RE: Trail Cruiser Questions....

[Gone-Camping]

 
Ok folks, I m still 5 weeks away from delivery of my new trailer, but extremely curious about bike racks for this thing. I like the Reese rear bumper rack that bolts to the 4"  square bumper.
 
 Question: Is this something that can be installed on the TC s back bumper? Any towing issue s about doing this? I know it s a big no-no on the PU, but I ve seen many of dual axle trailers with rear bike racks. Anyone input is highly desired?!?![8D]

[PopUpTrio]

 Gone-Camping
I think I can help you out here...I just spent the last 2 wks researching bike racks for our 2003 TrailCruiser C23.  There is a 4"  bumper on the unit, but it is not a continuous weld.  It is spot welded to the frame.  Our dealer said, no prob..you can add a bumper mount which bolts on to it with a 2"  receiver.  R-Vision said sure but it " will"  come off and no warranty because they don t recommend it.  R-Vision actually sells a frame mounted hitch with a 2"  receiver that can be added to the rear frame.  It bolts on but the holes have to be drilled into the frame, they aren t already there.  Not sure about the $ because you have to get it thru a dealer.  You can call trail-lite and speak to Lynn Moody..What we have decided to do is buy a towing bike rack from JustRite over the internet.  It goes between the truck and the camper.  The model we got is a 4 bike rack with an extension and a 2"  receiver.  There are several sites and some are higher $ than others.  We paid $185 total and shipping was inc.  We do have our spare tire attached to the rear bumper of the camper and the bumper is strong enough for that.  I also didn t want to add weight to the rear and risk sway.  Our particular model has a low tongue weight so I wasn t worried about adding weight up front on the camper.  Having the extension on the bike rack does lower your towing capability but we should still be ok.  Let me know if you have any questions...Also, our dealer did agree we should do with what R-Vision told us to secure our warranty.  The bumper mount was just " their opinion" .  I have learned to go straight to the manufacturer with most of our questions.  Our dealership didn t really carry hybrids on their lot so they don t have much experience with them.

[campingboaters]

 Gone-Camping
We asked our dealer for a bike rack solution as well.  They were in the process of fixing someone else s rear bumper that got mangled and torn off because those people mounted a bike rack to their bumper.  Guess THAT is not the way to go.
 
 We looked into using our dual-hitch extension, but the max weight we can put on that is 400 pounds.  Our trailer tongue alone weighs that much -- not to mention the bike rack and bikes.
 
 IF we get a rack, I think it will be this one: http://www.velorack.com/rvrack.htm or a universal one that goes on the Durango hatch door.

[PopUpTrio]

 Gone-Camping
yes, that looks like a good rack.  We looked at it as well, but it is expensive..May be worth it if it doesn t tear up your bumper or tow vehicle engine though.

[campingboaters]

 Gone-Camping
PopUpTrio, have you looked at any bike racks for the bed of your pick-up?  Hubby says that we just have to make do for  afew more years until he gets his pick-up and then the bikes will just go in there.  Of course, that won t work if you are carrying too many other things in your truck or have a cap on the bed.
 
 Here are just a few:
 http://www.tomark.com/BaseballStore/detail.cfm?Product=3235
 http://www.orsracksdirect.com/thule-822.html
 http://www.rackwarehouse.com/y1116.html

[PopUpTrio]

 Gone-Camping
Campingboater:  we do have a tonneau cover on the pickup and it is usually filled with wood and sometimes an inflatable boat.  With the cover, we can only get one bike in and we really need to take 3.  We thought about hauling them in the camper, but I d be sick if they bumped into stuff and scratched up my interior.  I just didn t want to risk it.  One might have been ok, but not three.

[Gone-Camping]

 Gone-Camping
Well, the one at the velorack website link above has one that places the bikes on the trailer tongue ABOVE the LP tanks, and has a removable version for Hybrid trailers... This might do the trick!!! I ll have to take a closer look.