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Old 03-16-2015, 07:25 PM   #1
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Bike Rack

Hello Forest River family. I own a 2012 Flagstaff Micro Lite 25DS. I would like to mount a bike rack for my teenage boys' bikes on the rear bumper but I read in the Owner's Manual that I void the warranty if I do.

Why is that? A rack with 2 bikes doesn't seem to be heavy enough for as sturdy a bumper as is on the 25DS. Am I missing something here?

Mark
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Old 03-16-2015, 07:28 PM   #2
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Welcome to the forum!

Here some threads you can look over. Most folks on here dont recommended doing it.
Forest River Forums - Threads Tagged with Bike Rack
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Old 03-16-2015, 08:24 PM   #3
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We have a TT and we put ours inside when we go. We find that they do not move around much so we wrap them so they do not scratch the inside.
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Old 03-16-2015, 08:44 PM   #4
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Mark, your trailer has an ultralight frame, with a thin walled and flimsy welded bumper.
the physics that occur, with a loaded bike rack held out and away from its mounting point, causes a pulling back and down movement on the bumper and its welds.

Sounds like you've never seen an ultralight trailer, with a loaded bike rack, going down the road.
motorhomes and regular 5th wheels have much beefier frames and bumpers to handle this setup better.

Even if you have a receiver welded and braced to the ultralight frame, that mod will void the frame's warranty.
unless it's a used unit and frame warranty has expired.
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Old 03-16-2015, 11:31 PM   #5
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Welcome from Ontario. yes if your warrant expressly voids if a bike rack is used I guess you have issues. You can mount to the TV?

Kevin
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Old 03-16-2015, 11:47 PM   #6
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As you will find, there are many different options for carrying bikes other than the rear bumper. Some options are...

receiver and bike rack added to front of tow vehicle
roof rack on tow vehicle
bed of pickup truck (if you have one)
rack mounted to front of trailer (many have custom built their own...any good fab shop can handle this)
inside of trailer (some RV'ers add mounts to the floor or dinette area)

IMHO, about the nicest bolt on solution is made by Arvika up in Canada.
Travel-Trailers. I built my own rack very similar to their 5th wheel version.
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