Does anyone on this forum have any experience with the ATV haulers that just slide into the receiver hitch on your truck eliminating the need for a trailer or filling your pickup bed?

 

I have one. They work good. A class three hitch on half tons will only allow a 400lb quad. The rack weighs 102 lbs and max tongue weight is 500. One ton and three qrtr tons' go to 800 I think. I put air bags on my F-150 and put the Z400 on the rack. The back end was sagging to much w/ one in the bed and the other on the rack. The Z has 2000 miles of rack riding. My truck sits level w/ none of the tail wagging the dog thing going on..I don't think I'd put a hunting machine on the rack. Rack can hold 550lbs, but in my opinion it could be scary. I get 14-15mpg w/ my set up w/ a 5.4 automatic Triton motor w/ my set up.. I get 10mpg towing a trailer w/ the hills/mountains we have in Utah. Pic in my sig on the Z400/Cannondale folder..... Racks are at www.bdiracks.com 335 shipped to your door..

 

Thanks for the reply Sandgod. Does your machine bounce much on the rack when you hit bumps?

I thought this looked like a good idea to haul my 650 out west without having to worry about pulling a trailer, flat trailer tires, fryed wheel bearings, etc. My brother and I did a little research and, being cheap, ended up building one. I used it for the first time on Sunday bringing the Prairie 650 home from IA. The thing rode fine, and my truck got 19.3 mpg with the receiver hauler instead of the 15 or so I get when I pull my trailer. (less rolling resistance and wind resistance)

The only disconcerting thing about the hauler is how it allows the ATV to bounce up and down, mostly at slower speeds while hitting city bumps. On highways, it doesn't react that was as much. We used a thick wall 2" square tubing for the center main frame (which I believe all the manufactured ones use as well) which I don't believe will bend, but it is 4.5 feet out beyond the back of the truck and so it will flex a bit. Mine is a bit beefer than the one that I looked at on the web site you mentioned. We have cross braces made of tublar steel, we have the wheel channels that are reinforced so they won't bend and add to the structural strength, and we made a thick 3/8" steel brace that comes off the side of my receiver hitch (the hollow end tube) and then has a cross brace that runs back to the outside corner of the hauler and bolts there. It does not allow the hauler to flop from side to side or drop when the ATV is driven on. My only concern is with the up and down flex when you hit big bumps. Does the factory made ones flex as well? Even though I have an F350 Powerstroke, with a factory tow package, I was a bit concerned about the weight. I called one of the manufacturers and they say that they have mounted theirs on a 1/2 ton Supercrew, but that it works better on a 3/4 or 1 ton. When we built ours, we put the 2" tube in the receiver and then put about 600 lbs on it and measured how much it dropped. It went down about 4.5 inches, so we V-cut the 2" tube, bent it up to compensate for the drop, and then welded the tube and put a reinforcing collar over the shaft. Without the ATV on the hauler, (and even with it on) the ATV sits at an angle, but the rear is raised up enough that I should be able to go through a certain amount of ditches or washes without it hitting.

Even with my F350, my hitch is rated for a lot of weight, but with a load distributing hitch. I am putting a reinforcing strap around the end of my receiver to support the rear end and bolting it to the bumper, although I am really not to concerned that the hitch won't handle it. If they mount these things on 1/2 tons, my 1 ton should be able to hold it.

I was just looking for any other experiences with these types of haulers, if anyone has noticed the bouncing, and other experiences. Actually, if it wasn't for the bouncing, I wouldn't know it was back there on my truck. I hauled the 220 Bayou under the topper with a bunch of other stuff crammed in there, and the 650 on the receiver hauler, and the truck was not impacted at all. Mileage and handling were good and the front end was not light at all. Just wondering if anyone else has tried these things?

 

Sounds like you built it correctly. The one I have has the main bar w/ a slight bend to compensate for the sag the weight creates. My Z weighs 400lbs w/ fluids. Your 650 weighs alot more then the Z. The Z doesn't bounce. The airbags absorb the bounce. I only head to the dunes and don't need to cross washes or anything like that..Good Luck!!