Receiver for Bike Rack on TT ?

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by mr.hiler

Herk I welded the box tubing right to the I beam of the TT frame then on the front two corners of the box tubing welded in a 6-8 triangle going forward so creates strength up and down and forward hope that helps I firmly believe in over kill in a situation like this, the joke is the hitch will still be there when the TT is long gone, but i will get some as quick as I can the way I back my TT in the barn it puts the hitch all the way up to the back wall doesn't leave much room to get back there and take pics. Also buy doing all, that I built a spare tire carrier welded to the center of the hitch as the ones to buy where pretty disappointing and i don't trust bolting anything to that back bumper.

Thank you, sir. There are many here looking for a safe way to carry bikes on the Ultra-Lite campers that are gaining popularity. I know I have tried several ways including the front of the truck. Not real happy with any solution so far.

I would LOVE a solution that would get my generator out of the truck bed! (hope against hope...)

[TURBS]

IM thinking beefing up the frame lets say 18 to 20 inches with this receiver only allows the stress to be at just beyond that point. the fulcrum just moves further forward .
Honestly I dont buy it . its still a teeter toter effect only you just moved it further forward on the frame .
still wouldn't do it !

[amxpress]

I installed a hitch on the front of my 2007 RAM 2500. It has a 2" receiver and my bike rack fits it to a tee. I can carry two bikes with no problems.
Don't know what kind of TV you have, but numerous front mounted hitches are available.

[OldCoot]

I have seen another forum where a fellow made a rack that attached to the fifth wheel snout on the trailer.

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fu...6.cfm#25683866

[dilgerc]

I too will be watching for pics.

[JBLODI]

I have had a bolt on receiver on my 4" square tube bumper and carried two bicycles around for 4 years now without any problem. I make a practice of routinely inspecting the bumper welds to make sure. I load both bikes as close to the post as possible to concentrate the weight and minimize the bounce. I also bungie the bikes to prevent to the post to prevent movement. So far, so good. 2010 Salem 23FB.

[Herk7769]

My different solutions:

[Quadzilla]

Do you have a bench dinnette or freestanding. I have a U shaped dinnette in mine. I replaced the flimsy seating wood with 1/2 Ply and use fork mounts to put bikes inside the trailer. When I get to my destination I just flip the Ply over and put the cushions back down. Works great.




Or Similar to this

Originally Posted by FreedomTracker

I'm thinking about adding a 2" receiver hitch on the back of my 2011 Rockwood 1809s TT. FR advises that this will void the warranty (expired anyway) as may cause problems with TT frame. Company line is they don't recommend...
There is a welding shop nearby that can build a custom hitch receiver welded directly to the TT frame. They advise replacing the 4" back bumper with a heavier gage steel and have lots of experience.
Does anyone have any experience with this type installation? Is there much risk in the added weight of bicycles or < 150lb causing damage to TT frame or structure?

[edman87k5]

I have been trying to figure a way to mount 2 adult bikes on my trailer for a while. They are only ridden when camping and I have been hauling them in the bed of the truck. No way I would add anything to the TT bumper, but have thought of adding to the frame in rear amd making my own bike rack.
What I would really like is to have them mounted on the tongue of the trailer! Anyone ever done this? 1 bike fits behind the propane tanks very easily, 2- not so much. I do have an idea on a way to mount them, but need to try it with the truck hooked up and turned tight to see if I have enough clearance.

[flyrotor]

3 words, Don't Do It.

If you could search my posts and bike racks together, you would find me boasting my bragging rights of how to mount is correctly.

Bottom line, even custom welding on mine failed. Luckily the total of damage was to only one of the bikes, not the frame of the trailer. The weld broke allowing the rack to dip and the tires of one bike dragged on the road, it was for less than a mile.

I am now a believer.... I never had the weld fixed because if it stays broke, I will never be tempted to try it again.

[dilgerc]

Ok so I appreciate all the info and have come to the conclusion that I won't be welding on the frame of the trailer so I am wondering about how well the bike racks work that are mounted on the ladder on the rear of the trailer? Also has anyone ever had a bumper mount bike rack adapted to mount on top of the hitch? Thanks

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by dilgerc

Ok so I appreciate all the info and have come to the conclusion that I won't be welding on the frame of the trailer so I am wondering about how well the bike racks work that are mounted on the ladder on the rear of the trailer?
not much better

Also has anyone ever had a bumper mount bike rack adapted to mount on top of the hitch? Thanks
you can buy the Toppoprails system or fabricate something like it. saw one person weld an elevated 2" receiver on the tongue and mounted his bike rack to that.

check out the prices though, on the Toppoprails before you buy one.

[wbillar]

of sad, we upgraded from a Forest River RPod to a Rockwood Mini Lite 2304 and now I learn I shouldn't carry bicycles on the back. I towed the RPod thousands of miles throuIt's kindgh several states with a bicycle rack and and two bikes with never any problem for almost 5 years. I just removed the spare tire which I then mounted on the tongue and used the small trailer hitch for the bike rack. What a disappointment.

I also called the company about the tires for my new trailer as the dealer was trying to sell me a policy for the tires which aren't under the "bumper to bumper" warranty. I was told these units are for weekend use close to home and not to be towed 1000's of miles but if I wanted tires that would hold up I might want to purchase some "premium" tires (which cost less than the policy). I never see anything about only using an "RV" for weekends, etc when I purchased any of the units.

