How to bike it??

[Ellen aka Snow White]

I want (need) the imput of all the wonderful disers!! We have been to FW multiple times over the last 14 years, with out last trip in 2007. Every time we have taken our 4 bikes and really used and enjoyed them. The last visit we put the 4 ADULT bikes on the rack that connects into the trailer hitch and then our popup hooks onto the bike rack. Before we had a different rack that we could put the 2 adult bikes on and the 2 kids back "hung" on the back window.
Now we probably should have tested the system out before taking it all the way to Florida - but we didn't and the new rack made our popup SWAY really bad!! So bad, that we have never used it since!
Fast forward - we purchased a "bumper" rack that would hold four bikes, but our bumper wouldn't hold the rack!! LOL! Back to the store it went.
So how does one take 4 adult bikes with a popup? DH doesn't want to drill into the popup to attach a rack as we hope to upgrade in the near future.
TIA
Ellen

 

[medic9016]

What are you towing with? I put ours in back of the truck.

 

[Ellen aka Snow White]

We are towing with a surburban - which is where all the food, clothing etc will go so there won't be enough room for them.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

This is the bike rack I use. It is manufactured by Yakima, and here you see I have five bikes on it. I could easily get six on there, and maybe more:

This rack will require drilling holes in the camper roof. I have had mine for over ten years now, and have not had any problem.

On a previous thread, Disboard member Stacktester mentioned that he has one of these racks:

Bike Rack

I think he said that this just straps on to the roof without requiring any drilling.

I'm not sure what type of pop-up you have, but if you have a front storage compartment, there is a rack that is always mentioned on the Pop Up Times website that carries the bikes on the storage compartment.

There are a lot of options.

TCD

 

[ftwildernessrick]

Do you have one of those pins, bolts, or attachments that keep the bike rack bar that goes into your receiver hitch on your vehicle from moving? I would try one of those first, with the set up you have, then test it. A little slack at the receiver hitch is well amplified by the time it get out to the point where the pop-up hooks on.

If you get one, make sure it is a good one. I have used this one before in the past & a friend of mine uses it now.

http://www.versahaul.com/antitilt.php

 

[stacktester]

That is the rack I have. I bought it off Craigslist with the intention of putting it on my pup. I ran into a problem because the a/c is mounted on the left side and not centered. The previous owner also didn't let me have the plates that you mount the straps to. I finally contacted Stromburg Carlson who manufactured it and they no longer make that model and only have one plate left. I'm hoping my fabricator buddy can duplicate it. Once he does that I will relist it since it won't work for me. I really dislike that it didn't because it's a super nice rack.

 

[bama_ed]

Ellen,

Like you I have a pop-up and a while back wanted to be able to take the bikes. I was adverse to putting holes in my roof so I went with a rack from Pro-Rac that bolts on to the front of my pop-up frame over the propane tank. Here is a link: http://www.prorac.com/tenttrailerpro.php. Our set-up is like the top picture where the back wheels of our bike sit on the storage compartment.

It wasn't cheap but it has worked well. I take the front wheels off and store them inside the pop-up door while travelling. It does create more tongue weight (having the bikes in front of the trailer axle) so I have to take special effort to pack some things inside the pop-up behind the axle to counteract the tongue weight.

We got this rack when we were towing with a Chrysler minivan with a tow package and we were probably at the upper weight limit. Now I am towing with a Suburban and the GM products can support a hitch ON THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. I've seen it and although it looks awkard it is a workable arrangement. You say you've got a 'Burb too so with this you can use a standard bike rack that goes in a 2" or 1-1/4" receiver. If you Google "Front/Hitch/Suburban" you'll see front hitches that fit in any of the Tahoes/Silveradoes/Jimmys/Suburbans. If I was needing a rack now and already had my Suburban I would seriously consider a front rack/hitch.

Taking the bikes with us while camping has been great. It's easy to convince the kids to get out of the air conditioning and do something/go someplace.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Bama ED

 

[Fryer5]

You could go with a front mount receiver for your truck, you can find them on e.trailer.com, I am not allowed to post a link.

and then a 4 bike rack.

I know that combined they are expensive, but it would accomplish the task.

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

You could go with a front mount receiver for your truck, you can find them on e.trailer.com, I am not allowed to post a link.

and then a 4 bike rack.

I know that combined they are expensive, but it would accomplish the task.

The big problem with that setup is that it will obstruct air flow into the radiator, greatly increasing the chance for overheating especially when towing.

 

[Goofyseven]

When we had a pop up several years ago, we had a hitch that doubled as a bike rack. The hitch would fit into the reciever in the tow vehicle, and the ball was on the end of a steel tube 3 to 4 feet behind. Just behind the reciever, was another L shapped steel tube which could accomodate 4 bikes. It was a good set up as I could use the bike rack without the camper.

Sorry, I don't remember the mfg, but it worked great for us for many years

 

[cheekymonkey]

What about a roof rack for your surburban?
Sandra

 

[Goofyseven]

What about a roof rack for your surburban?
Sandra

We are now in a trailer and I had the rear bumper strengthened to be able to safely install a 4 position bike rack. I like this set up because I can use the bike rack with the suburban as well as the trailer.

