Versa Haul VH-SPORT RO

[Adrian W]

I stopped by a house in town where I had seen a motorcycle carrier with a 2" receiver hitch built into it. It was still for sale. It is a Versa Haul VH-SPORT RO. The carrier is designed to safely carry 600 lbs. if your hitch is rated that much. Most Class III hitches are rated for 500 lbs. Most Class IV hitches are rated for 1000 lbs. Your hauling weight may be limited by your vehicle's capacity to carry a load. The VH-SPORT RO has a Class III hitch on the end of the carrier. It is limited to light-duty applications. The max towing weight, regardless of your vehicle, is 3000 lbs. http://www.versahaul.com/vhsportro.php

I would go back and buy it but I am not sure if the max towing weight of 3000 lbs would adequate to two my 16' Scamp.

I believe the hitch rate of the Ford F-150 is adequate.

Edit: 2009 Ford F-150 Regular Cab Long Bed with factory tow package.
But are they? What do you think?

[Mr. W.]

I think it comes down more to a question of leverage than of weight. If you have a rated tongue weight capacity of 500 lbs, by doubling the length of the "lever" (the distance from the receiver to the ball), you cut your capacity in half. The 500 lb rating is at a certain distance from the receiver -- I don't really know how far, but it is pretty close. So, you can easily carry the motorcycle (if it isn't a big one), but if your 500 lb capacity is now effectively 250 lbs at the ball, and that is used up by the bike (my Yamaha Virago 250 weighs just under 300 lbs), you have nothing left for the trailer's tongue weight. Don't forget to factor in the weight of the rack -- close to 100 lbs.

Then the other side of leverage is that by increasing the distance from the axle to the ball, you give the trailer a dramatic advantage in leverage against the tow vehicle. Trailer bounce and sway will be significantly more pronounced, with the corresponding negative effect on safety and emergency handling.

I might consider something like this if I had a class IV hitch, a small motorcycle and a lightly loaded Scamp. Otherwise, I think I'd pass.

[Morgan]

...

I would go back and buy it but I am not sure if the max towing weight of 3000 lbs would adequate to two my 16' Scamp.

I believe the hitch rate of the Ford F-150 is adequate.

Edit: 2009 Ford F-150 Regular Cab Long Bed with factory tow package.
But are they? What do you think?

Adrian,

Your Owner's Manual should have detailed specs for towing (mine does). It depends on engine, transmission, rear end among other things.

I agree with Paul that your tongue weight would far exceed specs even though trailer weight and GCWR may not be over the limit. You're probably well advised to carry the machine in the bed of the truck.

[Adrian W]

Adrian.........You're probably well advised to carry the machine in the bed of the truck.

Can't without taking the ARE Cap/Shell off.

May just not be taking the Yamaha as much as I wanted to be able to do.

But I do have a small trailer I can tow behind the Scamp. OK in New Mexico and a few other states, but not in others.

I can use the VersaHaul when not taking the Scamp.


DH

[ronsmith100]

I stopped by a house in town where I had seen a motorcycle carrier with a 2" receiver hitch built into it. It was still for sale. It is a Versa Haul VH-SPORT RO. The carrier is designed to safely carry 600 lbs. if your hitch is rated that much. Most Class III hitches are rated for 500 lbs. Most Class IV hitches are rated for 1000 lbs. Your hauling weight may be limited by your vehicle's capacity to carry a load. The VH-SPORT RO has a Class III hitch on the end of the carrier. It is limited to light-duty applications. The max towing weight, regardless of your vehicle, is 3000 lbs. http://www.versahaul.com/vhsportro.php

I would go back and buy it but I am not sure if the max towing weight of 3000 lbs would adequate to two my 16' Scamp.

I believe the hitch rate of the Ford F-150 is adequate.

Edit: 2009 Ford F-150 Regular Cab Long Bed with factory tow package.
But are they? What do you think?

Interesting subject in that I have modeled the under structure of the casita channels so that I can find the max distance times weight (the moment) that I can extend without flexing the beams (static and dynamic). Not the same as carrying motorcycle weight on a hitch but interesting nonetheless even if having to discount hitch weight and center of load. When I do the numbers I'll post them. Numbers go slow with me these days though.

[Morgan]

Can't without taking the ARE Cap/Shell off.

May just not be taking the Yamaha as much as I wanted to be able to do.

But I do have a small trailer I can tow behind the Scamp. OK in New Mexico and a few other states, but not in others.

I can use the VersaHaul when not taking the Scamp.


DH

I recently had a 2" receiver welded to the front of my F-150.

Have you thought of carrying your scooter in front?

[Adrian W]

I had forgotten the "Single Wheel Trailer" or Swivelwheel Trailer. http://www.cruiserlift.com/swivelwheel46.html

I would think they would be ideal for the job even behind a Casita. The big Question would be are they really considered a trailer? Can they be towed behind a trailer legally in most if not all the states? Would they be legal in Canada? With a base price of $1395.00, they would be very costly.

A frequent question asked is if the Swivelwheel system is legal to tow in all states. There are basically 22 states that do not allow double trailer towing, which some call "Triple Towing". These states are the entire east coast from Maine to Florida, Oregon and Washington. We consider the system an extension of the fifth wheel chassis frame. We do not consider it a trailer. The system cannot jackknife or fishtail. It is not like another ball mounted trailer swinging from side to side. Some states may not have that same view. Always check with the states that you are traveling through for details. There are numerous web sites that will give you state by state information in regards to towing laws. One of the better sites appears to be www.towingworld.com/articles/towinglaws.htm. We have found discrepancies in all of them, but this one appears to be the most complete.

http://www.cruiserlift.com/swivelwheel.html

State by state Info: (I looked at the chart, but not sure if it states double towing or not) (Does Reciprocity mean what I believe it does, if it is legal in the state of the trailers tag, they will allow it in their state; if so I believe all of the states are listed as Yes under Reciprocity)
http://www.towingworld.com/articles/towinglaws.htm

A possible solution?

Too costly for me however.

Reciprocity is something to look into however.