Am i going to be experiencing issues??

[Tony Tassillo]

after reading a few post i want to get this right. i have a 2007 Trac and was wondering i haul my 4 wheeler areound in the bed from time to time (398 lbs dry weight) and the rear tires rest on my tailgate. its strapped to the front side hooks and secured pretty good. i normally only hav eit in there for like a 30 minutes drive but i was wondering..... ill be going to my parents house (2.5 to 3 hrs away) and i want to make sure im not going to bust a cable and send my 4 wheeler into traffic. not to mention the damage it will do to the tailgate. anyone have issues with this before?

 

[Aaron Yarbough]

I don't know of any reason that hauling our 4-wheelers( I own a 400EX) should be a problem. Some people have expressed concerns about the potential for damage to the tailgate because of excessive weight resting on it. This is only a potential problem if there is a lot of weight sitting in a concentrated area. From my experience the ~400lbs 4 wheeler who's weight is distributed fairly equally among 4 contact points (4 wheels/tires) will not cause a problem. (if it does, then I bought the wrong vehicle) Now, lets say that you are hauling an 800lb motorcycle in which the wieght is destributed in only 2 places (2 wheels/tires). Assuming that the weight distribution was fairly equal, that would be 2 contact points in which each of them is carrying ~400 lbs. This 400 lb load concentration (rear tire) that is resting on the tailgate for an extended amount of time might be a reason of concern. The 400 lb could cause a dent , or possible bend the hinge of the tailgate because of the wieght being in a concentrated area.



So to answer your question, the 4 wheeler should not be of concern. My only suggestion is that you strap your 4 wheeler in 4 places just in case a strap breaks or something unusual like that happens.

 

[Dreman]

Man, I guess I better not sit on my tailgate anymore! Although I'm not the worst one. We have a couple of friends that might reach that weight level, and I know of at least one occasion where they sat on the tailgate. No problems so far!



We've carried our 4-wheeler in the bed of our 2003 for 2-3 hour trips with no problems. I don't think it weighs 400 lbs. (Bayou 220) but it still weighs quite a lot.

 

[Jacob Dryer]

I don't know if it actually helped or not but this is what I did with my motorcycle to help distribute the weight along the whole tailgate.



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It worked great for 3 hours each way.

 

[Sean M 2]

I haul my fourwheeler all the time, no problems, just make sure to strap it in there good.

 

[Kevin Palmer]

I would be shocked if you have issues.



I say haul away....

 

[chris smith 5]

JD, is that a one piece none folding ramp in the bed next to your bike? How did loading go with that thing??

 

[Jacob Dryer]

ND:



Yes it's a non-folding ramp. I actually have two so I put one in the middle and one on the far left side and walk my bike up feathering the clutch/gas. It's not too bad just make sure you use bungy cords to keep the ramps in place.



Even before I had two it wasn't bad as long as there was a helper to push I would never use the motor with just a single ramp.

 

[JohnnyB]

Have hauled Quads in my '01 ST and now my '07 ST. No problems. This rubicon is atleast 500 lbs.

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[chris smith 5]

JD, using 2 ramps is a good idea! Lets you walk it right up. Never thought of that. I have loaded my bike twice and each time I used the loading docks behind the the True Value hardware store and walked it right in. I'm gonna have to give the walk up a try. THANKS.



Johnny, that Rubicon is HUGE! Never a single issue with the weight on the tailgate??

 

[Ron N]

one thing I used to do hauling my motorcycle is to use good tie downs, knot the end above the lock so it wouldn't pull loose, then use a rubber bungee cord from hook to hook so that if you got any slack in the tie down during bumps or turns the hook would not come loose from the handlebars_Ron