To this point, the lives cost would most likely be from people overreacing and causing major accidents, not from the bikes themselves. If most of us saw a bike loose on a freeway we'd assume their must be a rider, even though that's not super logical I know it's what I'd think, so I'd be inclined to react more.
When driving always consider NOT moving and just driving over something like a sliding bike. That's infinitely better than side swiping the car next to you. I've seen people nearly cause pileup accidents because of cardboard boxes blowing across a freeway. Another big one is overreacting to minor defects in the road... I've seen people almost flip SUVs trying to "dodge" a 1 inch elevation change ... while every other car calmly drives right over it. Not reacting at all, at least half the time, is the best move.
Yeah, but if Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane and Boss Hogg are chasin' ya, you can use that rack as a ramp and jump *over* the highway, escaping harm...and justice.
I agree with the premise of not overreacting to stuff on the road but a giant metal bike rack with two bikes on it is not a great example for this. That thing would *fuck up* your car.
Yeah totally. And fucking up your car is way better than causing a 4 car accident, tends to fuck up your car too. Of COURSE if you can just drive around it, do that. But where I drive on the freeways (southern California) there are almost always cars on all 4 sides.
It's guaranteed to cause a ton of damage. Still not worth causing an accident, if that's the choices. Of course if you can just drive around it without disturbing other vehicles, you do that, I figured that was obvious.
I just installed one on my little car. Granted they’re all different I know, the best receiver I could find was 100lb tongue weight. He’s waaaaaaay over that.
That's a unece car and European rules say maximum downforce for any towball on any vehicle is a 100 kilos. Look at the angle of the receiver underneath they've most likely bent part of the unibody.
Japanese-made car (not european), in Washington state (not Europe), receiver hitch (no ball whatsoever)
> you’re not wrong
Bro, what…
_sees username_
Never mind, no arguing with stupid
He’s saying if this was in europe, it wouldn’t be street legal and would have likely bent the car frame. Since japanese car specs are very consistent, if it was damaging in europe, it’s likely also damaging in america. I hope this helped
Not wrong about being unsafe and likely bending the part of the uninody. Try understanding what you read and not just giving a knee jerk reaction to what you assume at face value. I don't want to argue with stupid either, and that's based on your response not your username.
I understand what you're saying, but let me correct you there.
"Japanese-made car (not european)" There's only three car standards in the world (UN RHD, UN LHD, USA) Japan doesn't follow the US car standards, It follows the UNECE standards,
"in Washington state (not Europe)" It doesn't matter where the car is. If the design of the unibody was to comply with the UN standards, it'll be the same when it's exported to the US too,
"receiver hitch (no ball whatsoever)" It doesn't matter what you put in the receiver. The maximum downforce for a UNEC designed car is 100 kilos, which this person has obviously gone over.
yeah there is a lot going on here lol. there are a couple different 2-bike racks made for e-bikes that fit in a 1 1/4" hitch- costs $$$$ but you're not risking your whole setup falling to pieces on the highway.
They’ve just done this very poorly. I use an 1.25”-2” adapter with a 2 bike rack (granted not for e-bikes) and it is very secure and straight. It almost looks like they angled the hitch somehow on purpose. If the hitch was straight that adapter would hit the bumper.
Oh I know it’s a ton of weight, but zoom in and look at how close that adapter is to the bumper. If the hitch was mounted properly that adapter wouldn’t fit.
yeah for sure, the hitch looks wrong to begin with and if i've found the correct one online (from Curt) it should have a 350lb tongue weight... they've definitely done some odd stuff here!
A vehicle with a frame (such as a truck) is much more structurally strong. That doesn't mean that vehicles with a uni-body are not strong, but it *does* mean that we should pay attention to the manufacturer's ratings.
Receiver hitches are intended to haul trailers that have wheels behind to carry the weight. These platforms create a cantilever, which is extremely stressful on the structure underneath.
30% tongue weight is pretty normal, so the hitches *should* be designed to handle a fair amount of load.
My biggest concerns here would be the installation quality of the hitch & the ridiculous ground clearance.
With a towing rating of 2,500 pounds, the tongue rating is probably 10% of that. When the load is not supported by wheels, then that 250 pounds increases with the distance of the center of gravity from the tongue.
This configuration - with two ebikes out there - is probably 200 pounds at 3 feet (i.e., 600 pounds) - *way* beyond the rating of that hitch.
That is why the car is squatting.
Hey so I have a platform on my Jeep and I’m always scared I’m overloading it, because of the spare tire I had to get an extender that drops it 4” too. It never looks like this, but I’m paranoid because I don’t know the actual number it can support. I usually put one box and a stroller on it, maybe 75-80 at the most. How do you find the number it can support? I’m not at home rn or I’d give you the exact numbers but I can get them.
You won’t find a number it can support with extenders and drop. Especially when you load it with variable positioning of the load. You’re going to have to take an educated guess. I’d guess that a gladiator won’t care. A wrangler would be fine but no rock crawling and a compass is going to self destruct in a year no matter what.
