Bicycle carrier for 5th wheel ??
- Thread starter IrishReb
- Start date
TXBobcat
Fulltime
I don't know if your Sundance has a Trailair pinbox you have a good start for a bike rack mount. If you don't have a Trailair you can make modifications to adjust the distance. Also if you have a short bed truck you could have a bit of a clearance problem. Check it out before you get started. BTW this mount is very solid and I carry two bikes.
This is the thread I started on a Bike Rack..
BC
This is the thread I started on a Bike Rack..
BC
TravelTiger
Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
If you have the square diamond-plate bumper, this may be an option. We like ours.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003YJK252/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1363867753&sr=8-29&pi=SL75
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003YJK252/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1363867753&sr=8-29&pi=SL75
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
happykraut
Well-known member
If you aren't able to build your own receiver hitch to bolt to the frame, I had a weld shop weld a receiver to the frame at the back of my last rig. It worked really great.
Lance & Jo
Well-known member
This is the second version, had the first mounted on the original Lippert pin box. Have used this system for 3 years now and works good for us. We do have a long bed and not sure about clearance in shorter beds. Suggest if you are interested just get some graph paper and draw your truck bed to scale, measure for the hitch and then use a compass to draw clearance circle. It's what I had to do to convince myself it would work in first place.
happykraut
Well-known member
I have a 2-bike carrier that bolts on to the square RV bumper. It is for sale.
We have a Sundance 3100ES, and we had a 2" receiver welded to the frame in the back. We carry two bikes. It works great. I would not recommend bolting a bike rack onto the bumper. It is unbelievable the amount of torque / forward and backward motion you get. It is good that the Sundance puts the spare tire under the trailer instead of the back bumper. That way you have room for bikes.
Dennis
Dennis
happykraut
Well-known member
I always carried two mountain bikes using that setup for five years without a problem.
Owenfamily
Active Member
Stayed tuned, I will take a picture this week of my set up for you and anyone else to see. I just welded a two inch receiver hitch on the back to carry my bikes. I can carry up to four bikes and they stay well put. I will also show pictures of my kayak on the truck as well as I am getting ready to head to the Mullberry Easter weekend with a group to do some class three rapids.
David
David
Earl_Max
Member
DO NOT TRUST THE 4" SQUARE TUBE BUMPER TO DO THE JOB.
I know it's real nice to bolt the little clamp bracket on there and move on.....but.....eventually metal fatique will cost you.
Maybe you will get away with it, but you will set up the next family that owns the rig for failure.
Bike racks need to be on a dedicated frame (receiver hitch). Anything less is a time bomb.
I know it's real nice to bolt the little clamp bracket on there and move on.....but.....eventually metal fatique will cost you.
Maybe you will get away with it, but you will set up the next family that owns the rig for failure.
Bike racks need to be on a dedicated frame (receiver hitch). Anything less is a time bomb.
TravelTiger
Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
Bike carrier with bikes weighs less than 75 lbs. we stand on our bumper to get on the ladder, and we are more than 125. Our bumper does not seem to be flimsy at all, but granted, it's build date was 2009.
We carried our bikes over 2000 miles last summer, and I even asked a fellow Heartlander in our caravan to watch them for flex. They said the bikes never moved.
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Earl_Max
Member
Static weight ( the camper parked in your driveway) and dynamic forces (4 bikes doing the boogie dance down Hwy 20 in Iowa) are two VERY different critters.
You might get lucky. But my 25+ years in the metalworking field plus first hand accounts of bike parts scooting down Interstate 80 tell me the real story.
For $100 in materials I know what I'm doing with my trailer in a couple weeks.
-Earl
You might get lucky. But my 25+ years in the metalworking field plus first hand accounts of bike parts scooting down Interstate 80 tell me the real story.
For $100 in materials I know what I'm doing with my trailer in a couple weeks.
-Earl
dave10a
Well-known member
Heartland offers a bicycle hitch option on my fifth wheel that could very well a legal liability. Many manufacturers of these hitches go out of their way to warn against using their product on a towed vehicle like 5th wheels or trailers. Some do not but they all a subject to the same metal fatigue. Towed vehicle have a side to side motion that's very low frequency (1 to 1-1/2 times persecond) that fatigues the steel from which the racks aremanufactured.
