# Carrying Bicycles



## TravelTeachers (Apr 3, 2004)

We will be taking delivery of our 28 BHS in a few weeks and are looking forward to some great outings this summer. As with many of you, we like to bring our bikes. But with a family of 5, this sometimes gets difficult. As my new trailer arrives, I'm looking for your best suggestions on carrying 5 bikes.

Thanks!
John


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## borntorv (Apr 13, 2004)

Hi John,

My compliments on your choice of TT's (and model!).

When we're transporting bikes we've generally put a tarp on the queen bed which will easily carry two bikes. The rest are secured (bungee cords and/or bike tights) across from the slide with adequate padding of course. On our previous TT, I welded a heavy duty bumper on and a special rack to carry up to six bikes across the back. To be honest though I never really got comfortable with the effect on weight distribution and that nightmare scenario of having one of the bikes come off and not even knowing it.

Hope you get lots of good ideas,

Greg


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

I'll assume you don't have a pick up.

The bumper on the Outbacks are not designed for much weight, so unless you weld to the frame your previous idea probably won't work. Though you may be able to get an over the tire rack to hold a couple of small kids bikes. Others can go in the Outback, in our old Kiwi I just put them in the hall with a heavy blanket over them then bungeed them in place so they wouldn't shift.

Putting a rack between the tow vehicle and camper has been done by some, but isn't a great option either. Velo Rack makes one that mounts on the V of the tongue, but you'll easily drop over $450 for one of those racks.


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## aplvlykat (Jan 25, 2004)

Someone else said they remove the handle bars and pedals then you can transport more in the bike area under the bunks. The only other thing I can think of is get a rack to go on the roof of your TV. They are not cheap so maybe you can rent one to see if it will work before you invest $$$?? Kirk


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## NWcamper2 (Mar 28, 2004)

We too are wondering the best way to carry bikes... We can "fit" them into the bunk area...but it seems like a bunch of work. After having a pop-up we are trying to have as little "extra work" as possible. We do have the Mega Warrior on top of the Expedition, which we can attach the bike racks to it (which we already have) all of which we used on the Coleman pop-up.

I guess we will have to try it before we knock it... it just seems like a long way up there to lift those bikes!

We have used the bike racks on the Pathfinder, but the Expedition is much taller









Anyone put bikes up on TV?


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## chetlenox (Feb 3, 2004)

All,

One option nobody has mentioned is putting the bikes out in front of the TV. After some investigation and thought, I have decided to go this way. Just get a front mount receiver (I picked up one for a little over $100 on etrailer.com) and use a normal receiver mount bike rack. I don't have the front receiver installed yet as I'm still waiting for the front mount license plate bracket (I have to remove the current license plate holder to mount the receiver, so in Oregon it would be illegal for me to drive around without a front plate).

The upsides are not having to take apart the bikes to put in the trailer, not having to heave the bikes up on top of the TV, and not worrying about them falling off of or bouncing around on the rear of the trailer.

The downsides are having to buy the front receiver and maybe some bugs on the bikes. Oh, and I suppose the odd looking "Beverly Hillbillies" look your whole rig will have going down the road....









Chet.


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

chetlenox said:


> Oh, and I suppose the odd looking "Beverly Hillbillies" look your whole rig will have going down the road....


Hillbillies? Nah, but you might look like a (click here to see).


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## katiesda (Sep 30, 2003)

Hi, we too have a family of five with bikes. We put the kids bikes either in the back of the 'Burb or in the Outback depending on how long we are going for and what kind of load we are carrying. The two bigger bikes go up on the roof of the 'Burb on bike racks. This can be a chore getting them up there but once I did it a few times I got the hang of it. Don't really know of any other way. I don't know about trying to drive with a couple of bikes hanging out in front of me.









Bob


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Mine go inside the OUTBACK when I take them.


