The class III hitch on an '05 is rated at a 600lbs tongue weight. But does anyone know if there is a "torque rating"?

I have a dual motorcycle carrier that goes into the receiver hitch of my Pathfinder. It has no wheels so the bikes are literally "hanging" off the rear bumper and are perpendicular to the vehicle's line of travel (like a bicycle rack). There's two things to worry about, the tongue weight and the torque that comes from the fact that the bikes are not hanging directly off the hitch, but are out a ways.

The total weight at the hitch is 530 lbs.

The torque is found by summing the product of the weight of the bikes times there distance from the hitch. That turns out to be 1440 ft-lbs. I don't know if that is high or low for the hitch. Does anyone here know?

i'm not sure about this but i think you'll be alright. My old neighbor had that setup on a tahoe with a class III hitch hauling two dirtbikes and gear!

There is no torque rating for trailer hitches. If the suspended load is 530 lbs you are in the clear. Make sure not to use any extensions/adapters between the rack and the hitch.

Cracker wrote:The class III hitch on an '05 is rated at a 600lbs tongue weight. But does anyone know if there is a "torque rating"?

I have a dual motorcycle carrier that goes into the receiver hitch of my Pathfinder. It has no wheels so the bikes are literally "hanging" off the rear bumper and are perpendicular to the vehicle's line of travel (like a bicycle rack). There's two things to worry about, the tongue weight and the torque that comes from the fact that the bikes are not hanging directly off the hitch, but are out a ways.

The total weight at the hitch is 530 lbs.

The torque is found by summing the product of the weight of the bikes times there distance from the hitch. That turns out to be 1440 ft-lbs. I don't know if that is high or low for the hitch. Does anyone here know?

It's fine I have a 05 cr 250 and a 06 crf 450 that I use with my motorcycle carrier for over a year with no problem. The ass end of the truck sags a bit though...

I also drilled another hole in the carrier so I could slide it father back into the receiver to where it pretty much touches the spare tire.

Cracker wrote:The class III hitches on an '05 is rated at a 600lbs tongue weight. But does anyone know if there is a "torque rating"?

I have a dual motorcycle carrier that goes into the receiver hitch of my Pathfinder. It has no wheels so the bikes are literally "hanging" off the rear bumper and are perpendicular to the vehicle's line of travel (like a bicycle rack). There's two things to worry about, the tongue weight and the torque that comes from the fact that the bikes are not hanging directly off the hitch, but are out a ways.

The total weight at the hitch is 530 lbs.

The torque is found by summing the product of the weight of the bikes times there distance from the hitch. That turns out to be 1440 ft-lbs. I don't know if that is high or low for the hitch. Does anyone here know?

apology for this one.. ive been looking for hitches but i dont know where to find one. can you help me find some? thanks!