Bike rack on back of PU

[tampajim]

Ok all you towing experts, is it safe to mount a bike rack on the back of the PU bumper? I got one of the hitch versions but with 3 bikes I'm concerned about my turning radius into the battery and tanks so the only other place is on the back bumper of the PU. I thought I have heard that it's not safe to place so much weight on the read of the PU and it really needs to be on the tongue.

[tlhdoc]

Welcome to PUT.  

Sorry to tell you that it isn't a good idea to put a bike rack on the rear of a PU.  Putting weight on the back of the PU takes weight off of the tongue.   A light tongue will give you towing problems and should be avoided.  Another problem is that the bumpers on a PU are junk and will not support much weight.

[skoryaro]

Welcome to PUT.  

Sorry to tell you that it isn't a good idea to put a bike rack on the rear of a PU.  Putting weight on the back of the PU takes weight off of the tongue.   A light tongue will give you towing problems and should be avoided.  Another problem is that the bumpers on a PU are junk and will not support much weight.

Ditto what he said.....and if you get an idea of reinforcing the rear bumper, that is not recommended either as the PUP frame will not handle it.

[flyfisherman]

There are a few of us who have posted here on PUT over the years who have managed to have a limited capacity bike rack mounted on the rear of the popup. Maybe you could count them on the fingers of one hand; more, I think, who tried and gave it up as a bad idea! For about the last 5 years I've had a Topline Bike Rack mounted on the rear of my little Starcraft -

//www.toplinemfg.com

(on the left side, click on "Racks" and then the next page click the popup with the bike rack)

There are some real serious points to consider; first off, some popups just do not lend themselves to this idea ... PERIOD. My first popup was a '96 Coleman Yukon that had the front storage compartment. That thing was light tounged when empty and would sway all over the place with nothing in it! So one had to be very careful when loading that beast or it would be sway city big time and I would'nt have considered a rear rack. My present Starcraft has much better road manners and so I decided to give it a try. So far, so good ... HOWEVER ... the weight on the rear has to be compensated with additional tounge weight. In my case I carry two spare tires, one on the rear and one on the tounge. Also, all the heavy stuff inside the Starcraft is forward of the axle and I make sure ALL the way forward!

This Topline rack is attached to the camper frame and that's where you want it attached; the main frame is the strongest part of the camper. And, a little off topic here, that's where you want to jack-up the camper, too ... under the main frame.

Now having said all this, there are some limitations to the Topline: (1) it's only for two bikes. (2) the cost factor.

Now, I never have need for more than two bikes and usually am only carrying one, so I'm O.K. for #1. Cost wise, I think you can get a lot more bike rack for the money with another method. My Topline cost me $200.00 by the time the freight charges were added. Installing was not all that big a deal, but I did have two braces welded under the arms of the rack so that I know for sure the rack will not only hold the two bikes but a lot more weight to boot, too (that was $40.00).

At the time I was driving an '00 GMC Sonoma and did not have the space to mount a hitch rack. And at the time I was pondering going with TV  front mounted rack. I opted for the Topline as there was another member here who had a good report for the rear mounted system. Had I my "overs" would have went with the front vehicle rack as it would have been half the cost and could have carried more bikes. Guess I was concerned about having to study bug spattered bikes as I tooled down the byway!


Fly

[wynot]

At the time I was driving an '00 GMC Sonoma and did not have the space to mount a hitch rack. And at the time I was pondering going with TV front mounted rack. I opted for the Topline as there was another member here who had a good report for the rear mounted system. Had I my "overs" would have went with the front vehicle rack as it would have been half the cost and could have carried more bikes. Guess I was concerned about having to study bug spattered bikes as I tooled down the byway!
 
 
Fly

Ya know, I don't think we've seen bugs on the bikes being on the front receiver, but man, what it does to the old gas mileage...  It also guarantees that you will have to maneuver the camper, truck, and bikes through very tight gas stations and parking lots...  We had one stop last year that I swear I missed sideswipping the car that stupidly parked in the traffic lane by about 1/2 an inch with the front bike wheel and then just barely missed them with the popup bumper.  (I had a fuel pump island) on the other side of the rig.

[flyfisherman]

Ya know, I don't think we've seen bugs on the bikes being on the front receiver, but man, what it does to the old gas mileage...  It also guarantees that you will have to maneuver the camper, truck, and bikes through very tight gas stations and parking lots...  We had one stop last year that I swear I missed sideswipping the car that stupidly parked in the traffic lane by about 1/2 an inch with the front bike wheel and then just barely missed them with the popup bumper.  (I had a fuel pump island) on the other side of the rig.

