Who Has a 2" Front Receiver Hitch?

[clarkbre]

I'm looking at options for taking our bikes on our trips.

Trailer's bike rack:
My trailer came with what is advertised as a fold down "bike rack". I don't love the idea of our bikes hanging off the back of the trailer and frankly, it's platform has no tie down points or support to hold bikes.

Truck bed:
I have the bed of the truck; however, its usual packed with a propane tank, generator, 24" fire pit, deep cycle battery, firewood and other miscellaneous items. I can lay the bikes down but need to take the wheels off and it ends up being a mess of bike parts to dismantle.

Truck's 2" receiver hitch:
Out for the obvious reason that the trailer is connected.

Trailer tongue rack:9
Looking into this option, they seem ok but are expensive ($200+ just for the 2" mount) and only have a 100 lbs capacity. This won't work as our bikes + trailer hitch mount rack are about 125 lbs.

This has lead me to look into a 2" front receiver hitch for my truck. This is intriguing to me for the following reasons:
1. Our bike rack can easily slide in and pin in place.
2. It's a potential tow point.
3. I have a small boat that is parked in a very tight space. This would allow me to move it with the truck as oppose to muscle it around.

So my questions:
1. Who here has one of these hitches and do you like it?
2. Beyond the above 3 uses, what else can they be used for? My wife is on board with the idea but more uses would be better.

Here is the hitch I'm looking at:
Draw-Tite Front Mount Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - 2"

And here's how it looks on a Super Duty:

[pilotpip]

Do you already have a bike rack for the receiver? If not you'll have as much in the front set up or more than you would have in most other ways. With what you have in the back, you should have no problem putting the bikes in the back on a fork mount. Yeah, you have to take the front wheels off, but if you have quick release wheels this takes about 30 seconds. Stash the wheels in the camper and you're good to go. Something like this would do the trick, and the only thing in the bed is the rear wheel. You should be able to load the rest around the bikes with no problem, and could even put the rear wheels up on the wood. The bikes will be more than secure. I had two fork mounts on top of the tool box of my last truck and went on several road trips in excess of 1000 miles with zero problems other than bug guts on the handlebars because they were sitting above the cab. https://www.amazon.com/Swagman-Pick-...55724932&psc=1

[Jeffjeeptj]

I have a front receiver on my 2003 Sequoia. It is handy for moving small trailers around, but, remember your mirrors are wider than your head inside the doors. I had to have a spotter when I moved my 7' wide cargo traier around.

Also, after dark, the spokes on the bicycle wheels reflected a lot of the headlight beam making the road darker.

Now i mostly use the front receiver for my portable winch for mild to mid duty off road use. Or as a jack point when I Want to easily get both front wheels off the ground

[benchmarks]

I have the front mount hitch. Works great for bikes, putting trailers/boats into tight spots, snow plow, etc. We take 4 bikes....2 on front end hitch 2 on front end of the a-frame trailer. Bunk Buddy.

[clarkbre]

Thanks for quick replies. The real world experience and thought process helps a lot.

Yes, I do currently have a hitch mount rack that I use on my truck and Ford explorer.

The other restriction is that I do have a tonneau cover that is closed when all that other stuff is packed in the bed. That's why I currently dismantle the bikes to fit.

[grumpy0374]

I have a Draw Tite front mount 2" receiver on our E-450 based class c.
Around 100 bucks from E-trailer or Amazon. Custom fit, bolts on front frame, no modifications needed.
Carry a Curt spare tire carrier with a mounted spare/wheel. Added about 200 lbs or so to the front which is no problem as it took about that much from rear where it wasen't needed. Front is actually more stable now.
Never in 40,000 miles has it caused any problems. Coolant and trans fluid temps were/are not affected at all.
Grumpy

[jackhartjr]

I had one on two different trucks and loved it! It did run a little hotter than normal going up a mountain with two bikes on the front, I assume the disruption of air to the radiator caused that!

[2rad4u]

I used a front hitch to haul bikes for several years.

Took a trip to the VA Creeper Trail one year and had 4 bikes on the roof and 3 on the front hitch bike rack and pulled a travel trailer.

Good times and no problems.

[5er_tom]

I have one on the front of my F250. Have used it for years. We have a platform we purchased at CW and use it to carry my bike and my wife's trike. Works great, loads easily and does not interfere with forward view while driving.

[whirledpeaz]

I installed one on our F250. I already have a hitch mount bike carrier and as mentioned above, a tonneau cover so for us it just made sense. No problems at all and would do it again in a heartbeat.

