# Bike Rack



## sonic2 (Sep 15, 2010)

I invite everyone to share their opinions, what they have done, pictures and links to this never ending subject. Everyone has an opinion, this is good. Everyone also has different needs and wants. What may work for one person doesn't fit the next. That's why information is good; it's what you do with it that counts.

I researched a lot of information about bike racks on RV's and TV's. The information I found gave me the reason for putting the bike rack on the front of my truck. I viewed information on this subject on this web site and other web sites. There are stories (and pictures) of rear mounted bikes falling off and RV frame damage. Some bike rack MFG's don't recommend rear RV placement and RV MFG's state it will void any warranty. You may not be covered by your insurance company in the event an accident.

3 front hitch brands were used by people: Reese/Draw Tite, Bodiak and Curt
• Reese/Draw Tite requires no modifications on my TV
• Curt requires modification to the front air dam or bumper on some vehicles
• Bodiak connects to the vehicle's tow hooks

Personally, I like the ease of the Bodiak and it can be easily removed in the off season, but I questioned the strength of my tow hooks; the Curt was not an option because it required modifications to the body of the vehicle; I used the Reese/Draw Tite because my Ford dealer recommended it. I used a Swagman 64663 bike rack because I like the idea of the tires being secure and not hanging free. Stability is the key I was looking for. Finally, there is one drawback of the front hitch, the bikes will get BUGGED and ROCKED!

I had the receiver and guard made at a local welding shop. The receiver has a 6" lift; it is not a bend in the tubing, but a separate built lift. The bike handles can be adjusted downward for better view while driving. No problem with air flow to the radiator.

Now I am not stupid, I understand that if I was to travel state to state, hot climates or in hilly terrain, I could overheat. I only travel 100 miles or less and I live in a flat area and I never travel at night. When we go out, we stay for a week at a time, so we pack as much stuff as possible. I use the bed of my truck for other items: firewood, portable waste tank, coolers, etc&#8230; If I were traveling long haul, I would not use this rack. I learned that weight distribution is very important on the TT and TV. Improper tongue weight can cause sway and instability; placing items on the rear of the RV affects this. I want to be safe for me and everyone else around me.

This is not perfect, but not too bad either; there are always pros and cons to everything, it just depends on each situation each person's needs, wants and what they have to work with.


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## luverofpeanuts (Mar 9, 2010)

sonic2 said:


> I invite everyone to share their opinions, what they have done, pictures and links to this never ending subject. Everyone has an opinion, this is good. Everyone also has different needs and wants. What may work for one person doesn't fit the next. That's why information is good; it's what you do with it that counts.


Great summary, and will help alot of people since it's an often brought up topic.

Personally, I'm not a fan of attaching things to the rear of the travel trailer, unless you beef up the chassis and do it right, as some have.

I don't mind one or two bikes in front...but it gets to be a lot of "sutff" out front for me.

I wish more manufacturer's had experimented with racks above the travel trailer tongue/propane tank area. I think there is alot of potential there.

For now, i continue to use my yakima roof rack system to hold gear... and bikes are often put up there. The draw back is that I can only put soo many things up there.. so I may not be able to bring all the gear I need.


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## Fuzz4141 (Dec 14, 2010)

Did u check with your state laws about something that large being attached to the front of your vehicle... to me it looks like a view obstruction.... just my opinion tho.... I believe the new Outback 2011 10yr anniversary's are coming with a factory mounted rear hitch reciever for bikes... and I believe it is frame mounted..


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## outbackmac (Feb 1, 2005)

That is a accident waiting to happen. That is more unsafe then being overweight.


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

I don't think I'd be too comfortable with a front mount on the pickup. However, I did seriously consider it before coming to that conclusion.

Instead, I opt'ed for a rear mount on my back bumper. It was pure coincidence that I saw an Outback trailer in the same rv park that we were in about a week before I mounted my rack. The bumper on the trailer was bent way down and practically breaking off. I was pretty sure what caused it and stopped to talk to the guy. I was right... He had put two bikes on it. But there was a big difference between his bumper and the one on my 5'er. The dif was that my bumper was welded all the way around where it met the frame. On the trailer, the weld was only on the sides. Not sure if I was lucky or what.

Anyway, I slid my spare to one side, mounted my bike rack (about 5 lbs) on the back of the bumper, and loaded on two 30 lb mountain bikes. I weighed my spare tire and it's rack and they were 70 lbs. My bikes and the rack was a total of 65 lbs. So I had 135 lbs on the rear bumper.

I called the factory techs and they said the rear bumper was designed for a 100 lbs. I asked if they built in any extra margin and the answer was "oh, you bet". Of course, they couldn't tell me if I was safe, but I figured they must have at least a 50% margin. I carried the bikes on the back for about 6k miles. *I'm not saying you could or should do the same, but I had no problems.*

I believe something that allowed me to do what I did was that the bikes were snugged up as close to the outback as possible, so there was only weight being applied straight down and not out, i.e., virtually no twisting on the bumper and only down pressure. Also, the bikes were tied down really tight. There was no sway or movement at all when they were mounted. I could go over pot holes, railroad tracks, or dirt roads and there was no movement from the bikes.

The other thing I did, simply for my own peace of mind, was wrap a small cable around the bikes and rack, then around the ladder and padlocked it. The cable was not tight and the ladder did not carry any weight from the bikes. The cable was only there to provide some security (the padlock) and if something began to break, I was hoping the cable would buy enough time to hold things together until someone signaled me and I could pull off the road.

