Hi all, I am new to the forum even though I've lurked for years. After the last 12 years of tenting, my wife and I bought a 2005 Fleetwood Colonial. It came with roof rails installed. I'd like to carry 2-4 bikes on the PU roof. My questions. Do I have to go to the dealer for the towers, bars, and other rack accessories or can I get them from Yakima or possibly another retailer. Are these components proprietary to the Fleetwood track system? Stated another way, will any tower and bar combination work? And lastly, what's the approx. cost to set up for 2 bikes? I appreciate your help.
Ron.
They are standard Yakima roof rack bars - we had 3 on our last Niagara.
I bought 2 "gently-used" Yakima bike racks from our local Sports Rack for $53 each (they are about $100 each new).
Just make sure that whatever you get, can handle the distance between your bars. Unlike a car roof, you cannot adjust the bar placement! So, some things like the roof basket, etc, could not handle the 39.5" separation I had between my bars.
This was the style I bought (I did not want to have to remove the wheels, etc):
https://fordparts.com/images/F6DZ7455100AC.jpg
We have a 2004 Fleetwood Westlake and have the roof rack on ours also. We carry 4 bikes and love how they are up there and out of the way. We bought ours here: http://www.orsracksdirect.com/ You can buy the complete base setup http://www.orsracksdirect.com/yakima-control-towers-complete-roof-racks.html cheaper than piece by piece but here is the break down of what you need. You'll need to get the Control towers http://www.orsracksdirect.com/yakima-8000214.html a set of bars (we went with the 78") http://www.orsracksdirect.com/yakima-8000411.html and any bike mount you want. (we bought the Cobras) http://www.orsracksdirect.com/yakima-8002083.html . There was someone either on this board or another that posted of some rack for like $40 like mine that would work great on the bars also. Maybe they will chime in because I'm not sure where they found them. Good Luck and feel free to ask if you have anymore questions. :)
Quote from: zamboniJust make sure that whatever you get, can handle the distance between your bars. Unlike a car roof, you cannot adjust the bar placement! So, some things like the roof basket, etc, could not handle the 39.5" separation I had between my bars.
With the roof rails on your trailer you can adjust the distance between the bars. You can buy the parts from any dealer or on ebay. Shopping around for prices and second had bike trays make the system more affordable.:)
To give you a little more option, I can tell you that the Thule TK-1 foot packs and towers will fit the rails perfectly too. The Thule crossbars are rectangular but compatible with most bike racks.
Thanks everyone for responding. I just winterized the camper today so it'll be awhile before it comes back out again. Just want to be ready with the racks next spring when the sun returns with a little warmth.