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

We take 'em inside the TT, with some padding, and a few bungee's. I like the idea of hanging them out front, but I have one concern. How will it effect airflow across the radiator, and tranny cooler? I know that you wouldn't think a few tubular bike frames would block much air, but you would be surprised.

Has anyone carried bikes this way, and noticed any difference in engine and transmission temps?

Tim


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## KAMPINIT (Mar 17, 2004)

Hi All,

We are also a family of five with bikes. We've always carried them on the back of the Expedition but this is not going to work now. I'd rather not have to deal with them in the trailer as don't want any damage due to shifting. The Expo roof is too high to make it convenient for storing on top. We are considering mounting our existing bike rack to the rear frame of the TT. The rack was expensive and would like to continue using. Seems like it would make an extra long rig tho. Does anyone have a rear frame mounted bike rack on their Outback? How does it work? Tow okay?

lisa


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## CHERYLLR (Mar 5, 2004)

I have said before that having the bikes on the back of the trailer is not a good idea. We had ours stored there and the bike rack bent in half. Lost two bikes and the back of the trailer had many dents.







We will store ours inside the trailer from now on.


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## NWcamper2 (Mar 28, 2004)

I think for us, we will try on top of the TV to start with. We already have the rack system for that. I just don't see "us" putting a rack system on the front of the TV, or the front/back of the TT. So it's inside the TT or up on the TV









My 10 yr old had a suggestion....he said we can just take our scooters instead of our bikes!! What a kid









With that idea .... I said we can take your scooters and skateboards! Talk about simplified


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Don't you think it is strange that the caption reads "Fits 4-4-1/2" RV bumpers without a rear mounted spare tire.", and yet the photo shows the unit mounted on a RV with a rear mounted spare tire.









Also, since Keystone specifically says not to mount anything on the bumper, is the bike rack manufacturer going to warrantee your bicycles, and Outback against any damage?

Just a thought.









Tim


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## chetlenox (Feb 3, 2004)

hatcityhosehauler,

That is a good question (would bikes in front of TV effect airflow enough to be significant), I don't know yet. Etrailer.com emailed me yesterday and said to expect my license plate bracket on Friday. So I expect I'll slap the front receiver on our truck Thursday night. We are scheduled to head out to the Coast Friday afternoon to do some camping, so I'll let you know if I notice any difference in engine and transmission temps with our two bikes out front. Granted, it probably won't break 70 degrees but the drive is over the Coastal Range, so maybe I'll notice a difference.

Chet.


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Schantz said:


> I found this bike carrier at: Camper Exchange What do you think? I understand that Keystone recommends against this...but this company obviously thinks the install is ok on the Outback! Interested to hear others' thoughts. Paul


My guess is these guys are just selling a bike rack, they don't know the details of your specific camper. Some campers have strong bumpers, others don't.

Problem is that since Outback says don't do it, you could be liable if any damages occur. Say if the bike come off the back and another car runs into them. Its hard to say you didn't know when its in the manual.

However, Keystone may also be just covering their backsides too. I wouldn't put adult bikes on it, but a couple of kids bikes would probably be okay.

When the time comes for me, I'll probably get a rack like this for my Av so I can still haul wood and other things in the bed.


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## slivengo (Apr 13, 2004)

hi everyone, we are new to the group but I have been reading this forum for about a year. We are signing papers on a new 04 26rs this week and we are looking forward to getting it. 
Bikes, I carry 4 bikes on the front of my TV (Tahoe). I installed a front receiver hitch and use a 2" receiver type bike rack. JCWhitney sells for about 100 bucks. Works well and distributes the load.

Me, wife, 2 kids
lots of junk/toys to carry


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Steve,

I had to look twice. I thought you put some bike racks on my Av, without telling me, but then I saw the running boards, and knew it wasn't mine. Of course my 5 year old, and 3 year were standing next to the desk at the time I was reading the post and both said "Daddy, that's your truck!"

