Carrying motorcycle makes steering loose

[vagari]

Need some advice on weight, suspension, etc.

I have a 1999 ford e250. I bought a hitch mount motorcycle carrier for my 250cc motorcycle. The motorcyclke weighs 300lbs with a full tank gas. The hitch carrier weights 50lbs. So 350lbs combine. The hitch has a tongue weight of 600lbs.

When carrying the motorcycle on the back, the front end seems a little loose. Like there's more play in the steering. I assume it's the weight of the motorcycle pushing the back down and the front up.

Is there anything I can do to help? Better shocks, springs, etc? Hopefully not terribly expense.

Thanks

 

[WheelEstate USA]

How much weight is your van carrying without rack and all?
The tongue weight rating on the hitch hasn't anything to do with suspension. Is the front end in good shape?

You've got a few options for stiffening the ass end of your rig.
Air shocks might help quite a bit. Our RV has air bags and they work very well. Nice to add a few pounds of air to tighten it up on mountain curves and be able to soften the ride on long flat runs.

Another option is spring work to beef it up.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

You should find a vehicle scale and have your van weighed both with and without the motorcycle loaded. You want to have the front and back weighed separately both ways.

I assume you have front coil springs? If the shock absorbers are mounted INSIDE the coil, it can be difficult, if not impossible, to fit air shocks.

Moreover, anytime you fit air shocks - or shocks with an integral helper spring built in - the shock mounts suddenly become weight bearing members, which they weren't designed to be. They can break off.

New, heavier coil springs are probably the best answer. They will cause the van to ride hard whenever you are driving without the motorcycle attached.

If your current shock absorbers are worn, they will need to be replaced also.

Some models of shock absorbers are adjustable for firmness, A pair of them would allow you to fine tune your front suspension for the best ride.

Regards
John

 

[GotSmart]

With a trailer, the weight is distributed and not concentrated in one place. It helps keep things smooth. But the fact that your bike changes the ride means that either your shocks are bad, springs are worn out, or perhaps you need to block up the rear an inch or so to help stiffen it up. I would check your shocks first as OP suggested.

Give it the bounce test. Jump on the bumper, and see how it reacts. It should not do much unless you need to replace your worn shocks.

 

[gymrat]

try moving some of the weight inside of your van to the front if possible. i carry a dr-650 that weighs 360 lbs plus the weight of the carrier, new chevy 3/4 express van and i can feel the difference. was really bad when i had gulfstream motorhome.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I'm not sure why, but somehow I got the impression you were talking about a FRONT trailer hitch, and you were carrying the bike at the front of your van. I see now we are talking about a normal rear set up.

If you have rear leaf springs, you have a number of options to help the springs - adding a leaf to your spring pack, adding leaf or coil helper springs, adding air bags. Air bags would allow you to experiment with different amounts of air and let you tune the ride as best you are able.

I would still stay away from air shocks for the reasons I mentioned earlier.

Any of them will help solve the problem of a dragging back end. None of them will really help solve a fundamental problem of physics for you, namely, the further away from the front wheels you hang the weight, the more leverage that weight will exert on the front wheels in a side to side direction.

You might look into finding a rear anti-sway bar for your rig. A junkyard one would work fine.

Regards
John

 

[vagari]

Thanks all. I'm not a mechanic so I will have to get someone to take a look at it.

It's a Class B RV and I keep the holding tanks empty as I don't use them. There's nothing else in the rear that I can empty or move to the front.

 

[Van-Tramp]

It sounds like you are playing a dangerous game with an upcoming accident. If you can feel the "loose steering" then you are grossly overweight on the rear vs the front. I recommend finding a solution ASAP.

1) Stop hauling the bike immediately
2) Relocate bike to a front-hitch system, or
3) Buy and use a trailer (this will still cause some weight on rear, so it may not resolve the entire problem)

 

[user 423]

Even with empty tanks the built-in equipment adds quite a bit of extra weight to the rear of a typical Class B. If it's an extended van, then there is even more of a leverage effect when carrying weight at the rear on a carrier. As VT points out, it could create dangerous handling.

 

[vagari]

I am not currently hauling the bike. It's in storage. I wonder if a front hitch would work better or if I've just got too much weight. I guess best thing is to get weight then I know

 

[GotSmart]

How did you build your interior?

I did some search, and I suggest you have the van looked at by a mechanic.

http://www.arfc.org/complaints/1999/ford/e-150/steering/problem.aspx

 

[vagari]

My van is a 99 ford coachmen RV on E-250 chassis. Prebuilt RV

 

[Lucky mike]

you could be over weight or have incorrect rear tire pressures for the load....judging from what Im reading , you have a class C RV.......

 

[GotSmart]

My van is a 99 ford coachmen RV on E-250 chassis. Prebuilt RV

How about a picture?

 

[MrNoodly]

If it's an extended van, then there is even more of a leverage effect when carrying weight at the rear on a carrier.

Unless it's a Chevy/GMC, since the wheelbase is also extended on them as opposed to the way Ford and Dodge just add length to the body.

 

[vagari]

My van is a class B RV on ford e250 chassis. it's an extended van without extended wheelbase

Here's a video of one exactly like mine

 

[Lucky mike]

your over weight on your rear axle then....

 

[user 423]

They make front-mount hitches for Fords and you can do what this guy did (mid-way down the page):

http://forums.woodalls.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/23262888/print/true.cfm

300lbs. might be a bit much though?

 

[akrvbob]

Agreed, you are overweight on the rear axle and your best bet is to add a front receiver hitch and carry it up front. I put a front hitch on my 2001 Chevy Express and bought the hitch from Amazon for $119. No doubt you can get one for your van also. With luck it will just bolt straight on and you can do it yourself.

I carry my Honda Rebel on my front hitch.Here is my blog post on how it works for me:
http://www.cheaprvliving.com/blog/establishing-boundaries-hauling-honda-rebel-250/

Here are some pics:

 

[highdesertranger]

I will concur that your rear axle is overloaded. load the bike like normal and all your gear and get it weighed. when you do this weigh the front and rear separately and the whole van. compare to specs. if you are under weight you need some spring work, or air bags(imho air bags are the best option, adjustable) under no circumstances use air shocks see previous post. if you are over weight, well then I think you know what to do, make it lighter. highdesertranger