Bike Rack ~ Over Propane Tanks

[Kallard]

I wish I knew about this site Before I mounted my 2 trek bikes to a Thule over-the-spare -tire rack on my 210 WBS , thankfully no damage to the bikes, but on the inside of the RV it looks like all this little pointy bumps on the wall behind the toilet mean that water is getting in behind the spare tire bracket ?... Likely from being pulled away from the TT .

So I see that many have commented on a rack that mounts on the front and hangs over the propane tanks, is there only one company arivika ? In Canada or does someone in the USA make a similar model ?

[webslave]

That is the only one I've ever seen... http://www.arvika.ca/

I thought about getting one of those, but, my wife and I are on the small side and I would need to carry a stepladder in order to wrestle the bikes up onto the rack and back down. At 59 and with arthritis, I don't wrestle too well any longer To be honest, I didn't really investigate, as to whether the unit over the tanks would be adaptable to using on the hitch of the Jeep once we got to a campsite. Quite often, we'll go somewhere with sightseeing in mind and then later look for bike paths in the area. Carrying two racks wouldn't cut it and a big disassembly and reassembly in the transition from over the tank to on the back of the vehicle wouldn't work well either.

[Kallard]

I bought a bracket that mounts around the square rear bumper and adds a hitch reciever at the same time and I was going to mount my Thule rack on that...but all the post make it look like mounting anything on the rear bumber other than a sewer hose holder is a bad idea?

[webslave]

IMHO, a bad idea... There is a huge amount of motion on the back end of a TT and the bumper is not designed to take the stress of the weight of bicycles cantilevered off of it.

As an example; I have a frame mounted hitch that I put additional reinforcement on...my Thule T2 tray type rack actually suffered metal fatigue and failure (happened on I40 around Oklahoma City; has to be the worst stretch of highway in the nation) on the upright that stabilizes the bikes (not weight bearing). I had to reinforce the upright with a welded on 1/8" steel plate to repair it.

CruiserRV makes a frame mounted, bolt on, receiver hitch for their TTs and I suggest going that route or having a good welding shop weld a hitch to the frame. I went the CruiserRV hitch route...it would have been easier to have it mounted at the factory while they were building my TT (the tanks are in the way of the bolt holes; fortunately I have small hands). I cut the flanges off about 2" and drilled new holes to mate with the frame's holes. This brought the hitch back a bit and up closer to the bumper and reduced the "lever" length of the hitch sticking out. I then used threaded rods and some drilled metal strips to make four Xs. Sandwiched the hitch between the two bottom Xs good and tight and then the bumper between the two upper Xs, also good and tight and then ran nuts up and down, in between the Xs to lock the hitch and the bumper in their relative positions for additional stabilization. The bumper offers stability, but, doesn't take any weight...the weight and torque is born by the frame (also substituted grade 8 bolts for the grade 5s that came with the receiver for added strength). I even went so far as to splice into the taillight wiring under the trailer and installed a 4 pin trailer hook for auxiliary tail lights that I mounted on my T2. The bikes cover the TTs taillights to some extent at some distances and angles from the back...the additional lights on the bike rack ensure visibility of brakes and turn signals. The T2 rack also has a 2" adapter, so, once set up at a CG, it is a simple matter of transferring the rack from the back of the TT to the back of the Jeep and we are good to go out exploring local bike paths.

My recommendation, if you are handy with tools, get the CruiserRV bolt on frame mounted hitch, it is a tight fit (actually had to "jack" it into position between the frame rails), but, there is enough room between the black tank and frame to get the bolts in; or... Go to a good welding shop and have them weld one onto the frame.

[guybmoto]

That Arvika looks like a sweet setup. I may have to look into that before this summer.

[Kallard]

Originally Posted by webslave

CruiserRV makes a frame mounted, bolt on, receiver hitch for their TTs and I suggest going that route or having a good welding shop weld a hitch to the frame..

Where would I order a frame mounted bold on reciever ?

[webslave]

The frame mounted receivers can be ordered directly from CruiserRV...

260-562-3500

I think Leanne or Charles can handle the details on cost, shipping, etc.

Be forewarned though...it is a tight fit when trying to install "after the fact" (after the TT is manufactured). You might want to look at your frame and the placement of the tanks before ordering to make sure you can get it up in there and the bolts installed. You should be able to see the pre-drilled holes in the frame from under the TT.

[Joey-Donuts]

I would watch out for clearance of the bike wheels when mounted over the gass tanks. I hve not so proudly touched the front of the camper to the back of the truck. This over turn was done backing up hill into a sharp turn driveway. fortunatly no damage. There would have been if there was a bike wheel in between