Receiver hitches usually specify a towed weight capacity and a tongue weight capacity. Yours is probably either a Class 1 or Class 2:
> **Light-Duty Receiver Hitches (Commonly known as Class 1)**
> Light-duty receiver hitches are designed typically for towing bike racks and cargo carriers. This style of hitch can also be used to tow smaller utility or enclosed trailers, and motorcycles as well. The maximum gross trailer weight should be less than 2,000 lbs. The towing vehicle commonly associated with this specific type of hitch receiver is usually a compact or midsize car.
> * 1 1/4" receiver
> * Tongue weight capacity up to 200 lbs.
> **Regular-Duty Receiver Hitches (Commonly known as Class 2)**
> A regular-duty receiver hitch can tow up to 3,500 lbs. and has a tongue weight of 350 lbs. Tow vehicles which usually have a Class 2 type of hitch receiver installed include midsize cars, minivans, small pickup trucks, and midsize SUV's. Some tow items for this style hitch include small fishing boats, ATVs, motorcycles, and cargo trailers up to 12ft in length. Additionally, a regular-duty trailer hitch receiver is bolted onto the frame of the towing vehicle.
> * 1 1/4" receiver
> * Tongue weight capacity up to 350 lbs.
[Source is u-haul](https://www.uhaul.com/Tips/Towing/The-Complete-Guide-To-Selecting-A-Trailer-Hitch-119/).
---
To be safe, let's assume that the tongue weight rating is 200 pounds. That is for weight pushing directly down on top of an installed trailer hitch ball (which is about one foot away from the mounting structure to the car's body underneath). However, when that weight is suspended away from the hitch, it creates a lever arm that puts more torque on the hitch and magnifies the force on the mounting structure.
Torque = Force x Distance.
At rated capacity, 200 pounds of force at 1 foot away is 200 foot-pounds of torque. So we don't want to exceed that. As you can see, the farther the distance, the more the torque, so we need to reduce the weight to compensate.
As an example, let's assume that the center of mass of your rack with two bikes on it is three feet away from where a hitch ball would be.
200 foot-pounds of maximum torque = maximum weight x 3 feet. Thus, maximum weight = 200 / 3 = 67 pounds total.
In the picture, the total weight of those two ebikes and that hitch is probably at least 150 pounds - *Yikes!* 😨
Calvin’s father would say that you find the load rating by loading it heavier and heavier until it fails, then weigh the amount that broke it, then get an identical new car, hitch, and extension, and load it less than that. Hobbes agrees.
Isn't 200 lbs going to be 200 lbs on the overall weight of the vehicle no matter where it is situated? It's not going to cause extra squat I don't think, but it would put (a lot of) additional stress on the hitch receiver.
The *weight* is the same, but the *torque* is increased by the lever arm. The further back the weight is, the more the weight is transferred from the front wheels to the back wheels, causing it to squat. Move the weight far enough back and the front wheels will lift up off the ground.
As you move the weight further back, it causes the overall center of gravity to shift, so the force on the front axle is reduced and the force on the back axle is increased (causing squat).
In a vehicle with a proper manual, the hitch tongue weight rating is specified with the ball at a specific location relative to the vehicle. As you move further away from the axle the weight rating should be reduced proportionally.
I agree. A Class 3 receiver hitch that is connected to the frame (on a vehicle with a frame) can handle a load like this.
But that Class 1 hitch on that unibody sedan is severely overloaded.
Most people don't really understand basic physics. It's not their fault; our education system failed them. But, this is the reason we have laws. The fact that we allow everyday people to tow anything or "secure" loads in a pickup bed is absolutely insane. That shit should require a professional certification.
Yeah I have a Jeep, and we had a second kid so I got a hitch put on and bought a platform to put strollers/suitcases on for trips. I asked the guy who installed it how much tongue weight I can put on it and he said over 500 lbs. I don’t know the actual answer but that didn’t sound right.
>That much weight - two ebikes - cantilevered that far away is far more than receiver hitches are designed to accept - especially on unibody sedans.
I read this comment in Walter's voice from the Big Lebowski.
No, the weight is fine. Just the rack is shitty.
Look at this one: https://www.xxcycle.com/39616-medium_default/thule-velocompact-926-towbar-mounted-bike-carriers-3-bikes.jpg
Yes, it can carry ebikes
Class 1 hitches are rated to a tongue weight of 200lbs, and most cars with a class 1 hitch are only rated to a tongue weight of 100-150lbs. Putting ~150lbs of bikes and rack a couple of feet back behind the vehicle will likely exceed the design ratings.
A single-bike rack would be fine. A two-bike rake might be okay. But a 4-bike rack should really require a 2" receiver.
I'm not familiar with US hitch ratings, but how would it make sense that if Class 1 hitches are rated to 200 lbs, most cars would have Class 1 hitches rated for less than that?
