Hitch Extender

drayweb · 03-07-2022, 02:29 PM

Was thinking about getting a dual Hitch extender so I can haul my bike between my truck and Sunline Saturn 16 foot camper. The extender has a 4000 pound towing capacity. Do you think this would work?

https://www.harborfreight.com/dual-h...der-69881.html

**JohnB** · 03-07-2022, 04:01 PM

Hi,

Not sure what your receiver is rated for, many times there is a sticker on the receiver for the load carrying rating. If it is not on the receiver, it may be in the owners manual or a towing manual for your brand/year truck. Check the rating. I'm assuming with this smaller camper, you are not using a weight distribution hitch and using a standard load carrying ball mount. The loaded tongue weight ratings on most trucks are lower when when not using a WD hitch.

Your camper is fairly light, but again not knowing the truck, adding the camper tongue weight, plus the bike and rack weight, may become over the 400# limit on the harbor freight adapter. Check and see if that will be a problem. You camper loaded could have a 300# maybe 350# loaded tongue weight assuming your camper is a 86 T1650 Saturn.

If you get past the load ratings on the HF adapter and the truck receiver, something to check is, will your bike rack with a bike/bikes, hit the camper in a turn? Try mocking up how far the bike will be sticking out to make sure you do not hit when you come close to max turn with the truck and camper normally.

Carrying bikes with a camper can be problematic pending what your truck is. I myself are on my 3rd method on how to carry bikes with the camper.

Hope this helps.

John

drayweb · 03-07-2022, 04:28 PM

I think my Saturn is the T1550. I'm pulling it with a 2013 Nissan Frontier SV crew cab.

**JohnB** · 03-07-2022, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drayweb

I think my Saturn is the T1550. I'm pulling it with a 2013 Nissan Frontier SV crew cab.

The 86 Saturn T1550 is very close to the same weight as 86 Saturn T1650. The brochure empty tongue is about 30# heavier on the T1550 due to the layout. The end result of loaded tongue weight can be the same, so the same concerns are there with either, assuming yours in one of the two.

If the ratings do not work out or the bike hits the camper in a turn, since you have a pickup, there are some options for a bed mount bike rack. Even if you you have a tono cover. I recall a club member making a bike rack on his Chevy 2500 HD behind the cab for his 2 bikes above the tono. If that has interest, let me know, I hunt for the post, I thought he had pics of it.

Hope this helps,

John

drayweb · 03-08-2022, 07:16 AM

I guess I'll have to haul my bike inside the camper like I did last summer. I have a topper on my pickup and I usually haul the generator, gas can, cooler and water jug in the box. My bike is a 70 pound ebike which would have been a little heavy for the hang on bike carrier that I got from Walmart.

jleslie48 · 03-17-2022, 10:56 AM

FWIW: I got the single extender a year ago so I could add the truck toolbox and it worked wonderfully for my micro. Sway was reduced and backing up got a lot easier with reduced jackknifing with the extra length.
Rather than the dual and putting the bikes in the back, for $70 I put a hitch on the front of the truck and put the bikes there. This has the added benefit of being able to leave the bikes in place and not interfering with bed of the pickup and also having access to the bikes much easier without unhitching.