It should be noted we took the RPod from Washington DC to Washington State and then did a lot of the West last year (over 14,000 miles). We've gone to the International Rally and had several small problems taken care of at the factory. I was really happy with the Rpod but after living in it for over 2 1/2 months this year, my wife and I finally went for a bigger unit.

We chose the Mini Lite because of the Murphy bed and chose the 2304 because you can't get the 2104 with Murphy bed and no slide is no longer available. I was concerned about going to the Rockwood factory as we spoke to the people there about certain changes they finally made a few changes after telling us for extended time why they couldn't do this or that. Anyway I got a bad feeling and we had put down the deposit. I caught up with Don Gundan who runs the Rockwood Factory and let him know how much we loved working with the people at the RPod/Surveyor factory and he said "you will be happy." Well if I can't put bicycles on a much more expensive larger unit I'm certainly not happy. This is really silly. If the Surveyor had a Murphy bed I would have gladly gone for that unit. That factory bends over backward to help and really has what we came to think of as the "Forest River Attitude." I hope I'm wrong about my first Impressions of the Rockwood folks.

In any case we need to figure this Bicycle thing out as I'm not going backward.

[bikendan]

wbillar, i'm sure if you had checked into it, the RPod's frame manufacturer would not have covered a frame/bumper failure if you'd had one.
maybe you lucked out and got away with it.

no one is saying that you can't do what you want. but if you are unlucky this time and suffer a frame/bumper failure, the frame manufacturer will not warranty it.
you can always have a receiver welded and braced to the frame and many owners do this.
just don't expect any warranty coverage.

[Herk7769]

"Upgrading your tires" is a classic "improve profit" tactic of dealers (car, truck, and camper). The tires they are selling you for twice the money are the same quality that was shipped to begin with.

[Bob1510a]

Let me start off with, I love bikes and want the best possible solution to safely transporting my expensive carbon bikes. So I have been reading about mounting on the bumper of the RV and was wondering why I would not just go with a proven roof mount (Yakima or Thule) to carry bikes? It would seem a lot more secure than behind the trailer.

The only disadvantage I can think of is the added drag, but then again we are pulling 5k lbs.

Thoughts?

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by Bob1510a

So I have been reading about mounting on the bumper of the RV and was wondering why I would not just go with a proven roof mount (Yakima or Thule) to carry bikes? It would seem a lot more secure than behind the trailer.

IMHO, that would be the best solution for carrying bikes.

Originally Posted by Bob1510a

The only disadvantage I can think of is the added drag, but then again we are pulling 5k lbs.

Thoughts?

The extra drag will be there, and will affect gas mileage some. I have my bikes suspended over the bed, and even in that position I notice a drop in fuel mileage when carrying the bikes.

[mjones12]

Originally Posted by herk7769

As stated, "It is a REAL bad idea", can not be repeated often enough.
The problem is NOT the weight; but where it is located that is the problem. It is located some distance from the attachment point. This makes a lever (like a teeter totter) with the fulcrum at the welds. The bouncing at the bikes is quite severe and that up/down travel will crack any weld. Worse yet; if the attachment welds are strong enough; that torque is transferred to the frame at the aft rear axle weld points. Frame cracks are a certainty.

FR tried beefing up its frame on several TT models in 2010 and 2011 to add a generator/cargo tray to their line. They looked WONDERFUL and I considered upgrading my camper to one of the newer models till I ran the numbers. (After 3 years it is "just how I like it" and would need to start over again with a new one).

Must not have worked out very well since in mid-year 2011 they stopped offering it on their travel trailers. My guess is frame cracks and not "buyer demand" was the real reason for the cancellation of the option.

My 2013 Surveyor 220 came from the factory with a very heavy fold-down bike rack that's now being offered. I have never used it but wonder if it is subject to the same problems you describe. Or have they possibly done something to improve it? I know some of the other guys with 220's who post here have the same rack. The dealership's service guys said it will support 350 pounds, though the brochure says 250. I don't know if it's wise to have that much weight hanging off the back of light-weight trailer like the 220.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by mjones12

My 2013 Surveyor 220 came from the factory with a very heavy fold-down bike rack that's now being offered. I have never used it but wonder if it is subject to the same problems you describe. Or have they possibly done something to improve it? I know some of the other guys with 220's who post here have the same rack. The dealership's service guys said it will support 350 pounds, though the brochure says 250. I don't know if it's wise to have that much weight hanging off the back of light-weight trailer like the 220.

i would hope that they've reinforced the area that the rack is mounted to.
i've never seen a Surveyor with this setup. they have an ultra-lite frame so something had to have been done to beef up the area for the bike rack.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Bob1510a

So I have been reading about mounting on the bumper of the RV and was wondering why I would not just go with a proven roof mount (Yakima or Thule) to carry bikes? It would seem a lot more secure than behind the trailer.

The only disadvantage I can think of is the added drag, but then again we are pulling 5k lbs.

Thoughts?

i agree about roof racks being the best option.
but i think for many it's that they have a SUV and it may be difficult to reach up and take the bikes off, especially for those who are vertically challenged.

i would rather have the bikes on a front hitch mount than the rear of the trailer.