The fatigue first happens at a molecular level, but eventually (several thousands of cycles later) a visible crack will appear. Once the crack has formed, it will enlarge, finally to the point where the rack drops off the vehicle and therack (and bikes) impact the roadway. This is also a dangerous situation for whoever may be following the trailer on the highway.
There have been many incidents where the consumers/end user has not taken this advice and suffered disastrous results. Manfacturers like Heartland could have a legal liability and should stop offering these hitches and recall the ones that have been factory installed. Just saying
)
The fatigue first happens at a molecular level, but eventually (several thousands of cycles later) a visible crack will appear. Once the crack has formed, it will enlarge, finally to the point where the rack drops off the vehicle and therack (and bikes) impact the roadway. This is also a dangerous situation for whoever may be following the trailer on the highway.
There have been many incidents where the consumers/end user has not taken this advice and suffered disastrous results. Manfacturers like Heartland could have a legal liability and should stop offering these hitches and recall the ones that have been factory installed. Just saying
)
Last edited by a moderator:
Earl_Max
Member
If these are the same Lippert Engineers that designed the trailer frames and leaf spring hangers that I've repaired, I'd like to talk to them as well!
So, where are we with this discussion.....oh yeah......bike racks.
I run a 4-bike rack that I picked up on the road at Wal-Mart when my Yakima rack self destructed., The quality is surprisingly good and it's held up two seasons perfectly. It also folds down to avoid getting "clothe-lined" when walking behind the camper. I bought it for temporary use, but it works good.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Deluxe-4-Bike-Carrier-for-2-Hitch/10812001
I've seen two of the eight campers in my camping group have bumper failures in the last two seasons. You are at the mercy of the skill of the welder that sticks the bumper tube on the frame. Unfortunatly, not alot of time is spent in this area. Oftentimes from what I've seen, the welder has been set "too hot" and what should be weld is more of a quick burn through with very little filler metal deposited.
Combine this with the crazy dynamic forces at the tail end of your rig + some time and fatique = <FAILURE>
Some get lucky, some get better attention when built.
My last trailer actually looked pretty good, I still built a full receiver hitch. My friends trailer (same brand X) failed with two little girl bikes on one of the first trips.
I would just hate to see some motorcyclist getting hurt by a loose Schwinn sliding and bouncing through traffic.
So, where are we with this discussion.....oh yeah......bike racks.
I run a 4-bike rack that I picked up on the road at Wal-Mart when my Yakima rack self destructed., The quality is surprisingly good and it's held up two seasons perfectly. It also folds down to avoid getting "clothe-lined" when walking behind the camper. I bought it for temporary use, but it works good.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Deluxe-4-Bike-Carrier-for-2-Hitch/10812001
I've seen two of the eight campers in my camping group have bumper failures in the last two seasons. You are at the mercy of the skill of the welder that sticks the bumper tube on the frame. Unfortunatly, not alot of time is spent in this area. Oftentimes from what I've seen, the welder has been set "too hot" and what should be weld is more of a quick burn through with very little filler metal deposited.
Combine this with the crazy dynamic forces at the tail end of your rig + some time and fatique = <FAILURE>
Some get lucky, some get better attention when built.
My last trailer actually looked pretty good, I still built a full receiver hitch. My friends trailer (same brand X) failed with two little girl bikes on one of the first trips.
I would just hate to see some motorcyclist getting hurt by a loose Schwinn sliding and bouncing through traffic.
Consider looking at roof mounted on your tow vehicle. We have Yakima, a little spendy, but we have never had an issue and we full time (4 years). We see an advantage in that you will always have the rack with you to go off with your tow vehicle to do some biking. REI carries this brand.
al
currently in Kenai, AK
al
currently in Kenai, AK
dave10a
Well-known member
Who knows who is culpable, but one thing I learned while in school, is that the legal guys go after who ever has the most money
dave10a
Well-known member
The manufacturer, Allen mfg, of that bike carrier has a warning to not use this carrier on a trailer.
