# 25Rss Bike Rack Mod



## MattS (Oct 15, 2006)

We would like to add a bike mount to our 25RSS- it is a 2007 and we are just tired of putting the bikes in the truck bed. We need to rack 4 bikes. After some quick research it looks like a tongue mount would be our best option- that way it doesn't extend the tow length or take a beating bouncing on the spare tire. Has anyone done this? I saw something on camping world that attached to the frame to basically give you a receiver point where you could then add a regular bike rack over top of the tanks/battery area. I also saw some homemade fabs of this same idea. I'm curious to know if that will fit over the plastic housing that covers the tanks and batteries. If you have done or seen this mod- or have another suggestion, let me know. Unfortunately, my camper is stored about an hour away and I can't even bring it to my house to take a real look at how this might work (love HOAs). Any ideas are appreciated.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Don't attempt any rack that attaches to your spare tire...or you will lose all your bikes AND your spare tire.







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Don't get a rack that attaches to your bumper. The bumper can't stand up to the stress of bikes (especially 4 bikes) bouncing up and down as you travel.

I would suggest having a hitch welded to your frame and then use a standard 2" receiver type bike rack. Click HERE to see how I did this on our first Outback.

Another solution would be to have a hitch installed on the front of your truck. I had one installed on our truck and I carry motorcycles via this hitch.

Hope this helps.


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

Oregon-Camper is completely correct.

The rear bumper may be able to take the weight of the bikes but it will not handle the torque on the bumper with the bikes hanging off behind it. Imagine taking a 3 foot long pipe wrench and tightening it on your bumper with the handle pointing straight out the back of the trailer. Now stand on the handle and start jumping up and down on it. That is what a bumper mounted receiver with a bike rack would do to you. It needs to be welded to the frame to be able to resist twisting the bumper.


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## Card1 (Oct 4, 2014)

thefulminator said:


> Oregon-Camper is completely correct.
> 
> The rear bumper may be able to take the weight of the bikes but it will not handle the torque on the bumper with the bikes hanging off behind it. Imagine taking a 3 foot long pipe wrench and tightening it on your bumper with the handle pointing straight out the back of the trailer. Now stand on the handle and start jumping up and down on it. That is what a bumper mounted receiver with a bike rack would do to you. It needs to be welded to the frame to be able to resist twisting the bumper.


I recently purchased one of those bumper mount hitch receivers for my bike rack but have not yet installed it. Especially after reading this post I was actually going to return it.

But before returning it I got to thinking about the whole torque issue mentioned above. Unfortunately I do not have easy access to a welder and I already have the bumper receiver, so I was thinking. Everyone seems to be in agreement that the bumper could probably handle the actual weight of the bike rack right? And that the real concern/issue is with the torque to the bumper from the weight of the bike rack and bikes hanging from it and bouncing as you travel.

I have a rear slide-out on my Outback 25RSS, so here is a question/thought. Since I have a bunch of cargo straps laying around, couldn't I just hook a ratchet cargo strap to the two upper slideout support arm clips mounted on the left and right rear of the camper and strap it around the bike rack to relieve the stress that torque would otherwise put on the bumper? Or maybe even fabricate some rods that you could clip onto the support arm clips and attach to the bike rack for a stiffer support?

Do any of you see any reason why this would not work? I could not find any specific weight capacity specs for the bumper? I am thinking of trying it but if I open the package for the hitch receiver I can not return it.

Here is a very quick and crude illustration of what I mean.

Great Mods Oregon Camper!!! You gave me some great ideas that I will be using on my own camper! A mod I saw the other day was using those flexible magnetic strip vent covers to keep sand and dirt out of the heater vents on the floor! Here is a link to them.

I will post all my mods later this year after I have a chance to do them all and take pics.


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## Card1 (Oct 4, 2014)

Just wanted to follow up on this post with an update from my first camping trip of the season.

After inspecting my Outback 25RSS bumper, at first glance it appears to be a simple hollow aluminum bumper that I would not dare attach a bike rack to, but a closer look reveals that my bumper is actually a continuous-welded steel bumper underneath with a nicer aluminum layer screwed to the outside of it. The bumper is actually welded to the frame very securely and I got up on that thing and bounced around and even tried to put a bunch of weight on the bike rack to simulate torque and that bumper is a solid as a bumper could be even with a spare tire. I had two bikes on the bike rack in the attached photo with no issues at all and traveled well over 100 miles this weekend with them on the back. The bike rack bumper hitch I purchased was the swager hitch and it does say right on it "Designed for 4" x 4" continuous-welded steel bumpers, this adapter is not compatible with aluminum or spot-welded steel bumpers"

As you can see from the photo below, if I wanted to I could easily hook a cargo straps to the upper slideout support arm clips If I was really worried about it and it would work great! Plus when I was at the campgrounds I saw another camper who was actually using my cargo strap idea with a bike rack on an aluminum bumper, so I assume it must work well?

I would be interested to see if my cargo strap idea works out for anyone!


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Glad to hear your bumper is built better than others...









I know for sure in the time i've been on this forum, we've heard of folks thinking they were ok with a bumper rack...only to be flagged down on the freeway and finding their bikes gone and rack dragging from the trailer.


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## Card1 (Oct 4, 2014)

Oregon_Camper said:


> Glad to hear your bumper is built better than others...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ya I was happy to see my bumper was solid, look before you leap!


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## spidey (Aug 8, 2012)

Ive been told I shouldn't use a bike rack on the back of ours, even though it was built with one from factory, we have a 2011. But then Im thinking, why is it installed on there in the first place. I bought a Thule one that holds 4 bikes, and it has a hinge on it, so you can just pull a pin and then lower the rack. Which is very handy since we have the slide out back for the bed.

I think it was the Thule website that said not to mount it to a trailer. I think more or less to save their ass if you do and something happens.

Have used it the last 2 summers on trips, and seems to be fine. And see trailers all the time with bikes on the back

Not sure if this helps or not


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