Receiver bike rack suggestions...

Flapper · 04-10-2015, 08:57 AM

I've searched and read many threads on this, but thought I should still ask to see if there are any other options out there before taking the plunge....

Jayco 26.5RLS 5th with factory installed rear hitch receiver. Only need to carry 2 bikes. Prefer one that supports the wheels, rather than hanging from the top tubes. Was looking at the Swagman XC, but the reviews on Amazon seem to indicate a higher than I would like number of issues with quality and longevity. The Swagman version that clamps on the bumper (or uses a receiver, which I would do) seems to have less issues, so may be the final choice. Swagman's instructions warn of needing at least 15" ground clearance. My camper is in storage, so can't go measure it yet. The receiver is below the bumper, anyone know the ground to bumper clearance so I can estimate where the rack may end up being, or have experience with a setup similar to mine?

So many companies out there specifically warn against using their products on a trailer. Any other RV rated 2" receiver racks I should be looking at?

Scoutr2 · 04-10-2015, 09:25 AM

My dealer installed a bumper hitch for me and said I'd be OK with two bikes. (Cost me $60 and they installed for free) But after looking at a couple threads here, I'm beginning to wonder if that's safe - for anyone traveling behind me and for losing the bumber and bikes, if the bumper should come apart. Jayco says the bumper is rated for 250#, but not sure what the dynamic torsion would be from two bikes cantilevered out and all the bouncing back there. This is a conundrum. My trailer has the frame all ready to attach a receiver, but they are about $300 - and then there's the cost of the bike rack! Not sure which way to go.

DocBrown · 04-10-2015, 09:26 AM

I'm not sure what reviews you're looking at, but they seem to lean hard to the positive.

I can't speak for the Swagman XC, but we have the Swagman 64663. We've had it for going on 10 years. It's taken quite a beating and continues to do what we want it to do.

We got ours from Amazon at a really good price. I had it in my wish list and one day I looked and it dropped to $125. I bought it and the next day it was back up to $200.

Jagiven · 04-10-2015, 12:12 PM

I have the Swagman XC4. Love it. I have had it for about 1.5 years now. No issues, it is heavy. The owner’s manual does state not to use it on the back of an RV. With that said, I check it regularly for stress cracks, bends and so forth, no issues so far. A friend has had one on the back of his TT for about 6-9 months longer than me. He has had no issues ether.

I have my XC4 on the back of a X23B, HTTs are very low, my aftermarket hitch is low, and I have a pretty decent hill to pull in and out of at my place. It hangs way out there and driveway just clears the bike tires on last station. I did have to flip the wheel mounts over, to gain a bit of extra clearance for the last station.

No complaints from me. I did find that if you press down hard on the latching bar to secure the bikes it is really hard to release it to unload. My friend was complaining about this. I found that all I need is just a little pressure to have the bikes really secure.

Last fall my Brother and family followed us up to camp. I asked them to video the rack and bikes as we drove as I wanted to see how much things bounced around. Well, he did not video it, but he said there was almost no movement of the bikes. My old rack which the bikes hung off of, bounced around big time, and I noticed a bent bracket on, so I retired it, reason for the XC4.

JPBeck · 04-10-2015, 01:42 PM

I've seen some scary set ups, I've seen major lever/ fulcrum/ pivoting (or whatever you want to call it) that made the rack and bumper look like it was about to peel off. I didn't want to that happen to me, or scare anyone. So this is what I did, I welded 2 inch tube steel (1/4" I think) to the back of the frame, then welded a 2" receiver to the tube steel. To stiffen up the tube steel I welded a piece of steel to the center of the I-Beam as well. Everything was full penetration welded. The receiver is not touching the bumper. It's not going going anywhere.
Here are some pictures.

nunyadamn · 04-10-2015, 03:07 PM

I went with the following. I had a 4 bike carrier that hung the bikes, but sold it because I like the versatility of this one. It's cheap, but really strong. The only drawbacks are it is really heavy (hard for me to install it myself, not so bad with help) and it doesn't fold up for storage on the back. Both I can live without.

2-in-1 Cargo Carrier with 4-Bike Rack — 500Lb. Capacity | www.kotulas.com | Free Shipping

JPBeck · 04-10-2015, 03:23 PM

How did you attach that rack to the trailer? Did you attach it to the bumper?

nunyadamn · 04-10-2015, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JPBeck

How did you attach that rack to the trailer? Did you attach it to the bumper?

No, I had a welding shop weld on a hitch under my bumper with a few braces as well. They also welded it to my bumper, so it is really strong as everything is now one structure. It was $375 her in AZ.

clubhouse · 04-10-2015, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nunyadamn

I went with the following. I had a 4 bike carrier that hung the bikes, but sold it because I like the versatility of this one. It's cheap, but really strong. The only drawbacks are it is really heavy (hard for me to install it myself, not so bad with help) and it doesn't fold up for storage on the back. Both I can live without.

2-in-1 Cargo Carrier with 4-Bike Rack — 500Lb. Capacity | www.kotulas.com | Free Shipping

After seeing yours a couple months ago, I went with the exact same setup. Used it last week for ~500 mile round trip with 4 bikes and am very satisfied. I found the rack on Amazon for $160 with prime shipping. Although we have only carried bikes so far, I really like the versatility of it. Best part is it extends further back from the TT than most bike racks and that helps prevent any accidental contact to the rear wall. I have a couple handlebar dents from using my previous rack and the OEM cargo tray that I took off.

I have had two differnt frame hanging racks, a Yakima and Swagman. They just don't work as well for the more moden bikes, we don't have tradition straight frame top tubes.

