Bike rack ideas

[tmclaren]

We are looking to possibly buy one of those bike racks for the bed of our truck. We have been told not to use our swagman bumper rack. I have seen these for sale online as well as people making them with pvc pipe. Has anyone used these? Are there other options out there that will work? We were very bummed when we learned we couldn't use our swagman. We loved it! Any suggestions are welcome!

[Sundancer330]

You could still use your swagman but it comes down to what you want to spend. As you were told don't just mount a receiver to the bumper or your bikes will end up on the freeway. What you would have to do is have a hitch welded to the frame then you can use it. Or there are many different ways to carry bikes in the truck bed, just google bike rack for pickup bed, click on images to see what is available.

[dewey02]

Pretty wide span of questions you are asking.
Exactly which kind of bike rack are you asking about? The photos below came from people who have posted on this Jayco Owners forum. They can be found by searching on "bike rack"

The ones that hold bikes in the bed of a truck can be made of just about any material (pvc pipe, wood, metal) because all they have to do is support the bike upright. The bed of the truck holds the weight of the bike. The rack just keeps them from banging together and keeps them upright. Here's one that holds them above the truck bed:


And here's a PVC one that holds them in the bed:



Some folks do put racks on the back of their trailers, but the most solid ones attach to a hitch that is welded/bolted to the frame of the trailer (or the trailer is ordered with a hitch already mounted). I'm not sure, but I think Swagman has a couple of bike racks that are actually rated for such use (most bike racks are not).

And then there are the bike racks that go over the A-frame/tongue of the trailer. This eliminates the bounce that the rack might get if it were rear mounted. But you must consider how much tongue weight you have to play with before you make the tongue too heavy with the rack and the bikes. I have gone the tongue mount route myself. Puts me close, but not over on tongue weight. (measured at a CAT scale).



And then there are some folks who modify the inside of their trailer (usually the dinette) to hold bikes while they travel. This keeps the bikes out of the weather, rain, and bugs. But hauling bikes in and out through the trailer door and banging up the interior edges of furniture, etc. can happen if you aren't very careful.

Example here:

[KennyG]

Check out this post in the forum.

http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f3...mod-13176.html


My preference is a tongue mount bike rack and there are numerous varieties of "tongue mounted" bike racks available for purchase that are similar; but for anyone that's up to the task this post (see link) has a good description and pictures similar to one I also made. Best part, I also use the "Swagman" bike carrier with this assembly. Bikes sit up high with no interference from truck when turning sharp. I prefer my bikes up front where they are secured and I can see them and out of harms way vs at the rear of my rv.

[Redwing]

I have a bike rack made out of pvc and can carry up 4 bikes in the bed of the truck. Started using last year it simple to use and our bikes don't move. I use it more then the one that goes in the receiver it's quicker to set up.

[FeatherFam]

What do you guys think about the "new" Jack It rack from Lippert. It is a tongue mount design. I wonder about its quality. Jayco is putting it on some units at the factory. Our dealer has several trailers on the lot that came from the factory with it.

[Jpallen01]

Originally Posted by FeatherFam

What do you guys think about the "new" Jack It rack from Lippert. It is a tongue mount design. I wonder about its quality. Jayco is putting it on some units at the factory. Our dealer has several trailers on the lot that came from the factory with it.

I just purchased our JayFeather X23B on Friday April 7th and on April 10th we hit the road for our kids Easter break vacation. We have 4 bikes. I had ordered the Jack-IT from the dealer but it wasn't in yet. So I had to come up with alternate arrangements. I put the bikes in the TT and ratchet strapped them to the jackknife couch so they wouldn't move. 4 bikes take quite a lot of room but fit with just enough room to move by if needed during travel. It worked. When I got home on Friday the JackIt rack had just been delivered and was sitting on my porch. I installed it Easter Sunday morning. It is of very good quality and comparable to our Thule Bike racks we use on the hitch of the SUV. It secures 2 bikes very nicely by the tires in 2 points, and it has padding for the frame so it doesn't rub against the carrier and scratch either. It is an upper body workout to get the bikes up and down as they sit high. But it is a great solution for 2 bikes. Now I just need to figure out what to do with the other two bikes! And yes, to open the expandable bunk we need to remove the bikes and the rack arm, which is only 1 single bolt. Not a big deal.





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[DocBrown]

Here's the link for building the PVC bike rack: https://www.utahmountainbiking.com/g...edBikeRack.htm

I built one. Cost me all of $30. I no longer use it though. It worked great but I have a hard tri-fold Tonneau cover which had to be removed when using the PVC rack. Heavy (about 50#) and a bit of a pain. We carried it in the trailer and it got to be too much.