Of course, looking at the wheels, I'm guessing that is a 2500 (looks like 8 lugs vs 6 on the 1500)

That is a nice bike rack though. Do you have a link to where that is available?

Tim


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

hatcityhosehauler said:


> That is a nice bike rack though. Do you have a link to where that is available?


Tim one of the Av owners on the Chevy Avalanche Fan Club came up with the design and with a lot of other users has pretty much perfected it I think. The complete link is right here.

If you are a member of the CAFCNA for at least 60days he'll knock of 10%, so for a free membership its worth it. Cost runs (with discount) about $261. Its not cheap, but its a good setup. One the uprights are installed you can remove the cross bars easily and quickly. Other than cost the only thing I need to check is if my old racks will work since I have some of the full length racks so I don't have to take the front wheel off.


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

> If you are a member of the CAFCNA for at least 60days he'll knock of 10%, so for a free membership its worth it.


I finally registered as a member there last week, but haven't spend much time on the site. There is just too much there to look at, and it is a bit overwhelming.

Tried to get some questions answered about the transmission gauge thing, but so far no one has answered my question. Posted it here also in the towing section.

Tim


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## KAMPINIT (Mar 17, 2004)

Tim, and Y, we were camping this past weekend and a fellow camper had an Avalanch TV.....MAN are those trucks nice! We've been looking at them and they seem to have everything we want. Except, I don't want to part with my classy Expedition. The color is a metalic tan, interior tan leather with bucket seats........matches the Outback perfect. Hubby liked all the storage on the Avalanch and the built in ice chest. We will look into them some more and when we are ready to trade in the Expo and will think seriously about getting one as our new TV.

Re; carrying the bikes. I understand the the rear bumper is not made for carrying any kind of weight. The bike rack we currently have attches to a hitch and will hold all our bikes. If we want to use it on the TT we will have to have a hitch welded to the rear frame of the TT. I wonder if anyone here on the site has done this and how it works?

Let me know if you think this is a good idea. I really don't want to deal with putting in the trailer. The garage are in the 25RSS is full already with camp gear and we would have to place somewhere else to store.

lisa


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

hatcityhosehauler said:


> Tried to get some questions answered about the transmission gauge thing, but so far no one has answered my question. Posted it here also in the towing section.


Tim, I must have missed your post here. I searched and I didn't see it, was it under another topic?

As for the Av club, searching on your topic may prove more fruitful. If you search of "cluster" you may find a ton of topics as its been a very popular upgrade. I was active a while back but not so much anymore, the club had a pretty nasty spit and I sort of got busy with other things.

Lisa, If the Expy works keep it - other than being HUGE they are nice rigs. Though I do love the Av part of the time I wish we had a Burb, but there's no way I'd have a Av and a Burb right now.


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

My wife liked the AV when we were searching for a new vehicle a couple years ago. I probably would have bought it too, but I don't like all that plastic stuck all over it. Definately a unique vehicle though.

What the heck is with GM and Plastic? My Tahoe has plastic over the rocker panels too.


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

JollyMon you can now get a WBH (without body hardware) unit









I first hated the look of the Av but I've come to love it. One nice thing is the panels are pretty cheap if one gets damaged some of the owners just by their own and replace it on their own.


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Steve,

It's in the Chevy Owners topic of the towing and vehicles section. chevy owners. About half way down the second page.

Tim


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Y-Guy...
I don't think that stuff would stay on long up here when it hit's -40 F. It would crack and fall off when you shut the door! The plastic pieces would sure help get some traction though!


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Tim, found the best thread on the topic, some have added other clusters on the pillar, here is the link.
(ack just noticed you had the last post on the thread... sorry)

Jolly.... I think your just jealous of my plastic


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Could be 'arctic plastic'. Never know!


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Steve,

It was after reading that post, seeing what was involved with a cluster swap, and looking at the different pillar mount gauges that I decided I would go to just adding a gauge. There are some other things I want to get for the Avalanche, so I don't want to blow the whole budget on a gauge cluster. I am going up to a local performance shop to see what they have to offer, and get some prices. I'll let you know what they say.

