Not sure which search terms to use, so I'll just ask my question....

I know about tow capacity and payload capacity - but what is the term for how much weight pushes down on your tow hitch?

I bought a BlackWidow hitch-mounted bike carrier rated to 500lbs - the carrier itself is 62lbs. How heavy of a motorcycle or scooter should I be able to safely carry on the thing?
I'm eyeballing a used Piaggio BV 350 at a great price which weighs 390lbs dry - is that getting a bit too close to the limits of my 2017 Tacoma OR V6 tow package, which is Class IV? How do I find that max limit?

Thanks in advance.

 

Why don't you just put it in the bed?

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-tacoma-towing-bible.4031/

Go to the table of contents. If i understand correctly max towing is not the issue, max is around 6k, youre looking for the max tongue

 

Tongue weight or tongue load. Looks like 640 lbs.

https://www.toyota.com/tacoma/features/towing/

 

Edit: if the carrier says 500 then that is its limit

 

the problem isnt so much the weight, but how far back the weight is on your center of gravity.. in this case it hangs way out the back of the vehicle.. and the OR has some SOFT springs in the rear... 400# that far in back will definitly change the ride feel.. but it should handle it fine.. youre rear springs are going to squat at least an inch or so.. if you already have the rack goo buy some bags of sand and strap them on.. usually come in 60-70lb bags.. 6 70lbs (420lbs) bags should be more than enough weight.. or 7 60lb bags (420lbs).. sand is cheap.. and you can return it if you're that stingey..

 

I've seen posts on TW saying that max Tongue Weight is 10% of your towing capacity which is 6500lbs. That points to 650lbs, but that is a lot of weight wobbling back and forth on a 2" receiver hitch while being attached to a 1/2 ton pickup. More will chime in, but I can tell you that bike weighs closer to 400# with oil and fuel.

It will definitely impact handling, and you will sag in the rear, and bottom out with the weight that far back on the chassis.

I've carried everything from two dirt bikes to a Harley in the bed of my DCSB and the more forward you can get the bike the better the truck handles the weight. If you put air bags from AirLift at the rear it would help support the weight and keep your nose from swaying during breaking ect. Just an idea if your heart is set on it.

 

I've got a Diamondback cover on and future plans will include taking the bike on trips where the bed will be full of other stuff, so I'm attempting to address problems before they arise.

"tongue weight" - I thought that was specifically for pulling trailers, but it makes perfect sense. Thanks, guys. I'm not locked into the Piaggio, as it's a very tempting "want" and not a "need". I'll look for something lighter.