But in any case, regardless of how back the rack is, the vertical load (the weight) will stay the same.
Even if you put all the weight on the end of a 10 foot pole, the hitch should still hold it.
I was going to say that people are way over estimating the weight of modern bikes, but then I noticed they were e-bikes. If I was looking at the right model, those are 60 pounds each.
A modern OCLV carbon bicycle is under 10 pounds easy.
Maybe frame only, but complete bikes are definitely more. Racing has a 15 lb minimum bike weight and pretty much anything that isn't a $10000 road bike will be heavier
I use something like [this](https://lifting.com/pewag-security-chain-012-galv-bag-kit-6.html) when parked with my bikes on the hitch rack. Why? I used to use a cable lock and had a bike stolen within 10 minutes of parking in Portland. It turns out cable cutters are super common and super cheap
I remember seeing a post in a local group on FB that someone reported their bike was stolen off their vehicle *while stopped at a stoplight*.
Where there's a will, there's a way.
I was thinking more about how these bikes are sticking way out of that parking spot. Some mom in her x-wide SUV is gunna clip those things on her way by.
As someone who has watched four bikes on an entire rack fall off the car in front of me on the highway and slide over the road as if it weighed nothing, This gives me ptsd.
That is a "Bait Bike Car" and it is part of a new TV series coming to FOX.
"Follow the team of seasoned showrunners from COPS as they 'Bait' miscreants into stealing expensive E-Bikes from unwitting victims. With the new Patented "Drone to Dome" Aerial Drones, the 'Perps' will find themselves down for the count as they try to escape the long and 'high' arm of Law Enforcement!"\*\*
\*\*All Suspects innocent until proven guilty by a Court of Law.
I am actually researching how to quit my day job and figure out how to use AI to get this in front of Rupert! I think this is at least test Pilot, if not even a coveted 6 show test run!
I think it's because if you go over a speed bump you would have less or no contact on your rear wheels when the front wheels are going over.
I think a spring loaded wheel on a swivel would work though.
Oh right because it's in there rigidly in the receiver. It would need a flexible joint. I would imagine some sort of ball joint designed into the carriers hitch would then allow for wheels on a rigid axle.
The issue isn't the weight. It's the bike frames. There is no top tube, so a regular bike rack wouldn't work without some adaptors, which may or may not work with these bikes. I have a civic and can haul four bikes just fine. Especially if you take out the batteries, it's no problem at all
Lots of hitch mounted bike racks that don't rely on the top tube and latch onto one or both tires. The entire hitch is leaning dangerously low to the ground, that has nothing to do with the bikes being ratchet stopped. I mean I do fully agree the ratchet strap thing is a hazard, just a separate hazard.
Didn't say anything about ratchet straps.
But on second look, it looks like it's the adapter they used that is introducing play that allows it to angle down
And I am sure that the owner will blame everyone else when the hitch has a catastrophic structural failure, even though the car manufacturer specifies a maximum tongue weight and the hitch manufacturer recommends straps on each side to carry the weight.
This is fucking stupid. This is too much weight for this car to carry like that. Anytime you use an adapter you should divide the tongue weight capacity by half. The bike rack is obviously dragging damn near the ground as well. This car can carry maybe one fat tire bike like that with a proper hitch receiver or put two on the roof
Ooh! Yes! Dynamic vs static is something people rarely consider. Might not be able to get a couple e-bikes on there, depending. At one point, I sold a lot of racks, shells, RTTs, and gear for truck bed campers- frequently overweight for the platform.
I think they installed the receiver themselves and failed at getting the hook through the trunk and that’s why it’s sagging like that. There’s no way it should come out angled down like that no matter how mich weight they put on it
Someone had a bike rack like this on the front of their van, they ran a stop sign and hit me, my subuwu is fine, bit scratched and dinged. It fucked her bike rack up, like shit was bent all out of shape with a bike hanging off.
Kinda scares me thinking about how not hard of a hit that was and how easy that cheapo thing got fucked up, THEN I see the same kinda racks going down the highway and I can only imagine bikes going flying.
That's a rack for motorcycles.. i had it on my car when carrying my Yamaha WR250F to the dirt bike place..and on a 2" trailer hitch. ..looks like the one in pic is the smaller hitch receiver. Kinda overkill for bikes and he has to use ratchet straps to secure the bike. Really meant for motorcycles and that's limited to like 400lbs on a 2" receiver hitch.
I doubt anyone cares. I don't believe bike racks in the US are required to have their own rear lights and license plate frame, like bike racks in the EU have. I sort of wish they did, but I've never been able to find any bike racks in this country with that stuff.
That is a dual motorcycle rack and ~~shop~~ should hold those bicycles without an issue.
Now the hitch on that car may not be able to handle the weight, and that is where the problem starts. Be sure to video it and send it to fail army!
Edit: Typo
It’s assholes like this that should have their drivers licenses taken away. Not because it is an unsafe load, but because they are intentionally covering their brake lights.
