Fitting 2 dirtbikes in the bed

[Terrenceyao]

Hi all. Main reason i ordered a maverick is so i can fit 2 dirt bikes in the bed. I understand that the tailgate will have to be down and i’m fine with the. I did that with my old frontier all the time. Disappointingly, one of the ford dealers says that 2 bikes in the bed is not possible. Does anyone care to disagree or show solutions to fit 2 dirt bikes? I’ll have to cancel my order if i can’t get 2 full sized MX bikes in there.

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[Hot Runr Guy]

At this point, the bed dimensions are pretty well known. So, since you have the dirt bikes, why not make a mock-up, and see if they fit within the space? You've 42.6" to work with in-between the wheelwells.

HRG

 

[slashy42]

Your other option is a small trailer. You can get them fairly cheap. In fact a Maverick and trailer is still way cheaper than the other options imo.

https://www.harborfreight.com/autom...x-96-in-super-duty-folding-trailer-62647.html

 

[pmoore]

Hi all. Main reason i ordered a maverick is so i can fit 2 dirt bikes in the bed. I understand that the tailgate will have to be down and i’m fine with the. I did that with my old frontier all the time. Disappointingly, one of the ford dealers says that 2 bikes in the bed is not possible. Does anyone care to disagree or show solutions to fit 2 dirt bikes? I’ll have to cancel my order if i can’t get 2 full sized MX bikes in there.

I think the dealer is saying they will not be showing how 2 dirt bikes fit in the bed, not that 2 dirt bikes won't fit. Besides don't dirt bikes come in different sizes, just like truck beds?

 

[Old Ranchero]

my average dirt bike is ~7' long. The contact patch under the tires is less than that, but your front edge of front tire has to go against the bed wall- several inches farther forward than the contact patch. Some people have proposed how to get a single dirt bike in angled. I suspect even a single bike will end up with the rear tire contact patch very near end of lowered tailgate, with maybe 1/2 the rear wheel beyond edge of tailgate. Doesn't look like a bend extender would fit in that case either (I thought about all this for my own uses too). A dirt bike trailer is likley in my future. Don't take all this for Gospel, just my opinion based on known bed size here and loading/carrying dirt bikes in trucks of all sizes since the 1970s.

 

[Hot Runr Guy]

my average dirt bike is ~7' long. The contact patch under the tires is less than that, but your front edge of front tire has to go against the bed wall- several inches farther forward than the contact patch. Some people have proposed how to get a single dirt bike in angled. I suspect even a single bike will end up with the rear tire contact patch very near end of lowered tailgate, with maybe 1/2 the rear wheel beyond edge of tailgate. Doesn't look like a bend extender would fit in that case either (I thought about all this for my own uses too). A dirt bike trailer is likley in my future. Don't take all this for Gospel, just my opinion based on known bed size here and loading/carrying dirt bikes in trucks of all sizes since the 1970s.

I'm not a dirt-biker, but would it make any sense to rip a sheet of 3/4" plywood down to 42" wide, and mount a pair of rails for the tires to sit in, even if they extended a bit off the end of the tailgate? It looks like the length with the tailgate down is 72", so if an extra 6" or so was needed for the contact patch, would that work? I'm assuming that there are rails made for this purpose?

HRG

 

[Zepper]

I think the dealer is saying they will not be showing how 2 dirt bikes fit in the bed, not that 2 dirt bikes won't fit. Besides don't dirt bikes come in different sizes, just like truck beds?

Thats how I read that response as well. English is a tricky language. They were saying that them showing two dirt bikes would not be possible not that the bikes in the bed wouldn't be possible.

Dirt bikes don't come in different sizes. If you ride a 450 they're all going to be about the same size. Unless you're suggesting that the OP should trade in his 450 and start riding a kids 80cc.

 

[Speed2000]

I'm hoping mine will fit in there a bit sideways with the tailgate down so I'm waiting for them to start showing up before reserving one. Would have already ordered a supercab with six foot bed had that been an option.

 

[Hot Runr Guy]

Is this about the size we're talking about?

HRG

 

[Old Ranchero]

I'm hoping mine will fit in there a bit sideways with the tailgate down so I'm waiting for them to start showing up before reserving one. Would have already ordered a supercab with six foot bed had that been an option.

