Bike rack on back

[mamcgoron]

I think everyone is both giving too much credit to this "RV Rated" tag and placing too much faith in it. I have this Swagman over the spare rack, and it's definitely the lightest duty bike rack I've owned, and I've had several over the years, including a cheapo one from Harbor Freight. That thing was much more solid that this "RV Rated" rack from Swagman.

Now, I'm not trying to knock this Swagman rack. It's fit's my needs well. I got it dirt cheap and just use it to carry two balance bikes (about 10lbs total).

So, I think you should just use your judgement. This RV Rated Swagman is rated to carry 70lbs, but I wouldn't... especially cantilevered 12+" it takes to clear the spare off the back of my bumper. Some RV Rated racks might be nice and strong, some might not... Some non-RV Rated racks might not be up to the job, some may be...

https://www.swagman.net/product/around-the-spare/

[A2pfunk]

Originally Posted by thebrakeman

I notice the OP has a 5th wheel trailer, not a pull-behind. There is a significant risk to putting anything on the back of a pull-behind TT, because any weight that far back will remove roughly the same amount from tongue weight. This may or may not be enough to put your TW under 10%, or otherwise, cause your rig to be more prone to sway. The 5th wheel would not have this problem, so from the trailer's perspective, as long as the bumper is rated for it, it's fine.


From the perspective of the rack itself, most of the previous posts apply. Even if your 5th wheel is able to handle the weight of rack and bikes on the back, if the rack manuf does not say it's rated for it, I would not trust it. Even if you have a rear camera, this is a lot of bouncing around. On the back of a passenger vehicle, with it's own suspension, not so much load is transferred to the rack, because the shock "absorbers" are doing their job. Not so with a trailer, so the rack has to be able to absorb the loading.


If you want to know why 1 rack is not rated for it, like another, even thought they cost the same:
1. cost is not everything
2. call the manufacturer

Originally Posted by thebrakeman

There is a significant risk to putting anything on the back of a pull-behind TT, because any weight that far back will remove roughly the same amount from tongue weight. This may or may not be enough to put your TW under 10%, or otherwise, cause your rig to be more prone to sway.

This. I bought our first TT used and it had a receiver hitch mounted to the bumper. I went out and got myself a bumper rack capable of holding four bikes. I only used it twice. The first time, I thought it was just really windy out. The camper felt like it was blowing around. The second time, I made it about twenty minutes down the expressway in a rain storm. I felt like I was really working to keep the thing in my lane. Some other driver pulled up next to me and was screaming and yelling. Thinking he was road raging, I tried to ignore him for a few miles. Eventually, I rolled down my window and he was saying "you need more tongue weight!" I stopped at the next rest area and put the bikes inside the camper. Night and day difference. I realized then, that the other time I had used the rack, that's what was causing the squirrelly ride, not any cross wind.
I now put a couple of our bikes in the back of the truck and then I built a floor mount to sit inside the camper and hold kids' bikes.

[johnlochbuie]

The reason you don't want to put a bike rack on back of trailer has nothing to do with the hitch weight the rack it self can not take all of the bouncing and it will break and dump the bikes in the middle and the road

[bearspaws]

We learned the hard and expensive way about the rack on our trailer. We have a Rockwood 5th wheel and installed a brand new Hollywood bike rack on the rear to haul our brand new Rambo e-bikes. Our first trip from Idaho on Highway 90 thru South Dakota, the center post of the rack broke within about 300 miles. We pulled into a rest stop and noticed the bikes were leaning. We had lost one battery ($600) and the only reason the bikes were still there was the strap my husband had put around them and the bumper because the cover kept blowing off.

I looked up the Hollywood rack on Amazon and they say not to install it on any towed vehicle due to the stress put on the rack by the sway of the trailer. Thule states that their warranty is void if used on a towed vehicle. The dealer we bought the bikes and rack from in Colorado had never heard of one failing and didn't know it shouldn't be installed on a trailer.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by bearspaws

We learned the hard and expensive way about the rack on our trailer. We have a Rockwood 5th wheel and installed a brand new Hollywood bike rack on the rear to haul our brand new Rambo e-bikes. Our first trip from Idaho on Highway 90 thru South Dakota, the center post of the rack broke within about 300 miles. We pulled into a rest stop and noticed the bikes were leaning. We had lost one battery ($600) and the only reason the bikes were still there was the strap my husband had put around them and the bumper because the cover kept blowing off.

