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Old 01-17-2009, 03:33 AM   #1
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Anyone considering using a bolt-on receiver for the rear bumper to carry bikes, platforms, etc. please see my post in the General Questions forum, same topic. Tried it with bikes and my experience wasn't a good one. Just a heads-up.
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Old 01-22-2009, 09:09 AM   #2
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I am working on a rear bumper bike rack. I moved the spare trailer tire over to one side and will attach a 1 1/4 inch receiver to the bumper with U-bolts. The receiver is all made up. Just haven't bolted it on yet. I already have a standard bike rack to fit the receiver.

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Old 01-22-2009, 09:40 AM   #3
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wsc01q, I agree with Coastn. Please read the posts in General RVing before you install a bumper only mounted hitch. I also found that the ST bumper could not handle two adult bikes and the spare tire. Edited by: kilbrider
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Old 02-02-2009, 03:45 AM   #4
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Okay, I'll bite. What is meant by "won't handle 2 bikes"? The bumper

fall off? Aren't they supposed to handle a 5 MPH impact? That's a

pretty good hunk of steel back there. I've even been thinking about

pulling my 20 foot I/O boat back there. Kilbrider - you have the same trailer as I do. Any details on your experience?

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Old 02-02-2009, 04:48 AM   #5
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I would not put a boat on the hitch you are talkig about but I do carry my spare and 2 bikes.
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Old 02-03-2009, 01:47 AM   #6
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cwit - yeah, that was a bit of a stretch. I did see someone do it but they had welded a pretty serious hitch receiver assembly between the frame rails of the trailer just ahead of the bumper. It was a homemade deal but it looked like Fort Knox.

Even with the EquaFlex suspension I have, the back of the trailer takes a brutal pounding. I had a remote sensor for my indoor/outdoor thermometer velcroed inside the spare tire cover and the vibration destroyed it on the first trip. My kitchen is on the back wall of the trailer and everything has to be packed in foam or it gets wrecked. My next trailer, I want the bedroom or living room back there.


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Old 02-03-2009, 01:59 AM   #7
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killbrider - I checked the posts under the General RVing. I also checked the welds on my 26RK and they sure aren't much. Before I do anything, I'll get out my arc welder and do some serious welding back there. Hard to believe that a few bikes would cause so much damage. I could put them in the bed of my truck but the lifting is a back killer and I have a really nice bike rack just sitting around.

Let me know how your kitchen holds up. Almost everything on that back wall takes a real pounding. My TV has come off, my coffee maker has come apart, the glass dish in the microwave is a problem, the light over the sink has come out, the DVD player has fallen out, the clock has fallen apart and any glass/ceramic dishware has been broken. Oh, and we keep speeds under 60 at all times and we have the EquaFlex suspension.


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Old 02-04-2009, 07:01 AM   #8
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Makes me glad I have a rear living.
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Old 02-06-2009, 04:54 AM   #9
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Yeah, when you get under 30 feet either the kitchen or the bathroom has to be at the back. We almost bought a 29 and the kitchen was at the front and the bedroom was at the back, but it was just too big for our tow vehicle then. We have learned how to bullet proof everything on the back wall and we are good to go most anywhere. I think it's a real challenge to design these things. A 5th wheel has got to be good way to go.

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Old 02-06-2009, 11:49 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wsc01q
killbrider - I checked the posts under the General RVing. I also checked the welds on my 26RK and they sure aren't much. Before I do anything, I'll get out my arc welder and do some serious welding back there. Hard to believe that a few bikes would cause so much damage. I could put them in the bed of my truck but the lifting is a back killer and I have a really nice bike rack just sitting around.





Let me know how your kitchen holds up. Almost everything on that back wall takes a real pounding. My TV has come off, my coffee maker has come apart, the glass dish in the microwave is a problem, the light over the sink has come out, the DVD player has fallen out, the clock has fallen apart and any glass/ceramic dishware has been broken. Oh, and we keep speeds under 60 at all times and we have the EquaFlex suspension.