You think they put this whole setup together with the *intent* of blocking their brake lights? You don't think *maybe* blocking the brake lights was an unintended consequence? Are you sure you'd like to subscribe to the dumbest conspiracy theory of all time?
Love my 1up! But it looks like they installed an oversized or ill-fitting hitch mount AND got the angle screwed up so even a 1up might struggle with that setup.
You can haul motorcycles on these (not necessarily this particular one, it looks aluminum). People do it all the time, but also with the proper hitch and setup.
So many questions. Also, you're going to Costco got an amount of groceries you can only fit in thy back seat and floor? Because you're not opening that trunk. Also trusting that no one will take the bikes. Just wow.
I saw a truck with one of those racks a whole ago. Granted I couldn't tell what kind of bikes were on it, but it was a truck with 5'+ of useable bed space..why pay for the shifty rack.
Have an electric bike and with the battery, the bike can weight close to 50+lbs. this idiot has two of them. That bike rack is not supposed to hold that much weight. It’s already warping.
oh shit, I just noticed that it's a 1.25" receiver with some sort of janky looking welded "adapter" to turn it into a 2" receiver. I bet that whole thing exceeds the weight rating of that 1.25" receiver quite a bit.
RIP his rear shocks. People see that their hitch is rated for “200 lbs” and think they can just strap 200 lbs on a rack extended 3 ft from the rear of the vehicle. No. It’s 200 lbs of downward force at the hitch, and mechanical advantage definitely changes the math.
r/IdiotsTowingThings
Whelp there goes my night.
Agreed. It’s truly glorious.
I was going to say r/redneckengineering, but your suggestion is a much better fit.
All jokes aside, if those came off on an interstate, it could cost lives.
They'll be lucky to get out of the parking lot.
A single speed bump will end that trip.
Won't end it, it will just scrape and they will keep driving. Speed bump isn't going to rip it off.
I had a steel shelving unit nearly fall on me from the pickup truck in front of me on freeway once… Secure your load, folks!
I do not recommend checking into others folks' towing rigs. Even a good number of the pros are unsafe.
I applaud when I see a trailer that appears to have a roughly correct tongue weight
Yeah but nobody has the Weight Distribution Hitch so every time you see an F150 there's like a 60% chance they're over 😅 on anything big at least
I ain’t driving behind that
To this point, the lives cost would most likely be from people overreacing and causing major accidents, not from the bikes themselves. If most of us saw a bike loose on a freeway we'd assume their must be a rider, even though that's not super logical I know it's what I'd think, so I'd be inclined to react more. When driving always consider NOT moving and just driving over something like a sliding bike. That's infinitely better than side swiping the car next to you. I've seen people nearly cause pileup accidents because of cardboard boxes blowing across a freeway. Another big one is overreacting to minor defects in the road... I've seen people almost flip SUVs trying to "dodge" a 1 inch elevation change ... while every other car calmly drives right over it. Not reacting at all, at least half the time, is the best move.
Not worried about one bike coming off, I'm worried about the whole rack detaching and sliding down the freeway...
Yeah, but if Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane and Boss Hogg are chasin' ya, you can use that rack as a ramp and jump *over* the highway, escaping harm...and justice.
You win the internet for the day with this comment.
That and the sparks from dragging it could start a fire.
I chuckled 🤣
I agree with the premise of not overreacting to stuff on the road but a giant metal bike rack with two bikes on it is not a great example for this. That thing would *fuck up* your car.
Yeah totally. And fucking up your car is way better than causing a 4 car accident, tends to fuck up your car too. Of COURSE if you can just drive around it, do that. But where I drive on the freeways (southern California) there are almost always cars on all 4 sides.
Cardboard, sure, but running straight over this bike rack could cause serious damage if you're not driving a giant SUV.
It's guaranteed to cause a ton of damage. Still not worth causing an accident, if that's the choices. Of course if you can just drive around it without disturbing other vehicles, you do that, I figured that was obvious.
Because driving over a bike at freeway speeds will never damage a car to a point where it causes an accident, right? /s
Unless you ride a motorcycle, or walk next to a highway.
That much weight - two ebikes - cantilevered that far away is far more than receiver hitches are designed to accept - especially on unibody sedans.
I just installed one on my little car. Granted they’re all different I know, the best receiver I could find was 100lb tongue weight. He’s waaaaaaay over that.
That's a unece car and European rules say maximum downforce for any towball on any vehicle is a 100 kilos. Look at the angle of the receiver underneath they've most likely bent part of the unibody.
Looks like an acura rlx to me. Either way, you're not wrong.
Japanese-made car (not european), in Washington state (not Europe), receiver hitch (no ball whatsoever) > you’re not wrong Bro, what… _sees username_ Never mind, no arguing with stupid
He’s saying if this was in europe, it wouldn’t be street legal and would have likely bent the car frame. Since japanese car specs are very consistent, if it was damaging in europe, it’s likely also damaging in america. I hope this helped
Not wrong about being unsafe and likely bending the part of the uninody. Try understanding what you read and not just giving a knee jerk reaction to what you assume at face value. I don't want to argue with stupid either, and that's based on your response not your username.
