Bike Rack on 13' Scamp

[Susan A]

I need to attach a 2-bike rack on to my Scamp 2010. I can't use my usual rack that attaches to my 07 Forrester, not enough room between trailer and vehicle. I don't have a trailer hitch on the back of my scamp.
Thanks

[mary and bob]

There have been previous discussions about bike racks, with all kinds of opinions. You may be able to find them by doing a search. I've built several bike racks on trailers but it's a topic I won't get involved in anymore. Gather info, go with what you think is best for you.

[Jared J]

If you do a search, use the google search at the bottom, the regular search is pretty worthless.

Whether or not you have a receiver hitch is a big start.

[Donna D.]

Have you considered putting the bikes inside the trailer (less chance of theft and no road rash!)?

[floyd]

Plenty of room for my Escape or my Ranger...

[chse]

You can buy an aftermarket hitch receiver at amazon ("Scamp Hitch Receiver") if you want to mount them on the back of the trailer.

[Jared J]

Originally Posted by chse

You can buy an aftermarket hitch receiver at amazon ("Scamp Hitch Receiver") if you want to mount them on the back of the trailer.

Pretty decent price. I'm using a different bumper, and I want to pull a trailer with it, so I'm building my own. If I wasn't, I would do that. I only know of two scamps that can (legally) pull a trailer, so it's a pretty moot point.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by chse

You can buy an aftermarket hitch receiver at amazon ("Scamp Hitch Receiver") if you want to mount them on the back of the trailer.

Noah, from Orbital is a commercial vendor here at FiberglassRV: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...pen-55663.html

[ccaffrey]

Originally Posted by floyd

Plenty of room for my Escape or my Ranger...

Where did you get your bike rack or did you have it made?

[RachelW]

We had the hitch put on the back of the Scamp when we ordered ours, tried bikes on it once and had so much extra sway that we said never again.

Floyd, that is a cool bike rack! It looks perfect!

[floyd]

Originally Posted by ccaffrey

Where did you get your bike rack or did you have it made?

I made it from the scrap pile in my shop, the sides are the legs from a very old box fan, the crossmembers are pieces from a discarded bed frame and the racks are off the shelf rails designed for roof rack applications. They were attached in opposite directions to conserve space and mounted high enough to allow the inside bike to follow the contour of the Scamp. This rack has served us well for 9years now.

The racks used were of a similar design of the one pictured below...

[floyd]

Originally Posted by RachelW

We had the hitch put on the back of the Scamp when we ordered ours, tried bikes on it once and had so much extra sway that we said never again.

Floyd, that is a cool bike rack! It looks perfect!

Thank you for the kind compliment!

[Gnarly Sue]

Originally Posted by floyd

Plenty of room for my Escape or my Ranger...

Hi Floyd, Saw pictures of your bike rack on the front of your Scamp, did you buy this or did you build it especially for the Scamp. It is just what we have been looking for. Thanks for sharing your info. Sue

[beckimeadows]

Floyd! That is awesome. You should sell those.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by RachelW

We had the hitch put on the back of the Scamp when we ordered ours, tried bikes on it once and had so much extra sway that we said never again.

We also had a factory receiver installed. RachelW is correct - the extra weight aft does contribute to sway. I found it occasionally noticeable but not excessive, and we mitigated the problem by putting all of our heavier gear forward inside the trailer.

Another issue with the rear-mounted bike racks you should be aware of is bouncing. A trailer will bounce a lot more than a car, and the effect is magnified at the rear. That puts a lot of peak stresses on the rack, receiver, and the frame of the trailer (which is not known for being heavy duty!). It also means the bikes will bang into each other. Ours are inexpensive, lightweight bikes, and I have learned where to put padding. If you plan to spend much time on unpaved roads, this might be a deal-breaker.

In short, a rear bike rack is possible, but definitely not ideal.

Floyd's rig is clever and good for stability, but could overload the tongue for some TVs (such as the OP's Subie). Donna's suggestion is ideal for aerodynamics, security, and towing stability (and inexpensive, too), but I like being able to use the interior of the trailer en route. A roof rack system on the TV is another option - stable and secure, but bad for aerodynamics, pricey, and a pain to load/unload.

Lots of choices, none perfect, I'm afraid.

[Jon in AZ]

I ordered a hitch receiver kit from Scamp and had it installed per the factory specs (which included welding in an additional frame cross-member). At the time I didn't know about the Orbital bolt-on unit mentioned in earlier posts.

The factory kit was cheaper than than the aftermarket unit (even with shipping factored in), but because I had to pay a welder to install it, it came out a bit more expensive.

I don't know much about metalwork, so I wonder if some of the experts out there could comment on the relative strength of welded vs. bolt-on. Which would you recommend?