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Philip · 08-09-2010, 09:16 PM

Since You Requested It - Here Is The Bike Rack Story,

First it will not be as interesting since it is not over three or four rum & tonics but here goes:

So we are going slow thru this road construction zone on the Big Sur. What I didn't notice is that they have half buried a perhaps 10" dia pipe in the road and hardly covered it up with asphalt. It is actually like a sharp speed bump. I probably went over it at 15 - 20 MPH. The TM hopped in the air and at that point the bike rack must have given way.

After going over the pipe, a construction worker starts yelling at me to stop. I had a sinking feeling that it was to do with the bike rack although I cannot see it from the TV. Sure enough I stop and get out and find the rack has failed at the joint where the square horizontal tube(that runs into the hitch receiver) joins the vertical tube that goes to the arms that hold the bikes. The steel tube tore at this joint on the top and both sides of the square tube. The bottom of this tube bent(did not tear) and allowed the bikes to fall to the road and drag along the road. Two of the bikes front tires were worn thru to the rim and the rim was worn halfway thru at that spot.

As soon as I saw this mess my wife said I started cursing like a sailor(we actually cruised on our sailboat for ten years). I do remember saying that I was going to leave this whole freaken mess(bikes and rack by the side of the road). I soon came to my senses and looked closely at the rack failure location. By this time there was a few construction workers around me(probably thinking what a madman I was and getting a chuckle out of it all).

I immediately turned to them and said that what I needed was a welder! The worker next to me immediately said he was a welder! I asked if he could rapair it and he said sure. I took the bikes off the rack and the rack off the TM and walked it 20 feet down to his truck on which he had a complete electric welding rig complete with steel plate for welding. He wasn't busy and put the rack in a vise and proceeded to weld reinforcing plates on the sides of the tube and weld the top joint back together. In about 20 minutes the rack was all back together and on the TM with the bikes back on.

My wife and our friend with us were shocked! I couldn't believe it myself.

I gave him a BIG tip and thanked him profusely.

Talk about good fortune!!!!

May all you have such good fortune in your trials when you travel.

Take care,

Phil Friess

08-09-2010, 09:16 PM	#7
Philip Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 129	The Bike Rack Story Since You Requested It - Here Is The Bike Rack Story, First it will not be as interesting since it is not over three or four rum & tonics but here goes: So we are going slow thru this road construction zone on the Big Sur. What I didn't notice is that they have half buried a perhaps 10" dia pipe in the road and hardly covered it up with asphalt. It is actually like a sharp speed bump. I probably went over it at 15 - 20 MPH. The TM hopped in the air and at that point the bike rack must have given way. After going over the pipe, a construction worker starts yelling at me to stop. I had a sinking feeling that it was to do with the bike rack although I cannot see it from the TV. Sure enough I stop and get out and find the rack has failed at the joint where the square horizontal tube(that runs into the hitch receiver) joins the vertical tube that goes to the arms that hold the bikes. The steel tube tore at this joint on the top and both sides of the square tube. The bottom of this tube bent(did not tear) and allowed the bikes to fall to the road and drag along the road. Two of the bikes front tires were worn thru to the rim and the rim was worn halfway thru at that spot. As soon as I saw this mess my wife said I started cursing like a sailor(we actually cruised on our sailboat for ten years). I do remember saying that I was going to leave this whole freaken mess(bikes and rack by the side of the road). I soon came to my senses and looked closely at the rack failure location. By this time there was a few construction workers around me(probably thinking what a madman I was and getting a chuckle out of it all). I immediately turned to them and said that what I needed was a welder! The worker next to me immediately said he was a welder! I asked if he could rapair it and he said sure. I took the bikes off the rack and the rack off the TM and walked it 20 feet down to his truck on which he had a complete electric welding rig complete with steel plate for welding. He wasn't busy and put the rack in a vise and proceeded to weld reinforcing plates on the sides of the tube and weld the top joint back together. In about 20 minutes the rack was all back together and on the TM with the bikes back on. My wife and our friend with us were shocked! I couldn't believe it myself. I gave him a BIG tip and thanked him profusely. Talk about good fortune!!!! May all you have such good fortune in your trials when you travel. Take care, Phil Friess