I own a 2018 F-150 SuperCab with 6' bed. When I put my KDX220 in there I have to angle the back of bike to close the tailgate. When I take a friend with a 2nd bike, we have to leave the tailgate open. Look closely at a picture of the Maverick bed with tailgate open and you will see the wheel wells are actually all the way to the front of the bed running into back of cab. In a regular truck the wells are further back and you can turn your front wheel into the corner to make extra space- not sure if we can do that with Maverick (Santa Cruz has same wheel well set up).

I'll be experimenting with that when I actually get my Mav in a few months, but my assumption is I'll be using a 3 rail bike trailer and stowing all my gear, gas cans, stands, EZ up, etc. in the bed for travel. Hopefully some real life pictures of a bike in the bed will surface before then to settle the issue.

 

[Old Ranchero]

Is this about the size we're talking about?

HRG

yep, that's pretty average size. As you sketched it, the 72" would put the contact patch of real wheel at the very end of the lowered tailgate. Maybe some clever rail contraption could solve that? At my age, a little trailer would be easier. Not sure if it's even legal to have that 14" hanging off the end driving on public roads though.

 

[Krrr]

This is why I ordered my XLT, I haul my 2020 TranceE on the tailgate of my wilting 249,000, 2008 Sport Trac.
It will feel right at home on its Cousin.

 

[dceggert]

I am planning to put an adventure bike in the back so I mapped out the dimensions carefully. The Maverick is 74.7" from the front wall to the rear edge of the tailgate with it in the down position. That is 54.4" floor length + 20.3" bed depth per the Ford spec sheets. There is also usually a gap between the truck bed and the tailgate that is not counted in this dimension. Two 72" long bikes from the front edge of the tire to rear contact patch would barely fit. My bike plans are to fit one 75" bike on an angle which is doable.

It would be best to get strap steel tailgate braces (not out yet) to replace the cables as the two bikes plus you on the tailgate would likely be over the tailgate weight limit.

I hope this helps.

 

[Old Ranchero]

I am planning to put an adventure bike in the back so I mapped out the dimensions carefully. The Maverick is 74.7" from the front wall to the rear edge of the tailgate with it in the down position. That is 54.4" floor length + 20.3" bed depth per the Ford spec sheets. There is also usually a gap between the truck bed and the tailgate that is not counted in this dimension. Two 72" long bikes from the front edge of the tire to rear contact patch would barely fit. My bike plans are to fit one 75" bike on an angle which is doable.

It would be best to get strap steel tailgate braces (not out yet) to replace the cables as the two bikes plus you on the tailgate would likely be over the tailgate weight limit.

I hope this helps.

check out the dimensions on sketch from HRG above. Bikes aren't 72" L (only 6') they are 7' (86"). Also handlebars on MX bikes avg 31-33" wide and pegs width is probably (educated guess- don't sue me) 24~26". I don't see any way 2 bikes can be loaded Side by Side in a Maverick. Even if they could be squeezed in somehow, there would be no room for a person in between the 2 for loading and tying down the 2nd bike with 1 bike already loaded.

 

[notfast]

At this point, the bed dimensions are pretty well known. So, since you have the dirt bikes, why not make a mock-up, and see if they fit within the space? You've 42.6" to work with in-between the wheelwells.

HRG

I did something similar when I was shopping for a new truck. I taped a 5' bed (with wheel wells) on the floor of my garage and tried to see if I could fit everything inside. It worked, and I now have a Nissan Frontier.

Your other option is a small trailer. You can get them fairly cheap. In fact a Maverick and trailer is still way cheaper than the other options imo.

https://www.harborfreight.com/autom...x-96-in-super-duty-folding-trailer-62647.html

As a (former) owner of a Harbor Freight trailer, if you have to get a trailer, I'd suggest getting a pre-built (IE, welded) trailer from a trailer dealer, unless you really need the folding feature. Even then, I'd get a Trailer-In-a-Bag or a Kendon before a HF.

The HF trailer kit gets you a bare-bones trailer with a paintjob that fades and peels off, and not even any washers for the nuts and bolts.

I suspect even a single bike will end up with the rear tire contact patch very near end of lowered tailgate, with maybe 1/2 the rear wheel beyond edge of tailgate. Doesn't look like a bend extender would fit in that case either (I thought about all this for my own uses too). A dirt bike trailer is likley in my future.

There's about 75" of "bed" with the tailgate down. A YZ450F (I'd consider that a full-size MX bike) is 86.0" long, so angling in one bike will be a challenge.

The handle bars will also be an issue. You could load them in a "Y" shape sort of leaning out, or load one in reverse.

I'd consider building a rig out of wood to extend the bed, but that'll obviously add weight and make the load height higher.

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