bicycles - Montana Owners Club

genecurp · 06-10-2007, 08:23 AM

I want to take 2 bikes along.

Will a rear ladder mount bike carrier hurt the ladder?

Thanks for your help.

Glenn and Lorraine · 06-10-2007, 08:32 AM

Been there, done that and never again. Had just one bike securely mounted and the very top ladder screws did start to pull out. Now when I say "securely" I mean just that. The bike had absolutely NO movement as it was bungeed down tight.

I have since come up with a much better idea that costs under 100 $$$$ and requires only 2 holes drilled into the frame.

My Bike Rack

Our 2 bikes have been riding back there from West central Florida to Branson, MO to Nashville, TN to East central Pennsylvania and the rack is just as solid as when I first installed it.

ols1932 · 06-10-2007, 11:29 AM

I know many who do it but I wouldn't. Have seen rigs going down the road with bikes (and ladder) jiggling to the point that I didn't want to be behind them in case everything fell off.

Orv

mtnhntr · 06-10-2007, 11:58 AM

I had one on a slide-in camper and it pulled out several screws of the ladder mount. I wouldn't put one on a ladder again- but if you really want one ,I will sell you one cheap.
Ken

dieselguy · 06-10-2007, 01:24 PM

Like others mentioned, I'd stay away from the ole ladder rack ... tried one for a season and then sold it. Puts alot of wear and tear on the ladder itself. At a garage sale, I bought this Reese bike rack that was meant to bolt under the ball of a regular hitch. I cut the original mount off, added a brace, and welded it to my hitch.

Cat320 · 06-10-2007, 02:23 PM

I thought I read something on here about bike mounts on the frame voiding the frame warranty, not so??

On edit...because I'm looking for a place for a bike mount.

nailbender · 06-10-2007, 03:16 PM

I would also like to have some type of bike rack on the rear of the Montana, but I am concerned about the frame warranty.

I found these brackets to carry bikes in the truck bed and was wondering if anybody has used this system. I realize that it would be a nuisance to remove the front tires, would loose space in the truck bed, and would require a long bed to have enough clearance.
http://www.racknroad.com/rocky-mounts-clutch-012.html

Will they work??

Hemlockusa · 06-10-2007, 04:32 PM

Right now I just lay two of them down between the hitch and rear of cab in the bed, I have a cable with a lock on it. and this has been just fine for us. I would not hang them from the rear ladder, as everyone else has said. Your just asking for trouble doing that. I think the company that sells those devices should be SPANKED..
See you in BRANSON MAY 2008 safe travels John

dieselguy · 06-10-2007, 04:57 PM

Cat320 / Nailbender: Supposedly if you hang anything from the rear frame, you void the warranty. Adding a hitch is something you have to personally be comfortable with ... I got comfortable. An armada of vehicles and and play toys when I go RVing just isn't an option. Once again, it's a personal choice, not an endorsement.

azranger · 06-10-2007, 07:25 PM

I tried something last trip over Memorial Day that I think might work for us. I have a 2006 Dodge 3500 diesel crew cab SRW with a short bed and pull a 2007 Montana 3475RL. I towed with the tailgate down (plenty of clearance between the tailgate and the front of the trailer) and laid our two bikes on their sides back of the hitch on top of each other. I took the front wheels and pedals off so they did not do any damage and used a heavy tarp for padding between them. I have a Rhino liner and a rubber bed mat for added padding. Used bungee cords to secure the bikes and they rode fine for the trip to and from our destination (about 300 miles round trip). I thought about getting a bed extender to provide more security, in fact, bought one from the local Dodge dealer this weekend but found I could not attach and remove it while hitched up (not enough clearance between the bed of the truck and the bottom of the overhang). Will look for one that I can remove to unload the bikes before unhitching.