Pete,

If you haven't seen them yet, the Av's "without body hardware" are just like the Silverados, except for the bed area, behind the rear windshield. I like the way they look better then with the "body hardware", but the option didn't come on the 2002's.

Tim


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Shantz, the photo may have been taken by a friend with an Outback, I would contact them and ask specifically if they have worked with Lite-Way/Keystone on the development of the rack. I'd ask what type of guarantee they offer if the bikes fall off or rip the tire or bumper off too. Since Keystone has said don't do it, it really doesn't matter what an add on company says though any thing on the back of the Outback would void their warranty.

I think the options are, to get a rack mounted on the front of your Yukon for maybe 3 bikes, then to get another one that hangs on the rear doors of the Yukon for another 3. or carry a couple in the trailer. Or to invest in a Thule or Yakima rack setup. The Velo rack might work as well, but I don't know how many bikes it can hold.

Personally I've used Yakima racks for years, still have the racks on my 89 Probe. I like how they can be moved from rig to rig with minor changes. With a short ladder you should be able to easily get them up and down, they even sell over the tire steps to make it easy with out a big ladder.


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## NWcamper2 (Mar 28, 2004)

We too use the Yakima rack systems. We even had bars on the pop-up.

I guess that is what we will try before doing anything else.









And don't have to worry about the bikes falling off


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## chetlenox (Feb 3, 2004)

All,

Just an update on the front-mounted bike rack choice. I put the front receiver on my TV last night. Was a bit more of a job than the hidden-hitch instructions indicated, but it wasn't more than about a 3 hours. After I finished up, I slid the newly purchased 4-bike Yakima rack in, threw a bike on it for a test and.... oops, too high. Turns out the mount for the front receiver is pretty high off the ground for a Ford truck. Combine that with the Yakima rack (which I think is taller than most) and the top bar of the bikes are a good foot above the top of the hood. It was definitely in the way of my view. So out comes the old grinder and zing, there goes a foot off the Yakima rack (nothing like cutting into a peice of equipment you just paid $160 for a couple of days before). I didn't want to cut any more than a foot off the rack so I would maintain good ground clearance from the bike tires if they were mounted on the back of the rig. That turned out to be much better. Bikes are down and out of the way more (you can still see them, but I think it will be reasonable).

We are headed out today for the Coast, so I'll see how well it works in practice. I actually took some pictures of the front receiver and front rack install (peer pressure you know, all these other guys have these cool mod pictures) and can post them if anybody wants. I'll report out on any visibility problems, ground clearance, and engine temp changes...

Chet.


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## chetlenox (Feb 3, 2004)

Schantz,

Just got back from our trip to the coast. The front-mounted receiver with the bike rack on it worked great. Easy load and unload, not a problem driving, no noticable change in engine or transmission temp. I'm happy with it. About the only thing I had to "tweak" along the way was I changed both bikes to face "right" (looking at them from the drivers position). Mainly because the handlebars when they faced "left" still were a bit in my view as I drove.

I would happily post pics of the install of the front receiver and the final result (I took them), but I'm not smart enough to figure out how to post pictures in the photos section of the website.







If anybody knows how, that would be great...









Now I just need to find a boat to sling up on top of my TV. That would complete the "I haul everything when I camp" look as I'm rolling down the road....

Chet.


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## chetlenox (Feb 3, 2004)

Schantz,

Hey, thanks for the tips! It was the "@" thing that was throwing me as well. Of course, now that I've got it figured out I'm at work and the actual pics are at home. But I'll post them tonight...

Chet.


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## chetlenox (Feb 3, 2004)

So here is the scoop.

