Rear Bumper Bike Carrier

[danskool]

Originally Posted by joeblm

That is exactly the setup I had originally planned. Have you made many trips like that? I see you have support straps to control the bounce. I may still weld and bolt a 2" receiver to the frame, but it is great to see pics of my first plan. Thanks for posting them. Joe

lots of trips. i never used bike straps until i noticed the welds.(like said above) Once i saw that i put bike straps on when hauling 4 bikes. This summer I am going to fix it up. possibly a 4" 1/4"wall square Tube. And weld it on better.

[Jersey Guy]

I wouldn't mount a bike rack hitch to the bumper. A friend of mine had one on his and it all came crashing down, (rack, bikes, bumper) on the road and he did not know it until he arrived at the campground. Luckily another friend of ours was about 15 minutes behind and retrieved the bumper, one bike (slightly mangled) and the rack, (very mangled).

[dsaalease]

I agree with Jersey Guy. Bike racks on the back of an RV take a real beating. It may not seem like it, but if you have ever been behind an RV going down the road with a bike rack, there is a lot movement and shaking back there. Then multiply the movement with the weight associated with it. Consider a RV'shitch to be in the middle of a fulcrum and the bumper at the end of the fulcrum. The hitch is the part of an RV that is the most stable. The further from the middle you get, any motion is multiplied.

[spinella]

i think the common problem is anything mounted on that flimsy bumper. i even took the spare tire mount off the bumper. the bumpers are really thin gauge metal. if you want to do it right you need to frame mount a hitch for your bikes.

[JerseyBill]

This was helpful, I have a bumper mounted bike rack that is still in the box (a christmas gift I haven't installedyet)...I had concerns about using the bumper because it seems flimsy butam not ready to commit to a frame welded receiver just yet...what is the concensus on ladder bike racks, are they better/worse?

[markbet]

I have some rework that I need to do to my bike rack. The part on the rack that slips into the receiver hitch is to small, and has a lot of play, I can actually move the rack up and down an inch. It already has very much movement back there, and with the extra play, it has a VERY violent movement. I have a backup camera on the camper, so I can see what is going on back there and it is very scary to watch. I need to find aÂ*solution to this problem. I tried driving a steel wedge between the hitch and the stem on the rack, worked well for a couple miles, but the wedge worked loose and fell out.

[spinella]

i have no expierence with ladder racks, but how about a bolt on front hitch for your tow vehicle? bikes are out front where you can see them. i'm putting one on my truck for the other three bikes i bring along.

[mwebber78]

If you want to attach it to your ladder feel free. I was inspecting the unit and found some stripped screws, one of them on the ladder. I removed the screw and it was really short.



Not sure I'd rely on that to hold bikes!

[Chrisnan23]

Mark,

Put a sleeve on it with the hole in it to keep it in place. Maybe you can get a welder to tack weld it in place.

[kilbrider]

I'm another who wouldn't recommend a bumper mounted hitch. I had two adult bikes and the spare tire on the bumper and had the same experience as Coastn with my Sunset Trail. Thebumperbent inward and downward slightly at the welds. I'm going to have the hitch welded to the frame before next season.

[FB1965]

I hauled a Honda 3000 and fire wood on my Denali bumper for 4 years and never had a problem.I have a 09 Cruiser and plan on doing the same with it.I also did the same on a Dutchman and a Shadow Cruiser with no problems.I do check the bumper welds once in a while, but thats it.

[Chuck N. Wined]

My 07 Cruiser has an accessory hitch receiver mounted on the bottom of the bumper. That is where I have carried our bikes. I put 3 full size mountain bikes ona Yakima rackand then use ratcheting tie downs to help keep it all from bouncing excessively. I hook a tie down to the each side of the bike racks upper arms then run them down to the framing that the bumper is mounted to. This has seemed to cut down onsome of thebouncing as well as take some of the weight off the middle of the bumper and move it to the ends where it is mounted to the frame. I got this idea from Keith (hunter11) if I remember correctly. We carried our bikes for at least 3000 miles like this and have had no problem. I do check the welds at every fuel stop. All that being said....I am going to do something different for this coming season. I want something that is tied directly to the frame and uses a tray rack system. I have3 reasons for this. 1-It will take the weight off the bumper and spread the weight directly to the frame. 2-I believe there will be less bouncing of the rack because the bikes will be supported from below and not the arm of the rack which acts as a lever and causes a lot of the bouncing. 3-I want to be able to space the bikes a little differently. The rack I have forces the bikes into a very close placement and I have to do some padding to keep them from beating the snot out of each other.

Lonnie

[100ton]

Originally Posted by joeblm

I am guessing I will go to the frame. I hate wondering if something is going to hold while on a trip. A few extra hours and dollars now may prevent more time and money on the road Â*Thanks for the input.

joeblm,

I would agree with the frame mount. Â*However, I suggest that you check your warranty concerning the frame (modifications) and make your decision accordingly.

Just a thought.Â*

See you out there,

RobertÂ*

Edited by: 100ton

[Hunter11]

As Lonnie stated when we had our Cruiser I would use a tie down strap on each end of the bike rack hooked onto the frame to stop the bouncing going down the road. If you are hauling anything on the back bumper and you do not stop the bouncing as you travel down the road the welds will break at some point as Smokeman GRP on this forum found out. He got lucky and found it before he lost his bumper, rack and both bikes.

[wsc01q]

OK This is a good thread. I want to add a receiver and bike rack to the rear bumper of my Sunset Trail. My project is not complete yet but I am making a 1 1/4 bolt-on receiver to which the bike rack fits. The bike rack has a bolt the keeps the rack from moving inside the receiver and flopping around. Also, the bike rack fits close up to the receiver so that the leverage is lessened. The bike rack extends up a very short distance so that the bikes don't sway enough to work on the reciever. Finally, I will greatly improve the welds on the bumper attachments to the frame as the stock welds are minimal.

[salda01]

Originally Posted by Chuck N. Wined

My 07 Cruiser has an accessory hitch receiver mounted on the bottom of the bumper. That is where I have carried our bikes.

Lonnie

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I have the same set-up, but I don't use any tie downs. The bike rack I have as no-wobble system that elimantes the slack between the reciever and rack. I have a Hollywood rack. I love the rack, it's extremely sturdy. The one negative it's all steel and very heavy.

[wsc01q]

Well, I gave up any idea of adding a bike rack to the back of my camper. After thinking about it, the vibration and damage done to my kitchen on that back wall was enough to end ever putting anything on the back bumper. I think it would shake by bikes to pieces. I'm even worried about my spare back there. I had the sensor for my wireless temperature setup attached inside the spare wheel cover and it lasted one trip and was shaken to death. I think the spare will come off and go in the bed of my truck. I'd be glad to toss even those brackets and parts to save a few pounds. Killbrider and I have the same trailer and he's proved the point.

[fhenn]

I do not know if you Sunset trail has the Equa_Flex Suspension, if it doesn't I would put it in I installed in our Zinger and it made a world of difference. Fairly inexpensive and a easy to do it your self project Edited by: fhenn

[cwit]

I agree with Frank equa-flex is the best thing I didto my Zinger to take the jolts out of the ride. I will have something like this on any camper I own.

[wsc01q]

I have the EquaFlex suspension and it helps alot but I'll still never by another TT with a rear kitchen. Too much shaking goes on at the back of the trailer. My TV's come off the wall, my DVD has flipped out on the floor, my drawers have flown out, my ceiling fixture came out of the ceiling. Even the clock came apart. That all happened before the EquaFlex was installed so yes, things are better, and other than some dishware, nothing ever had to be replaced. Oh, and I keep my highway speeds under 60.