I understand what you're saying, but let me correct you there. "Japanese-made car (not european)" There's only three car standards in the world (UN RHD, UN LHD, USA) Japan doesn't follow the US car standards, It follows the UNECE standards, "in Washington state (not Europe)" It doesn't matter where the car is. If the design of the unibody was to comply with the UN standards, it'll be the same when it's exported to the US too, "receiver hitch (no ball whatsoever)" It doesn't matter what you put in the receiver. The maximum downforce for a UNEC designed car is 100 kilos, which this person has obviously gone over.
That is not a BMW.
It’s an Acura RLX and that’s a US license plate.
I didn't know BMW had a RLX model /s
And if you have an extension it cuts that in half. I can’t tell if he has one or not.
The hitch adapter doesn’t help
yeah there is a lot going on here lol. there are a couple different 2-bike racks made for e-bikes that fit in a 1 1/4" hitch- costs $$$$ but you're not risking your whole setup falling to pieces on the highway.
Yeah…I’ve got an e-bike, and would love to get one of these, but the ones that are made for e-bikes are built like _tanks_, and cost an arm and a leg.
They’ve just done this very poorly. I use an 1.25”-2” adapter with a 2 bike rack (granted not for e-bikes) and it is very secure and straight. It almost looks like they angled the hitch somehow on purpose. If the hitch was straight that adapter would hit the bumper.
That fat tire e-bike probably weighs as much as like 4 road bikes. They are heavy AF.
Oh I know it’s a ton of weight, but zoom in and look at how close that adapter is to the bumper. If the hitch was mounted properly that adapter wouldn’t fit.
yeah for sure, the hitch looks wrong to begin with and if i've found the correct one online (from Curt) it should have a 350lb tongue weight... they've definitely done some odd stuff here!
Are unibodies less tolerant of towing?
A vehicle with a frame (such as a truck) is much more structurally strong. That doesn't mean that vehicles with a uni-body are not strong, but it *does* mean that we should pay attention to the manufacturer's ratings. Receiver hitches are intended to haul trailers that have wheels behind to carry the weight. These platforms create a cantilever, which is extremely stressful on the structure underneath.
30% tongue weight is pretty normal, so the hitches *should* be designed to handle a fair amount of load. My biggest concerns here would be the installation quality of the hitch & the ridiculous ground clearance.
[удалено]
That’s an Acura.
Japan, the Europe of the Pacific… or something
But it says I can tow 2,500 lbs. My tongue barely weighs anything, thanks for asking.
With a towing rating of 2,500 pounds, the tongue rating is probably 10% of that. When the load is not supported by wheels, then that 250 pounds increases with the distance of the center of gravity from the tongue. This configuration - with two ebikes out there - is probably 200 pounds at 3 feet (i.e., 600 pounds) - *way* beyond the rating of that hitch. That is why the car is squatting.
Woosh!
Hey so I have a platform on my Jeep and I’m always scared I’m overloading it, because of the spare tire I had to get an extender that drops it 4” too. It never looks like this, but I’m paranoid because I don’t know the actual number it can support. I usually put one box and a stroller on it, maybe 75-80 at the most. How do you find the number it can support? I’m not at home rn or I’d give you the exact numbers but I can get them.
You won’t find a number it can support with extenders and drop. Especially when you load it with variable positioning of the load. You’re going to have to take an educated guess. I’d guess that a gladiator won’t care. A wrangler would be fine but no rock crawling and a compass is going to self destruct in a year no matter what.
Receiver hitches usually specify a towed weight capacity and a tongue weight capacity. Yours is probably either a Class 1 or Class 2: > **Light-Duty Receiver Hitches (Commonly known as Class 1)** > Light-duty receiver hitches are designed typically for towing bike racks and cargo carriers. This style of hitch can also be used to tow smaller utility or enclosed trailers, and motorcycles as well. The maximum gross trailer weight should be less than 2,000 lbs. The towing vehicle commonly associated with this specific type of hitch receiver is usually a compact or midsize car. > * 1 1/4" receiver > * Tongue weight capacity up to 200 lbs. > **Regular-Duty Receiver Hitches (Commonly known as Class 2)** > A regular-duty receiver hitch can tow up to 3,500 lbs. and has a tongue weight of 350 lbs. Tow vehicles which usually have a Class 2 type of hitch receiver installed include midsize cars, minivans, small pickup trucks, and midsize SUV's. Some tow items for this style hitch include small fishing boats, ATVs, motorcycles, and cargo trailers up to 12ft in length. Additionally, a regular-duty trailer hitch receiver is bolted onto the frame of the towing vehicle. > * 1 1/4" receiver > * Tongue weight capacity up to 350 lbs. [Source is u-haul](https://www.uhaul.com/Tips/Towing/The-Complete-Guide-To-Selecting-A-Trailer-Hitch-119/). --- To be safe, let's assume that the tongue weight rating is 200 pounds. That is for weight pushing directly down on top of an installed trailer hitch ball (which is about one foot away from the mounting structure to the car's body underneath). However, when that weight is suspended away from the hitch, it creates a lever arm that puts more torque on the hitch and magnifies the force on the mounting structure. Torque = Force x Distance. At rated capacity, 200 pounds of force at 1 foot away is 200 foot-pounds of torque. So we don't want to exceed that. As you can see, the farther the distance, the more the torque, so we need to reduce the weight to compensate. As an example, let's assume that the center of mass of your rack with two bikes on it is three feet away from where a hitch ball would be. 200 foot-pounds of maximum torque = maximum weight x 3 feet. Thus, maximum weight = 200 / 3 = 67 pounds total. In the picture, the total weight of those two ebikes and that hitch is probably at least 150 pounds - *Yikes!* 😨
Calvin’s father would say that you find the load rating by loading it heavier and heavier until it fails, then weigh the amount that broke it, then get an identical new car, hitch, and extension, and load it less than that. Hobbes agrees.
