hitch for bike rack

Pic

 

This is a close idea. My main tubes Down the center were 2x4” and I went up about 2’ as the tube was a 12 footer when I bought it.

 

Excellent ideas!

 

For the people who bought a Swagman that fits into a 2" receiver do you still like the quality? Looks like this thread is a year old.

https://www.amazon.com/Swagman-Cros...07XCX5TZP/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Does it fit loose? This will be on the back of an A frame which tends to jump around a little.

Promise me it will lower my tongue weight 50% <GG> I'm over 20%.

You can only wish you had my rear bumper. It came off a H2 <GG>

 

It seems to me that in many threads on this site, people have constantly been saying never add a bike rack to the rear of the pup because it will diminish tongue weight and cause trailer sway. What am I missing that in this thread it hasn't been mentioned?

 

The weight is not the problem unless you have a hundred-plus pounds of bikes back there. The problem is that the C-channel bumpers aren't designed to hold any weight and will most likely fail unless they are either reinforced or replaced with something heavier.

 

1) <<<<<<What am I missing that in this thread it hasn't been mentioned?>>>>

It has been mentioned in this thread and this forum. Ad naseum. It is one thing to recite something and another to understand why and how it works. Read my original post

2) <<<The problem is that the C-channel bumpers aren't designed to hold any weight>>>> Anyone who has been around Aliners has heard the stories of Aliners from 10 years ago and the weak c channel bumpers.

Please note my sarcastic comments in my previous post above yours. Early in this thread someone has stated that a bike rack will reduce your tongue weight by 50%. My reply above is "Promise me it will lower my tongue weight 50% <GG> I'm over 20%." Those who have studied tongue weight, how it causes sway and not recite folklore by rote know that tongue weight is supposed to be between 10 and 15% of gross trailer weight. Some propose that it should be between 12 and 15% and fine tuned to the individual trailer . I think mine is possibly pushing 25%. I am planning on possibly moving batteries to the extreme rear trying to lighten the tongue. This will be done in a scientific process after weighing the camper and the tongue after I buy the rack.

2) The rear bumper. Even the Aliner factory eventually learns. They are hanging the spare tire on the factory rear bumper. Note my comment above about having an H-2 bumper on mine. H-2 is the base model for the Army "Hummer" Jeep. I guarantee you, my rear bumper is not stock.

Can anyone comment on the Swagman bike rack quality.

 

Two dual suspension bikes, or a couple Wal mart bikes could easily bump 100 lbs on the rack.
I've looked at the bumper on our camper, I'd never trust thousands of dollars of bikes to it.
I bet I could twist/tear it with a pipe wrench.

Thought about building another bumper, but don't know how strong the frame rail is.

 

I put on a front receiver hitch on my truck, couldn't be happier

 

I’m not going to get in on the rack on the back of the pup debate, but to answer the question about Swagman racks, I’ve had the upgraded version of the linked one, the XTC2 for almost 10 years now and love it. It came with an anti-rattle bolt for the hitch so it’s rock solid. It also has better hoops for the wheels and is worth the price difference over the XC2 in my opinion. It is hefty though, so the rack plus 2 bikes will add quite a bit of weight.

To be fair, Swagman does not rate the XT2 or the XTC2 for the back of trailers. They do make a few that they specify are up to the extra bouncing and jarring of a trailer.

 

Does your trailer bob up and down and bounce the back bumper up and down when traveling on uneven surfaces? Our SUV tends to magnify the hitch mounted bike rack movements on rough roads. In fact when i overloaded the bike rack a little with three bikes it bent the post a little. Began to sag. Meant to carry two bikes with a total of 90lbs. The two bikes were ~40 lbs each plus a third mtn bike which was another 25 lbs.

I wasn't driving off road but simply driving on the interstate and bridge crossings plus uneven asphalt caused the vehicle to bounce enough to bend the bike rack post. Bike rack is one from eTrailer. Can't remember the brand.

 

Just a note on the bent bike rack. It was drooping. Looks like it wasn't one cause. The portion that sticks out of the receiver was drooping a little but the aluminum spacer block that converts the rack to a 2" receiver size seems to be a little deformed and allowing the rack to droop. I put a floor jack under the bike rack and nearly lifted the rear of our SUV off the ground. The rack has no bend now. Still has a little up and down movement caused by that aluminum spacer block. I'll keep an eye on it. If necessary I'll make a new steel block as I have access to a machine shop.

 

The receiver hitch I welded on our popup has worked flawlessly for over 10 trips during the last year with 2 bikes and a steel carrier hanging off it.
Still have >10% of trailer weight on the tongue, and no issues with swaying. I did throw a $50 Curt sway control unit on there just in case.
https://www.popupportal.com/threads/custom-receiver-hitch-for-bike-rack-on-flagstaff-228d.127257/

 

There are several post on here about bicycles on top of the camper. They all said it killed their gas mileage. Leave those bikes at home and get a blue grey water tote big enough to sit on and put a pad on it, then sit down on and have the Little Woman drag or push you to the end of the trail then you drag her back. That's plenty of exercise for the both of you right>) just don't give her my name please.

 

There are racks that fit over the spare tire and lock to it made specifically for jeeps. Not sure if it will interfere with turn radius.

The first one google showed on search, giving the example not endorsing it specifically:

https://www.sportsunlimitedinc.com/...cFZL3zKrQKZaNDhEJmzhCdB2Mg834igAaAhY7EALw_wcB

 

I have used this for years. Works out just fine.

https://www.swagman.net/product.htm?pid=828197&cat=40493

 

LOL, my F150 gets the same lousy gas mileage with or without the bikes on the roof of my Avalon.

 

We bring our bikes almost every time we camp. I didn't realize how much it affected mileage until a couple years ago when we got a different TV with real time MPG. Still, for the few extra bucks it costs it's worth it.

 

I used the dual receiver Halford posted. Didn't have an issue bringing multiple bikes, but watch tight turns as the bike wheels would touch the PUP. I had plenty of tongue weight to spare as we had a small PUP and never had a issue with trailer sway YMMV. Honestly, I don't see why it would. The tongue weight calculation is a % of the trailer weight. 10% of the trailer's weight should be on the tongue. The bike/bike rack has nothing to do with it as it isn't attached to the trailer. Now if you used a rack that mounted to the front frame of the trailer, then that is a whole other discussion.

We since got a TT so I not longer have the tongue weight to spare, don't trust the bumper, don't want to spend the $$$ to have a proper hitch welded to the frame of the TT so the bikes get hauled inside the TT. Not bringing them is not an option.