Were going to a tractor show in KS and we want to stop along the way and do some scenic rides. Normally I haul the bike on the back deck but it's a pain to unload especially if we have many places to stop and ride. The bike weights 750lbs. with 2x2x1/4 square tubing for supports. It seems to hold the weight OK but my headlights are blocked. BUT we don't need to drive at night. It 3' 2" wide. Will the scales shut me down? Please share your views on this. PS. if I get thumbs up then I'll strap it down!
No It seems to be blocking the headlights Also without some triangulation in the support i would not trust it.
Other ideas http://www.towpactrikes.com/proddetail.php?prod=400TS http://www.rampagelift.com/
Harley that is one wild place to mount a harley,back wood be better,you will have many rock dings buy the time you get where yor going.
I'd hate to see you run over your bike if your carrier failed while running down the highway. I have to say you have really good taste when it comes to bikes and classic , very nice thanks for sharing.
Not sure if your old KW's tow hook holes are the same as our 07 T800's, but how did you secure the bike mount in there? I'm doing something about 1/2 to 1/3 similar only as an OVERSIZE LOAD sign holder and running into a major problem of how to make sure the thing doesn't come out and I end up flattening every tire I own.
I'm sure the scale people will shut you down for the blocked headlights. Have you considered mounting that on the very back?
OK back to the drawing board. Those are some fancy loading devices amunderdog posted but a little out of my price range DT, there is a pin inside the front receiver. Simular to a rear receiver. Mitch, no room on the back cuz I'm pulling the travel trailer. Ya it can be a little embarrassing going though the scales sometimes but sure is nice having a place to stay at shows
Well we have all seen snow plow trucks with the headlights blocked; it seems they just have an extra set of headlights mounted above the plow. Would that work for you? Your carrier will work and it will hold the weight if you can just figure out what the regs call for regarding headlights. Also ask a DOT guy if there is any restriction on how far a load can extend past the front bumper. My experience in asking them non-standard questions is that they don't know. But you can probably find it in the rules if you search.
Also going to depend on each state. Some have different ideas than others. The bike or anything else for that matter in front of the head lights or license plate is a NO NO!!!!!!!
Just do it. They can fine you if they want. Give them (DoT) a hard time and go to jail for having a Harley mounted to the frount of your KW. I would it .
Mikee, Just a thought. To save all the questions and unknowns with the DOT and Scale persons, why not make a ramp from the side, and then have 2 additional ramps for your feet to balance the bike as you drive/ride it up to the front of your deck. Make the "balancing ramps" out of aluminum and of a lessor width than the channel you would need for the tires. Make them all with good anchors to the bed, and ride it up. Another alternative might be a small "cherry picker" type hoist attached to the bed/head board, that you can pick the bike up with and swing it in over the bed. Or a engine hoist with a winch added to it. Pick it up with hydraulics, then lower it down on to the bed with the winch. Have enough reach to get out over the side, raise the boom and when the bike reaches deck height, start lowering the bike as the boom goes up. You know , Mike, think crane. LOL
I guess you could trade your camper trailer for a toy hauler camper.
Dumb question, are you using your ramp truck for work or only for shows? If it is only a "show" truck, get it licensed as an RV. You can skip the scales and fuel tax then. However, any cop would pull you over for obstructed headlights though. That would apply to any vehicle. I have a 52 KW that I haul toys on and it is licensed as an RV.
I would make up a set of custom forks for the dozer blade and you know the rest............quick and easy.You really could leave it on the forks while traveling.The only problem might be finding a spot to unload the dozer if you just wanted the bike and worse case you could back the dozer on the deck and drive it off enough to remove the bike.Actually a couple of lengths of conveyor belt would solve that even.You could drive it on to the conveyor belts either way if they were long enough. You could store the belts under the Cat either by driving on them with the tracks or sliding them under the dozer for the ride.Ron G
Yair...An American bloke here built something similar to these to cart a couple of Rokons on the back of his fifth wheeler...would they be a possible solution?....our RTA wouldn't wear it though. http://www.discount-trailers.com/swivelwheel.htm
This is what the woman wants me to do, but have you seen the price of them toy haulers My little 24' trailer was paid off about 10 years ago and just got the KW and Harley paid off. How wonderful it is NOT making payments and putting the extra money in the diesel tank ointhead Riggy, I like your idea so I started building a 3 piece ramp that will let me put my feet down on both sides. I'll take some pics when done. Jumbo, Ya I got the special license plate for it. Ron G. my custom tilt bed pivots on the fifth wheel and the Harley rides up it too. But the Harley has to go on first so every time we want to do a scenic ride I have to unload the D4 then ride the bike off. Since we make several stops to go riding it gets old. Scrub, that would make me a little nervous having a wheel bacaringre carring my bike on a 3,000 mile journey.
