My pin box bike rack with pics.

[golfmedik]

I just wanted to share a few pics of my bike rack mount I made for our 5er. I pull it with a long bed, but depending on the type pf rack used, there is room for a short bed.

It started out as a piece of an old 10" I beam. Cut it on a 22 1/2* angle and then flipped it over. Cut one flange off and welded the pieces together. Then put a $14 receiver tube from Harbor Freight on it. Wasn't high enough to clear my toolbox with bikes on it, so I added 1/4" steel stock and made another perch for another receiver tube. The bike rack you see is a 3 bike rack bought from discountramps.com for $139. I have a total of about $40 in the mount.


And here it is hooked up.


I drilled 4 holes in the pin box and put it on with grade 8 bolts. As I said, this as you can see is a platform rack, but a 'hanging' rack would work with short beds as long as you strapped the bikes against the rack. I've always thought there was an easier way to carry bikes than on the back. We all know the stories about them. But now they are up and out of the way. Happy camping!

[Rugged Brown]

Did you have easy access to the bolt for the nuts. I drilled 4 holes in my pin box and then realized I didn't have access to screw the nuts to the bolts.

[golfmedik]

Originally Posted by Rugged Brown

Did you have easy access to the bolt for the nuts. I drilled 4 holes in my pin box and then realized I didn't have access to screw the nuts to the bolts.

Yes I did. It was very hard to reach. Would've been easier if I had taken the pin box off, but with a boxed end wrench and duct tape, I was able to get the bottom two bolts started.

[Rugged Brown]

Originally Posted by golfmedik

Yes I did. It was very hard to reach. Would've been easier if I had taken the pin box off, but with a boxed end wrench and duct tape, I was able to get the bottom two bolts started.

I took my pin box off and still couldn't get it. I now have a pin box with 4 drilled holes and a bike receiver sitting on the garage floor.

[Herk7769]

Every time I see a pic like this or wish I had room in the truck bed for an extended range tank, as well as my generator; I click my heals and repeat three times; "I wish I bought a long bed."

Then I go out to dinner and try to find a parking place for the truck.
Hard enough to do with the crew cab short bed.

[golfmedik]

Originally Posted by Rugged Brown

I took my pin box off and still couldn't get it. I now have a pin box with 4 drilled holes and a bike receiver sitting on the garage floor.

Could you possibly make a base for the receiver that will bolt into the areas you can get to and then bolt the receiver to the base? That way you can still use the receiver you have. Just a thought.

[golfmedik]

Originally Posted by herk7769

Every time I see a pic like this or wish I had room in the truck bed for an extended range tank, as well as my generator; I click my heals and repeat three times; "I wish I bought a long bed."

Then I go out to dinner and try to find a parking place for the truck.
Hard enough to do with the crew cab short bed.

I've been backing every truck I've owned into parking places for almost 30 years. From pickups, Suburbans, Excursions to the duallies. The length has not been an issue if you back them in, the issue with wide hips comes into play there. Still, love my long beds.

[Rugged Brown]

Originally Posted by golfmedik

Could you possibly make a base for the receiver that will bolt into the areas you can get to and then bolt the receiver to the base? That way you can still use the receiver you have. Just a thought.

i am thinking my last resort is to weld the plate to the pin box, but that's more permanent and don't really want to do that. For now, I will still carry them in the bed of the truck. Enough room for 2 bikes and still clearance from the 5er with my reese revolution hitch.

[AquaMan]

Originally Posted by golfmedik

I just wanted to share a few pics of my bike rack mount I made for our 5er. I pull it with a long bed, but depending on the type pf rack used, there is room for a short bed.

It started out as a piece of an old 10" I beam. Cut it on a 22 1/2* angle and then flipped it over. Cut one flange off and welded the pieces together. Then put a $14 receiver tube from Harbor Freight on it. Wasn't high enough to clear my toolbox with bikes on it, so I added 1/4" steel stock and made another perch for another receiver tube. The bike rack you see is a 3 bike rack bought from discountramps.com for $139. I have a total of about $40 in the mount.


And here it is hooked up.


I drilled 4 holes in the pin box and put it on with grade 8 bolts. As I said, this as you can see is a platform rack, but a 'hanging' rack would work with short beds as long as you strapped the bikes against the rack. I've always thought there was an easier way to carry bikes than on the back. We all know the stories about them. But now they are up and out of the way. Happy camping!

