Recommendations for Ground Clearance for a 2010 Honda Odyssey Carrying a Loaded Motorcycle Carrier

Question:

Questions similar to mine seem to be asked often. I bought a Rage Powersports AMC 400 Hitch mounted motorcycle carrier from you. I put it on a 2010 Honda Odyssey. It extends far from the car. The motorcycle weighs 291 lbs. The hitch is a Reese Class III. Getting in/out of driveways and gas stations is nerve racking as it invariably drags. I was looking at this part to get some ground clearance. But I see you often recommend a comparable part from Curt. Why? This one gives more clearance. Thanks.

asked by: Tim

Expert Reply:

I believe I may have a solution to help with the sagging on your 2010 Honda Odyssey, however, the Roadmaster High-Low Hitch Adapter # RM-048-6 you referenced was designed and intended to be used to tow a four wheeled vehicle with a towbar behind a motorhome. Many of the adapters are not intended to carry weight, which is what you would be doing with your motorcycle carrier loaded with the motorcycle, they were designed exclusively to level out a rolling tow.

We typically offer the Curt Multipurpose Ball Mount # D210 when people are having issues with ground clearance and are looking to raise their hitch mounted bike racks, which is similar to your issue with your 2010 Honda Odyssey carrying your motorcycle. In this instance, you would simply not use the ball mount portion of the adapter, however, by using this adapter, not only would it raise your motorcycle, but, it will also extend it further from your vehicle in turn increasing the pressure on the hitch, which would probably not relieve as much of the sagging issue as needed. The Curt product was designed and intended to carry weight whereas the Roadmaster # RM-04-6 is not.

A couple of issues that are common with the Honda Odessey is that the hitch sits so low already that when you add the carrier and the motorcycle, you are right below the tongue weight limit so sagging is expected. The second issue is that since the receiver is so low, if you add one of the recommended adapters to get the rise, the bottom part of the adapter may hit the ground in certain instances when driving.

One option, that may help with your sagging is to install a suspension air system such as Air Lift 1000 # AL60815. With the air system it adds support when hauling heavy loads. Typically, this is used to support heavy loads within the vehicle. Even with this system installed, you still have a Honda weight capacity limit and with what you are already carrying with the carrier and motorcycle, you are about maxed out. The installation instructions are attached.

expert reply by: Lori W