Hauling Bikes

[woggy718]

I had a question for the group. I’ve done a lot of searching for a way to haul 4 bikes on our trailer.

My initial gut thought is to purchase a bolt on bumper hitch receiver for the rear bumper and use my existing 2” hitch bike rack. I don’t know that I’ll have clearance though with the spare.

So my second idea is to do the same thing as above but use an extension in the hitch receiver to move the bike rack away from the trailer an additional 12”, giving me clearance for the spare tire.

My fear with that is I’ll be creating a lever type action and multiplying the twisting force on the bumper from the weight of the bikes and bouncing. How strong is the rear bumper?

I’m open to other ideas so I welcome any and all feedback.

[morleyz]

Definitely don't mount a hitch, rack and 4 bikes to the bumper. You need to mount the receiver to the frame. You may be able to find a generic "fits all" receiver that you can fab up to the frame or you'll have to talk to a dealer or truck/trailer shop.

Spare clearance might still be an issue, but an extension and some tie straps ought to mitigate that. Maybe the spare can go in the TV or in the trailer?

[woggy718]

If I were to put the spare in the trailer, would you still not recommend mounting the hitch receiver to the bumper?

[morleyz]

I wouldn't. You're right the the lever action and going over bumps will put too much strain on it.

[oldmanAZ]

Hopefully you'll hear pros and cons from someone who has 'been there done that.'

Rear bumpers are not very strong and most bicycles on racks at the rear of a TT do lots of bouncing and twisting, multiplying the forces on the bike rack and the bumper. And, IIRC, many (most?) bicycle rack companies say not to use their product on the rear of RVs.

Hope you find out what you need to know.

[bearcat77]

Mount a bike rack over the bed of the truck? Nice and solid, doesn’t increase your length or change your tongue weight.

[RAurand]

Watch this video. Notice how much those bikes bounce. Are you sure you want this on your bumper? Not me.
I have a receiver bolted to my frame.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grVO...ature=youtu.be

[oldmanAZ]

I've seen more severe bicycle rack bouncing, but have no video to back it up.

[jlechmanik]

TT bumpers are not designed for weight or torque loads. It may or may not last a few trips BUT when it fails and injures or kills somebody you alone will be facing that jury.

Since this is a Jayco forum I assume you have a Jayco. If so crawl underneath the rear and look at the frame. If you have two tabs on each frame then your trailer is designed to have a factory Jayco rear receiver hitch attached. Unfortunately Jayco and most dealers will hide this from you.....

[DocBrown]

One thought is to carry them inside the trailer. Mount fork mounts to 2x4s and make your own inside bike carriers.

What are you towing with? If it's a PU, can you haul them in the truck bed? Here's how we carry our bikes.

[nunyadamn]

I've done 1000's of miles with my setup - full hitch welded in place to the trailer frame. I think I paid $375 for the hitch/install. Once I had it all installed, I tested it on a pretty bumpy section of road and freeway with my wife driving behind to make sure nothing was moving. The bike rack is super strong and really heavy duty. I have to have help getting it mounted on the trailer due to the weight. If you have someone weld on a hitch, make sure you measure the bikes on the rack you will be using and make sure they weld the hitch far enough back. I got lucky and didn't specify and luckily they made the receiver on the hitch extend 1" behind the bumper. If I were to do it again, I would request 3" behind the bumper for a little extra distance by the handlebars. I make sure that the bikes are a little tilted back when I strap them down. The rack could move up on a really bad bump and the bars could hit. I also lift up on the rack after mounting everything to verify I have the distance and shake the bikes all tied together for the same reason.



Here is the bike rack I use - https://www.walmart.com/ip/Tow-Tuff-...waAlc4EALw_wcB

[jenoble99]

I use a tailgate pad in the back of my truck. This sticks the front wheel of the bikes outside the bed area and frees up some room in the bed for other items. This isn’t an option for you if you don’t have a truck, or with a fifth wheel.