Bike Bunk on Rockwood 2306

[maccve]

I battled the rain yesterday and installed a Stromberg Carlson Bike Bunk on my 2017 Rockwood Mini-Lite 2306. I thought I would share for others looking for options to haul bikes when camping.

First off, I did a ton of research on here looking for options. There are 4 of us, so I need some way to carry 4 bikes. This Bike Bunk, by itself, is NOT that option...more on that later! Anyway, the first thought was to just get a bolt on hitch receiver...slap it on the back bumper and plug my 4-bike, hitch mount bike rack into and then head on down the road.

This of course, with a little research is a big NO NO. Those bumpers are not made for this type of load. I then looked at those supports that attach to the frame and provide support for the bumper. I seriously considered this option, but given how the stabilization jacks are attached to the rear of the frame on this model, i did not think this would be a very good option and would require a lot of cutting and drilling to make it work. Research also indicated that modifications to the frame could void the warranty.

So, staying at the rear of the trailer, I looked at ladder mount bike racks. This does seem like a viable options, but all of the ones I looked at can only hold two bikes. I did actually order a Strobmerg Carlson rack this morning and will install it after I receive it. This takes care of half of the bikes I want to haul.

So next I looked at options on the front of the trailer. I found a couple of Canadian options which looked really nice, but were very expensive. This Stromberg Carlson Bike Bunk seemed like the best option as I already have a bike rack I can use with it. FYI...I ordered from Amazon...it is actually cheaper at eTrailer.com, but I live in the same state as them and when they add sales tax, it becomes more expensive than Amazon. Anyway, with my Prime Two Day Shipping, it arrived fast and I was very impressed with the packaging. It comes in a VERY Heavy Duty box which affords little or no chance of damage.

After unpacking, I found this to be a very stout piece of equipment. I laid all of the parts out to make sure I had everything and found that one of the nuts they sent me was the wrong size. My research had also indicated that the bolts for the bottom part are too short and do not work. This is odd that such a nice piece of equipment would ship with the wrong size of bolt. I had to hit the hardware store anyway, so I picked up a 3" bolt for the top with two larger nuts than what it shipped with and then I used the 2 3/4" bolts that were supposed to be used in the top and moved them to the bottom and they worked great.

Just a warning, if you buy this, you do have to drill 4 holes in it once you get it in place. This allows it to be used on almost any frame configuration. This was easy to do and not a big deal if you know how to use a drill!

Overall, I am very happy with this! My only downside for this is the weight capacity of it. It is only supposed to hold 50lbs... by the time you put the rack in it, you will barely have enough capacity left for two bikes...which is why this by itself is not the solution for needing to haul 4 bikes. I am surprised it only hold 50 lbs as it is VERY STOUT! I am an engineer and and feel this could easily support much more weight. However, it does add to the tongue weight of the trailer, which for the 2306 is very high anyway.

I hope this helps someone looking for ways to haul bikes...see may attached pictures...

[bikendan]

This and the other A frame mounted bike racks are the best solution for carrying bikes, if you can't carry them in or on the tow vehicle.

[rockfordroo]

Info here says it holds 100 lbs.

https://www.etrailer.com/RV-and-Moto...on/CC-275.html

Also, you might want to actually weigh your bikes and rack. Unless you've got some fancy racing bikes, I suspect you'll find you're over 50 lbs already.

[maccve]

You are correct… The capacity is 100 pounds… I must've been thinking about the ladder mounted racks that I was looking at all morning before I wrote this!


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[WannaBcamping]

Looks great and will be the perfect solution for us bringing our bikes!

[Camp Nutz]

In your picture I only see one bike, is it difficult to get the two bikes on?

[maccve]

Originally Posted by NancyCas

In your picture I only see one bike, is it difficult to get the two bikes on?

No...I just grabbed the easiest to get to bike in my garage and threw it up there for a picture. You can use pretty much any type of hitch mounted bike rack with this system as long as it does not interfere with the turning of your tow vehicle.

The difficulty in putting the bikes on the type of rack I am using is lifting them up and onto the rack. Of course that would be the same with any rack attached to this bracket system.

