Marco1503 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Does anybody outhere know if its possible to tow a dirtbike i have a 1986 toyota dolphin with a 4 cylinder. it has 6 lugs in the back. i saw a post about a guy askking if he could tow a polaris in a trailer adding up to 15000 pounds . I was wondering if i could tow my dirtbike it weights 190 pounds plus about 40 pounds for the tow carrier i just wanna know if thats possible. and what i would need to do anything to the frame wich i am wiling to do. Keep in mind i do pack plenty of things in it. I was told by a mechanic that it could easily tow a dirtbike and the only con would be a difference in mpgs. Please let me know anything you might know about this. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bufbooth Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Hello, You have two options to bring your bike with, either a carrier or a Motorcycle rail trailer. Both will require adding supports to your truck frame. I would go the Motorcycle rail trailer route over the carrier. The carrier will add more weight to the rear and it will be levelage weight, that is you will end up with about 250 sitting about two feet past your rear bumper. The trailer will probaby add only 50 pounds to the rear with it will be right at your bumper. There is a third option, a wheel hitch, in which the front tire is secured to the trailer hitch while the rear tire is on the ground. These sell for about $75 and about 80% of the weight of the bike is on the rear tire/ground. For any extended travel, one would want to remove the drive chain. Actually, I have seen folks buy an extra rear rim/tire for use while trailing and then put the street use tire on once they get to their location. Dennis... Does anybody outhere know if its possible to tow a dirtbike i have a 1986 toyota dolphin with a 4 cylinder. it has 6 lugs in the back. i saw a post about a guy askking if he could tow a polaris in a trailer adding up to 15000 pounds . I was wondering if i could tow my dirtbike it weights 190 pounds plus about 40 pounds for the tow carrier i just wanna know if thats possible. and what i would need to do anything to the frame wich i am wiling to do. Keep in mind i do pack plenty of things in it. I was told by a mechanic that it could easily tow a dirtbike and the only con would be a difference in mpgs. Please let me know anything you might know about this. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 A couple of pretty good discussions on the subject: http://www.sportbike...ing-cradle.html http://visforvoltage...g-towing-cradle But this statement worries me:- Class 3 or 4 - 500 lb tongue wt. rated hitch is recommended. Fits 2" receiver. Tongue weight must not exceed the rated capacity of the hitch. Tongue weight of motorcycle is typically 50% to 60% of the total motorcycle weight. To calculate approximate tongue weight take 60% of the motorcycle weight and add 65 lbs for the weight of the RHMC1-SV http://www.sportutil...gneta/RHMC1.htm I think I'd be looking at a small trailer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco1503 Posted March 17, 2012 Author Share Posted March 17, 2012 hey thanks man! very helpfull information! Hello, You have two options to bring your bike with, either a carrier or a Motorcycle rail trailer. Both will require adding supports to your truck frame. I would go the Motorcycle rail trailer route over the carrier. The carrier will add more weight to the rear and it will be levelage weight, that is you will end up with about 250 sitting about two feet past your rear bumper. The trailer will probaby add only 50 pounds to the rear with it will be right at your bumper. There is a third option, a wheel hitch, in which the front tire is secured to the trailer hitch while the rear tire is on the ground. These sell for about $75 and about 80% of the weight of the bike is on the rear tire/ground. For any extended travel, one would want to remove the drive chain. Actually, I have seen folks buy an extra rear rim/tire for use while trailing and then put the street use tire on once they get to their location. Dennis... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco1503 Posted March 17, 2012 Author Share Posted March 17, 2012 My dolphin actually has a metal plate in the back that says "not recommended for towing". is that an exxageration? i know a guy that can easily weld a hitch on it. would that be a terrible idea? Hello, You have two options to bring your bike with, either a carrier or a Motorcycle rail trailer. Both will require adding supports to your truck frame. I would go the Motorcycle rail trailer route over the carrier. The carrier will add more weight to the rear and it will be levelage weight, that is you will end up with about 250 sitting about two feet past your rear bumper. The trailer will probaby add only 50 pounds to the rear with it will be right at your bumper. There is a third option, a wheel hitch, in which the front tire is secured to the trailer hitch while the rear tire is on the ground. These sell for about $75 and about 80% of the weight of the bike is on the rear tire/ground. For any extended travel, one would want to remove the drive chain. Actually, I have seen folks buy an extra rear rim/tire for use while trailing and then put the street use tire on once they get to their location. Dennis... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 If you like what you are towing you had better have a good welder attach some thing to the frame not to any thing in the back end. Some of the welding I have seen in the back looks like it had been done by some on that could not get a job at Micky D's. and went to work for a coach maker. Toyota says no towing take it for what it's worth many people do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Given the (poor) quality of the frame extensions that manufacturers added to hold up the rear of the motorhomes, it's not too surprising that they recommend against adding any extra load. That said, there are many, many who have had the original extensions reinforced and used them to carry and tow motorcycles and even tow a trailer with a Smart Car. I've search the archives in both the Forum and the Yahoo Group and the only report of frame extension failures was for MH that weren't used for towing! The Toyota 1-Ton SRW Pickup was rated at 8500lb GCWR. I've never come across a figure for the 1-Ton DRW, but I can't imagine it's less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davidadro Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 I use a U-Haul rental, dedicated Motorcycle Trailer to tow my Harley with no concerns, or problems. I did have my Bumper reinforced by my welder, and should be something anyone does if pulling a good load. My 83 Dolphin will pull it at 65MPH, but stay at 60 or below for safety and MPG concerns. Pulling I get about 11 or 13 MPG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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