entirely. This proved totally stable. Eckharts rated it for 1,000 lbs but, of course, that’s way beyond the stock E450 chassis capabilities. Eckharts was very careful to design the system so that there was minimal overhang. I never noticed any frontlift or handling problems. If you can handle “throttle-walking” (using the scoot’s engine) the scoot up the ramp, you’re good to go. Save for one, ah, “incident,” I handled this just fine. But I found this increasingly difficult as the years went by. At 73, I decided to retire the scoot. But we don’t regret one bit having used it as our toad for all those years. With a car toad, you can’t get nearly as up close and personal with the bison in Yellowstone. 😬 — Jon 1 Likes
Re: scooter toad Reply #5 – May 30, 2019, 04:52:22 pm Albatross and the scoot. It leans forward against a padded post that can’t be seen in the pic. 3 Likes
Re: scooter toad Reply #6 – May 30, 2019, 05:33:43 pm I had a similar Honda scooter arrangement after beefing up my hitch on my 1990/91 Allegro class C back in the day. It was my first RV before going to LDs'. It worked out just fine for one person, not enough HP for two adults and bags of groceries however!Gary
Re: scooter toad Reply #7 – May 31, 2019, 12:19:20 am Thanks to everyone for all the information, that is a lot of things to think over before buying or at least buying with the intent to haul. Especially like the swivel wheel, are they good enough to travel down the highway at highway speeds ??thanks Grumpy
Re: scooter toad Reply #8 – May 31, 2019, 01:01:51 am Especially like the swivel wheel, are they good enough to travel down the highway at highway speeds ??I have the Swivelwheel 46 that we use to carry an inflatable boat, motor etc. We typically go 60-65 mph, never had a problem.It's so easy to park, just back up, it follows the rig, no jackknifing. After I offload the boat we sometimes use it as a picnic table.Keep having fun,Langton
Re: scooter toad Reply #9 – May 31, 2019, 05:07:15 pm Langton, how does that small tire wear? And, do the bearings need repacking often?
Re: scooter toad Reply #10 – May 31, 2019, 08:27:08 pm I carry a small dual sport motorcycle on my 23.5 FL. A Kawasaki KL 250 Super Sherpa.It weighs about 280 lbs. wet, so not too horrible hanging off the back.It has been a great way to have another mode of transportation with the hassles of towing.I had a custom made carrier that utilizes three attachment points.It's been rock solid back there for almost 12 years now. 1 Likes
Re: scooter toad Reply #11 – May 31, 2019, 08:32:43 pm "Langton, how does that small tire wear? And, do the bearings need repacking often?"I've had the trailer 7 years but never packed the bearings as I only use it 2-3 times a year. No problem with wear but then I do replace the tire every 2 years. The tire is cheap ($45) and since I live in the desert heat I want to stay on the safe side. The tire is a 5.70 x 8, 8-Ply, D-Rated tire, with a capacity of 1075 pounds @ 100 psi cold. Has a high-pressure, steel valve stem and is wider and has a greater diameter than the usual little trailer wheels. It's rated at 65 mph.Keep having fun,Langton 1 Likes
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