Here are a few photos mid-install. This is the Hidden Hitch front receiver (#5010) going on the front of our 2002 Ford Excursion. Installation assistance provided by my 3.5 year old son was free, of course.

http://outbackers.com/gallery//displayimage.php?pos=-206

http://outbackers.com/gallery//displayimage.php?pos=-207

After installing and plugging in the off-the-rack Yakima Big Dog bike rack for 4 bikes, we had a bit of a problem. The bikes were way too high...

http://outbackers.com/gallery//displayimage.php?pos=-208

But a little bit of work with the grinder and power drill to "shorten" the bike rack by a foot solved the problem...

http://outbackers.com/gallery//displayimage.php?pos=-209

I didn't want to shorten any more so I would have plenty of ground clearance for off-road or steep driveway entrances (remember, I wanted to use the rack on both the front and back of the TV). I think this was a good compromise, since the view is good and I feel like I have plenty of clearance.

Anyway, like I said, I'm pretty happy with it.

Chet.


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Holy Cow! Your son is amazing, how old is he? I don't think I could get my kids to do body shop work yet









But seriously, looks good. Seems like it would block a lot of view though, or might just be the angle in the last picture.


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## chetlenox (Feb 3, 2004)

Y-Guy,

Yeah, I noticed that when I posted the pictures. The driveway slopes down out of my garage, so it tilts the truck up and makes the bike look higher than it really is. In reality when I put the bikes up and pop off the seats, there is no view blocked of the car in front of me unless I was really tailgating (not a good idea for me to do at ~15,500 lbs!







).

I was hoping to get a "total rig" pic on level ground with some nice background on our trip last weekend, but I forgot. So I'll post once when I get a chance.

Chet.


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## packerbacker (Mar 14, 2004)

Here is a link that i found. Might be of some use to some of you with concern on how to travel with bicycles. Look under new products and vehicle and hitch accessories, then bike carriers. Its the towing 2-place carrier. might be something you like.

http://www.draw-tite.com/


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

packerbacker said:


> Here is a link that i found. Might be of some use to some of you with concern on how to travel with bicycles. Look under new products and vehicle and hitch accessories, then bike carriers. Its the towing 2-place carrier.


For small trailer this might be okay, but with WDH it really won't work and since it pushes the trailer back a few more feet from the rear wheels it increases the potential for sway too. I wish something could be designed with a WDH in mind to carry a couple of bikes, but weight and space just makes that very difficult.


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## KAMPINIT (Mar 17, 2004)

Y, what do you think about adding something like that to the rear frame of TT? Ours has the receiver that mounts to the hitch currently located on the truck. If we mounted a hitch to the rear frame of the trailer, do you think the Outback would do okay. It wouldn't be mounted to the bumper. See my earlier question posted in this thread. I'm concerned we TV, TT length would be a bit much.

Let me know what you think. Thanks

lisa

Correction it WOULD be mounted to the frame.


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Lisa,

It is my understanding, though it is third or fourth hand, that Keystone does not recommend any type of bicycle/cargo mounts to the rear bumper or frame as the frame of the trailer is not designed to support the additional weight.

They, I believe also recommend against mounting "leveling" type jacks to the frame, as it is supposedly not able to support the weight of the trailer at the corners. Not being a structural engineer, I can not dispute these statements, though I do find them a little hard to swallow.

I would say that the best source of information on whether it is feasible or not is to contact the factory, and eventually, they should reply to you.









Tim


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## KAMPINIT (Mar 17, 2004)

Dang, guess we may have to put'em on top of the Expo then. It's such a looong way up there though! Beverly Hillbillies here we come!

Will check out what the factory has to say. Thanks for your input Tim.









lisa


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Lisa I know some others have added a hitch that is welded or bolted to the frame of the trailer, I think that's probably a better option that putting between the tow vehicle and the trailer. One of the guys on Hybrid explorer is looking at designing something to fit various campers. I think I'd talk to my dealer about it, and make sure I'm out of warranty before I did any major changes that involved welding the frame. You can read the comments from Hybrid Explorer here.


