Stromberg Carlson Bike Bunk - Problems & Solutions

Urbish · 04-05-2021, 04:29 AM

I bought a Stromberg Carlson Bike Bunk to carry two kids' bikes on the tongue of my Aspen Trail 17BH.

The unit arrived and I began installing it on my TT. Before I had done anything permanent, I inspected the cross-tube which has a 2" receiver welded to it. Mine appeared to be missing two critical welds and a gusset.

Urbish · 04-05-2021, 04:31 AM

I contacted Stromberg Carlson with my concerns and they shipped me another complete Bike Bunk right away. This one was properly welded, but was missing some hardware. So I combined both kits and installed it.

Urbish · 04-05-2021, 04:34 AM

The fasteners that hold the mounts to the tongue tube are 5/16" dia and are rather flimsy looking. The heads on these should be 1/2", but some were so poorly made that a 1/2" wrench wouldn't fit while a 13mm would fit but was on the loose side. I ditched those fasteners and bought 3/8" yellow zinc grade 8 fasteners at TSC. Note that I had to remove just a tiny bit of material on some of the holes to get the 3/8" fasteners to fit through. I'm much more confident that these will hold up.

Urbish · 04-05-2021, 04:37 AM

I mounted my cheap Harbor Freight two-bike rack and feel that it is pretty sturdy. However, the bikes hang quite a ways forward and I can't open the hatch on my tow vehicle with the bikes in place. So I flipped the arms on the bike rack around backward. Now the bikes are nestled in place and are more vertically inline with the Bike Bunk rather than being cantilevered forward. I can get my hatch open and don't risk hitting the bikes with the tow vehicle during sharp turns.

Note that I added a bungee cord to the front tire of the rear bike so that it wouldn't contact the front of the TT.

notanlines · 04-05-2021, 04:47 AM

Having a sharp eye is what it takes in this world of Chinese junk. You done good fella. Especially at throwing away those flimsy bolts you talked about and replacing with the grade 8. An excellent choice.

**flybouy** · 04-05-2021, 04:53 AM

Talk about poor QC! I pity the poor guy who doesn't know any better and puts that together with an adjustable wrench and pair of pliers. That would have made a mess when it fails and ends up bouncing around between the tv and trailer.

Urbish · 04-05-2021, 04:54 AM

I like being able to see the bikes and if they're coming loose vs. on the back of the TT where they'll probably rip the flimsy non-structural bumper off (which is ALSO missing some critical welds, but that is another story).

I did a 30 mile test-tow yesterday and they are very stable. I did run two ratchet straps from the top center of the HF rack to the upper corners of the Bike Bunk to triangulate it for lateral stability. I ran a third strap from the top of the HF rack down and forward to the trailer tongue to put on a little longitudinal preload. They didn't bounce or move at all.

Urbish · 04-05-2021, 04:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flybouy

Talk about poor QC! I pity the poor guy who doesn't know any better and puts that together with an adjustable wrench and pair of pliers. That would have made a mess when it fails and ends up bouncing around between the tv and trailer.

Exactly. Putting the bikes between your tow vehicle and TT opens up the possibility of causing damage to both if something fails.

I'm pretty sure that if I fixtured the first cross tube and was motivated enough, I could rip the receiver tube off with my bare hands.

**flybouy** · 04-05-2021, 05:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urbish

I like being able to see the bikes and if they're coming loose vs. on the back of the TT where they'll probably rip the flimsy non-structural bumper off.

I did a 30 mile test-tow yesterday and they are very stable. I did run two ratchet straps from the top center of the HF rack to the upper corners of the Bike Bunk to triangulate it for lateral stability. I ran a third strap from the top of the HF rack down and forward to the trailer tongue to put a little longitudinal preload. They didn't bounce or move at all.

Having the rack close to the trailer tongue will provide the best ride as that's the pivot point. The rear of the camper can move a foot but the tongue won't raise or lower much and it will move with less "harshness" than the rear of the trailer.

jasin1 · 04-05-2021, 05:02 AM

Bike racks have been a frustrating problem for me.. with a fifth wheel some people may not realize that you need to get a fifth wheel approved bike rack.
Most of the good quality fifth wheel platform racks are back ordered for months. I just bought a swagman fifth wheel two arm rack and it made it 900 miles before one of the arms bent. Sent it back
Looks like for your TT you have a good solution

My next rig will probably be a toy hauler as ive found securing/ dealing with bikes is the biggest time consuming process with setup and takedown on travel days

You may also like: