The Full Story
Why VersaHaul Is the Standard for Hitch-Mounted Carriers
The Problem with Cheap Hitch Carriers
Walk into any large RV supply retailer and you will find hitch-mounted motorcycle carriers at prices from under $200 to $600 or more. The cheap ones look similar on a spec sheet and photograph reasonably well. What the photographs do not show is what happens after 10,000 highway miles with a 450-lb. motorcycle on the back of a 40-foot motorhome rolling over bridge expansion joints, uneven pavement, and switchback grades.
Open U-rail carriers flex. The constant small movements -- vibration, cornering load, braking force transmitted through the hitch -- work on the welds and the rail geometry over time. A carrier that feels solid when new will develop visible side-to-side play. That play transmits directly to your bike, stresses the tie-down straps, and gradually works the wheel stop loose from its position. It is not a dramatic failure. It is slow degradation that becomes a $4,000 to $20,000 problem if it costs you a motorcycle on the highway.
VersaHaul's closed box-design frame is the engineering solution to this problem. The box section resists torsional (twisting) load by a significant margin compared to an open section of the same weight. You can see the difference just by looking at the carrier frame end-on -- the VersaHaul is a closed rectangle of steel where competitors show an open U or C shape. That geometry is why the carrier stays tight, the wheel stop stays where you put it, and the tie-down bars keep their angle after years of use.
The Tow Hitch: The Feature That Changes the Math
Here is the situation that comes up repeatedly among our customers: you have a Class III or Class IV hitch on your motorhome. You want to carry your motorcycle. You also want to tow your small utility trailer or boat trailer occasionally. With any other carrier, you are choosing one or the other on any given trip. The carrier occupies the hitch receiver, and the trailer stays home.
With VersaHaul, that tradeoff disappears. The built-in Class III hitch at the rear of the carrier accepts a standard 2-inch receiver insert. Attach your trailer ball, hook up the trailer, and both your motorcycle and your trailer travel together. The limiting factor is your motorhome's total towing capacity and tongue weight rating -- not the carrier. Up to 3,000 lbs of trailer is the carrier's rated capacity for the tow hitch.
No other manufacturer has followed VersaHaul's lead on this feature. It remains exclusive after years on the market, which says something about how difficult it is to engineer correctly while keeping the carrier's weight and hitch receiver load within safe limits.
Loading Solo: Why the Ramp Matters
Our core customers are motorhome owners who are 60 and older. Wrestling a 500-lb. touring bike up and onto a carrier without a ramp is not a realistic expectation at any age, and it becomes less so as years go by. VersaHaul's ramp-equipped models solve this directly. The ramp attaches to the carrier, you roll the bike up the incline under its own power, position it on the wheel stop, and secure the straps. The ramp stows on the carrier frame when not in use.
This is not a luxury feature. It is the difference between a carrier you can actually use by yourself at a campground at 7am before anyone else is up, and a carrier that requires you to find someone willing to help you wrestle a Harley onto a platform. If you are evaluating carriers and solo loading matters to you, look only at ramp-equipped models.
Choosing the Right Category
The three categories on this page are organized by what you are hauling, not by hitch class or weight. Motorcycle Carriers covers single and double carriers for two-wheeled bikes of all types, in both standard and raised main tube configurations. Other Carriers is where you go for ATVs, go-karts, mobility scooters, trikes, jet skis, and the steel cargo tray. Carrier Accessories covers the add-ons, replacement parts, and configuration items that customize your setup -- anti-tilt brackets in each hitch class, hitch extenders and risers, taillight kits, wheel chocks, tie-down straps, and the single-to-double conversion kit.
If you are not certain which carrier configuration is right for your bike, hitch, and motorhome combination, the fastest path to the correct answer is a phone call. Our team at 877-736-2267 knows the VersaHaul line completely and can tell you in one conversation which model number you need.
We are an authorized VersaHaul dealer. Every carrier and accessory we sell carries the full manufacturer warranty. We are BBB A+ rated with a 96.5 percent customer satisfaction rating across hundreds of verified reviews. Free shipping on orders over $100 applies to all U.S. orders. We ship to customers throughout the United States and Canada.
