New Jet Ski Carrier!

[SilverBullet75]

(thread spliced from: http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...threadid=16048)
A HUGE THANKS to Workmeistr, who traded me straight out, my "Tone" hitch for his Uhaul hitch!!! I installed it about 2 weeks ago and took one of my jet ski's to the river with it. The hitch itself was GREAT... the basket (Harbor Freight) was the weak link (go figure)
The basket tweaked sideways due to the weight of the motor on that end of the ski, by about 4 inches Other than that, and the fact that the ski's motor siezed after 3 hrs of running, and I had to swim it back 1.5 miles... the setup had GREAT potential!

So, to stop it from twisting... I did my OWN design, bought the steel (2x2x1/4" sq. tubing), had it cut:
... then took it to a fab. shop to have welded. I was kinda stoked when the shop mgr. told me he liked my design... said it should hold 3 ski's... 2 hrs. later, I picked it up: Looked GREAT! Like an art sculpture! Great welder... $80 for labor/mat.
So, I mounted the rails and tie-downs and got some spray on truck bed liner and... WAHLAHHH!!!

Now when I jump on it, the back of the VX bounces... NOT the hitch! This thing is ROCK SOLID!!!
Now, I'm just waiting for the new Anti-rattle/wobble device to arrive (tomorrow), then I'll take it for a test... Off-road with the Jet Ski on!

[pbkid]

lake mead???

looks great, i have a jet ski and ive been thinking of doing the same thing, only im lacking the hitch part

[SilverBullet75]

If you want to do this type of carrier, be sure NOT to get the Tone hitch. You will need the beefiness of the Uhaul/Dylan/Curt hitch.

Yes, I go to Lake Mead, and the Colorado River occasionally.

[pbkid]

nice... ya i go down to the colorado river about 2 times a year... but i go to the arizona portion. thats where i keep my ski and my parents keep their boat and wave runners

[taylorRichie]

doesn't the Uhaul/Dylan/Curt hitch just mount to the same frame that the TONE hitch is mounted to? Pretty sure it's capable of the same Tongue weight.

[tom4bren]

Naw, the Tone hitch bolts to the angle iron bumber (behind the cladding). The Dylan (& U-Haul) hitch bolts to the frame. Us Tone hitchers traded off tongue weight for a cleaner look. The towing capacity (draw weight) is about the same though.

[JHarris1385]

Resurrecting this thread.....finally bought an old stand up Kawasaki jet ski and want to do this mod, but I have to get the hitch first.

So it is certain that I need the Uhaul/Curt hitch right?

I have always liked the cleaner look of Tone's and also thought the Uhaul got in the way of off roading a little with less of an angle.

However I do plan to lift mine another inch here soon.

And what is the anti rattle/wobble device?

[SilverBullet75]

Resurrecting this thread.....finally bought an old stand up Kawasaki jet ski and want to do this mod, but I have to get the hitch first.

So it is certain that I need the Uhaul/Curt hitch right?

I have always liked the cleaner look of Tone's and also thought the Uhaul got in the way of off roading a little with less of an angle.

However I do plan to lift mine another inch here soon.

And what is the anti rattle/wobble device?

Hi,
The anti-rattle hitch pin I use is this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Valley-76820-S...ata/B000BO8VG0
It's amazing! I'm surprised that it hasn't caught on more. Once you have one, you'll never NOT own one if you tow or hitch anything.

What Kawasaki ski did you get!? I sold my 550s (x5) and now just have one 650sx that I'm building from the profits of the sales.
If you aren't a member of the forum www.pwctoday.com already, JOIN! Best source of info and parts I've ever seen. Also, if you have stuff to sell... it WILL sell there. I'm Silverbullet75 on that site too... go figure.

Also, definitely do the Curt/Uhaul/Dylan hitch if you're planning the rear jet ski mount. Let me know if you need some help with the rack!
---JIM---

[VX KAT]

Hi,
The anti-rattle hitch pin I use is this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Valley-76820-S...ata/B000BO8VG0
It's amazing! I'm surprised that it hasn't caught on more. Once you have one, you'll never NOT own one if you tow or hitch anything.
---JIM---

When it says it doesn't require a 2nd hole, does that mean this pin doesn't go through the hole on the other side of the receiver, OR does it mean you don't need to drill a new set of holes in the receiver? Reason I'm asking is cuz I can't get my "regular" locking pin on with my new rear skid because the notched area on the skid is not wide enough. If this pin is shorter, maybe it would fit or at least require less cutting to fit?

[SilverBullet75]

No idea what they mean by second hole... weird.

It just replaces your current hitch pin.
Here's a great description of how it works:
http://www.letsgoaero.com/ProductDetail.asp?Pid=14

If you would like, I could send you mine for fitting purposes before you buy Sue.
I don't need it for a few more weeks.
Just pay shipping... Let me know.

---JIM---

[vt_maverick]

You definitely need the Dylan/Curt - otherwise you're likely to twist the last cross member and lean down. Silverbullet found this to be true with his ski, and I also found it to be true when using a rear cargo carrier with two rims inside (at least 250 lbs. total).

I wouldn't worry about the offroad entry/exit angle issue, I believe several of the Moab crowd have testified that it can actually save your butt (pun intended) if you slide across something.

[JHarris1385]

Thanks for the link! I will have to buy that once I get the hitch.

Its a 440, my friend and I bought 2 440's and a double trailer for $900 just down the road from us. They are early 80's, but both run and clean.

We have have purchased multiple stand-ups in the past and have not had the best of luck with them all. One of the best was a modified 750 but it was the one to give us the most issues. This is my first purchase instead of bumming off my friends. Right now we have 5. 2 - 440's and 3 550's and we built a custom 4 ski trailer. We have a hard time finding anyone around us that wants to work on them!

Thanks for the site I just signed up....do you have the dimensions of the rack/trailer? And with welds and materials it was just around $80?

Thanks!

[SilverBullet75]

Here's my design.
If you don't have a program that'll open Adobe Illustrator files, let me know. I'll try to convert to .pdf for you.

[Junster]

I bought the Dylan hitch. Very thick solid frame mount. It does stick down a ways though. It just a bit higher than the bottom of the tank skid plate. So it does provide good protection. Overall it's very strong and I'm happy with it.

[shockwave538]

Saw this hitch and love the design! How has the hitch held up? Did the spray-on liner do good for protecting it? Would you recommend doing anything differently if building it now?