Here is the deal. My family always wants to take the mountain bikes, which is a big pain for me. To date we've been hauling them in the truck bed and then moving them inside the 5th wheel when we tow. At the campsite they have to be taken out of the 5th wheel and if we go on a bike trip that we have to drive to, I have to load them into the truck bed again. It seems like I'm always loading and unloading bikes !
The truck and 5th wheel both have 2" hitch receivers.
Our mountain bikes have wierd frames and don't fit those carriers that hold by the top tube.
Any ideas on how to easily transport these bikes, keep them theft proof and easily move them from truck to trailer to truck.
When I put them in the truck, I put the front wheels against the front of the bed and use one strap on either side of the triple clamp. This works well. I wonder if I could do something like this on a platform that mounts to the hitch receiver.
__________________
'99 F250 Superduty CC with 05 Cummins (325/600), BHAF, Donaldson M090544, ZF6 and timing advanced 2.2 degrees.
Dang, I wish I could draw a picture - I saw one about 3 weeks ago that'd be perfect! It was a 3-bike rack, made with a tube out of the reciever with 3 angle irons perp. to it (parallel to the bumper) forming channels. On the front of the inside and outside ones, they had a sort-of wheel hoop, like a bike rack at a school. The middle one had one too, but it was on the other end, so two pointed one way and one the other. They had straps holding each back wheel down into the channel, and a strap through the forks pulling the front wheel into the front hoop. It looked really slick and very universal, it was all secured with straps.
I have also seen tracks that go into the cargo carrier platforms that fit a reciever hitch so you can have dual duty if you wish. I cannot recall where I have seen them but you should be able to build something pretty easily to put on one.
Hope this helps out.
Dave / Believer45
__________________ THANK YOU to all the heroes in our military and all the heroes at home who wait for their safe return. I am humbled by and grateful for your service and sacrifice.
'95 F250 ext cab long bed, PSD, 5 speed manual, two wheel drive, 3.55 gears, LUK clutch conversion, 450 lb homemade REAR BUMPER, homemade open element AIR FILTER, aluminum bed cap. With me in the cab (285#) and full of fuel weighs 6,580 lbs (steer 3420 drive 3160)
Have you ever considered a front reciever? Might be worth it so you don't have to switch the bike rack from the back of the trailer to the back of the truck again. Just a thought.
...danny
__________________
2001 'X' 7.3l PSD 4x4 Limited
Oxford White / Medium Parchment
K&N Air filter, Husky Floor Liners
20' H&H Speedloader MX Tiltbed Trailer
Bilstein shocks(BE5-6208 front, BE56209 rear) $259.80 to my door.
I use the Thule "hitching post Pro" 4 bike rack. Folds down in about every joint if need be. Works pretty good and holds up good. Something like 150-180 bucks they go for. I think I caught mine on sale for around $135 or something.
However this does hold by the top tube. Although I have to carefully thread the rubber strap under the cables least it grind the cable into the paint. But its easy enough to do.
I will now be using it on the front reciever hitch.
Found it works very well in the rear receiver. But obviously even with its ability to let down, with four bikes on there, thats not going to allow full use of the Tailgate while bikes are in it. When its not got bikes on it then sure. But none of them will fully allow use of the tailgate while the bikes are all in the rack. Without potential damage to the bikes that is. Maybe with a bike or even two it might.
And I even added a short receiver tube to my 12' Mesh trailer that allowed me to use it as a bike rack on that trailer. So I was able to get them all four upright and secured in there and also the 4 wheeler on there without any elaborate tying, straping or anything. That works nice. They can be as versitile as you can think of ways to mount them in. You can ever weld on a small receiver tube to your travel trailer bumper and use them back there. One does it all.
__________________
2001 F-350 SuperCrewzer, Crew Cab Dualy LB XLT, 7.3L PSD, 4.10 LS, Oxford White w/ Silver lower tone, Med Grey interior, Power 40/20/40, Auto w/ Dacco Super Hauler TC and Magnafine, Towing Pkg w/ Dual Alts, Ford AIC, Prodigy, Gentex Mirror, Cobra 29WXNWST, 5ft Firestik II, X Monitor, Baldwin Coolant Filter, Sony OH Video system, Yakima Racks and basket, 45 gal auxiliary tank and 12V Pump, Towing a 26 Foot Prowler Lite.
Don't buy the Camping World "Heavy Duty" one. I bought one & the first trip out I almost lost two bikes. I had to tie the bikes & rack to my ladder to keep them from falling off any farther. Took the rack back to Camping World & got an Aluminum Hitch Haul II instead. It has done real well but I had to replace the center tube with 1/4 inch Aluminum tube as I have increased the load capacity with my Yamaha 3000 generator back there. There are some good looking & strong looking racks that mount to your 5ver hitch up front but up high. You would need to stand on the bed of your truck to dismount the bikes.
JMHO. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/warmsmile.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/warmsmile.gif[/img]
Reg
__________________
99 F-350, CC. LWB, PSD, Dually, Lariat Hunter Green/Prairie Tan. All the options. Now have automatic payments. (She's paid off)
10.5 Years of ownership & she's all mine, Really, really Hate Ford. Built Jan, 98. Released to the wild for pulling, 3/23/98.
Fulltiming. Gone Haulin. 38 ft 5ver.
AutoForums.com is the premier network of enthusiast-owned
enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
We operate more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share
experiences and opinions as a community.
Linear Mode