Very nice! Sent you a private message before I found this thread. How much clearance do you have when you're making a turn?

[golfmedik]

With the 3 bikes on there, it misses the rear glass about 7-8 inches. No where close. However, I have a B&W Companion hitch, so I put it in the farthest rearward position. It is just behind the center of the rear axle and didn't change weight distribution hardly at all. The main reason I set it so far back was to enable me to open my low profile tool box on the truck to access tools and fire extinguisher. Hope this helps.

[AquaMan]

Originally Posted by golfmedik

With the 3 bikes on there, it misses the rear glass about 7-8 inches. No where close. However, I have a B&W Companion hitch, so I put it in the farthest rearward position. It is just behind the center of the rear axle and didn't change weight distribution hardly at all. The main reason I set it so far back was to enable me to open my low profile tool box on the truck to access tools and fire extinguisher. Hope this helps.

Thank you! I have a couple 4 bike carriers already and will be looking at this as an option. Will have to do some measuring and calculating to see what I can get by with.

[12vdzl]

Originally Posted by Rugged Brown

I took my pin box off and still couldn't get it. I now have a pin box with 4 drilled holes and a bike receiver sitting on the garage floor.

Im not sure how thick the steel is, but it may be an option to tap the holes and thread the bolts directly to the pin box steel.

Sure hope this helps.

[Davidg]

Originally Posted by 12vdzl

Im not sure how thick the steel is, but it may be an option to tap the holes and thread the bolts directly to the pin box steel.

Sure hope this helps.

Do you think the pinbox is thick enough to hold? I was thinking of welding nuts to the pinbox. I'm still thinking of this as a project, but still concerned that it won't work as well with a shortbed truck.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by Davidg

Do you think the pinbox is thick enough to hold? I was thinking of welding nuts to the pinbox. I'm still thinking of this as a project, but still concerned that it won't work as well with a shortbed truck.

My first pin box hitch was mounted with bolts with nuts.

The current one on my TrailAir are bolts tapped and screwed into the pin box. We didn't want the back end of the bolt sticking through and interfering with the air pillow of the hitch. Probably 15-20,000 towing miles with it and it's still nice and tight.

I can't speak to short vs. long bed. If you want, I can maybe measure how far from the pin box it sticks out.

[Davidg]

Originally Posted by ependydad

My first pin box hitch was mounted with bolts with nuts.

The current one on my TrailAir are bolts tapped and screwed into the pin box. We didn't want the back end of the bolt sticking through and interfering with the air pillow of the hitch. Probably 15-20,000 towing miles with it and it's still nice and tight.

I can't speak to short vs. long bed. If you want, I can maybe measure how far from the pin box it sticks out.

When you find time, that would be great information. Maybe a picture?

Thanks

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by Davidg

When you find time, that would be great information. Maybe a picture?



Thanks

The end of the receiver tube on the hitch is about even with the front cap.

The rear part of the bike rack is about 1' from the front cap.

There are 3 adult bikes on here. The end bike sticks out from the front cap to the outer most bike is about 3'.

[Davidg]

That is awesome information. I cannot thank you enough...

So is it relatively easy to mount/dismount the bikes from the carrier by yourself?

[18CrewDually]

My rack tilts. So to unload I can either stand in the bed of the truck or I can tilt the rack forward. It's even easier if I lower the front landing gear bringing the hitch and bikes toward the ground.
I also have an 8' bed. The rack holds 4 but I usually only have three bikes on it. I don't have a good side shot of it loaded. I'll get a pic next month when we go to Virginia Beach. [emoji1]

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by Davidg

That is awesome information. I cannot thank you enough...

So is it relatively easy to mount/dismount the bikes from the carrier by yourself?

Yep. For loading, bikes go into the truck bed. Then I back the truck up to the rack and I hang them.

Taking them down is the reverse- from the rack to truck bed to the ground.

Mine tilts also, but I haven't tilted it in quite a while. I just climb up to the truck bed and do it all.

That said, I wish I had a different style of bike rack. Getting my wife's bike on there is a royal pain in the tushy. But that's the rack, not that it's a king pin bike rack.

[tmfaulksr]

THE MOUNT SHOWN IN THIS THREAD IS AWESOME.
Has anyone installed a bicycle rack on the roof of your truck while towing camper?
I was trying to think of negatives or reasons not to.

I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY COMMENTS
THANKS IN ADVANCE