Hauling an ATV (non trailer or in truck bed)

[Wrench]

Trailers add flat potential and require bearing maintenance, they're easily stolen, harder to park and forget turning around at the end of a gated road.

Camper shell is removable.....or perhaps a short enough quad to fit under it.

#800 of dynamic weight beyond the ass end sounds like a bunch of potential problems. The condition of your hitch, frame and fastners better be 100%. The extra push in a corner will be substantial.....imagine that on a off camber icy road.

 

[Davyalabama]

I'll take the potential for a flat, bearing maintenance, wiring, etc. any day before I hook that thing up on the hitch itself. I run trailers a good bit, the maintenance of one is certainly less than on a vehicle.

Now again, I'm not putting myself miles deep in rough territory before I take my ATV/SXS off either. I don't hunt the way some do and need every ounce they can get out of a vehicle, then pull the ATV off.

OP, I can see where you might want to try something like this for hauling, it makes since, until you start figuring out weight of the ATV, the hitch itself, etc. Then.......I'm back to my trailer.

 

[MallardSX2]

Personally, I pull a trailer and bring a grease gun (apply more grease every 1000 highway miles), spare tire(S), pipe wrenches, a pump jack, sockets, giant crescent wrenches, zip ties, magnetic trailer lights, and everything else I might need to fix a breakdown. I even carry spare bearings. I HATE pulling a trailer but I wont let it ruin my hunt by leaving me screwed.

This is what most guys need if they don't want to go the trailer route.

DIAMONDBACK ATVR

Never been easier to haul an ATV with DiamondBack's rear loading ATV carrier. Go hitch-free, seal and secure your cargo bed, and carry your ATV. Shop now.

diamondbackcovers.com

or

DIAMONDBACK SXS

Haul a SXS or UTV with a truck rack that's both a UTV truck bed hauler and pickup truck bed cover. Seal and secure your cargo bed and go hitch-free. Shop now.

diamondbackcovers.com

 

[Davyalabama]

MallardSX2, those are some nice sets you posted, I'm not sure I'm the one that would ride an ATV up there though. I'll leave that for the younger crowd on here. Wow, gumbo mud, rain, wind, dark-thirty, tired, no thank you on putting one that high. I do like the fact they have that bumper on the back/front whatever side you call it near the cab. Can you imagine hauling those big ramps to get it up there?

You run a trailer, too. You're just letting them know what else is out there?

 

[Rich M]

I have a 4x6 utility trailer with 13 inch radial tires on it - can't even tell it is back there. No fuel diff, no drag, only notice it when going over bumps.

Flat potential is a lot less with radial tires. Shouldn't be any bearing issues if you pack em right and use marine grease - not gonna get em wet on a utility trailer, so that's a non-factor to me.

Extra difficulty and theft - some. If you can't back it up, then unhook it and move it - small utility trailer is light. I use the heck out of mine and it swings real quick when backing up due to being short. Can always run a cable thru the tires and the trailer for extra security.

 

[cnelk]

Back in the day, I had a topper on my truck and didnt have a trailer.
I would just remove the clamps on the topper, lift up the back of it and prop it up with a couple pre-measured boards.

Drive the atv up on the truck with ramps [ducking a little] and then lowering the topper, reinstalling the clamps.

Definitely better than that ridiculous setup on the back end of the truck

 

[Boarmaster]

I have hauled ATVs in many ways over my decades of traveling for hunting. In my truck bed, enclosed trailers large and smaller and open trailers. For me the most efficient and easiest way was a single axle open utility trailer sized for my ATV and gas cans. Generally coolers and gear go in the truck. The only deviation I would make is if I had a full time traveling hunting buddy that had an ATV. Then I might consider an open trailer with duel axles right sized for both machines. A small single axle trailer is easy to move around and hook up. Just get one with descent size tires on it and a ramp.

I had similar carrier as in the pic. It was bigger than most of the el cheapo carriers and
I even installed brake light and turn signals on it. It was very well built and carried a 200 liter cooler.
It was the biggest pain in the shorts I ever attached to my truck. I used it on two trips and sold it to the next sucker. It was so much easier just unhook a small trailer.

 

[wytx]

Trailers add flat potential and require bearing maintenance, they're easily stolen, harder to park and forget turning around at the end of a gated road.

Camper shell is removable.....or perhaps a short enough quad to fit under it.

#800 of dynamic weight beyond the ass end sounds like a bunch of potential problems. The condition of your hitch, frame and fastners better be 100%. The extra push in a corner will be substantial.....imagine that on a off camber icy road.

Man you should see where we go to cut firewood, end of the road is a piece of cake to turn a trailer around. Maintenance, hardly any but yes check your bearings every once in a while.
Never had anything stolen out of our trailer either.
The hitch haul will be a pain in the you know what. What happens when the roads are covered in snow for the trip ?

 

[wytx]

Yes the Diamondback cover will haul an atv or side by side, as will the Renegade brand.

 

[Weldor]

Ditto on that contraption. even with a class V that's dangerous.

 

[Blockcaver]

As an engineer, no way I'd ever try to put an ATV on the original poster's rear carrier for all the good reasons listed in multiple posts above.

