Carrying eBikes On Bumper.

[traveldawg]

Who is carrying 2 eBikes on their rear bumper?

How is it mounted?

Thanks. I'm getting 2 eBikes and have to replace my current bumper mount bike rack for one that is heavier duty for the increased weight of the eBikes.

[jkwilson]

I would recommend against carrying any bikes on the “bumper”. Receiver mounted is the only way to go.

[sande005]

I've seen too many bumpers torn up/ripped off just from two "regular" bikes. E-bikes (I have two) are HEAVY. There is no other choice except to have a heavy duty receiver welded on to your trailers frame. Regular bike racks that are rated for use on an RV are rare. E-bike racks - even rarer! For the rack, always look at the specific manual for that model on-line before buying. That is the only place in most cases where you can find out whether a particular rack allows use on an RV or not. It's bad when your regular bikes and bumper fail, and get dragged down the road. For very expensive e-bikes, even worse!

[Second Chance]

The others have already said it - don't carry anything on a bumper!!! If your trailer already has a hitch receiver mounted to the frame, it should have a 300 lb. capacity (for bikes and carrier total). If not, see a good welder and have a hitch receiver welded to your frame. @sande005 's advice about the RV-rated carrier is also sound.

Rob

[sande005]

Actually, I'd be inclined to go much higher. Not an engineer, so if anyone has the skill set, please correct me! But wading into the deep end....

If the bikes weigh 50 lbs each, and the rack weighs 60lbs (Swagman's rack does), that's 160. But, that weight will be extending out 3 feet from the receiver, at least, to clear the rear. Maybe more. But assuming 3 ft, that is 160*3 or 480 ft lbs of weight at the receiver. But it is not dead weight - everything is bouncing up and down as you go down the road.
A class 4 hitch is rated to 600 lbs....is that enough to bear up under the banging and clanging?? I'd want to talk to someone who is a pro in this area. My gut is telling me it may be better to go with a class 5 hitch......

[traveldawg]

Actually, I'd be inclined to go much higher. Not an engineer, so if anyone has the skill set, please correct me! But wading into the deep end....

If the bikes weigh 50 lbs each, and the rack weighs 60lbs (Swagman's rack does), that's 160. But, that weight will be extending out 3 feet from the receiver, at least, to clear the rear. Maybe more. But assuming 3 ft, that is 160*3 or 480 ft lbs of weight at the receiver. But it is not dead weight - everything is bouncing up and down as you go down the road.
A class 4 hitch is rated to 600 lbs....is that enough to bear up under the banging and clanging?? I'd want to talk to someone who is a pro in this area. My gut is telling me it may be better to go with a class 5 hitch......

Thanks to everyone for the comments. They are about what I expected. And special thanks to sandy005 for the calculations.

So... now on to a solution...
The new Solitudes have a trailer hitch instead of a bumper. I checked RVTrader for videos and up close views at what GD is installing. It would be simple enough for me to have that type of hitch installed. Or better yet have some good 2" receivers installed on both frame rails at back and mount some sort of removable bike carrying platform.

Thoughts???????

[sande005]

A welded hitch is probably the best plan. You might call a GD dealer or two, to see who in your area they refer people to. Then you can talk to the hitch guys about how much "beef" is really needed. I've found that custom hitch shops really aren't that unreasonable in their costs. They very well might have (or can make) a tray style platform that can be used for the bikes, and for other things when going on non-bike trips, at a cost not much different than a specialized bike rack.
Others have mounted a receiver on the front of the truck, and put the bikes there.
Several companies sell mounts that go on a pin box or trailer tongue, so the bikes are actually carried on the front of the RV. Not as great a solution for e-bikes - you will have to be lifting them up and down. And I don't know if the specs allow for the added weight. But it gets them out of the way, and semi-protected, for travel.