carrying bikes

[Daniel V.]

One aspect that I believe hasn't been mentioned yet and that we have been dealing with ourselves during our travels is the fact that we rarely, if ever, go biking anywhere close to the campground itself. We usually take the bikes with us and drive to more interesting locations and nicer trails - and there is lots to see out there. Something to think about if you enjoy doing the same, and don't want to install two separate racks... and I can tell you that constantly switching bikes from the trailer to the vehicle gets old pretty fast. For that reason we chose to mount the bikes on the tow vehicle (roof, spare tire, etc. with a lockable rack) instead of on the trailer. On the other hand, we also have the ability to lock the bikes to our trailer/tree/etc. at the campsite for those few occasions where we just drive downtown to visit and don't want to leave the bikes on public display on the vehicle for extended periods of time.

[Joy A]

Joy here,

I have a factory installed draw bar which required the factory to add an additional cross bar to the frame for support. I carry 1 adult mountain bike and a chair in the bike rack on the back of my 13 footer. It's been on Scamp for 8 1/2 years. All is well. There are lots out there with racks on the back of their trailers and two bikes.

Yes, I had a sway problem but it was my fault, not withstanding the tongue weight was lighter. I was gaining speed up to and above 60mph, going downhill and around a corner. I decided to add an anti-sway bar and have made sure that I travel my normal 55 to 60 mph and not above.

I would imagine that my new mod of the generator on the tongue will most likely compensate for the bike. I like the solid feel of the anti-sway bar so I'll continue to use it.

I move the bike and rack to the Jeep when i want to bike other than around and near the campground. No big deal.

[Frederick L. Simson]

I didn't see any posts about a 5th wheel hitch and bike racks.

Ian & Paddy have an Escape 5.0 that they tow with a Toyota Tundra that has a 5th wheel hitch in the bed for the trailer, and a regular hitch receiver below the truck's bumper for the bicycle rack.
Link to photo
Link to close-up photo

[Val L]

Hey

I like to carry my bikes on a vehicle roof rack (the one where you remove the front wheel and lock the fork right in). I found that it was hard to keep multiple bikes from bumping into each other and getting all banged up on racks that hang off the back of the vehicle despite fancy bungee cord work. They will often need a full tune-up and wash upon arrival as well. On the roof you know they are secure and not hurting each other.

But, I would not recommend the roof rack if you can not get an attachment to fasten the rack to a factory roof rack. I had two separate cars develop problems with the seals around the doors using a roof rack that clipped right to the roof of the car. Light bikes and long arms are also nice to have if you are going to be lifting bikes onto the roof.

Val

[Jayson Wall]

I use a bike carrier that has a hitch ball on the back.

So you have your vehicle, with 4 bikes and then the trailer.

I have used this hitch with my chevy 1/2 ton and a regular chevy venture van. it towed great and there was no trailer sway as some might mention.

I picked it up at Princess Auto here in Canada for $150. Well worth it!!!
http://www.princessauto.com/truck-trailer/...er?keyword=bike

In the USA it can be ordered from Northern Tool & Equipment:
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/sto...26524_200126524

Here are some pics:

[Francine P]

So has anyone used one of these bike racks with an equalizer hitch? If so, which rack?
Francine

[Rarebird]

Hi,
Mine is the very first post here, from back in February. And after considering so many options, contributed by so many members we came up with a very simple solution.
We just put our old bike rack on the back of the Element, removed the front tires, and the bikes (two adult sizes) fit fine with the Boler behind them.
Our daughters bike goes in the trailer.
Simple and cheap solution.
Marjie

[Les Tuck]

We just built a receiver for the bike rack on our boler. We added a cross brace under the frame to weld the receiver to. When at the campground, we simply put the rack on the truck and away we go. We have only been on one trip with it so far, but it seems OK. There was a little sway at high speeds (passing a semi). I'll let you know how it goes on our trip to Sun Valley. BTW, we have about 80 lbs in bikes and 30 - 40 lbs in rack back there. We just pack the other heavy stuff in the front of the trailer. We're planning on moving the spare tire to the tongue.

Les

[BillE]

Have you considered carrying the bikes inside the trailer? Two positive considerations, they stay clean and dry and if you pull over somewhere to shop, etc. during your travels they'll be "out-of-sight, out-of-mind."

Donna, you have pics of the bike "rack" for the inside of the camper, It looks like you have the bikes mounted on a straight board then you have them on a board this is "fitted" to the flooring area, (I hope Im wording this so you know what Im talking about) did you travel both ways? Which was better? Also when you took your tires off, did you leave them in the camper or did you put them inside your vehicle? Thanks for the great ideas!

[Donna D.]

Donna, you have pics of the bike "rack" for the inside of the camper, It looks like you have the bikes mounted on a straight board then you have them on a board this is "fitted" to the flooring area, (I hope Im wording this so you know what Im talking about) did you travel both ways? Which was better? Also when you took your tires off, did you leave them in the camper or did you put them inside your vehicle? Thanks for the great ideas!

Sorry Bill, it was only a picture(s) of someone else's setup I posted. I know of several people who haul their bikes inside the trailer. No roadrash on the bikes and not much chance of theft! Mine rides in the truck (canopy). But, I suppose you could lay the tires on the bed (dinette)... maybe wrapped in a sheet or some such thing.

[Booker B.]

I have a rack setup pretty much the same as what Les has and there is just too much sway for us to use while doing longer trips (anything over 25 miles). The sway is causing the receiver hitch hole to ovalize over time so it's getting worse and worse. It's too bad as we do not have the room on the front of the trailer to put 3 bikes so I have to find something for the roof rack.

[Phill Roehrs]

I didn't see anyone mention using the front of the Tug. After shopping front receivers and new bike racks that would fit on the front of the Tug without a receiver, I found that an old 'trunk' rack that was taking up space in the garage worked just fine.

It's a basic "D" frame rack with extenders for the bikes, with straps intended to connect to the trunk frame. Instead, the straps connect to the front of the engine compartment. The top of the "D" rests on my grill (which is backed by engine compartment framing) and the bottom rests on the frame plate infront of the radiator. The bottom strap connects to the bumper, just like it would on the trunk.

Dirt, rain and security are obvious problems, but the ease of use - being able to leave the bikes in place when we make camp and having them available where ever the Tug goes (daytrips into town, excursions to trailheads, etc.) - overruled these concerns. My cable lock is long enough to secure all wheels and wrap around the Tug's frame (front snatch hook). One issue is vertical clearance - if I had bought the $250 mondo trunk bike rack at our local bike shop, instead of using the old one on hand, I would have more adjustability and could have raised the bikes several inches. I have 'rubbed' the tires crossing drainages.

I tired storing the bikes in the RV, for the reasons Donna listed (dry, clean and out of sight). Scratched my woodwork, limited access to my goodies, and made roadside dining difficult.

Another solution would have been to install a front receiver and use our other receiver-mount bike rack on the front. But I would have lost my front snatch hooks (which give me peace of mind 4-wheeling on the beach), and been out few hundred bucks. But I have heard from others that a front receiver has great utility - 'pushing' the trailer into tight spaces (backyard) instead of backing in.