Recommendedation to Tow 4,500 Pound Trailer and Use Hitch-Mounted Bike Rack

Updated 09/11/2018 | Published 09/10/2018

Products Featured in This Question

Malone 2" Dual Purpose Hitch Receiver

(201)

$142.01

Curt Multipurpose Ball Mount with 2" Receiver for Bike Racks and Cargo Carriers - 7,500 lbs

(234)

$73.72

Question:

Which dual do you recommend for pulling 4500lb travel trailer with a blue ox hitch and a bicycle carrier. Thank you

asked by: Billy

Expert Reply:

I do have a solution for you, however we do not have a dual hitch receiver like the Malone # MPG544 that you were looking at that has the kind of capacity you are needing to pull your 4,500 pound trailer.

Your best option will be with the Curt Multipurpose Ball Mount # D210. This has a different design than the dual receiver adapter but it serves the same purpose. It also features a 7,500 pound towing weight capacity. This will provide you with a ball mount on the bottom of the shank and a 2 inch receiver above it that you can use for your bike rack. I also just like the design of this unit more than a dual receiver since it requires one less attachment point (instead of still needing to insert a ball mount into the bottom receiver) for a more secure/stable connection.

An important thing to keep in mind when using this or any other style adapter (including the dual receiver options) is that they will reduce the tongue weight capacity of your trailer hitch by 50 percent. For example if the tongue weight capacity on your hitch is 350 pounds, this will be reduced to 175 pounds when using the adapter. You just need to make sure that the combined tongue weight of both your loaded trailer and bike rack do not exceed the reduced rating.

I have attached a short video demonstration on this product that you can also check out.

expert reply by: Chris R