For sure ... never, ever considered the gas mileage! Kinda figured peering between the bikes MIGHT be a little trying from time to time! (LOL)


Fly

[brgmgb]

I have also been looking at where to mount bikes.  We need to carry four bikes.

1.  I ruled out the rear bumper.  I stood on the rear bumper and the front of the camper lifted up off the ground.  

2.  I planned to mount a receiver on the tongue for our hitch bike rack, but the bikes stick out further than the tongue is long.

3.  My only other option is to make a rack and have the rear wheels on top of the camper.  I want to make one so I do not need to remove the front tires.


Bill

[chip]

Another option (or two):

http://www.gonebowlin.com/camping/br.htm

http://userpages.prexar.com/chasd/bikerack.html

Not my plans or idea, but an option I was considering.

HTH.

[balbrt1]

I will say I am very novice about PU's but we did get a top mounted bike rack from Camping world due to the fact I researched and found that a bumper rack would not work and we did not have to remove the front tires everytime we hauled them.  Our roof is rated fine for this rack and 2 bikes..The hardest part is getting the bikes up on the roof...lol

[tlhdoc]

The hardest part is getting the bikes up on the roof...lol

That is why I went with the Pro Rac bike rack.  We would take 3 or 4 bikes and getting the bikes on the inside of the roof was a real problem.  Now it is much easier to mount the bikes.

[wynot]

For sure ... never, ever considered the gas mileage! Kinda figured peering between the bikes MIGHT be a little trying from time to time! (LOL)
Fly

The bikes themselves sit down with the handlebars not too far above the hood, so by and large, they're not generally in your field of view.  What you do see is everytime the bikes shift - they move a lot.  So we strap ours not only down and firmly on the rack, but also rachet strap the rack tight in the receiver, so there is NO lateral movement.  After the first 100 miles, (kinda like looking back at the camper when you first started towing...), you don't really see them at all.
 
Headlights, I'm still working on.  Turn signals make it through the spokes, as do headlamps in general.  But I'm planning on rigging up a set of additional (removeable) foglamps to have an unimpeded light pattern in front of the Tahoe.  Maybe using a screw clamp around the receiver with the fog lamps mounted on a removeable frame.

[tknick]

strongly considering a front mount reciever and bike rack for our Expedition.  What did you mean about gas mileage.  Can it possibly get any worse?

[Michicampers]

We have carried our 4 bikes on a front-mount receiver for a few years now, and it has worked out well for us. We have yet to drive at night with the PU, so headlights have not been an issue for us. DH cut the rack down about 4" to improve visibility. We also remove bike seats before loading them on the rack, and bungee the wheels in place. Adding an anti-rattle device to the bike rack cuts down on bounce considerably. It is also nice to be able to load up the bikes the night before we leave, to save time in the morning. Hidden Hitch makes front receivers for many trucks and SUVs.

[wynot]

strongly considering a front mount reciever and bike rack for our Expedition. What did you mean about gas mileage. Can it possibly get any worse?

Probably can't get much worse on an Expedition:p  - Tahoes get better gas mileage from what I understand.  The Tahoe gets decent gas mileage without a trailer, and not too bad with it, so it has impacted a little bit - maybe a mile or two a gallon.  I generally get 17.5 towing, and get probably 16 or so with  the front bike rack.  But it's worth it to us, because we have dogs in the Tahoe rear, and we need to get them out too.
 

We have carried our 4 bikes on a front-mount receiver for a few years now, and it has worked out well for us. We have yet to drive at night with the PU, so headlights have not been an issue for us. DH cut the rack down about 4" to improve visibility. We also remove bike seats before loading them on the rack, and bungee the wheels in place. Adding an anti-rattle device to the bike rack cuts down on bounce considerably. It is also nice to be able to load up the bikes the night before we leave, to save time in the morning. Hidden Hitch makes front receivers for many trucks and SUVs.?

We're carrying three adult size bikes on the front receiver, and it really does work out pretty well there.  I would have said the same about the headlights, until the last trip late last Nov, when dark caught up with us about 2 hours before the campsite...which is 14 miles down a windy twisty dark road with minimal artificial light.
 
We, too, load up the night before, which solves a lot of time crunching.  We rachet strap down the rack tight to the recovery hooks in the front, which eliminates movement, and strap down the bikes tight to the rack and each other through the wheels, keeping them from shifting and spinning.
 
I've wondered about whether I should shorten the rack height, too.
 
In general, being able to load up when getting ready to leave or not unload the bikes when setting up until you feel like it is nice.  I don't have to get them out of the way on the trailer tongue, or off the camper roof, etc.  They just hang out there on the front of the Tahoe until we're ready to mess with them.

[tknick]

thanks for the mileage info.  sound like i'll be taking the front receiver route!