Those bikes weigh around 65lbs each. I don't think that rack is rated for 130lbs, especially on the back of a bouncing trailer.
Add the fact that the Rockwood has an ultralight trailer frame, therefore the bumper probably would have failed if the rack didnt.
I wouldn't put my two bikes(that total 60lbs)on the back of my TT.

[Hersbird]

Originally Posted by bikendan

Those bikes weigh around 65lbs each. I don't think that rack is rated for 130lbs, especially on the back of a bouncing trailer.
Add the fact that the Rockwood has an ultralight trailer frame, therefore the bumper probably would have failed if the rack didnt.
I wouldn't put my two bikes(that total 60lbs)on the back of my TT.

The one I saw on Amazon was rated 80 pounds per bike specifically designed for E-bikes. That said, I wouldn't put my single E-bike on a rack on the back of my trailer even if it was a 300 pound rated motorcycle carrier. Like you said the frame will fatigue and fail even if the rack doesn't. They just sit back there and wiggle, wiggle, wiggle...

[babock]

The Hollywood racks are one of the cheapest racks around. I wouldn't put one of those on my car let alone an RV. Some if the cheap ones on etrailer are no better.

[acadianbob]

Originally Posted by Golfnbike13

If you have nice bikes there is a much cheaper and safer way to transport them, depending on your dinette setup, and that's inside the camper. I installed fork mounts on the underside of our dinette benches, just remove the padding and flip over then I can mount 3 bikes easily across the dinette. Front wheel slides down between each bike. When we we arrive take bikes out, flip over board so mounts are inside bench. All of my bikes have a quick release wheel or thru-hub so no tools are needed. Cost was a grand total of less than $50 to buy 3 fork mounts on amazon. Bikes are protected from weather, bouncing, scratching, theft, and accidents. See photos.

I did this in our 5er. Works GREAT! Keeps bikes safe and clean.

[nayther]

I'm getting a receiver mounted rack for two cruisers. My 5er came with a fold down hauler rack that states max. load at 300#. I had a frame mounted receiver professionally installed by a VERY reputable trailer hitch vendor that I use to haul my dual sport 450 motorcycle, total weight is pushing 300# with the rack. I have a rear view camera so I can see it and it does move quite a bit, mostly just the flex of the rack, going to stiffen that up or make a new one. So, yes things move more back there but if it's rated for 300# then it certainly can handle two bikes and a rack. The receiver is welded to the frame in the same location as the rack so will not over stress the frame. Considering the bikes are only cheap cruisers I'm not concerned about it too much. But make sure they are extra secure on the rack, probably need additional straps.

[rrtwis]

Has anyone ever used a dual receiver to add the bike rack beteween the tow vehicle and the TT?

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by rrtwis

Has anyone ever used a dual receiver to add the bike rack beteween the tow vehicle and the TT?

Can you post a pic or link to what you're talking about.
If you're talking about one of these:
https://www.harborfreight.com/dual-h...RoCeLgQAvD_BwE

You can't use them with a WDH and it also lowers the original receiver's weight capacity numbers.

[rrtwis]

That's what I was talking about.

I have a 2018 Silverado 1500 and I'm pulling a 17FQ UltraLite that has 330# hitch weight without a WDH. I'm getting mixed feeling about what I can do to carry two bikes and where I can put them.
At first I was going to buy a reinforcement kit for the bumper and add either an over the spare rack
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N7O88YP...v_ov_lig_dp_it

mounted to the bumper, or add a receiver and use that style of bike rake. I liked this idea so I could also carry the bikes on the receive of the truck when not towing the TT. After reading a number of comments that scares me and I was trying to avoid calling in the professionals and doing major updates on the bumper and voiding any warranty I have left.

Another option was a tongue rack that mounts using the same screws that hold the screw jack but that seems like it wouldn't be very sturdy.
https://www.amazon.com/Lippert-Compo...042790&sr=8-23

Next idea was the duel receiver then the final is the front mount tongue rack as shown here.

https://www.amazon.com/STROMBER-CC27...041286&sr=8-17

The last option is starting to become my favorite so far.