# Front Receiver Hitch For Bikes



## Scott Z. (Jul 13, 2006)

Does anyone use a front receiver hitch on their tow vehicle for bikes? The kids are now wanting to take bikes camping - that means 6 of them (including mine). The two small bikes go in the back of the van. But the others are an issue. I would like to put just a little more weight on the front of the van. The Equilizer is set to a decent spot where the vehicle tows pretty well but still sits 1/8" to 1/4" higher than I'd like. I can't put another washer in and if I move the bracket the bars are at an angle where the back isn't even touching the bracket.

So, with all this I've thought about putting a 2" receiver on the front of the van. We have a 5 bike Thule rack and I would put the 4 larger bikes on it - approximately 100 lbs of weight plus the hitch. My big concern, though, is visibility. If you have this kind of set up - how does it work for you.


----------



## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Yep...I have a hitch on the current F-350 and had one my my prior Suburban. Great way to carry stuff!!!

Cost was around $200 installed.


----------



## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Depends on how you arrange the bikes on the rack and the bikes frame design. I remove all the seats and place the bikes so the handle bars are all on the passenger side. I have also considered shortening the vertical post to drop them down 4 to 6 more inches but have not gotten around to that yet. No matter how you do it, there will be some obstruction but it can be minimized with a little trial and error.

Look at my signature photo.


----------



## Chabbie1 (Dec 3, 2006)

We have a front mount hitch for our 4 bikes and we love it. We had to have the vertical drop cut down for better visibility. With DW's bike, we have to take off the front tire because it sits too close to the ground, but that's not a big deal. We just make sure we don't drive at night as we are hesitant that our TV headlights will be blocked.

front bike rack
[/url]


----------



## heron (May 13, 2010)

I've been thru the same dilemma recently. I installed a front hitch and I already have a Sportworks(thule T2). I was all excited to get it on but I felt it was distracting. It really annoyed the DW. I'm currently trying to find a way to fab some type of rack over my propane tanks but not sure that is realistic. I don't want anything on the back of the TT. 
I may end up doing what everyone else has suggested and simply moving the bikes around a bit or put my coolers and all on the front with my cargo rack and put the bikes in the back of my truck. 
I really cannot believe a company has not designed a cost effective clamp on the A frame rack over the propane tanks. The one that I've seen on here and other places is ridiculously priced and it only carries 2 bikes. I know tongue weight can be an issue for some folks but I think with the WD most people could do it.

I'd like to see something where the bikes are hung vertically over the propane tanks with the wheels facing the front of the TT. You could maybe put 4 bikes up there but the rack would have to be a fabrication masterpiece.


----------



## Traveling Tek (Oct 15, 2010)

I am having trouble finding a front mount receiver for my Chevy Express van. I wanted one as way to haul a generator. As for bikes, we had a friend weld up reinforcements to the cheap bumper our camper came with and put a bike rack back there. Didn't notice the weight when towing.



On another site I did see a bike rack over the propane tanks that held two bikes. Looked like a pain to get them on and off since it was so high up, but a good idea to think about as our kids get older an get bigger bikes.


----------



## Chuggs (Jun 8, 2010)

I put a 2" reciever on the front of my truck. I use it for all types of things. I've put the bike rack up there... I've put a tray up there to put extra coolers, deer stands, you name it. It gives you a lot of flexibility. You can even put a tow hook in the receiver should you need to get pulled out of the mud.

I like the fact that you can see the bikes too...

The ONLY problem is...you'll collect smashed bug guts going down the highway at certain times of the year.


----------



## TexanThompsons (Apr 21, 2009)

This has been a fascinating topic thread to read. We have the same problem...tow with an SUV so we can't just throw the bikes in the backend and putting them on top of the vehicle is not feasible.

Have any of you ran into legal trouble having them in front of the vehicle blocking the headlights or like in TX where you have to have a front visible license plate?


