Bike Carrier Question

[chris199]

We bought our Montana from Pete's RV and had them add a hitch to the rear with a 2" receiver.

I bought a Yakima Ridgeback 4 bike hitch mount bike rack. Was admiring how strong/durable it is last night......thinking I'm all set to put the DW's, my grandaughter's, and my bike on it later today for a nice weekend.

Here's the rub: The Yakima instructions advise to NOT use it on a towed vehicle. I called eTrailer.com this morning and the Swagman bike rack is OK to use on a trailer. The difference in construction and materials of the Swagman vs. the Yakima is night/day. The Yakima is a tank compared to the Swagman.

I don't know if the Yakima can't be used because of lawyers/liability or because there's something about it that works on the back of a car/truck but not on the back of a 5er.

We've got the Mor/Ryde 4000 suspension on the Monty....maybe that prevents a lot of bouncing in the back??

A little nervous about using the Yakima but I never would have bought the Swagman just on appearance of quality...but that's the one "approved" for a towed vehicle.

Perplexed......Any advice on how to carry bikes? Was adding the hitch to the Monty the wrong approach?

[jcurtis934]

My guess is that the folks at yak are trying to cover themselves legally. The back of a fifth wheel moves quite a bit period. Docs on our yak says same. I added a strap from each side of the cross tube of the yak to each side of monte where the receiver is bolted on to the frame in order to take out the see-saw action of the bike rack. I also added a strap from the rack to one of the ladder tubes high up to provide more support further out on the rack to lessen any down movement when hitting rough roads. Very little bike rack movement on the trip from florida to new mexico as reported by wife following in her car. Receiver on the back of our unit is the 1.25 inch model installed by keystone. Carry only wife's trek on bike rack. Mine is on top of tool box in bed of truck. John

[DQDick]

We also have the small factory hitch and have used a couple of bike racks over the years without any problems. Never thought to check if they were approved for a trailer and won't check the paperwork on our current one, I'll just keep using it.

[WeBeFulltime]

For almost 4 years I have used an Allen 3 bike carrier mounted to the 1.25 inch receiver that was mounted at the Montana factory. The Allen only cost about $50 and came with a special bolt to mount it with instead of a pin. The bolt takes out most of the movement of the hitch and for good measure I added a piece of angle aluminum from the ladder to the hitch and this takes care of the rest. We carry our two "Townie" bikes and have no movement or worries.

[BB_TX]

I have been behind various trailers with bike carriers on the rear over the years. Some road very smoothly with little movement. Some bounced around pretty violently, even down a relatively smooth highway. Can't imagine what happens over a major bump. Don't know if the difference was in the trailer, the hitch, the bike rack, or some combination. But I would guess Yakima is simply taking the most cautious approach to relieve themselves of any customer complaints about failures. I suspect most people never really know what their bikes are really doing back there.

That is why I went with a pin box mounted bike rack.

[davidaf]

I had a Yakima Highlight 3 fail on the back of the Montana. It unfolded (folded down, whatever) and destroyed one bike and bent the wheels on the other. This occurred on a relatively good condition highway at 55mph. There's a lot of extra stress placed on the bike rack way back there on the tail of the Montana. I still can't figure out exactly how the failure occurred but Yakima took care of me but I've not put the rack back there sense. I may try again but I'll use a ratchet strap or something to add a bit of security.

[chris199]

Returned the Yakima. Ordered the Stowaway hitch bike rack. FYI...They account for space needed by the ladder back there as well. Will arrive next week. They say it should be fine on the back of an RV.

[Loui]

we also went with a pin box mounted receiver for the bike rack.
bikes ride as smooth as the truck, but we do get a few bug splatters
Cheers

[chris199]

Our Monty sticks pretty far out beyond the pin box. How did you hsnfle that?

[BB_TX]

My long bed F350 has plenty of room for the pin box mounted bike rack. I can carry 3 bikes with no problem. Bike appears to be touching the cap in the picture, but is actually several inches from it. Not sure if I can get a 4th or not. Don't know how much difference I am from yours.



(This picture shows right side up on my computer, but upside down on my phone. Have no idea why.)

[Phil P]

Hi

We tried one and it broke in less than 1,000 miles. However when I get around to it I will weld it back together and this time when we install it I will put ratchet strap from the top of the bike rack to the lower corners of the trailer and make sure it will not flex. Then add more straps to the bikes so they don’t move around as well.

Phil P

[h2ojocky]

I went with a pin box mounted rack and I get very little movement and can see my bikes at all times by looking in my rear view mirror. I have a short bed truck and can carry 2 bikes without any problems. I don't think I have room for a third. PS. I am using a platform type rack.

[Sundogette]

We have a Thule rack mounted on the rear of our rig. My hero did weld some additional rails to stabilize and strengthen the hitch.
We also add an extra tie down from the rack to the ladder for extra security

[trlrboy]

We have a Swagman XTC on the back of our trailer that seems to work fine. It holds bikes tightly with a ratcheting hook and then I use Velcro straps on the wheels and to brace it against the ladder. My wife drove behind me on the interstate at 65 mph and did not notice any bouncing at all. Side roads did not seem to have any problem either. We've had this rack on the trailer for 4 years with no loosening of any connections or any need to tighten the hitch receiver. Great product.

[sambam]

I carry mine on the roof of the truck. That is not for everyone, but works for me after developing a routine over the years. My bikes are lightweight which makes it easier. I don't trust the nether regions of my 5er to carry them. There is a lot of motion back there, and I like being able to monitor what's going on. The pinbox is an alternative when and if I get to a point where I can't put the bikes on the roof, but for now, this works for me. Additional bikes fit cross-wise in the bed in the front of the cab without impairing anything.