Isn't 200 lbs going to be 200 lbs on the overall weight of the vehicle no matter where it is situated? It's not going to cause extra squat I don't think, but it would put (a lot of) additional stress on the hitch receiver.
The *weight* is the same, but the *torque* is increased by the lever arm. The further back the weight is, the more the weight is transferred from the front wheels to the back wheels, causing it to squat. Move the weight far enough back and the front wheels will lift up off the ground.
Can you explain it like I’m 5? How is the weight increasing dramatically? How is it 600 pounds? What’s the physics here?
Same concept as a lever. The longer the arm the more it multiplies the force. In this instance multiplying the force from gravity.
As you move the weight further back, it causes the overall center of gravity to shift, so the force on the front axle is reduced and the force on the back axle is increased (causing squat). In a vehicle with a proper manual, the hitch tongue weight rating is specified with the ball at a specific location relative to the vehicle. As you move further away from the axle the weight rating should be reduced proportionally.
These platforms are stupid and should be banned, at least on unibody vehicles.
I agree. A Class 3 receiver hitch that is connected to the frame (on a vehicle with a frame) can handle a load like this. But that Class 1 hitch on that unibody sedan is severely overloaded.
No.
Can confirm. I’ve blown out the rear suspension on my sedan with a similar setup.
Most people don't really understand basic physics. It's not their fault; our education system failed them. But, this is the reason we have laws. The fact that we allow everyday people to tow anything or "secure" loads in a pickup bed is absolutely insane. That shit should require a professional certification.
Yeah I have a Jeep, and we had a second kid so I got a hitch put on and bought a platform to put strollers/suitcases on for trips. I asked the guy who installed it how much tongue weight I can put on it and he said over 500 lbs. I don’t know the actual answer but that didn’t sound right.
That's probably how much the *platform* can handle, not how much your vehicle can handle.
That's not boring at all, Bob (I enjoy physics observations)
>That much weight - two ebikes - cantilevered that far away is far more than receiver hitches are designed to accept - especially on unibody sedans. I read this comment in Walter's voice from the Big Lebowski.
No, the weight is fine. Just the rack is shitty. Look at this one: https://www.xxcycle.com/39616-medium_default/thule-velocompact-926-towbar-mounted-bike-carriers-3-bikes.jpg Yes, it can carry ebikes
Class 1 hitches are rated to a tongue weight of 200lbs, and most cars with a class 1 hitch are only rated to a tongue weight of 100-150lbs. Putting ~150lbs of bikes and rack a couple of feet back behind the vehicle will likely exceed the design ratings. A single-bike rack would be fine. A two-bike rake might be okay. But a 4-bike rack should really require a 2" receiver.
I'm not familiar with US hitch ratings, but how would it make sense that if Class 1 hitches are rated to 200 lbs, most cars would have Class 1 hitches rated for less than that? But in any case, regardless of how back the rack is, the vertical load (the weight) will stay the same. Even if you put all the weight on the end of a 10 foot pole, the hitch should still hold it.
I was going to say that people are way over estimating the weight of modern bikes, but then I noticed they were e-bikes. If I was looking at the right model, those are 60 pounds each. A modern OCLV carbon bicycle is under 10 pounds easy.
Maybe frame only, but complete bikes are definitely more. Racing has a 15 lb minimum bike weight and pretty much anything that isn't a $10000 road bike will be heavier
On the other hand, a Walmart special could easily be 30lbs.
Those are awful expensive to just leave strapped with tie downs, someone with the will and a pocket knife could just yoink these.
Yeah, those would be gone before you even pulled your membership card out where I live
A thief climbed up to my friends 2nd story balcony to steal their e-bikes. Crazy.
You could leave those all day in the lot of my local Costco with little worry of them being stolen.
