RE: Bike Rack - Front or Back??

[TheWallRocks]

 
We have the Yakima cross bars installed on our PU at each end for hauling a canoe...... something the previous owners had installed.  I plan on moving one of the bars so we can add the Yakima Lock Jaw bike racks.... plus we don t have a canoe.  I am fairly certain the bike rack should be towards the rear of the PU, but I thought I would double-check here.  Comments?
 
 Also, anyone ever drill holes in their ABS roof to install one of these?  Anything I need to be aware of?  The dealer told me the process is pretty simple.
 
 Thanks
 
 

[tlhdoc]

 TheWallRocks
There are set positions where the cross bars mount.  There are 4 spots for mounting the cross bars. One is in the front, one in the back and 2 toward the middle.  One of the middle spots will position the cross bar so it is out of the way of an air conditioner. Does your trailer have an air conditioner? or are you planning on adding it later?  For a bike rack you would want the bars mounted toward the front of the PU, not the rear.  You don t want to take weight off of the tongue of the trailer.  Do you really want to move the cross bar and have 2 holes in the roof?  What would you use to patch the roof?  I would worry about water damage to the trailer.  I would just get a new cross bar kit and install it where you need it and leave the back bar alone.

[TheWallRocks]

 TheWallRocks
TLHDOC..... thanks for the reply.  We have no plans to add A/C, but I have been pondering getting a Fantastic Roof Vent that goes in the A/C spot.  Can you tell me how you identify the locations for installing the cross bars?  One of the reasons I thought about installing it in the rear was to avoid getting in the way of the A/C (vent) location.......  but I understand what you are saying about wanting to keep it up front.
 
 As far as plugging the holes if I moved one, was to simply reinstall bolts with lots of silicone.  I ve gone back and forth over buying a 3rd crossbar.  I ve called the dealer twice now for a price on a crossbar and hardware but have received no response yet.  You ve got me thinking again.
 
 

[mike4947]

 TheWallRocks
John, the spacing for the " third"  cross bar is set by the spacing needed for the bike holders.
 
 Ebay has litterlay hundreds of them for sale every year. Yakima, Thule, and clones. The clones of course you take your chances on whether they ll rust or not, but the cost is usually about 1/2 of the brand names.
 Here s a site to get some ideas.  http://www.rackwarehouse.com/index.html
 
 Since I ve never owned a Coleman I can t comment on the location versus AC unit problems. But I do know that you d be better off biting the bullet and buying the cross bar from a dealer and letting them do the installation due to warranty issues of the ABS roofs. If you re a second owner DIY as the warranty isn t an issue.
 
 
 Besides you never know when you re going to buy a flag pole and you ll need that back cross bar to carry it.[]

[tlhdoc]

 TheWallRocks
The directions that come with the crossbar kit has the mounting spots listed.  I don t remember the distances, but they are at set points.  A single cross bar installed at my dealer is $85.  I don t know what the price to just buy one is.  Sorry.

[4campinfoxes]

 TheWallRocks
We had ours mounted at the dealership when we bought our Bayside.  And we have 4 lockjaw bike carriers attached.  They are definitley in the front, well before the middle of the camper.  I would imagine placing them in the rear of the camper would affect your towing & hitch weight.
 
 
 Sharon

[MattH]

 TheWallRocks
Our dealer mounted our AC and bike rack on our new 2003 Utah. They mounted the rack to the rear of the AC. I only assumed that they new what they were doing. This isn t the first thread I have seen on racks being closer to the front.
 
 The AC is mounted so far to the front that the rack will not go in front of it. Any comments?
 
 We do use a friction sway as well as WDH. We haven t put the Bike carriers on yet but towed last weekend with zero sway but a lot less weight.
 
 Thanks

[Red neff Barchetta]

 TheWallRocks
John -
 We have the Yakima " Anklebiter deuce"  mounts and they are excellent.  They hold any size or style bike by the crank perfectly.  From my bike to our 3 year-old s bike with training wheels.  I also got the lock cores keyed alike for no worries.  You definitely want the bikes towards the front of the PU.  Put heavier adult bikes towards the outside and lighter kids one s in the middle.
 
 Regarding the ABS roof.  If you are the original owner, you WILL void the ever precious ABS roof warranty by drilling the holes yourself no matter what your dealer tells you.  My dealer told me that I could rivet our Vanity Mate in place on my own, but I called Coleman to confirm it.  They said that the warranty would be voided if I did the work.  Needless to say, I paid a local Coleman-warranty mechanic to install it for me and even got documentation.  Although the ABS roof trouble is mostly with  96 to  99 models, you never know.  Especially on a 12  PU.  The Vanity Mate installation was much cheaper than a replacement roof purchase.

[Red neff Barchetta]

 TheWallRocks
MattH -
 That sounds strange to me, but I haven t checked out a 2003 closely yet.  I have never seen the racks that far back on any PU.  Plenty of people in our camping group with 12  Coleman s have bike racks with a/c and they are all mounted forward.  4 bikes fit with no problems.  Heck, 6Quigs (Niagara) will soon have 6 bikes on his PU as he told me last w/e that he was buying another mount.  They do not have a/c btw.
 You have the new Coleman roof right?  If so, can you slide the cross bars forward on the tracks that are imbedded in the roof?
 Just a thought.  Utah s are notorious for needing extra weight on the tongue beacuse of the axle location.  I usually tow with 15 - 18% on the tongue (with no problems at all), as opposed to the general rule of 10 - 15%.

[MattH]

 TheWallRocks
Red,
 
 Thanks for the info. After looking at my setup I have concluded that I will be able to mount my bikes forward of the AC. The AC is up pretty far but I can make them work. Yakima fortunately builds a lot of flexibilty into their systems.
 
 We will sometimes have 5 bikes to carry, 3 kids and two adults. Has anyone put 5 bikes across or would I be better of getting another rack and doing the two smaller bikes towards the rear?
 
 Also, does anyone have ideas or experience with canoes and AC units? And no, I will not be attempting to include these with the bikes all at the same time. I m thinking maybe a two person kayak would be better than a canoe because the kayak lays sieways and could ride the side rail.
 
 Thanks

[6Quigs]

 TheWallRocks
I currently have the Yakima bars on my Niagara, and as Red Neff said, I will be soon adding two more supports for a total of 6 bikes. There appears to be plenty of room, and when I bought the bars originally, my dealer said it could hold the weight of 6 bikes.
 
 The bars are mounted 24"  apart, and are at the front of the popup, where the weight of the bikes will add to the tongue weight.
 
 Last weekend, I took 3 Kayaks along as well, but they rode on the roof of our Van.
 Made it a lot easier when I arrived at the campground, at dusk, to be able to leave the kayaks on the roof till the morning.

[tlhdoc]

 TheWallRocks
6Quigs I have hauled 6 bikes on top of my trailer with the Yakima rack.  That was before I added the air conditioner.  I alternate the direction the bikes face so that I could place them closer to each other.  The load limit on the roof is 300 pounds closed and 150 pounds up.