Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Keystone RV Forums > Keystone Fleet | Keystone RV Models > Fifth Wheels
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 05-25-2015, 04:43 PM   #21
Ken / Claudia
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Fruitland
Posts: 3,357
One would think bikes or other stuff mounted on the bumper of a trailer would be OK, just like mounted on the back of the SUV or car. Not so, since I have spend more time than I want to think about on the highways and freeways. This is what I see. Bikes mounted on the rear of cars or SUVs seem to be real solid. Mounted on the trailer bumper they bounce like crazy. Why? opinion at this statement. The trailer axles and pivot up/down points are many feet foreword on the trailer compared to the SUV, the trailer also will never ride as smooth as a car or SUV or truck. . If you pull out that bumper to carry anything grab it and pull up and down. Mine moves 3-5 inchs and it will move that much with most bumps in the road. They really need to be modified to be safe.
__________________
2013 24RKSWE (27ft TT) Cougar 1/2 ton series SOLD 10-2021
2013 Ford F350 4x4 CC 6.7 engine, 8 ft bed, 3.55 rear end, lariat package
Retired from Oregon State Police in 2011 than worked another 9.5 years as a small town traffic cop:
As of 05-2020, I am all done with 39 years total police work. No more uniforms for me.
Ken / Claudia is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2015, 07:18 PM   #22
orvlin
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Sparland, Illinois
Posts: 53
Rear bike rack

I took off the spare, put a Bal under belly tire storage. Well worth the money $80 easy to install. I have a swagman 2 bike rack. with a bolt on receiver.Never had any trouble.I have since had it reinforced since mine slides out. Cost $125 at welding shop now i have bikes plus extra fire wood or what ever you decide to put there with limits.
orvlin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2015, 08:50 PM   #23
mamawildbear
Member
 
mamawildbear's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Cedar Park, TX
Posts: 61
Quote:
Originally Posted by Festus2 View Post
mamawildbear -
I still maintain that the safest way to install a bike rack is to have a receiver-type that is either welded to bolted to the frame. Mounting bikes on a rack that is attached only to the bumper with U-bolts is, IMO, unsafe and irresponsible. If you read the posts in this thread and the reports of twisted bumpers, broken welds and "missing bikes" that should tell us something and we should all pay attention to what has happened to others.

If your friend's bikes are hanging from a rack which is held on by U-Bolts, I would encourage them to think about those folks that are following their RV down the highway. While it may "work great" and "didn't negatively affect the drive", it is unsafe and is an accident waiting to happen. It may not happen today or tomorrow but why risk it? Why put other peoples' lives in jeopardy?

Yes, I know, nothing has happened yet so why all the excitement?

Rant over.
I see what you mean. I'm guessing it's not the bumper or u-bolts that are that actual problem but that people are overloading them. I just searched for bolt on hitches on which to mount my bike rack and almost all of them say max weight 200lbs. I haven't weighed them but I'm darn sure my heavy bike rack plus our 4 adult sized bikes are well over 200lbs.
__________________
2015 Springdale 260LE TT
2005 Ford F150
Stay at Home Mom and Apple At Home Advisor
Camping partners with my Hubby of 22 years
Spud - 14 year old son
Mouse - 12 year old daughter
Pickles the Bagel Hound - 9 year old camping dog
(at home we have Hazel the cat, Gummy the Leopard Gecko and Lachlan the Hanoverian horse)
mamawildbear is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-26-2015, 05:53 AM   #24
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,839
Quote:
Originally Posted by mamawildbear View Post
I see what you mean. I'm guessing it's not the bumper or u-bolts that are that actual problem but that people are overloading them. I just searched for bolt on hitches on which to mount my bike rack and almost all of them say max weight 200lbs. I haven't weighed them but I'm darn sure my heavy bike rack plus our 4 adult sized bikes are well over 200lbs.
The hitch is "rated for 200 pounds" when installed on an adequately strong bumper. The problem is that the bumpers on Keystone RV's is not adequately strong !!! Remember that "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link". You could install a hitch rated for 200 pounds on the bumper, the hitch would work "flawlessly", but if the bumper it's attached to bends or fails at 100 pounds, it's still going to lay your bikes on the pavement even if the hitch were rated at 1500 pounds.
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-26-2015, 11:38 PM   #25
Jabber2Jake
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 53
Take off spare tire, then use bike rack?

I have a Cougar 292RKS that came with the slide out bike rack. I removed my spare tire from it and store the tire in the basement. Doesn't a bike weigh less than the spare tire? I read that one can drill a hole on each side of the bike rack slide out rail or tube so that it can be secured with the pins in a position closer to the back of the trailer without extending it all the way out. This will decrease the bouncing. Anyone done this?
Jabber2Jake is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-27-2015, 06:36 AM   #26
Festus2
Site Team
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Fraser Valley BC Canada
Posts: 7,015
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jabber2Jake View Post
I read that one can drill a hole on each side of the bike rack slide out rail or tube so that it can be secured with the pins in a position closer to the back of the trailer without extending it all the way out. This will decrease the bouncing. Anyone done this?
Yes I have but I've not been able to determine whether it reduces the bouncing or not. I can't remember how much "shorter" the slide out rack is with the holes in their different positions but my thinking was that if the rack was brought closer in, it wouldn't bounce as much.

Because of the decreased space for two bikes to fit, the handles bars of the nearest bike to the back wall were almost touching it. Some extra padding helped prevent any chaffing.
__________________
2008 Cougar 5th Wheel 27RKS
2005 2500 GMC Duramax
Festus2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates in any way. Keystone RV® is a registered trademark of the Keystone RV Company.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 08:47 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.