Trailer Hitch for 2005 Thomas Saf-T-Liner HDX Rear Engine Bus for Use with Hitch Motorcycle Carrier

Question:

Id like to add a Class 5 trailer hitch if possible to my bus with a 2inch receiver, and as much ground clearance as possible. Ill be adding a motorcycle carrier for a motorcycle that weighs 600 pounds. The frame has 2 C-Channels that face to the outside of the bus. The inside distance between these is 34inch and the outside-to-outside distance is 41. The distance from the bottom of the C-channel to the ground is 18. Can you recommend a hitch for me?

asked by: Sean R

Expert Reply:

To safely handle the weight of a 600-lb motorcycle plus the weight of its hitch-mounted carrier (this total combined weight is likely to be 700 to 750-lbs depending on the specific hitch carrier you use) the hitch you install needs to be rated for no less than 1000-lbs of TW in order to provide some safety margin.

We do have multi-fit RV hitches like the Curt # C13701 that you referenced but none of these has the required tongue weight )TW) capacity you will need. Such a hitch could certainly tow the motorcycle on a small trailer like # K2MMT4X6 but it cannot handle the static weight of a loaded hitch-mounted carrier.

You may need to have a hitch custom-fabricated for your bus frame. This naturally requires that the frame has the needed capacity to handle the substantial load that will be on it. If, for example, you can find a fabricator to weld on a steel cross tube between your frame rails you might simply bolt on an item like # 3371804055 which is rated for 2000-lbs TW.

expert reply by: Adam R