Glenn and Lorraine · 06-10-2007, 11:14 PM

I was told that welding to the frame could void the warranty but 2 holes drilled into the frame would not. As the 2 screws are on either side there should be no issue.
If you have a reputable welding company doing the job than they would be responsible for any frame damage caused by their welding. Anything less, including DIY, is a huge gamble and only you can make that decision.

genecurp · 06-11-2007, 02:58 AM

Thanks to you all. I also currently lay the bikes down in the bed between the cab and the hitch. The bikes need repair (brakes adjusted, wheels trued, etc) because of it.

I have also thought of a Yakima or Thule roof rack on truck roof. Don't know about the clearance of bikes and front end cap on a sharp back in.

Inelegant but practical is a trunk mount bike carrier and place it on the truck hood. THe bikes would ride in front of the truck's front bumper. Yakima and Thule also make a quality ($100) rack of this type. And Walmart sells Bell for a thrifty (under $50) alternative.

My wife the biker promises that if the bikes fall off a front mounted rack, she'd be in favor of giving up on taking bikes with us. I told her I could make the same promise!

Mrs. CountryGuy · 06-11-2007, 04:06 AM

Front hidden hitch works quite well, have made 2 trips to Rio Grande Valley and back, that is well over 6,000 miles, not a spec of trouble, no wiggle (lots of bungie cords).

Barely affects radiator temps and then only on 90 degree plus days, we note a slight increase in temps.

Adjustment to looking over bikes took about 100 miles, now we barely see them.

Bike rack can be moved to rear of Big Butt for transport when Tana is not attached.

here ya go:

5ER · 06-12-2007, 07:08 AM

One thing you can also do is buy the fold up bikes at Camping world and just store them in storage compartment. We are not serious bikers so this works for us. I used to hang two bikes off ladder but find this much easier. You do loose some storage.

genecurp · 06-12-2007, 07:35 AM

Mrs Country Guy, thanks for the photo. Encouraging to hear you say it was easy to adjust to visually. What brand bike rack, do you recall?

I first saw the front load approach on a class c in Anchorage at the city campground. That couple used a cover of mosquito netting to keep the bugs off the bikes.

After all the advice, I will definitely avoid a ladder mounted bike rack. Better safe than sorry.

Gene

Mrs. CountryGuy · 06-12-2007, 08:02 AM

genecurp

Purchased this one:

http://www.campingworld.com/browse/p...=1744&src=SRQB

we have a 3 bike unit.

Bug netting is a good idea if you are traveling thru a bad insect area, gonna remember that hint, thanks.

Silverbird · 06-12-2007, 02:55 PM

We had the bike rack from camping world that would haul 4 bikes (hang on type) - our son followed us with it on the camper and said it bounced really badly. We took it back and purchased one by XPORT a flatbed bike hitch rack, the one to haul 4 bikes, there is also one for 4 bikes. The bikes set in this unit and adjust for any type of tires. We are well pleased with it - no movement on this one. PerformanceBike.com is the website. It fits into a receiver which we mounted to the frame quite a distance under the Monty. We always remove our seats and put a plug in the post when hauling our bikes. They are also chained and locked on.

Sunnyside · 06-13-2007, 03:46 PM

After trying different things, I decided to mount a hitch and rack on the front as well. Ended up shortening the rack about 14" to get the bikes the right height. Works great for us. We carry up to 4 bikes. Have noticed no difference in temps. You can see it in our pics below.

Jim

John and Carol · 06-15-2007, 03:30 PM

We were carrying two bikes on our ladder and the ladder came nearly completely off as we drove north on I-55 in Louisiana. We had a hitch receiver installed on the front of the truck and the bikes travel just great. And they are much easier to put on and off than they were on the ladder.

CmdrDewey · 06-16-2007, 11:30 AM

This topic comes up about once a month and the following is the response I wrote last month. I stand by it now.

"Well as usual I find myself disagreeing. I have hauled my Montana approximately 75,000 miles in the last 5 years and bikes have been on the ladder for most of it. I have had no-zero-nada problems. It is important that the bikes be correctly installed and that they be tight.

I have seen a lot of bikes on racks on S.O.Bs that were not properly balanced and were flopping all around. Those units almost definitely will have problems.

Having said all that, I don't really like the ladder rack and I am looking into a receiver type hitch"

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