Bike Rack Recommendation?

[fam5mel]

I just retired and wife and I are ready for more camping. We have decided to take our bikes with us. Never taken them before. Two bikes. I've researched hitch mounted racks and ladder mounted racks. Both have horror stories of bending and ladders broke. My thoughts are to purchase a rack to mount on the rear hitch. What do you guys recommend that will handle the bouncing and jostling of the roads?

[BreakfastinAmerica]

An advanced search will reveal several posts on this topic.

[suber81083]

We have over 5k miles on our lippert jack it bike rack. It’s just a pain sometimes to put them on it.


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[Gronk1]

I use to carry two bikes on the roof of the truck, but as I got older it got to be a pain putting them up there. I didn't like the idea of putting them on the back of a long 5th wheel, so I put a hitch on the front of the truck. Easy to put on & take off & they don't bounce like they would on the back. And you don't need to buy an RV approved rack.

[Second Chance]

These are RV rated:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

(Be sure to throw away the U-bolts and bumper mount that come with it - you only want to use this in the hitch receiver that's mounted to the frame.)

We've used one of these for six years and have had zero issues with it.

Rob

[RoJoSo]

Whatever rack you do get, dont forget to lock it to the hitch!

[Raife1]

We have over 5k miles on our lippert jack it bike rack. It’s just a pain sometimes to put them on it.


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I bought one of these after doing a lot of research and asking questions. I agree it can be a bit of a pain to get them loaded and unloaded, but it is strong and secure.

[openrangeowners]

Fam5mel - we have the same camper (2930RL) - I use a Swagman E-Spec bike carrier. It can handle 2 70lb e-bikes and can handle fat tires by replacing the wheel carriers on it. It is 5th wheel/camper rated (you have to remove the tilt pin and replace it with a bolt). It is very rugged and built better than any other bike carrier I have used (Thule, etc.)

It is very easy to load and unload bikes - the wheels sit in carriers, then are strapped in. There are two rubber-coated hooks that lock onto a center pole - one for each bike - that hold the frame near the center of each bike. The rack locks the bikes in place very well.

Swagman is a Canadian company - I had a prior rack I purchased 5 years ago. I broke one of the wheel carriers on it (plastic, my fault) so I called them to order another, telling them how I was responsible for breaking it. They informed me that my rack was discontinued because of a defect in the tilt mechanism, but they would send me the part FREE, and also they asked me what bike rack I wanted to replace it with. I asked if I could pay the difference and get the E-spec - they sent it to me without charging me extra (it did take a few months due to COVID and parts shortages, but I got it last spring and it is an amazing rack.)

I loved the previous carrier I had, but knew I could not use it on an RV, so I used it on my Toyota Highlander. The E-Spec is a beast compared to the other carrier - weighs almost twice as much and locks the bikes in much better. The only issue I had was that I had to turn the handlebars on the inside bike because they were close to my back wall when mounted on the E-Spec. Very easy to do on our mountain bikes.

[avf100]

These are RV rated:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

(Be sure to throw away the U-bolts and bumper mount that come with it - you only want to use this in the hitch receiver that's mounted to the frame.)

We've used one of these for six years and have had zero issues with it.

Rob

We have this one also. No issues so far.

[ExNihilo]

Glad to see you weight in on this. Your input is always valued. Saves me a question in a few weeks!