Harbor freight bike carrier pics

[BlackBike]

[BlackBike]

[BlackBike]

[BlackBike]

[BlackBike]

[minimac]

I modified mine by adding(bolted)two pieces of square tubing to the bottom of the carrier, one at each end. They are positioned so they are in contact with the hitch, parallel to the carrier, close to where it bolts to my cars frame. That stopped the up and down-at the ends- "wiggling" of the carrier.

[BlackBike]

Originally Posted by minimac

I modified mine by adding(bolted)two pieces of square tubing to the bottom of the carrier, one at each end. They are positioned so they are in contact with the hitch, parallel to the carrier, close to where it bolts to my cars frame. That stopped the up and down-at the ends- "wiggling" of the carrier.

i only used this one time when i had to drop off the car . i was not too comfortable with this and I would really "need" to use this in the future. it seem the tongue (square tube) is too short, thus causing the downward tilt, in my opinion

do you have a pic of your mod? i think i understand, but not really

[pete]

You are braver than me...
I would put any of my bikes on that....



..

[Emerikol]

I use the Cycle Gear steel carrier:
http://chinariders.net/attachment.ph...1&d=1486123380

I took my Hawk all the way to Tampa and Back with no issues at all. Didn't budge so much as a hair. This one is all steel, and seemed to be sized really well for the 2" receiver. No issues with sag or bouncing. Just my two cents' worth, YMMV.
http://chinariders.net/attachment.ph...1&d=1486123660

[Merlin]

Originally Posted by Emerikol

I use the Cycle Gear steel carrier:
http://chinariders.net/attachment.ph...1&d=1486123380

I took my Hawk all the way to Tampa and Back with no issues at all. Didn't budge so much as a hair. This one is all steel, and seemed to be sized really well for the 2" receiver. No issues with sag or bouncing. Just my two cents' worth, YMMV.
http://chinariders.net/attachment.ph...1&d=1486123660

That looks like the one I bought. Mine came with a device to tighten it up in the receiver and prevent sag, swaying and bouncing. Works fine.

[Emerikol]

Mine did, too. I promptly threw it out, though. It was way more trouble than it was worth. Hopefully I'll be able to carve out some more riding time in the not-too-distant future.

[minimac]

Mine is similar(steel), and can be loaded from either side. It is designed for a 2" receiver and fits snug. With my scooter loaded, the ends would tilt(bounce) up and down a bit while driving. For now, I just have some tube steel bolted to the underside of the carrier that fits up against the bottom of the hitch. That stopped the tilting. I intend to make it more permanent later by welding the two tubes (pipe will work just as well) to the bottom of the carrier and two slightly bigger diameter pieces to the bottom of my hitch for them to slide into. That will stabilize the carrier sufficiently and should help to spread the load across the entire width of the hitch, not just concentrated on the receiver. With three points of contact, it should eliminate any downward tilt and the "spring" action of the tongue.
What do you guys recommend for tie downs?

[Emerikol]

Minimac, I just use some 1000' ratcheting tie downs from Home Depot or Lowe's. I have a handful of reusable zip ties that bind the loose ends of the straps with. Makes for a very neat package when it's all tied down and locked in place. The bottom picture in my previous post is my bike on the back of my work truck. Like I said, it went all the way to Tampa and back with no problems and didn't move an inch. I was only able to ride down there a couple days, but it was still worth it.

[minimac]

I had a set of ratcheting straps I bought at HF. They came in a pack of four. I used them once when I helped my nephew move. Three of the four broke while cranking them down. I had to tie the straps in a knot and then ratchet them down! The straps themselves broke-and not the stitching. I threw them all away. Lesson learned, and that's a mistake I don't want to make when binding down the scooter.

[Emerikol]

Minimac, I don't buy anything I REALLY need to depend on at Harbor Freight. Don't get me wrong, I have a ton of HF tools and parts, but for the really serious stuff, I always buy a step or two up in quality. I think that their hand tools and some of the other solid, durable stuff is really good, but some of the everyday consumable items, I tend to shy away from those. I'm actually going to be putting one of their Predator engines on a pressure washer body this upcoming week.