Appreciate input on mounting a bike rack

Hi all,

I'm fishing for some input and feedback wrt bike racks. We have a new 3124KB. Our TV is a Sequoia rated to 6200lbs. I've looked over other related posts, put am leaning toward something a little different and would appreciate the input. I need to carry 5 bike and don't want to put them on top of the TV as I've got a trick back. Mounting 5 bikes to the front of the TV also seems excessive.

My plan had been to install the TM factory rear receiver, but that does not seem to be sturdy enough. For the rack I'm looking to use and 5 bikes, it's about 200lbs. What I'm considering is to commission local trailer / hitch shop to essentially weld a heavy piece of metal inside the rear bumper compartment to tie together the left and right side frame members. Weld a 2" receiver onto that and punch through the rear of the bumper. The rack has a swing out capability so if I mount the receiver off center about a foot, I can swing the bikes to the side of the TM allowing me to open the TM without having to take the bikes off.

I'm not thrilled about putting the extra weight on the back of the TM, but I do have a good WDH (Equalizer 10000).

The other option that was suggested to me was a collar type attachment added to the hitch which supports a vertically mounted bike rack. It's from an outfit called Hitch Rider (http://www.hitchrider.com/towcarry.htm). They are a local company and I've seen their products. They appear to be of high quality. If you look at their site, the receiver can be seen at the "Tow-n-Carry Rack" tab and the actual bike rack at the "Truckee Rack" tab. While the idea of moving the weight in front the TM axle is appealing, I'm concerned about monkeying with the WDH hitch (may need a custom part of extend the neck) and also if I'd really have clearance between the TV + bike rack and the TM when making tight turns. I have not yet measured this, but 5 bikes tightly packed together would have to be ~4ft. Tongue weight could also be an issue as I want to add a second battery there as well.

Appreciate the feedback.

Mike

[Bill]

Trish -

This has been one of the most popular discussion topics on the board. Rather than repeating all the posts and advice of the past, can I ask you to use the Search tool on the term "bike rack" or bicycle, and then come back if you don't find the answers you need?

Thanks

Bill

Hi Bill,

Please be assured that Mike spent a lot of time looking for solutions for this before he created that post. This forum has answered so many questions already that we always search before we ask. The problem we're having is that we've got 5 bikes that weigh 200 lbs and we're really not sure what to do about it.

I will do some additional searching today as well, but Mike was really hoping he was presenting some unique options for discussion. Since this is our first trailer, he's beginning to get apprehensive about bringing the bikes on our big trip.

Sorry if we offended you with our post,
Trish

Originally Posted by trisht

I'm not thrilled about putting the extra weight on the back of the TM, but I do have a good WDH (Equalizer 10000).

I don't think your weight distribution hitch will help you here, as it takes weight off the hitch and rear axle of the TV and shifts it to the trailer axle and front axles of the TV. By putting your weight on the rear of the trailer, you will be removing weight from the hitch, and will have less need of a WDH.

I would look more at putting the bikes on the front of the trailer in a manner acceptable to your WDH, and then cinching up the WDH to shift that additional 200# back to the trailer axle and front to the TV front axle. I think the Equalizer is an excellent WDH and can handle it.

The collar arrangement should work well if your shank is long enough. I know ours could be extended a couple more inches if necessary and longer shanks do exist. But then, 5 bikes is a lot of bikes.

[ShrimpBurrito]

FIVE bikes is ALOT to put in any one spot. You're talking probably around 300 lbs once you figure in the bike rack, and as you will find through searching other threads, I think folks here have had mixed results putting them at the rear of the TM.

You might consider mounting a few bikes to a hitch at the FRONT of your TV, and a few on the roof of your TV. That may take care of all of them, and then you don't have to put anything on the TM. That would also enable you to take the bikes somewhere on a day trip without the TM in tow -- either from home, or perhaps a side trip while camping.

Dave

[mbd4kids]

Just another thought. We traveled with 6 bikes last summer. I put 2 lighter bikes on a bike rack on the bumper (We were then able to move the bike rack to the TV when we arrived for other trips). We took the front wheels off of the other 4 bikes and they nestled inside the trailer. I purchased rubber sleeves for on the bottom of chairs to put under the front forks to save the floor. It was a really easy solution, and definitely a lot less worry about where the weight was distributed. Hope this helps. Good luck!

Some more penny thoughts.

I suspect most of the other problems with rear mounted bike racks has been reduced tongue weight and the handling problems associated with that. If your trailer's GAWR can handle it, you can add extra weight, like that battery, on the tongue to compensate some. And maybe split the bikes, only a couple hanging off the rear and the others on the tongue? Anything to keep the trailer balanced with about 12-15% of the weight on the tongue.

fwiw, my son (26) the mechanical engineer, says to never hang more than two bikes off of a bike rack.

Something about torque and moment of inertia.

He has had failures with three bikes, so he has some experience.

Having said all that, his mountain bikes are high end downhill racing bikes. They weigh 40-50 pound each. He does not like risking a loss of a $9,000 bike.

If you do choose to hang them on the back of the TM, at least cable them to the TM frame. That way if anything goes wrong you will drag them down the freeway instead of dropping them on the ground in front of the guy behind you.

two 50 pond bikes is the same weigh as three 30 pounders or four 25 pounders. Weigh your bikes.

[Bill]

Trish -

Certainly no offense was given or taken. But because a lot of posts have dealt with bike racks, I wanted to be sure you read them - particularly the weight issue and the rear bumper strength issue - before the members began repeating it all.

Have you considered a strap rack, such as the Allen racks, to pick up part of the load? Some members don't care for them, but I've used one for years, for 2 (or occasionally 3) bikes, with no bad results.

Bill

[mcgyver210]

We are avid Mountain Bikers again & regularly carry 3 higher end mountain bikes on a Yakima RokNGate 4 bike hitch rack. Since we usually ride a few times a week we leave the rack & bikes on the Rover with no issues at all. Also we have a hitch-vise which keeps the rack from twisting in the receiver.

I honestly haven't decided where or how we will carry the bikes but we plan on carrying them in the future. So far everything points to rear hitch carry just so we have a way to carry them to trails after setup for camping.