I do carry a 200# Honda Trail 110 on my F150 hitch rack and it works OK, but you feel it back there. Most ATV's are 700# or more and twice as wide increasing the cantilever load on your receiver hitch system many times over the trail bike.

My small open deck trailer is a 6'8# wide x 8'8" long tilt deck Triton aluminum "snowmobile" trailer I bought used in 2008. It will haul two side loaded quads and came with a nice ramp. I've hauled a 2-person Polaris RZR 800 and now a 2-person Honda Pioneer 520 around on it as well. Trailer is easy for one person to move around. The torsion axle suspension works well. If buying a new one today, I'd get the single axle 10' or better yet, the 12' long version of the same trailer for even greater utility.

Gas mileage with the Yamaha Grizzly on the trailer decreases from around 12 liters/100km (19.6 mpg) with the bare truck to about 14 liters/100km (16.8 mpg) pulling the trailer and quad on mixed highway and logging road driving this spring bear hunting. By comparison, putting the RZR in the 6'x12' enclosed cargo trailer on the exact same run out bear hunting increased gas consumption to 22 liters/100km (10.7mpg). Truck is a 2015 Ford F150 with the 5.0 liter V-8.

 

[KHNC]

Personally, I pull a trailer and bring a grease gun (apply more grease every 1000 highway miles), spare tire(S), pipe wrenches, a pump jack, sockets, giant crescent wrenches, zip ties, magnetic trailer lights, and everything else I might need to fix a breakdown. I even carry spare bearings. I HATE pulling a trailer but I wont let it ruin my hunt by leaving me screwed.

This is what most guys need if they don't want to go the trailer route.

DIAMONDBACK ATVR

Never been easier to haul an ATV with DiamondBack's rear loading ATV carrier. Go hitch-free, seal and secure your cargo bed, and carry your ATV. Shop now.

diamondbackcovers.com

or

DIAMONDBACK SXS

Haul a SXS or UTV with a truck rack that's both a UTV truck bed hauler and pickup truck bed cover. Seal and secure your cargo bed and go hitch-free. Shop now.

diamondbackcovers.com

Sweet! For 3500.00 I no longer would have to worry about those extra 2-3.00 tolls, greasing a trailer hub or losing a couple mpg while towing! Awesome!!

Seriously tho, I put a decked system in my F250 . Loaded the atv on top of it and promptly broke my 1600.00 power rear window!!! This thing would be nice, but not worth it for me to pay that much. I dont haul the atv enough to justify.

 

[Weldor]

Trailer's are a better option for sure. I still don't understand guy's dumping $25,000 on a SxS and using a cheap single axle trailer? Tandom is way better and very stable if you lose a tire. If your worried about weight buy an aluminum trailer. As far as being worried about fuel economy buy Prius LOL

 

[ElkArcher918]

Looking for a way to haul an ATV not using a trailer or throwing it up in the truck bed. Anyone ever use one of these or something similar?

Rak-Master | The Ultimate ATV Carrier | Made In The USA

Rak-Master | The Ultimate ATV Multipurpose Carrier

rak-master.com

View attachment 894875

Do yourself a favor and get a durable 5" x 8" utility trailer to haul your ATV. That's what I used to trailer my quad before I sold it. Bulky gear goes in the bed. Firearms, optics, and other high value items in the cab. With that little utility trailer I was able to get into some tight places up in the mountains, set up camp, and get away from the crowds. Check out the used market for a utility trailer but make sure it's in good condition, dependable, and safe.

 

[Hunter26]

Well I think the guy got his answer. The reality is that thing is not an option and if you want to bring an ATV along then there is a cost to it. MPG, less space in the bed of your truck, buying a trailer, maintaining your equipment. It is going to be something. To me a little trailer with tall wheels and a strong axel is the ticket for a 12-14 hour drive. Cost of bringing an atv versus benefits of having an atv.

 

[Dos Perros]

That thing would be worlds better if they added one wheel on the back to take some load.

 

[Randle]

Dont have one but heres an option

 

[doc holiday13]

Good grief, $1500 plus an average shipping cost of $350!

$1850 will get you 5x8 utility trailer

I cannot see how that thing would provide any benefit over a trailer.

Agreed. You'd still need 2 spaces for parking anywhere you park and I bet that thing might be a slipped disk before hooking up a trailer

 

[doc holiday13]

That thing looks like it would be a nightmare if the road isn't in smooth perfect condition.

Wouldn't be much of an issue. Average ATV weight would be ~600#. A 600# weight on the bumper isn't that much. The hitch should support it and truck should have the payload for it.

I can see an issue however when it comes to approach and departure angles or undulating dirt roads with deep ruts but standard paved road... Nah

 

[Machingeaneer]

Wouldn't be much of an issue. Average ATV weight would be ~600#. A 600# weight on the bumper isn't that much. The hitch should support it and truck should have the payload for it.

I can see an issue however when it comes to approach and departure angles or undulating dirt roads with deep ruts but standard paved road... Nah

That's not including 300# for the just the rack, 900lbs exceeds the rating of all class III hitches that come on most half tons.