Why not take the same rack that you demo'd on the front of the KW and install it off of the back of the 5th wheel ........ use the underside channel frame of the trailer, and install receiver tubing to it..... then you would still be able to remove it like a trailer hitch (only double) ..... if the tail lights are blocked just mount remote tail lights I am in the middle of building a double decker rack to haul 2 Quads on the back of my 5th wheel .... the exact same idea only i'm going to anchor to the top of the trailer to stop the sway of the rack , when its done I'm gonna call it my "Poor Mans Toy Hauler"........ it looks like your trailer is a Lite version you may have an issue with the trailer tires capacity (which is easy to correct) and possibly the balance ? ......check your trailer Gvw We built the same thing as you did for the rear of a 3/4 ton p/u back in the early '70s to haul dirt bikes "It worked like a DREAM".... you'll have to make some rubber protected "U" clamps to hold the Harley wheels down in the channel, what we also did was use 2 solid steel rods (with a universal swivel on the bottom with a 1/2"bolt welded on to thread into the bumper)from the bumper to the bike, attached to the top of the forks (where the tripple tree clamp is) all you need is a small SS flat bar with a hole in it to match the same on the steel rods and run a bolt thru them ...... and at the rear of the bike you do the same right around the top rear shocks ...... when you install it like that it allows the bike to use its own suspension for movement up/down and it does not SHAKE THE SH*T out of the Harley .....I wish I had some digital pics to post of it back then .... but the word digital wasn't even invented in the '70s just 35mm..... LOL .....good luck ....let us know what you come up with
Scrub almost hit on my idea, what about moving that platform from the front of the truck to the back of the trailer? Also, why don't you start a thread about that body, and how you put in on and off the truck? I've thought about doing something similar.
Well, craft did hit on it, a couple minutes earlier.
I was going to say crafts idea. The only issue might be taking too much weight off the pin of the camper. Not that theres any way in hell that camper is going to push the KW around, NO WAY no how
Well guys my red neck self already ran another frame rail from the front leaf spring hanger out the back and slid the axles back 6" on the travel trailer. It drove me nuts when the trailer would bounce up and down on the 2 5/16 goose neck ball with 2 dirt bikes on the back. Now it has 1,100 pounds on the ball with nothing on the rear. On a short trip I'd be OK with the Harley on the back but were going from southern CA to Kansas and were taking the long way up through Denver. So lots of pot holes and rough terrain for those wimpy trailer axles... and the back axle is already bent from turning too sharp. I'm building a nice rack to load the bike on the aluminum deck so I can truck the bike when hauling other old cats. I think this rack will pass your inspection. I'll post some pictures when finished tomorrow. Mitch, I've posted my home made tilt bed before. It works great, it latches into the fifth wheel and pivots on it too. It balances by moving the chain binders around, so I take a few binder out and the ass end will rest on the ground. The Mighty D4 goes right up it with no troubles and once the weight breaks over the 5th wheel the bed rests flat on the frame rails. The Harley loads the same way, I just ride up the back and the bed comes down then ride onto the deck.
Ok I got the 3 piece ramps done. There is a bottom piece and two sides. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gPj7FcRQO0 You all happy with that? Seems safe to me! Now I got to pack the ramps :beatsme
It doesn't get any better than that Mike.Try to keep the dust down around all that shiny stuff,ok?Ron G
Mikee, Ya done good:drinkup:drinkup
LMAO! I love it! :drinkup
when we used to ride almost every day as kids we would load our dirtbikes in the back of the truck like that. Till one day we partook in one to many adult beverages at a way point in the road and my buddy mike put his 250 through the back window of his pickup.
Well Mike I think your trip will be alot more enjoyable with not having to worry about running over your Iron Horse or being hasseled by the county mounties. Have a safe trip.
Thank You Guys for setting me strait on my first bumper rack. Hate to roll into the first scale and get a ticket or red tagged. The woman can't ride the bike or drive the truck so everything would have been shut down. After watching some other you tube video's of guys loading their bikes . I'm real happy with the loading rack. As RnD suggested to keep it wide enough to put my feet down.... heck I layed in bed all night figuring it out! Always seem to do my best figuring at 2am :beatsme Thanks Again
Yair...can I ask a dumb question about the blade setup on that D4...did they come out like that? I have never seen one like that over here. Cheers.
Ummnh, ya all might wanna harden up your utube user name, or at least stop using the the little ladies account and get your own, manly name account, you know something like: kenworthdrivingharleyridingsteamenginewatchinghardass3
Got to be one of life's great adventures
I was looking at some other bike loading video's and there boring, if you all wouldn't mind giving my video a thumbs up so it don't stay at the bottom of the list Id appreciate it. Hendrick, ya I like that log on name! Scrub, the D4 is another one of my inventions. It's all built from new material, nothing from another tractor. It first was a 4 roller orchard model but I got bored with it and the wheel started spinning = many nights with out sleep. Attached is a before and a few after pics.
couple more pics
Yair...thanks Mike Mc...bloody marvelous work. Sorry it took so long to reply; I have been off line with computer issues. I have catching up to do on other threads. Cheers