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## NMOutbacker (May 3, 2004)

DO NOT add anything to the rear bumper. Keystone answers that question in its Q & A section on the web site for Outback trailers. I needed to find a place to put 4 bikes and did not wish to place them inside the unit. I saw a pick-up with a front receiver and thought there is the answer. I ordered a draw-tite front receiver and after 1 hour of labor, I had the solution. I had the bike rack for my rear receiver. It draws alot of attention and many questions. You see the bikes all the time. No cooling problems. I did this last summer (2003). I don't have a digital camera to post pictures (yet).


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## jscotb (Apr 10, 2004)

I am going to put a bumper hitch and add supports to the frame. I will take it to a machine shop to get the welding done. With the right support there should be no problems. The bumper is strong enough, just have to take care of the the torsion caused by the carrier.


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## Lostboyinva (Jan 22, 2004)

Ok for those outbacks with a rear slide why wouldn't the rear frame handle a backrack mounted to the frame? It handles the bedslide and the few hundred pounds of weight the wife and I add to it and you can't be looking at adding more the 100lbs total for 304 bikes and rack. I guess Liteway says otherwise, but seems to me like the are contradicting themselves. When I take the bikes I just need 2 adults and 1 childs and I stick them in the bike area under the front bunk, but I always wondered if you couldn't get a welder to rig something using the Bed Slice rail mounts. They are welded directly to the frame and you could lock them into the rail clips too for additional stability.


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## KAMPINIT (Mar 17, 2004)

Lostboyinva,

Hubby and I agree with you. Being an auto accident investigator, I'm thinking Keystone is concerned about potential liability that could be linked back to them in the event someone mounted to bumper which is *NOT *made to carry any kind of weight. If improperly done and major injury traffic collision could happen and they could be sued.

I can't imagine how welding a rack to the rear frame would be a problem. I think they probably just recommend against the whole idea to avoid any confusion and to protect their butts.

Just my thoughts.

lisa


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

I speculated an answer for this on a different thread, and can't remember where it was exactly, so I will summarize here. While suppporting the bed, and occupants, the vehicle is not subject to the stresses of traveling down the highway at 60+mph, with all the associated bumps and bounces. The relatively light weight of the bicycles and rack get ampliphied by this movement, as welll as forces from other axis' coming into play.

Just as your feet take impacts equaling much greater amounts then your body weight while running, the bumper would endure impact loadings much greater then the wgt of the bicycles.

Just MHO, and a mechanical engineer, with access to the construction spec's would have to make the final educated guess, but I think I will abide by Keystones recommedation, at least until the warranty is expired.

Tim


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## clc (Oct 10, 2004)

We have a 25RS-S and we travel with 5 bikes in the bike storage area. All of them are folding bicycles we got at camping world.


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## Kenstand (Mar 25, 2004)

CLC,
I'm impressed, you are actually storing bikes inside the 25RS-S. I just look at that 'bike storage' area and scratch my head. I could probably get a disassembled bike or two into that area but then where would I store the extra pancake mix?

Are any of the other 25RS-S owners hauling bikes inside the TT?


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## jgerni (Nov 10, 2003)

I've hauled 2 full size bikes in our 25RSS. Its not fun but works in a pinch. Our bikes are too big to fit through the bike door so we have to bring them in through an entry door.

On our last trip with the bikes we were at the beach with a sandy site. Of course we had to leave in the rain which made the sand stick to every think like glue. The bikes made quite a mess in the camper. I needless to say am looking at different options for next year to haul our bikes.


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## Firefighter2104 (Apr 25, 2004)

Guys the best thing if you don't have one is to tell your wife you need a TRUCK. sunny


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

I ended up just buying a Thule roof rack, and some Thule "Big Mouth" bike racks. It takes me and my wife to get on top of the Av, but once there, they're locked to the truck, and I don't have to think about them until it's time to take them off. I measured the highest point of the biggest bike, and it is still lower then the A/C on the Outback.

Tim


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