Is the etrailer Motorcycle Carrier Adjustable Along the Shank and How Much Clearance Does it Provide

Question:

Im trying to decide if I buy this product if it will work for me. My ATV is 86inch long and I have a short box 1/2 ton with a class 3 hitch. My question is can the carrier that actually holds the bike in place move? What Im looking for is clearance to be able to put my bike on this carrier with the tailgate down. So Id need it to be at the very end of the center bar that holds the carrier. My atv is a 2021 Kawasaki Brute Force 750. Its wheelbase is only 56inch but overall length is 86.

asked by: Colby H

Expert Reply:

It sounds like you have an ATV in your 2014 Ram 1500's bed that requires the tailgate to be down, and you want to use the etrailer Motorcycle Carrier, part # e98873, to carry a motorcycle at the same time. If that's not the case, let me know and I will amend this answer.

The etrailer Motorcycle Carrier doesn't move along the shank per se. Instead, it has three hitch pin hole locations to accommodate different clearance requirements. From the center of the first hitch pin hole to the closest part of the rack is 7-5/16". From the second is 5-5/16". From the third is 3-5/16".

As you can see, the furthest clearance is 7-5/16". If that is not enough to clear your tailgate (which it probably isn't), then we do carry another motorcycle carrier with a bit more clearance. It's the Ultra-Fab Dirt Bike Carrier for 2" Hitches, part # UF48-979033. It has a similar design, but the distance from the center of the hitch pin hole to the closest edge of the rack is 15-1/2".

I've linked to a video review of the the Ultra-Fab below.

expert reply by: Kef G