By the way a couple years ago I spoke wit Swagman directly about RV/TT/5R suitability. They were very specific at that time the only 4 bike rack they had designed and approved for RV use was a frame hanger. They do have some CYA language about not using on RV, didn't say DON'T do it, but rather that the rack isn't suitable for the forces it would experience. If I found one cheap enough used I would have tried it anyway, but couldn't find it.

I have a frame welded receiver.

JPBeck · 04-10-2015, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nunyadamn

No, I had a welding shop weld on a hitch under my bumper with a few braces as well. They also welded it to my bumper, so it is really strong as everything is now one structure. It was $375 her in AZ.

Looks good!

JPBeck · 04-10-2015, 06:36 PM

For the rack we have a Yakama 4 bike carrier, it swings down. I don't think they make it anymore, the ones they make now are not made of steel. I'm a steel type of guy.

Flapper · 04-10-2015, 10:20 PM

Thanks for the discussion. Sounds like Swagman is about the only one out there. All the others I've investigated (Yakima, Curt, Prorack, Sportrack, Hollywood, Thule and Saris) all specifically warn in the instructions to never use them on RV's. Sigh!

As far as Swagman, the XC on Amazon for $160 has about 10% of it's reviews listing issues with assembly, paint, looseness in mounting, or things just falling off while on the road. Lots of good reviews, but the odds seem a little high.

The 64663 model noted ($207) seems to have very few issues. This is the one with the option for a bumper clamp receiver. As noted, I don't need that as I already have a 2" installed receiver, so can skip the bumper clamp. As long as I have enough ground clearance it looks to be the one. Swagman has one other that doesn't have an RV exemption (#64684), but that one seems really hard to find.

One would think that the RV market would be something more companies would be designing for....

Second question - to cover the bikes while on the road, or not - and what cover would you recommend, if any?

JPBeck · 04-10-2015, 11:19 PM

Thick Cable lock, and a Blue Tarp with a bungy just because I don't want some crook seeing my RockHooper and following me to the gas station. I think you can install any rack as long as the receiver is welded to the frame somehow. Welding something in place will only take a good welder a half hour tops. Figure $100 out the door. If you can find some Scrap Steel it'd be cheaper. The manufacturers don't want people installing these racks on the bumpers for liability reasons (I don't blame them). Have you considered CregsList for the rack? Reduce, reuse, recycle.

jayfowler · 04-11-2015, 06:49 PM

I just purchased the Swagman Dispatch. This is the one Flapper mentioned #64684. It is a platform type and specifically rated for RVs. See link below for the Swagman Dispatch. I bought mine thru Camping World for $259. Very easy to use once you get the cradles set for your bikes. Comes with a hitch lock and cable to lock your bikes.

DISPATCH NON-FOLDING - Swagman

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping...ike-rack/81286

Flapper · 04-12-2015, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JPBeck

Thick Cable lock, and a Blue Tarp with a bungy just because I don't want some crook seeing my RockHooper and following me to the gas station. I think you can install any rack as long as the receiver is welded to the frame somehow. Welding something in place will only take a good welder a half hour tops. Figure $100 out the door. If you can find some Scrap Steel it'd be cheaper. The manufacturers don't want people installing these racks on the bumpers for liability reasons (I don't blame them). Have you considered CregsList for the rack? Reduce, reuse, recycle.

Actually, I called a couple of the companies (Yakima, Hollywood) and they disavow mounting on a trailer due to the longer distance between the wheels and the hitch than a passenger vehicle has. It aggravates all of the motions, and puts a lot more stress on their racks, that they haven't been built to withstand. Obviously, if you then install their rack in a way that they didn't design for (on a bumper, generally) that is an additional point of possible failure, but not the reason they tell people not to use them on trailers. Doing so, you're not following all their other instructions, so they can get out of liability that way.

Flapper · 04-12-2015, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jayfowler

I just purchased the Swagman Dispatch. This is the one Flapper mentioned #64684. It is a platform type and specifically rated for RVs. See link below for the Swagman Dispatch. I bought mine thru Camping World for $259. Very easy to use once you get the cradles set for your bikes. Comes with a hitch lock and cable to lock your bikes.

DISPATCH NON-FOLDING - Swagman

Dispatch Two-Bike Rack - Swagman 68684 - Bike Racks - Camping World

CW eh? I missed seeing that there! Thanks for the link!

JPBeck · 04-12-2015, 10:53 AM

That's why I don't like the new ones, they aren't even made of steel anymore.

troutslayer · 04-12-2015, 01:31 PM

I have been using the Swagman "Bumper Rack 2" for a couple years. My thinking is that with the four points of attachment, there may not be as much stress on the bumper welds and I keep an eye on the welds. My two bikes and hitch weigh as much as the bumper mounted spare tire and tire rack (I now have the spare tire in the under-bed storage area). Just for safety, I have a steel safety cable through the bike rack and the bike wheels then around the RV frame so if I see someone passing me on the Interstate pointing to the back of the RV, I know I have a problem

. Obviously, my mtn bikes aren't worth much.

**Mustang65** · 04-12-2015, 01:44 PM

I just posted my DIY bike rack mount in another post. You can click on the link to see it and the plans if you want to make your own.

http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f7...tml#post289474

Don

Flapper · 04-12-2015, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mustang65

I just posted my DIY bike rack mount in another post. You can click on the link to see it and the plans if you want to make your own.

http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f7...tml#post289474

Don

Thanks Don - others may want to make note of it. I already have the receiver (factory installed), the hard part is finding a rack to go into it! (Well, one the rack manufacturer will stand behind when used on an RV!)

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