[Billorp]

I just purchased a Curt front mount hitch for my F150 for carrying our bikes. I have not installed it yet but am looking forward to no longer traveling with the bike inside the camper. Glad to see the positive responses on this setup.

[kbrown1075]

I had one on the front of my 2000 GMC Sierra 1500 when we had a travel trailer. Two main issues why I don't use on my newer, 2009 GMC 3500 HD:
1. The bikes obstructed the natural wind flow on the radiators. I Knew this as I used a ScanGuage on the 1500 and could monitor the actual temp by the PCM. While it wasn't a huge issue on the FWT, it was on the transmission temp (10 to 15 degrees hotter).
2. Curbs, dips, and driveways became an issue with the receiver striking objects and the the ground, at times, due to the few inches lost in ground clearance. The bad part is that it is connected directly to the frame, so when you do come in contact with a parking curb or the ground, it rattles your teeth!

My method of carrying the bikes now is the Thule Roof system. Easy! Keeps my air flowing, nothing hitting the ground (also the 2009 3500HD is 4x4 and SW rear end), so I want all the clearance I can get.

Give and takes, makes for tough decisions. Living in S. Louisiana, I have to worry about heat and use of a 4x4. Your issues will vary, no doubt.

[itat]

I also installed one on my F-250. I use a Kuat Transfer 2 bike rack for DW’s bike and my bike.

Our new Rockwood Signature 5er has the rear platform rack. I have 3 older Yakima Raptor Aero racks that I used with cross rails on a popup many years ago, so I hope to be able to mount them on the platform to take our DS’s bikes when they come camping with us.

[tande]

Yes.....I too have a front hitch mounted bike rack.......we carry expensive bikes & love being able to keep my eye on them while traveling! ....

[Dakota EV]

I have the Curt 2" front hitch on my 03 ram 2500. I orginally used it for a storage rack but then decided to install my 12,000 lb winch in it instead. So now we carry our bikes in the bed of truck when we take them. I bought two of the foldable bikes so that I can just fold them up when we are travelling. That way I do not have to take the bikes apart. The bikes fit nicely in the bed of the truck under the 5th wheel and do not create any problems.

[pilotpip]

Another option might be to put them in the trailer. Does your bunk fold up like mine does? I see you have two slides so that might make it difficult to get through the camper with them closed. A low cost option would be a fork mount bolted to a 2x6. If you're worried about damaging the floor you could put some carpet on the wood.

[cmysstailights]

I installed a front mount hitch on my truck for the bikes or my cargo carrier. Works great, no issues.

[richp]

Hi,

I have had one on my last two Duramax Chevies. I find it useful for not only bikes, but for mounting an auxiliary rack I built to support the front of a canoe when towing my fiver.

FWIW.


Rich Phillips

[madsledet]

Originally Posted by clarkbre

I'm looking at options for taking our bikes on our trips.

Trailer's bike rack:
My trailer came with what is advertised as a fold down "bike rack". I don't love the idea of our bikes hanging off the back of the trailer and frankly, it's platform has no tie down points or support to hold bikes.

Truck bed:
I have the bed of the truck; however, its usual packed with a propane tank, generator, 24" fire pit, deep cycle battery, firewood and other miscellaneous items. I can lay the bikes down but need to take the wheels off and it ends up being a mess of bike parts to dismantle.

Truck's 2" receiver hitch:
Out for the obvious reason that the trailer is connected.

Trailer tongue rack:9
Looking into this option, they seem ok but are expensive ($200+ just for the 2" mount) and only have a 100 lbs capacity. This won't work as our bikes + trailer hitch mount rack are about 125 lbs.

This has lead me to look into a 2" front receiver hitch for my truck. This is intriguing to me for the following reasons:
1. Our bike rack can easily slide in and pin in place.
2. It's a potential tow point.
3. I have a small boat that is parked in a very tight space. This would allow me to move it with the truck as oppose to muscle it around.

So my questions:
1. Who here has one of these hitches and do you like it?
2. Beyond the above 3 uses, what else can they be used for? My wife is on board with the idea but more uses would be better.

Here is the hitch I'm looking at:
Draw-Tite Front Mount Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - 2"

And here's how it looks on a Super Duty:

We had a custom one installed on our Sprinter 3500 in Puyallup, WA. Bed slides out back so bikes had to be taken off every time we extended it. Works fine. Bikes do obstruct lights a little bit. Cost a little less than $1000 and worth it.

[bcmcdonald]

I have a Curt on my '95 GMC Sierra used for a Meyer Home plow. It holds up well considering the extreme forces it goes through. Also I don't have to wait for a plow service to show up.