Tongue weight rating on the GX? (5 Viewers)

[och]

Hello everyone, I am new to the forum. I recently learned the GX550 has a 9,000lb tow rating, which is by far the highest of any SUV of this size, and I am wondering if it also has a 900lb tongue weight rating - generally tongue ratings are 1/10 of tow rating. I am also wondering about the legitimacy of the 9,000lbs rating, as even the much bigger Tahoe is only rated for 8,400lbs, and the old GX470 only had a 6,500lb tow rating. What makes the new GX so much more capable?

I currently have an X5 with 6000lb tow rating, and 600lb tongue weight, and I often use it to transport my dirt bike to the trails and my sport bike to the track loaded on a hitch carrier. It does ok, but I was considering something frame based and heavy duty, but really don't want a pick up or a full size SUV such as a Tahoe. If the 9,000/900lb rating on the GX550 is legit, it would be enough to carry pretty much any type of bike on a carrier, maybe even two dirt bikes on a double carrier.

This is my current setup.

 

[ISU3GX]

P. 186 of the 2024 OM. 9% to 11% of the trailer weight. So nominally 900lb.

I, personally, would cut that in half for a load like a bike rack or hitch carrier. Unless something is wrong, a trailer doesn’t really change the load on the ball as you go down the road.

A motorcycle bouncing up an down is going to present a dynamic and cantilevered load as seen from the truck hitch.

No saying don’t just be mindful it is not the same type of loading and the motorcycle is farther out from the hitch.

I’ve been interested in the same, btw. Dimensionally how far out is the center of your MC carrier rail?

 

[killy]

Ya a cantilevered load like that should be a FRACTION of max tongue weight due to the dynamic loads involved.

Hanging heavy things off the backs of vehicles is bad engineering.

It seems to me you have a good usage case for a pickup truck. Probably with a long box.

Otherwise a trailer.

 

[Garauld]

I recommend a motorcycle/utility trailer that can also be used for different cargo.

 

[och]

A trailer isn't an option for me, I have nowhere to store it. And as far as the tongue weight rating, to the best of my knowledge it isn't a static rating, they definitely take dynamic loading into the account, as a trailer being towed also sways putting dynamic downward forces on the tongue.

With a motorcycle carrier, leverage is definitely a concern as the bike sits on the carrier about 20" away from the tip of the tongue, which is why I would never load it up to the limit. For instance my dirt bike is 240lbs, and my sport bike is 340lbs, and the carrier itself is about another 50lbs, so 400lb total maximum load. My current car is rated for 6,000/600lb, and apparently in markets outside of US the rating is 7,700/700lb. I've never had any issues, I've even loaded the bike on the carried and then jumped on the very tip of the carrier's outrigger and jumped up and down with my 220lb weight, and it felt just fine.

Going down the highway with the carrier I don't even feel it. Addition 300-400lbs in the back isn't more or less like two adults sitting in the back seat. My biggest concern is if I encounter a big pothole or a bump on the road that sends a strong shock through the suspension and the frame. Of course, I exercise a lot of care when driving with the carrier attached, and do my best to avoid any road hazards.

My current X5 is a unibody, so I imagine regardless of ratings and the testing methods, the frame of the GX550 is going to be a lot stronger by definition, which is why I am considering it. I really don't want a pick up truck or a huge behemoth like a Tahoe - living in NYC there are parking concerns, etc. The GX being midsize and having such towing capacity seems like an ideal vehicle for me. It should even allow me to load a heavier sport bike if it comes to this, up to about 550lb with the carrier, and a double carrier with two dirt bikes. I was just wondering what makes it so much more capable vs the previous generation GX and pretty much all other BOF SUVs on the market. It even outperforms the LX600.

 

[Garauld]

Would you be parking the GX550 in a parking garage? If so, how much clearance might there be if you were to add a roof rack to which you could attach a couple of straps hooked to the m/c - that would add a substantial safety factor.

 

[ColoradoOutdoors]

My .02 is to stick with that nice X5. It has all the factors that make it a great place to hang a motorcycle off the back. Independent rear suspension, low to the ground, short distance from wheels to hitch, wide rubber and air sus (sometimes). I towed heavy with an X5M for years and it was a super stable platform for it. GX has the frame but it is, ahem, dynamically challenged (on road) imho, nevermind hooking something up to it.

 

[killy]

Sounds like you have your mind made up and this all thought out.

Best of luck with a dirt bike hobby in NYC!

 

[och]

Would you be parking the GX550 in a parking garage? If so, how much clearance might there be if you were to add a roof rack to which you could attach a couple of straps hooked to the m/c - that would add a substantial safety factor.

Haha, no garage, but I actually briefly considered doing something like this with the X5, but it would be too much of a third world style improvisation.