 

[jeeprider09]

I want (need) the imput of all the wonderful disers!! We have been to FW multiple times over the last 14 years, with out last trip in 2007. Every time we have taken our 4 bikes and really used and enjoyed them. The last visit we put the 4 ADULT bikes on the rack that connects into the trailer hitch and then our popup hooks onto the bike rack. Before we had a different rack that we could put the 2 adult bikes on and the 2 kids back "hung" on the back window.
Now we probably should have tested the system out before taking it all the way to Florida - but we didn't and the new rack made our popup SWAY really bad!! So bad, that we have never used it since!
Fast forward - we purchased a "bumper" rack that would hold four bikes, but our bumper wouldn't hold the rack!! LOL! Back to the store it went.
So how does one take 4 adult bikes with a popup? DH doesn't want to drill into the popup to attach a rack as we hope to upgrade in the near future.
TIA
Ellen

I had this EXACT same problem with my pop-up! Towed it home from the dealer, no problem; hooked my bike rack up to the rear bumper of the pop-up right before our first trip, and the thing SWAYED like CrAzY For me the best solution ended up being to somehow mount the bikes onto the tongue of the trailer (as close the pop up box as possible, and away from the back of the tow vehicle). I really didn't want to drill any holes in my camper roof; soooo, I just finished building a pretty simple rack the other day, (holds four bikes). I hitched up the pop-up, with the new rack, took it for a spin... NO SWAYING I'll try to post a picture of my bike rack tomorrow! It mounts to the frame, and holds the bikes in four tracks placed above the propane tank. It's removable if you plan on upgrading, but can stay on the camper even when it's set up! Pic tomorrow...

P.S. It's similar to the pro-rack, but it only cost me $38 in steel, and about $2 in plastic endcaps

 

[Ellen aka Snow White]

I had this EXACT same problem with my pop-up! Towed it home from the dealer, no problem; hooked my bike rack up to the rear bumper of the pop-up right before our first trip, and the thing SWAYED like CrAzY For me the best solution ended up being to somehow mount the bikes onto the tongue of the trailer (as close the pop up box as possible, and away from the back of the tow vehicle). I really didn't want to drill any holes in my camper roof; soooo, I just finished building a pretty simple rack the other day, (holds four bikes). I hitched up the pop-up, with the new rack, took it for a spin... NO SWAYING I'll try to post a picture of my bike rack tomorrow! It mounts to the frame, and holds the bikes in four tracks placed above the propane tank. It's removable if you plan on upgrading, but can stay on the camper even when it's set up! Pic tomorrow...

P.S. It's similar to the pro-rack, but it only cost me $38 in steel, and about $2 in plastic endcaps

PLEASE post a picture (and any instructions you are willing to share!!) That is what I have been trying to draw out. My DH has decided if the bikes are going that is where they have to ride and he doesn't have a lot of free time to plan it out, so I am trying to help him out because I really want the bikes to go.

Thanks everybody for all the suggestions.
Ellen

 

[jeeprider09]

This is my first time posting pics... let's see if it works

This pic shows the rack w/2 bikes on it and the front fastening pole in the stored position.

This shows the fours "tracks" (1 1/2" angle iron)

You can see how the rack mounts to the tongue here (u-bolts)

This shows the front fastening pole in the up position

This shows the width of the bottom 2" square tube

This shows the total height of the rack

This shows the length of the tracks

This shows the total depth of the rack

This shows the height of the removable fastening poles

P.S. This is just how I happened to do it. Some people may not have the tools to do it this way, or may prefer to do it differently... Anyways hope this helps you out!!!

Materials:
12' of 2" square tubing
20' of 1 1/2" angle iron
6' of 3/4" square tubing
2 u-bolts
plastic end-caps

 

[Ellen aka Snow White]

P.S. This is just how I happened to do it. Some people may not have the tools to do it this way, or may prefer to do it differently... Anyways hope this helps you out!!!

Materials:
12' of 2" square tubing
20' of 1 1/2" angle iron
6' of 3/4" square tubing
2 u-bolts
plastic end-caps

WOW! That is a great rack! Do you by chance live close to SC so you can make ours?!? DH had a question about it mounting to the camper - is it welded at all to the tongue or do the u-bolts hold it in place? He's questioning if it is going to shift forward or if the weight will hold it in place?! If we put anything on the tongue it will have to be removed for set-up as our post under the bed goes into slotes on the tongue. Thanks for all the photos!
Ellen

 

[jeeprider09]

WOW! That is a great rack! Do you by chance live close to SC so you can make ours?!? DH had a question about it mounting to the camper - is it welded at all to the tongue or do the u-bolts hold it in place? He's questioning if it is going to shift forward or if the weight will hold it in place?! If we put anything on the tongue it will have to be removed for set-up as our post under the bed goes into slotes on the tongue. Thanks for all the photos!
Ellen

Ok, here's what I can tell you... 1st off, I don't live anywhere near SC so I think your husband will have to pioneer the idea himself. Now, the rack is not welded to the tongue at any place. I used an impact wrench to tighten the U-bolts and double nutted them.(you could do it by hand with a nice long wrench for leverage) I can jump up and down that rack and it won't BUDGE!!! Ok, your last question mentioned that you'd have to take it off to set up your bed. When I designed this rack, I purposely built it in a way that it would not have to be taken off for set up at all. It's low enough for the bed to slide right over it, and bed support poles still fasten with plenty of clearance. Something may be slightly different on your pop up, but for mine, when I pull the bed out, and attach the poles to the tongue, I don't have any clearance issues. The poles on most beds typically mount far enough forward, and angle far enough back (where attaching to the tongue) that they would angle underneath the rack and should probably clear. You might want to do some simple measuring and see what you come up with! Just curious... what yr, make, and model pop up do you have???

Good Luck

 

[jeeprider09]

Ellen,

I went ahead and somewhat popped up the camper today to check on some other projects I've been working on, and took some pictures to help clarify the clearance issues you brought up.

Enjoy!