That said I now use a couple of 2x4s and fork mounts and turn the bikes sideways. I no longer have to remove the cover and the bikes take up less room in the bed this way.

Nice bike Jpallen01!

[mark.nowak]

https://www.yakima.com/60-tracks-w-capnut-hardware

I plan on mounting these on my trucks bed rails and then using my Yakima bars and racks.

This will allow me to still have my whole truck bed for storage, I also have a cover that sits flush with my bed rails so I will not have to remove it and all storage inside the bed will still be covered and protected from the elements.


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[bearcat77]

I've just acquired the parts to do this from Thule. Hopefully will get it done in the next week or two. I like that the truck bed can still be used for secure storage, and the bike racks can be swapped out with a cargo tray or box if needed.

http://www.fordraptorforum.com/attac...3009.39.06.jpg


http://www.fordraptorforum.com/attac...x-pro-cap3.jpg

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[dhinkle57]

When we got our new truck we had a receiver put on the front. Frees up the bed and it gives us more options from using a bike rack, a cargo tray or moving the hitch to the front to push the trailer into tight places.

[JHerzog]

Originally Posted by dhinkle57

When we got our new truck we had a receiver put on the front. Frees up the bed and it gives us more options from using a bike rack, a cargo tray or moving the hitch to the front to push the trailer into tight places.

This sounds like a great idea and I am thinking about moving up to an F250. Just 1 question, for the bike rack would the receiver not cause the bike rack to be facing the truck, so how would you mount the bikes?

[dhinkle57]

The rack would be just like off the back of your truck, but on the front. If I remember, when I get home I will post a picture.

[bearcat77]

Finally got around to the bike rack. I think it turned out pretty good. Not as simple as a hitch bike rack, but much more stable, and doesn't add to your overall length. I installed it over the rails instead of in the bed, so I'd still have secure, lockable storage under the bikes. This is Thule Podium feet, with Thule square load bars, and Thule Circuit 526xt bike racks, over a Retrax Pro MX cover.




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[tbwill]

I built a PVC one using the same plans DocBrown mentioned in an earlier post. The advantage of the PVC rack is that when you get to camp you pull it out of the truck bed and use it as a bike rack in your campsite.

[Golf_5]

I just purchased a Jack-IT, also. Did you have to adjust your TT - Camper receiver to account for the additional weight?


Thanks

[dewey02]

Originally Posted by Golf_5

I just purchased a Jack-IT, also. Did you have to adjust your TT - Camper receiver to account for the additional weight?
Thanks

I wouldn't think so, as the weight is going to be fairly minimal (100 lbs or so).
Probably a good idea to get to the scales and make sure you aren't exceeding your tongue weight though.

I don't have a Jack-IT, but made my own A-frame bike mount from a Trailer Tray and a Maxx-haul bike rack (photo on page 1 of this thread). So I can't comment on the quality or convenience of the Jack-IT. But if it is a good product, I think it is the game-changer that RVers have been waiting for. It is a decent price ($150 at Amazon) and seems simple to install. For folks just hauling kid's bikes or bikes that don't cost a fortune, it seems we finally have an affordable solution. Arvika has been pretty much the sole A-frame provider for several years, but while they have great quality, they are crazy expensive. Then Bike-Bunk by Stromberg Carlson came along, but they want $200 or more just for the bunk and you have to spend another $100 - $200 or more to get a bike rack to insert into it. Hopefully, Jack-IT will get a lot of business and pull it from these others, and maybe they'll drop their prices to something more reasonable.

[Dropnaduece]

We put our bikes on the back of the trailer. Before picking up the new trailer we had the dealer weld on a 2" receiver hitch to the frame since I knew we would bringing the bikes everywhere we go. I found a bike rack online that mounts them vertically so they don't swing around and hit each other. The bikes are to expensive and all have disc brakes that I don't want bent from hitting each other.

It is a heavy bike rack but it's built super strong so it can take a lot of bouncing on the rear of the trailer. The set back tho is the rack is only for mountain bikes. It will not work with a bike that does not have long forks with a big gap between the fork and tire.

Here is a pic off there website.

[Gone campin]

I didn't want our bikes out in the rain when traveling, so I made these racks to go at the foot and along side of the bed. I put foam on the legs after these pics were taken to avoid scratches. Used them last weekend for a long trip, and they worked great - bikes didn't budge. Takes about 10 minutes to put the racks and both bikes in... not too bad.

[dewey02]

Originally Posted by Gone campin

I didn't want our bikes out in the rain when traveling, so I made these racks to go at the foot and along side of the bed. I put foam on the legs after these pics were taken to avoid scratches. Used them last weekend for a long trip, and they worked great - bikes didn't budge. Takes about 10 minutes to put the racks and both bikes in... not too bad.

Nice idea and design!