----------



## hautevue (Mar 8, 2009)

We put a Bodiak front mounted receiver on our 08 Expedition. (www.bodiak.net) It clamps sweetly to the tow hooks (tow loops in my case). Bodiak is on the I'net. They are the only ones I could find that makes the clamp-on receiver for an '08, '09 or '10 Expedition. The Expy's front bumper is deep vertically and curves both around and down, making it impossible to bolt a receiver to the front of the frame like 95% of the "regular" hitch receivers do. Bodiak solved the structural problem with their new front hitch. Well manufactured, powder coated, and went together (clamped on) in less than 15 minutes. We borrowed a torque wrench--Bodiak specifies 100 ft pounds of torque on the four clamping bolts and we sure didn't want the clamping bolts to loosen up.

Our issues are like the OBers above.

* You have to mount your bike rack and bikes and see if they are too high for driving visibility. If so, hie thee to the welding shop. Measure 3 times, cut once, and take 6" - 9" or so off the bike rack vertical post. That drops things nicely, but measure carefully how much you want to cut off. The wheels go down too, and if they get too close to the ground, ouch. Also watch out for the handle bars hitting or interfering with the fronthood/grill of the TV. That spacing may also control how far you can lower the rack.

* the DW bike mounts on the bike rack with the front wheel lower than the rear one due to the bike frame design. Cutting 6" off the vertical tube to mount the bikes forced us to remove her front tire. But that's a trivial job with the quick-release hub lever, and the wheel sleeps very nicely in the back of the Expy.

* at night, the problem with seeing while driving is that the headlights reflect off the bike wheels and we get a scatter of light in the front. Visibility forward is less than during the day but acceptable.

* we've never been stopped by the gendarmes for blocking the license plate. We're in MD but maybe TX rules are more strict.

* the disadvantage of the front-mount system is that the bikes get cruddy if you go through mud puddles, rain, and other nasty stuff. While the bikes stay relatively clean when hanging on the rear of the TV when we don't have the TT attached, they still get dirty back there. We just hose them off gently and re-lubricate the chains.


----------



## GO WEST (May 25, 2009)

I just bought a Suburban, going from my pickup where I could carry three or four bikes clamped into fork mounts. I am considering going back to a roof rack. I still have Yakima parts that I used on my 95 Windstar. I could buy 6 ft pipes and carry four bikes easily on the top of the Burb. I am thinking I wouldn't get much worse mileage with the extra wind drag since the 454 already guzzles the gas as it is. I don't like the idea of putting obstructions in front of the headlights, and sometimes I have to travel at night so that's not really an option for me.


----------



## fuji (May 5, 2007)

GO WEST said:


> I just bought a Suburban, going from my pickup where I could carry three or four bikes clamped into fork mounts. I am considering going back to a roof rack. I still have Yakima parts that I used on my 95 Windstar. I could buy 6 ft pipes and carry four bikes easily on the top of the Burb. I am thinking I wouldn't get much worse mileage with the extra wind drag since the 454 already guzzles the gas as it is. I don't like the idea of putting obstructions in front of the headlights, and sometimes I have to travel at night so that's not really an option for me.


Have an excursion and installed a front reciever to use for bikes & motorcycle. had to shorten my yakama rack to see over the hood, but works fine.the only thing i can say is that in tight camp spots, i've had to remove the bikes to back into spots. good luck


----------



## Scott Z. (Jul 13, 2006)

Thanks for all the feedback. Lots to think about but I'm definitely leaning toward the front receiver hitch. Height may be an issue so I may look at different racks on Craigslist that I wouldn't have a problem cutting down. They're typically listed for less than $100, usually more like $40 - $75 for a used one. My current rack doubles as my workstand when doing maintenance, etc. on the bikes and the height is perfect for that.

I've considered the old style roof rack that attaches to the gutters on the roof - but crud that's an awful long way up with a E350 van.


----------

