Bike Rack on a Passport 2300BH..

[{tpc}]

So going on a trip tonight or tomorrow am and I get the call from the DW that we should bring our bikes (friends at campground earlier than us).

I have a 4 bike, bike rack from yakima that we have previously used on our truck, but now I can't...because the trailer is in the way.

So the question is, IF I bought one of those receiver's that you can attach to the rear bumper, would it be ok to do this on our passport? Or is something like that too heavy for the bumper.

FWIW, the bumper is already holding a spare tire on one side and the grill mount on the other.

My other choice is trying to put the bikes inside the trailer which I can only see bad stuff happening as a result. Maybe I could put them on the bed...but sneaking them past the center TV area and the wall I think is going to be a disaster, not to mention chains and grease...ugg.

Or we stop and buy fold up bikes along the way. I had hoped to buy a couple in the future, but apparently the future arrived this morning. Ugh.

[zuley]

There aree numerous posts in regards to adding a bike rack to the rear bumper of a TT. I believe the general consensous is that the bumper will not support the added weight.

[Watt]

I had the same issue with our four bikes; 2 adults and 2 kids bikes. After reading issues with bumper mounts, decided I didn't want to risk it.

My solution was to mount Thule roof racks for three of the bikes on the roof of our F-350. The fourth bike was small enough to lay in the bed of the truck without interfering with our fifth wheel. This solution works fine, with one caution; due to the height of the truck, it takes two of us to load the bikes on the roof racks.

[Wantoride]

I have a 23rb and also want to find a home for the bikes. I don't mind putting them on the bed in the tt but my wife is not on board with that! I have a hard cover on the bed of the truck, undercover brand, and to put the bikes in the bed involves taking the front wheels off as well as loosening the handle bars so the lid will shut. That leaves little room for other stuff. A welded receiver on the tt is not an option at this time. It's costly. I'm considering a roof mounted rack on the bed cover top. I saw one the other day going down the road only it was a luggage rack mounted to the undercover bed lid. How good are the fold up bike? I'm never getting ride of my mongoose but the wife doesn't care. Are the fold up bikes relatively sturdy?

[JRTJH]

Wantoride,

By the time you buy a rooftop bike carrier and a folding bike for your wife, you could have a welded receiver installed. Total cost should run about $300-350 for materials and labor. A good bike rack will cost you nearly that much.

I'd suggest taking a second look at your plans, hopefully you can find a simpler solution...

Good Luck,

[{tpc}]

Do you think there might be a way or something you can buy that would mount up over the tongue?

I'm sitting here looking at the front on the trailer and thinking if there could be a rack installed over the propane tanks, that would work out nicely. But I'm also thinking it might not be able to support the additional weight either? It does look stronger than the rear though.

As off the fold ups, our friends have a couple from CW and they are pretty well made. But you are talking about something in the neighborhood of $200 per bike. They seem worth the money though.

[bsmith0404]

You can build just about anything, anywhere, just takes a little steel, ingenuity, and a welder. But if you are going to go that route, I'd just take it to a welding shop and have a receiver added to the rear. A good welding shop will know what needs to be done to properly brace it.

[{tpc}]

You can build just about anything, anywhere, just takes a little steel, ingenuity, and a welder. But if you are going to go that route, I'd just take it to a welding shop and have a receiver added to the rear. A good welding shop will know what needs to be done to properly brace it.

Thats probably what I need to do. After looking at my friends unit and my unit (his is a rockwood), I see why he has no issues with a bike rack on his bumper and I would. On his rockwood, the bumper is physically welded to the frame that goes straight through to the front (he has no chloroplast underneath). On mine, at least on the one side I can see that isn't covered by anything, it is just bolted on, and the part that is bolted on is only probably 12 inchs or so at best.

I think if the bumper was attached better then a bolt on style bumper receiver or bike rack would work. Maybe its attached better underneath the chloroplast, but I'm guessing no.

[jrdoughy33]

I have seen those bike racks on the back of trailers fall off. They are not meant for trailers, they bounce a ton and eventually break off. There are youtube videos showing this. If you read the fine print they actually say not for travel trailers.

[{tpc}]

Ok so I am back to beating the proverbial dead horse on this. As the warm weather approaches (I think! Hope! it is approaching lol), I want to revisit this issue. Last year, I didn't think it would be a big deal to not have bikes, and for the most part it wasn't.

This year though, I'd like to have them. I've been researching threads on here and other forums, and conventional wisdom says to take it to a good welding shop (not sure how to find a "good" one, but I get it), and have a receiver welded on and braced properly.

However, two other ideas I came across recently hold some promise, though they also hold as much promise for failure as well.

First off, I've seen these receivers that have brackets to basically mount them up above the propane cylinders, then you have a receiver that is above them to put your bike rack into. Nice thing is you can see them. Not so nice thing is the additional tongue weight right directly there. Plus, one I saw at CW says only rated for 100 lbs. I'm thinking thats the rack and 1 bike at most. I'd need at minimum 2 bikes, but more like 4.

Second thing I saw was a curt front hitch mount that goes on the front of your vehicle. Then you basically have a front receiver, you put your bike rack and bikes up front. Again, you can see them, thats good. Seems like shocks would likely need upgrading, maybe other stuff up front. Plus you now are blocking airflow to the radiator and/or tranny cooler. Gotta be bad.

So that puts me back to the rear mount. Any other thoughts? Am I over thinking? should I go with 2 folding bikes in under storage and 2 bikes on a carrier (mounted somewhere)? With anything additional on the back like that I think I would want a rear camera of some sort, just to keep an eye on them.

I want to say I don't mind spending the money, but who doesn't? What I want is for it to be done correctly, so I don't have to spend money on repairs that wouldn't have happened if done right the first time.

[GT2400BH]

This year though, I'd like to have them. I've been researching threads on here and other forums, and conventional wisdom says to take it to a good welding shop (not sure how to find a "good" one, but I get it), and have a receiver welded on and braced properly.
.

Need a good weld shop ask a dealer who they use. They usually will give the name who they use. They want a company that's insursed and does a good job. That place is use to doing. it. Usually for few hundred dollars including the relciever

[jkohler70]

I do something much simpler. I put them inside the camper, wrapped in moving blankets to protect the interior from gouging. I lay one on the front bed, place one next to the front bed, and the other two near the dinette. I attache a bungee cord between the dinette leg and the bikes to keep them from rolling around. Easy peasy.

[Canukid]

http://www.upnfront.com/faq/

http://www.arvika.ca/index.php/us/

I have the Arvika and love it. Ours holds 3 bikes. Unit itself is lightweight. Bikes mount easily. We just installed it on our new trailer Passport 238ML (originally on our Jayco 26BH). Little pricey, I was lucky enough to find a used one. Hard to get in USA, only a few dealers carry them. Love having them where I can see them. And I personally got to run over a bike that had falling off the rear of a trailer. I would not put mine there.

[{tpc}]

lol more things to think about!

The arvika looks pretty nice, they have a picture of a 4 bike system on the front of all things, a keystone passport. Go figure lol.
Having the carrier built into the unit saves on a little bit of the tongue weight I would guess. I probably need to figure out what each bike weighs at this point and go from there.

How pricey are the arvikas?

As for putting the bikes inside, all 4 are mountain bikes of some ilk and I just don't see enough room in there. I don't think I could get them past the center console to the side of the bed, nor in between the dinette table and the sink. Especially with the slide in, very little room...you can't even access the other side of the bed unless you climb over it.

Of course the DW keeps telling me to "throw" them on the bed...and all i see is a greasy tangled mess in my mind...assuming I could get them there.