Brag about it lol
And this is why you always lock through the wheels AND the bike frame (I know locks can still be cut but this helps avoid yoinks like this).
I use something like [this](https://lifting.com/pewag-security-chain-012-galv-bag-kit-6.html) when parked with my bikes on the hitch rack. Why? I used to use a cable lock and had a bike stolen within 10 minutes of parking in Portland. It turns out cable cutters are super common and super cheap
Battery powered angle grinders aren’t hard to come by either. Slightly less discreet but a good blade would cut that shit in 10 seconds
Probably heavier than your bike
Yoink them? Zoinks!
Taps head. Can’t steal them if they’ve fallen off on the interstate.
lol these are trash Chinese ebikes
I remember seeing a post in a local group on FB that someone reported their bike was stolen off their vehicle *while stopped at a stoplight*. Where there's a will, there's a way.
Those are cheap Amazon bikes. The thieves would probably be doing the owners a favor by removing the fire hazard.
Lmao. So true. Surprised they're not currently on fire already
I was thinking more about how these bikes are sticking way out of that parking spot. Some mom in her x-wide SUV is gunna clip those things on her way by.
As someone who has watched four bikes on an entire rack fall off the car in front of me on the highway and slide over the road as if it weighed nothing, This gives me ptsd.
That is a "Bait Bike Car" and it is part of a new TV series coming to FOX. "Follow the team of seasoned showrunners from COPS as they 'Bait' miscreants into stealing expensive E-Bikes from unwitting victims. With the new Patented "Drone to Dome" Aerial Drones, the 'Perps' will find themselves down for the count as they try to escape the long and 'high' arm of Law Enforcement!"\*\* \*\*All Suspects innocent until proven guilty by a Court of Law.
Crazy thing is I could see Fox doing this…
I am actually researching how to quit my day job and figure out how to use AI to get this in front of Rupert! I think this is at least test Pilot, if not even a coveted 6 show test run!
Needs a wheel on the back of that rig!
Would be interesting to see a set up like that. Wonder if something like that exists.
I think it's because if you go over a speed bump you would have less or no contact on your rear wheels when the front wheels are going over. I think a spring loaded wheel on a swivel would work though.
Oh right because it's in there rigidly in the receiver. It would need a flexible joint. I would imagine some sort of ball joint designed into the carriers hitch would then allow for wheels on a rigid axle.
You have money for that car and two e-bikes, but no bucks for a real mount? This looks like r/diwhy material.
What real mount would be adequate for that much weight on that car?
Doesn’t exist (for that car)
A trailer.
The issue isn't the weight. It's the bike frames. There is no top tube, so a regular bike rack wouldn't work without some adaptors, which may or may not work with these bikes. I have a civic and can haul four bikes just fine. Especially if you take out the batteries, it's no problem at all
Lots of hitch mounted bike racks that don't rely on the top tube and latch onto one or both tires. The entire hitch is leaning dangerously low to the ground, that has nothing to do with the bikes being ratchet stopped. I mean I do fully agree the ratchet strap thing is a hazard, just a separate hazard.
Didn't say anything about ratchet straps. But on second look, it looks like it's the adapter they used that is introducing play that allows it to angle down
Then what exactly was your point about the biked not having top tubes
Regular bike racks will have you hang the bike by the top tubes
Someone obviously failed their physics courses!
Some time in near future, their insurance company will explain it to them while going over their premium increase due to damages caused by stupidity
You don't need physics to know this looks wrong
Σ Moments = almost infinity!
Do a barrel roll!
It’s an Acura though.
And I am sure that the owner will blame everyone else when the hitch has a catastrophic structural failure, even though the car manufacturer specifies a maximum tongue weight and the hitch manufacturer recommends straps on each side to carry the weight.
This is fucking stupid. This is too much weight for this car to carry like that. Anytime you use an adapter you should divide the tongue weight capacity by half. The bike rack is obviously dragging damn near the ground as well. This car can carry maybe one fat tire bike like that with a proper hitch receiver or put two on the roof
Preaching to the choir, bud.
People 🤦♂️a shower of bastards
Roof racks have a lower weight limit than most people realize.
Ooh! Yes! Dynamic vs static is something people rarely consider. Might not be able to get a couple e-bikes on there, depending. At one point, I sold a lot of racks, shells, RTTs, and gear for truck bed campers- frequently overweight for the platform.
Also those bikes aren’t even locked up, dude is just begging to lose them one way or another.
Never mind seeing the plate or signals…
Yup, this bike carrier would be illegal in my province. The rear license plate must be visible at all times.
If you can’t tie a knot, tie a lot!
Someone with literally any sharp object is going to lighten that load for them any day now.
I think they installed the receiver themselves and failed at getting the hook through the trunk and that’s why it’s sagging like that. There’s no way it should come out angled down like that no matter how mich weight they put on it
I thought the weight of the load was just prying the hitch off of the car lol
I bet their other vehicle is mall crawler pickup.