[WannaBcamping]

Pic #1 shows the bike hanging on the upper part of the bike rack. Pic #2 doesn't show the upper part. When you order this system, do you receive all shown in Pic#1, or just what is shown in Pic#2?

[maccve]

Originally Posted by WannaBcamping

Pic #1 shows the bike hanging on the upper part of the bike rack. Pic #2 doesn't show the upper part. When you order this system, do you receive all shown in Pic#1, or just what is shown in Pic#2?

Pic #1 shows my bike rack...that I owned before buying the Bike Bunk System...attached to the Bike Bunk. Pic # 2 and well the rest of the pictures show only what comes with the system. It basically puts a receiver in a convenient location to attach your bike rack. I would highly recommend the Allen Sports Bike Rack that I have attached...It is very high quality for a very good price. I think I bought it from Amazon on a lightning deal for like $80.

Basically, you can attach any type of hitch mounted bike rack to this system. Most people who bike a lot probably have a hitch mounted bike rack already, which makes this system nice. Where it really comes in handy is that when you get to the campground and say you want to drive somewhere with your bikes and leave the camper at the campground, you just take your rack off of the Bike Bunk and then attach it to the tow vehicle receiver and drive away. If you have, say a bike rack attached to your ladder or one made for the rear bumper of your camper, you cannot do that.

[GloNDark]

Man that is a great looking option. Next time you hook up, and load the bikes, can you take a profile pic? I've been looking at this rack but concerned I wouldn't be able to open the camper shell on my truck with it the rack in place and bikes on it.

[maccve]

Originally Posted by GloNDark

Man that is a great looking option. Next time you hook up, and load the bikes, can you take a profile pic? I've been looking at this rack but concerned I wouldn't be able to open the camper shell on my truck with it the rack in place and bikes on it.

Will Do! We are for sure going camping the last weekend of August, but I may be hooking it up to do some work on the parking pad...if so, I will snap a picture...

[WannaBcamping]

maccve are your propane tanks 20lb or 30lb?

[maccve]

Originally Posted by WannaBcamping

maccve are your propane tanks 20lb or 30lb?

I have 30 lb tanks!

[WannaBcamping]

OK great, that's what we'll have when we get the new trailer next spring.

[maccve]

For those requesting pictures....I hooked it up today and threw 3 bikes on it and snapped a few pictures. I have a 2016 Ford 150 Super Crew Lariat for comparison. I did not hook up the WDH, so it is sagging a little, but there is plenty of clearance over the tailgate!



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[Summer2Go]

Those of you with Roos, this was not a choice when I did my research last year. You cannot open the front bunk without completely taking the entire Stromberg off your frame. I believe I only have like 1" clearance above my propane tanks when the bunk is open as I Remember.


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[maccve]

We went camping this weekend and took bikes for everyone in the family, so to kind of close out my original post, I thought I would post the actual pictures of the bike rack in action. We are a family of 4, so I needed 4 bikes. I feel three bikes is just about the right amount to put on this front bike bunk. Especially with the kids bikes...they are kind of funny shaped and needed to be worked with to get them to even fit...the kids have about outgrown these bikes, so they will be getting regular grown up bikes soon. I think regular mountain bikes would fit much better....

I put my mountain bike on the back ladder rack that I installed. It worked really well. I used bungee cords to keep it snug against the ladder. It is made to hold two bikes and I would feel comfortable with that if needed. I thought about hanging some fancy reclining chairs there too, but decided against that for this trip.

Anyway, everything worked great and I hope this post helps some people...oh, I did see another travel trailer driving down the highway with two bikes attached to the rear bumper. Those things were moving like crazy and it did not look very stable and I can see the concern with adding weight to the flimsy rear bumpers...I wish I had taken a picture, but we were in heavy traffic....

[Toddupton]

I mount all 4 of our bikes inside to the bench seats using fork mounts. They are inside so they can not walk away and cost about $40

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ds-109165.html

[maccve]

Originally Posted by Toddupton

I mount all 4 of our bikes inside to the bench seats using fork mounts. They are inside so they can not walk away and cost about $40

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ds-109165.html

Awesome mods you have done! I can see borrowing some of your ideas!

[KnP]

Very nice, well done, looks good... in my case, I opted to place the bikes in the bed of the truck.