RE: Bike Rack Cont d

[Joe Buskirk]

 
I posted this before but I would like to restate my question.  I have purchased a Jayco Qwest 12A and am anxiously awaiting its arrival but the dealer is having difficulty finding a bike rack to mount on top of the P/U.  My question, has anyone modified their P/U to mount a 2"  square receiver onto the back(bumper rear) so that a bike rack can be plugged into the receiver?  If so, can someone let me know how they performed this mod.
 

[Tim5055]

 Joe Buskirk
Joe, I must have missed your first post, sorry.
 
 I have seen several people make this modification in the past and all of them had a couple of things in common.
 [ul]
 

• They did not mount directly to the bumper, but devised a way to connect to the frame instead of the bumper.  Remember these bumpers are not much more than recycled Pepsi cans.
• They owned a pop up that had a balance point far enough forward that the added weight on the rear would not induce sway.
[/ul]
 
 If you look at [link=

http://www.title-3.com/BikeRack.htm]my bike rack page[/link], you will see that the bike rack I originally used was a modification of a car rack.  I hung it from the reat of my Coleman ABS roof.
 
 I am not one of those who believe that you can never put bikes on the rear of a pop up; but you need to know the towing characteristics of your unit.  Make sure you will not induce sway.
 
 Another option is a rack I looked at last year which was manufacturered by Top Line Sales.  It bolted directly to the pop up frame at the rear of the pop up.  [link=http://www.toplinemfg.com/camprack.html]Take A Look[/link].  I don t remember the cost, but it was expensive ($300+ IIRC)

[Michicampers]

 Joe Buskirk
Why not put one on the front of your truck? Hidden Hitch makes front hitches for many trucks and SUVs.

[kminton]

 Joe Buskirk
Here is a link to 2manytoyz website (he was a regular contributor to PUT until recently):
 
 http://www.2manytoyz.com/racks.html
 
 He has 2 types of bike racks (one that goes on the truck and one he did for his camper).  The only thing I am concerned about with the bikes on the back is sway.  We take our bikes on the back of the Tahoe with a bike rack that attaches to the bumper (to the side of the hitch; just the right amount of room to put the bolt into the bumper hole).
 
 Kerri

[Red neff Barchetta]

 Joe Buskirk
Have you considered a removable PVC bike rack for the top of the PU?  You can set it under the rear bunk when camping and use it as a bike storage rack when not riding them.