I was very careful with the whole thing and took all sorts of safety measures and a lot of thought before venturing out on the road with the setup. I even stopped by the Clark Co. sherrif in LasVegas to get their opinion and was given a thumbs up with respect to visibility of my lights and safety. Pics here bike1 bike2

Like I said... It worked for me, but might not work for you. Really think hard about the differnt pressures you are putting on the bumper and always think safety.


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## John3640 (Sep 27, 2010)

I did the front receiver hitch on the front of my 09 Suburban. Originally I had a really nice and strong hitch made for the back of my pop up, but it caused the hitch weight to be low and created a lot of sway. When I bought the 09 there was nobody making a front receiver so I used the on off of my 2000 Suburban. It had to be modified a bit and I cut through the plastic license plate area on the front of the 09. I think it looks pretty good. It really adds a lot of bulk to the front of the Suburban when the bike are loaded. Makes it more difficult to maneuver in tight places. It hardly obstructs my view because I lowered the rack as far as I could and I lower the seat posts so the seats are not in my view. I also keep the handle bars on the passenger side. Its nice because you can see any developing problems with the bikes. I have driven at night and it does block some light from the headlights but I haven't had any problems with that. The annoying part at night is the headlights reflecting back to my eyes from the bike rims.

I do plan on welding up a good receiver hitch for the back of the Outback this spring. I just don't like looking at the bikes on the front. Also, in the past, I've carried 8 bikes. 4 on the front and 4 on the back of the trailer. You can never have enough options. The roof doesn't work for me because I usually have my boats with me too.

4 out front.








Pop up with 3 on front and 4 on back.


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## joeymac (Aug 19, 2010)

John3640 said:


> I did the front receiver hitch on the front of my 09 Suburban. Originally I had a really nice and strong hitch made for the back of my pop up, but it caused the hitch weight to be low and created a lot of sway. When I bought the 09 there was nobody making a front receiver so I used the on off of my 2000 Suburban. It had to be modified a bit and I cut through the plastic license plate area on the front of the 09. I think it looks pretty good. It really adds a lot of bulk to the front of the Suburban when the bike are loaded. Makes it more difficult to maneuver in tight places. It hardly obstructs my view because I lowered the rack as far as I could and I lower the seat posts so the seats are not in my view. I also keep the handle bars on the passenger side. Its nice because you can see any developing problems with the bikes. I have driven at night and it does block some light from the headlights but I haven't had any problems with that. The annoying part at night is the headlights reflecting back to my eyes from the bike rims.
> 
> I do plan on welding up a good receiver hitch for the back of the Outback this spring. I just don't like looking at the bikes on the front. Also, in the past, I've carried 8 bikes. 4 on the front and 4 on the back of the trailer. You can never have enough options. The roof doesn't work for me because I usually have my boats with me too.
> 
> ...


I am guessing you have a 3/4 ton Suburban ? 
I am looking at one myself, how does it tow ? Are you happy with it ?


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## John3640 (Sep 27, 2010)

I unfortunately only have a 1/2 ton Suburban. It tows the Outback fairly well. Not nearly as well as my brother's 3/4 ton diesel Ford though. My Suburban is my daily driver and I need the rear space for my work supplies so a pickup wouldn't work for me. The 1/2 ton is nice because of the soft ride and fuel mileage. I am very close to the max weights when I am fully loaded with the Outback. I just drive slowly and carefully which is pretty much how I always drive. If I had to buy a new tow vehicle, I'd find a 3/4 ton Suburban or better yet, a diesel Excursion.


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## TexanThompsons (Apr 21, 2009)

Nice neighborhood you got there John!


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## battalionchief3 (Jun 27, 2006)

I have a front hitch on my Suburban and drove to Florida with 2 adult bikes on the front with no problems till the sun went down. On the interstate it was ok but getting into the campground was a bear. I could not see a thing and high beams made it worse. Actually I put them in the camper now and bungee them to the table or the sofa. I would like a hitch welded on the back for a rack but eveyone around here wants to make it out of GOLD I guess.....


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## muddy tires (Jun 22, 2007)

Sometimes the best solutions are the simplest. A friend told me about mountain bikers carrying their bikes across the tailgate up the hill then taking turns driving the truck back down. Simple to load and they barely move around. Cost = enough fuel to stop by a carpet store and ask for a remnant. I just pass a cable through the frames for peace of mind and theft prevention.


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## MJRey (Jan 21, 2005)

On my old and new tow vehicle I've used a roof rack on the truck. It works well and has been a good solution for up to six bikes. When I had the Expedition the bikes on the roof also seemed to make the trailer more stable in cross winds and when being passed by trucks. I figured it had to do with the bikes deflecting the airflow before it hit the trailer. With my current truck I can't tell any difference when the bikes are there but the 3/4 ton Dodge is much bigger than the Expedition was.


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## therink (May 13, 2010)

I did what most will say not to do. I removed my spare tire and mounted a 4 bike carrier on the bumper. I have very good welds on my bumper supports. I also purchased 1/8" x 3" wide stock steel from Lowes and added the steel where the rack mounts to the bumper tube (top and bottom) to provide better stability and even out the stress points on the bumper tube. I carry three bikes or around 130lbs total. I attach/secure the bikes to the rack using 2 rachet straps (one over front/one over rear bike wheels and very tight). The people we travel with have said there is no movement or bouncing of the bikes or rack. I am comfortable with this set up and is the second trailer I've used it on. Steve


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## Traveling Tek (Oct 15, 2010)

I know i have posted before. I had extra support welded up to my bumper and put a rack on the rear of the camper. Works well. check on http://travelingtek.com search for bike rack. You should find it.


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