I'm no mechanic or welder, but I don't think it's the weight of the bikes as much as it is the jumping around they do back there. Even tied and bungeed down they still bounce around quite a bit and cause all kinds of extra tourque on the bumper. In my case the bumper has bent down and inwards, causing the spare tire, which is also bumper mounted, to look like it is sticking out from the back of the trailer. I'm going to have it straightened out in the spring and also have the bike hitch attached to the frame somehow.









With the exception of one bad, sudden stop situation ( my fault, not the trailers) where I lost some dishes, I haven't had any problems with the rear kitchen. I do run a bungee cord through all the upper cabinet handles to keep them from opening while travelling. I won't have a TV in the trailer and I keep the countertop clear while travelling as well.

Edited by: kilbrider
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Old 02-08-2009, 01:47 AM   #11
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Just arrived in Tucson from Colorado. On the drive from Las Cruces, NM into Tucson I passed many RVs. On one "wavy" stretch of the road I was behind a trailer with two bikes on a bumper receiver hitch rack. The bikes weren't tied down or bungeed in any way and every time there was a slight valley or hill in the road the rack and bikes would bounce like they were on a trampoline. My bike rack fits really tight in the receiver, but still, this kind of torquing is what did theidentical damage to kilbrider's and my bumpers.
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Old 02-23-2009, 03:08 AM   #12
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I think it should be illegal to do, unless the bumper is specialy built for it.

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Old 02-27-2009, 04:46 AM   #13
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I'm trying to get some ideas on carrying bikes other then inside the trailer. Does anybody know of a bike rack made for the A frame up front? I heard there was one company out there that made one, can't find it. Without the gas tanks there it seems like it would be a good spot. Or has anybody tried those bike racks that go over the reciever? Do the bikes get in the way on a sharp turn? Thanks for the info.
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Old 02-27-2009, 07:41 AM   #14
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joe,

i custom made one thats welded to the rear frame rails. its removable-attached with two receiver tubes. i posted pictures in another thread. i'll try to find it and re-post it if your interested.another option is a front "hidden hitch" they bolt to the front of your truck directly to the frame.(usually inbetween your tow hooks and bumper. this way you can keep an eye on your bikes while your driving.
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Old 02-27-2009, 08:55 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe
I'm trying to get some ideas on carrying bikes other then inside the trailer. Does anybody know of a bike rack made for the A frame up front? I heard there was one company out there that made one, can't find it. Without the gas tanks there it seems like it would be a good spot. Or has anybody tried those bike racks that go over the reciever? Do the bikes get in the way on a sharp turn? Thanks for the info.


Ive heard of this tongue mount bike rack also, but never seen it.

I would definately think it could interfere with tight turns though.



I throw mine on the back of the pickup, but I have that option.
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Old 02-27-2009, 09:36 AM   #16
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I have been trying to figure out a way to do this too. I put mine in the back of my Suburban now. It is a tight squeeze for 3 bikes but it works. Itis a little hard for me to lift them all up. I would like to put something on the tongue.



This is a company that makes bike racks for the tongue. They are a bit spendy for my budget. A lot of people seem to like them.



http://www.toppoprails.com/Traveltrailer.htm



I also found this info for a homemade one.



http://www.geocities.com/fulltimedre...bike-rack.html















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Old 02-28-2009, 02:47 AM   #17
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Thanks, that's the company I've heard of and also a little more then I want to spend to carry bikes. I like that other idea of making your own. Maybe I'll give it a shot this season.
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Old 02-28-2009, 05:06 AM   #18
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If you try it, would you please post on how it turns? If it isn't too difficult, maybe I will giveit a try.



Thanks.
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Old 02-28-2009, 05:14 AM   #19
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The problem for me, though, would still belifting the bikes up high. I think I would want it to rest on the tongue itself, so maybe I would add some u tube bolted to the tongue for the tires to rest on.
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Old 04-22-2009, 07:31 AM   #20
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Hi everyone. I have a 2008 ST27RB. Love it. No problems with it. Just a comment and a question. First the comment about rear bike carrier. I had a hitch welding shop install a 2" receiver welded to the frame in front of the bumper. No problems with bike rack etc. Now the question. I have Tekshona Voyager brake controller and will replace it with anew one. I was thinking of getting a Prodigy (Teshona) or Draw Tite Intella-Stop unit. Any comments or suggestions?

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