Bike Rack for Parkliner

[Huck]

The Parkliner has a bike rack receiver on the rear of the trailer. It also has the spare tire mounted on the rear of the trailer.

I'd like to take my bike with me, but hate to spend more on a bike rack than the bike is worth. The bike is a 5 speed I have had for over 20 years. A few years ago I had them fix everything on the bike, so it is good enough for riding around camp.

So has anyone installed a bike rack on a trailer with a hitch and spare tire on the rear of the trailer? I just need a 2 bike hitch. The one I found on Amazon that looks like it would work is $180, which is way too much for what I need.

[bookbinder52]

Huck, I use a hitch rack on my Jeep and a Thule trunk mount on the Civic. They also make the ones that hang off the spare. Check out the Performance Bike website, you should be able to find what you need new for about 80 bucks, keep an eye on Craigslist as well.

[bookbinder52]

Allen Model 303DB Deluxe Spare Tire Mounted 3-Bike Carrier - Walmart.com

[mary and bob]

If you have a receiver back there I would use a rack that fits it rather than put more strain on the tire mount. I'm on my 3rd rear mounted bike rack, first one started to bend because of trailer bounce and leverage caused by the bike's weight. Second one is a Swagman that's made for RV rear mount use, OK but I wanted something sturdier. So I used a combination of Thule and Swagman parts and made my own. We carry two bikes on the rear, mine is a 70's Ross 5 speed 27" wheels.

[Huck]

I got a deal on a steel cargo carrier, so I'm going to start with that. I believe there is a piece that attaches to it for a bicycle. Need to find one of those.

With a cargo carrier, I can also carry a generator.

[bookbinder52]

will the weight coming off the carrier create any control issues ? simple fix if u go that way, you will only need to seat the tires in a brace and quick release will allow you to lock them in securely.

[mary and bob]

I would think carrying a generator on the rear would be too much weight back there. Here's an idea for the bike if you do go with a rear carrier. Go to etrailer's web site and look for parts for Swagman bike rack. There is a vertical square tube with "teeth" on it and a hook that slides down and latches in those teeth or notches. So you mount the square tube on the carrier, set the bike on, slide the hook down onto the top tube of the bike and it holds it there just nice. If you want a little more security, put a wire tie through the carrier and around the bike wheel. This is similar to the rack I made but I used Thule wheel trays that have straps for the wheels to set in and the Swagman hooks to hold the bikes down. All this sets on a piece of 4" channel welded to the 2" square tube that goes into the receiver. I tried to look up the Swagman part numbers but there is a problem with the trailer site right now and I can't get in. The bikes sorta interfere with the trailer tail lights so I put an extra set on the bike rack.

[frank_a]

My two cents are worth about that much, but I wouldn't go with a steel carrier. Aluminum is much lighter and doesn't rust. Also, no generator on the back for me. These Honda 2000W inverter/generators weigh under 50#s. It's going inside the door. Bikes can go out back. We have a Swagman carrier for ours, we'll see someday how it works. They do fine on the back of the Escape.

Frank

[Huck]

Originally Posted by frank_a

My two cents are worth about that much, but I wouldn't go with a steel carrier. Aluminum is much lighter and doesn't rust. Also, no generator on the back for me. These Honda 2000W inverter/generators weigh under 50#s. It's going inside the door. Bikes can go out back. We have a Swagman carrier for ours, we'll see someday how it works. They do fine on the back of the Escape.

Frank

From what I have seen in reviews, the steel is much sturdier than the aluminum and doesn't weigh much more. Harbor Freight sells both and the shipping weight for each is about 32 lb.

If the Honda generator is so light, why not put it on the cargo carrier?

[frank_a]

I don't want to put anymore weight on the back of this thing but bikes Huck. I'm not even sure about that. It tows like a dream right now, I love it. I've had lots of different trailers over the years and only one other one (my classic boat) that tows as nice.

Are you looking at the Honda 2000 too, or something else?

Keep us posted on how you make out.

Frank

[Huck]

Originally Posted by frank_a

I don't want to put anymore weight on the back of this thing but bikes Huck. I'm not even sure about that. It tows like a dream right now, I love it. I've had lots of different trailers over the years and only one other one (my classic boat) that tows as nice.

Are you looking at the Honda 2000 too, or something else?

Keep us posted on how you make out.

Frank

With the cargo carrier, a Honda 2000, and 1 bike, the total weight is probably about 100 lbs. Tom at Parkliner suggested to offset it with something like bottled water placed in the shower.

This shows the carrier attachment for the bike. Looks like it only comes in 3.

[deryk]

Huck, I used to carry a cargo rack and trunk on the back of my ParkLiner. The sway was feel-able and I didn't carry half the weight of a generator back there.

I'm thinking one day of getting a folding bike to peddle around on and could just throw it in the bathroom while traveling.

[Huck]

Originally Posted by deryk

Huck, I used to carry a cargo rack and trunk on the back of my ParkLiner. The sway was feel-able and I didn't carry half the weight of a generator back there.

I'm thinking one day of getting a folding bike to peddle around on and could just throw it in the bathroom while traveling.

deryk, I'm showing my ignorance here, but how would a cargo rack cause sway if you compensate for the weight?

[frank_a]

Originally Posted by Huck

With the cargo carrier, a Honda 2000, and 1 bike, the total weight is probably about 100 lbs. Tom at Parkliner suggested to offset it with something like bottled water placed in the shower.

Has Tom done this? I would want to know someone else did this and how it affected the towability. Bottled water weighs about 8#s/gal. You do the math. Tom told me that as well, and I did not respond...

You hear what Deryk said. I love the way my ParkLiner tows!

Frank

[Huck]

Originally Posted by frank_a

Has Tom done this? I would want to know someone else did this and how it affected the towability. Bottled water weighs about 8#s/gal. You do the math. Tom told me that as well, and I did not respond...

You hear what Deryk said. I love the way my ParkLiner tows!

Frank

But I still have the same question. How will weight on the rear of the trailer cause sway if you balance the weight?

[frank_a]

I'm hoping you try it and let us know how it works Huck. Somebody needs to.

Adding weight in the front to balance weight added in the back changes the whole geometry a bit just because you're now adding more weight all together. I like the way it tows now, & will eventually try our bikes, but I'm wary. I'm more likely to carry the bikes on the back of the tow vehicle.

[deryk]

Huck, the weight on the cargo carrier can rock side to side back there. I had my Yamaha ef2400si generator in the ParkLiner Doorway, 7 gallons of water in the front bathroom, a mostly full 5 gallon gascan bungied on the tongue with 2 -20lb propane tanks and about 45' of pipes for my awning and when it got gusty outside I felt the trailer swaying. My tongue weight was around 320lbs or so. I added a weight distribution hitch to my Rav4 because the max tow weight was 350lbs. Performance did get better with the new front mounted batteries because its increasing the tongue weight by like a 100 lbs lol

Have you had your trailer and tongue weighed? tongue weight is supposed to be around 10-15% of the trailers "ful ready to travel awayl" weight. Some people go lower with no problems...a lot higher if the vehicle can handle it lol. (my Frontier can lol)