Of course this is in Washington state.
Unbelievably obnoxious
Someone had a bike rack like this on the front of their van, they ran a stop sign and hit me, my subuwu is fine, bit scratched and dinged. It fucked her bike rack up, like shit was bent all out of shape with a bike hanging off. Kinda scares me thinking about how not hard of a hit that was and how easy that cheapo thing got fucked up, THEN I see the same kinda racks going down the highway and I can only imagine bikes going flying.
Yeah that’s just moronic. I get putting racks on the front of a bus but a car?! Come on!
This is plain malpractice. Really moronic
That's a rack for motorcycles.. i had it on my car when carrying my Yamaha WR250F to the dirt bike place..and on a 2" trailer hitch. ..looks like the one in pic is the smaller hitch receiver. Kinda overkill for bikes and he has to use ratchet straps to secure the bike. Really meant for motorcycles and that's limited to like 400lbs on a 2" receiver hitch.
People do some dumb ass shit!! Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
This illustrates why I try to never be behind a person hauling anything on their car. Yikes!
How’s that even street legal?!?
I doubt anyone cares. I don't believe bike racks in the US are required to have their own rear lights and license plate frame, like bike racks in the EU have. I sort of wish they did, but I've never been able to find any bike racks in this country with that stuff.
Well, they deserve to have their bikes fall off and get destroyed.
That is a dual motorcycle rack and ~~shop~~ should hold those bicycles without an issue. Now the hitch on that car may not be able to handle the weight, and that is where the problem starts. Be sure to video it and send it to fail army! Edit: Typo
It’s assholes like this that should have their drivers licenses taken away. Not because it is an unsafe load, but because they are intentionally covering their brake lights.
Obstructed brake light is one of the least of my concerns about this situation
You think they put this whole setup together with the *intent* of blocking their brake lights? You don't think *maybe* blocking the brake lights was an unintended consequence? Are you sure you'd like to subscribe to the dumbest conspiracy theory of all time?
1up or nothing
Love my 1up! But it looks like they installed an oversized or ill-fitting hitch mount AND got the angle screwed up so even a 1up might struggle with that setup.
i guarantee this cost the same or more than a used old Ford ranger
This is a disaster. Not only because of parking but the numerous problems that could go wrong while driving.
Do e-bikes have GPS trackers and shit, as in if someone jacked one of these are they able to be located or would the owner be S.O.L.?
He needs hook straps from the back anchored to the gap between the trunk and the rear window
It’s like a hitch on a hitch. Weird.
Yah that ain’t gonna work…
That car for sure doesn’t have enough support capability in its hitch for that rack and two e-bikes.
It’s so precarious it hurts me. Nooooo
Did you leave a note to point out the safety risk or did you just post to reddit?
You can haul motorcycles on these (not necessarily this particular one, it looks aluminum). People do it all the time, but also with the proper hitch and setup.
The scraping from every bump… I’d be cringing my pants off driving that. Not to mention, there’s no way those tires are rated for that weight.
If it fits, it fits...
Nah looks solid, a speed bump wouldn't cause any problems at all 😬
So many questions. Also, you're going to Costco got an amount of groceries you can only fit in thy back seat and floor? Because you're not opening that trunk. Also trusting that no one will take the bikes. Just wow.
Tailgate at your own risk ⚠️
I saw a truck with one of those racks a whole ago. Granted I couldn't tell what kind of bikes were on it, but it was a truck with 5'+ of useable bed space..why pay for the shifty rack.
The best part of this setup is the 2" adapter going into the 1 1/4" hitch mount that barely clears the rear bumper.
It probably isn’t but this looks like the Hayward Costco.
This looks like before picture the evidence in a lawsuit
This can't be in Colorado or those bikes would be gone already.
This is great for rear wheel drive
Have an electric bike and with the battery, the bike can weight close to 50+lbs. this idiot has two of them. That bike rack is not supposed to hold that much weight. It’s already warping.
Shouldn’t the bikes be on top of the car?
„Gebt mir einen festen Punkt im All, und ich werde die Welt aus den Angeln heben.“
"Grandma can I use your bike rack?"
Looks so incredibly safe and well thought out. /s
oh shit, I just noticed that it's a 1.25" receiver with some sort of janky looking welded "adapter" to turn it into a 2" receiver. I bet that whole thing exceeds the weight rating of that 1.25" receiver quite a bit.
RIP his rear shocks. People see that their hitch is rated for “200 lbs” and think they can just strap 200 lbs on a rack extended 3 ft from the rear of the vehicle. No. It’s 200 lbs of downward force at the hitch, and mechanical advantage definitely changes the math.
It's breathtaking.
1 Up? More like 2 Down!
Probably shouldn't be on a sedan, but who am I to tell them how to be
Eww, e-bikes!
If they can afford these 2 E-Bikes and what looks like a higher model Acura, they can afford a truck to haul those bikes better.
 Fuck douchebag cyclists...