mounting bikes on the TT rear bumper

[edowsfamily]

Originally Posted by ibra0078

I came across this product, https://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Bike-...rt/C18013.html

I wonder if I would have enough clearance space at the tongue to for two bikes.

Anybody tried these before, seems a reasonable price.

I tried a similiar item for two bikes but did not work. there was not enough room to clear the propane tanks when turning corners with bikes on the rack

[ibra0078]

Originally Posted by need-a-vacation

As I mentioned, those “tabs” on the bottom of the frame are for the factory Jayco rear cargo hitch. Follow the link in my quoted post and scroll down on page 1 for pics of the cargo hitch.

Had a look at your mod post, trailer hitch looks good. Did you have to move your spare tire to the side?

[Parcany]

Originally Posted by ibra0078

Did you just get a 2 inch hitch receiver from them that bolts onto the bumper?

Yes I did. They were selling the safety struts and the 2 inch hitch on sale. .

[ibra0078]

I called my local dealership and here are my options

1) Purchase the jayco rear cargo hitch, cost $220 and 2 weeks to get it. I can use my 2 inch bike rack that can carry up to 4 bikes if need to. I would need toove my spare tire to the opposite side of there is room.

2) Purchase the jack-it bike rack for $249, this leverages the Tonge of the trailer.

3) Add custom weld plates to the existing rear bumper to re-inforce it. Originally the mount-n-lock looked good but with that price I can get someone to custom weld couple plates from the frame to the bumper and reweld the joints. This will allow me to buy a 2 inch receiver and use my original 2 inch bike rack.

[FeatherFam]

Wow - the Jack It price has really shot up. We paid $170 for ours last May.

[ibra0078]

Do you recommend it? I know attaching the bikes can be tricky I get that but other than that is it a good system? I know you mentioned on your next rig your planning on putting the bikes on the rear.

Originally Posted by FeatherFam

Wow - the Jack It price has really shot up. We paid $170 for ours last May.

[FeatherFam]

It's build quality is fairly decent. I have some back issues, so it is not ideal for me to load and unload. Our Kuat on a traditional receiver is awesome, but that will have to wait. The bikes stay fairly steady. We turned the "Y" rack around towards the tailgate for loading purposes, but it also keeps the bikes from scuffing the TT cap. It's an okay set up. For the price, it's a solid solution for us right now. If I wanted to drop another big chunk of cash on our TT, I would go for the rear receiver. I was going to use the Mount-N-Lock safety struts and their bumper mounted hitch. I would have to relocate the spare under the unit. I would go with the BAL swing out tire holder, and I would not put the bikes on the rear without a rearview camera (just me). So I was looking at a lot of coin to haul bikes. For the money, I am satisfied with the Jack It for now. It's not a great product, but it is not a bad product. It gets the job done, and I am managing, finding ways to use it without straining my back.

[dewey02]

Originally Posted by ibra0078

Thanks I will have a look, had a look at a A frame 2 inch receiver, the price isn't that bad as I already have a bike rack for it. What you guys think about this? I have about 300 of payload available after fully loaded.

https://www.etrailer.com/RV-and-Camp...on/CC-275.htmlAttachment 39844

Rather than the bike bunk, I bought the other Stromberg-Carlson product: the Trailer Tray. I attached my bike rack to it. When not hauling the bikes, I just remove 4 bolts and I can use the trailer tray to haul other stuff. But you have to be careful with your tongue weight, as both the rack and the bikes add to your weight.
Here's what mine looks like: [/QUOTE]

I bought it at rvupgrades.com. It was $198 with free shipping and actually cheaper than the bike bunk.

[Dave.H]

Our trailer came with a Jack-It. I wasn't a big fan of it. Not real easy on and off like my hitch mount rack. Plus only two bikes.

Welded up a hitch this weekend and added a little triangulation just for a bit of added rigidity against twisting. It's not going anywhere. I'd suspect anyone could get this done fairly cheaply by a competent welder. Our hitch mount bike rack is built for off roading with. It will be plenty fine with the trailer. Best part is I can get any one bike on and off without messing with the others.

[kblast523]

Originally Posted by jimp

Makes you wonder if a OEM spare tire carrier on the rear bumper is a bad thing don't it??

To be sure, improve driveability and keep it out of the weather, my spare tire is now mounted underneath the tt, just ahead of the steps.

[kblast523]

Originally Posted by Parcany

Yes the safety struts haver4 holes cut into them and you drill into the frame then they also give you selftapping screws. Bumper will not go anyplace

Safety Struts would require lots of cutting and mods on the Jay Feather I have. Sandwiched frame means the channels are back-to-back and bumper is welded to the ends of the frame rails. Looks substantial, but still thin material in the bumper itself. Previous tt (built by Warren Buffet's crew) had a Lippert chassis with I-beams. Welds were sloppy, if not lacking with one inch tabs 'patching' the bumper to the end of the I-beam. Safety Struts worked on that model, was able to haul a Generac RS5500 on a home-made 60lb steel stand without issue, until I tried to remove sewer hose....bumper had 'squeezed' and the hose was stuck in the bumper.

[ibra0078]

Originally Posted by Dave.H

Our trailer came with a Jack-It. I wasn't a big fan of it. Not real easy on and off like my hitch mount rack. Plus only two bikes.

Welded up a hitch this weekend and added a little triangulation just for a bit of added rigidity against twisting. It's not going anywhere. I'd suspect anyone could get this done fairly cheaply by a competent welder. Our hitch mount bike rack is built for off roading with. It will be plenty fine with the trailer. Best part is I can get any one bike on and off without messing with the others.

That looks promising, I am leading to the jayco cargo hitch like others suggested. However your option seems cheaper, what hitch did you use? Did you just weld it to the bottom frame? What bike rack is that?

Thanks

[Dave.H]

Originally Posted by ibra0078

That looks promising, I am leading to the jayco cargo hitch like others suggested. However your option seems cheaper, what hitch did you use? Did you just weld it to the bottom frame? What bike rack is that?

Thanks

My guess is my solution is not cheaper and I have no idea what the jayco rack costs. I’ve had the rack for a couple years. We had it on our class C. I’ve had many different racks and this is my favorite. I can get the kids bikes down as soon as we check in and send them off while I setup. Or I can get mine down if I want it without taking all of them down. I’ve used it on my truck to just for fun but I have other mounting solutions there. But since I’ve had it for so long the cost has been forgotten.

Hitch:
https://www.etrailer.com/RV-and-Camp...35-946403.html

Bike rack:
http://recon-racks.com


Throw in a grinder, chop saw, welder and some scrap steel and that’s it.

It also doubles as a great place to hang wet SCUBA gear to dry.