Bike rack for 2600RB

[more tired since retired]

Might want to check with etrailer.com. They have a wide selection of hitches.

 

[Imagine-r-Joe]

Might want to check with etrailer.com. They have a wide selection of hitches.

I think this might solve my problem.

I bought 4 of these bumper support brackets, drilled holes through the frame, and bought some hardened bolts (the provided bolts were not long enough to go through both supports and the frame), and mounted one on support on each side of the frame where the bumper is welded. Since the American made supports claim to be 25% stronger but cost twice as much, I went with the Chinese made ones.

Total cost: $76 for the supports and $6 for the bolts.
I did use the nylon locking nuts and washers supplied with the supports.

 

[Ynot4me2]

Double up eh! [emoji3] . I went with just the 1 pair.

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[more tired since retired]

I think this might solve my problem. View attachment 35015View attachment 35014

I bought 4 of these bumper support brackets, drilled holes through the frame, and bought some hardened bolts (the provided bolts were not long enough to go through both supports and the frame), and mounted one on support on each side of the frame where the bumper is welded. Since the American made supports claim to be 25% stronger but cost twice as much, I went with the Chinese made ones.

Total cost: $76 for the supports and $6 for the bolts.
I did use the nylon locking nuts and washers supplied with the supports.

I have a US claim. I have a dozen bridges for sale in NYC, San Francisco and Florida Keys. Those claims are the same as those claims for regrowing hair with the disclaimer "these claims have not been verified by FDA or any other agency:. My step son is a PhD metallurgist and has run tests on both US and Chinese metals (equivalent products but not these particular units) and found false claims about equal with US and Chinese suppliers.

 

[dkayak]

I have a US claim. I have a dozen bridges for sale in NYC, San Francisco and Florida Keys. Those claims are the same as those claims for regrowing hair with the disclaimer "these claims have not been verified by FDA or any other agency:. My step son is a PhD metallurgist and has run tests on both US and Chinese metals (equivalent products but not these particular units) and found false claims about equal with US and Chinese suppliers.

I’m just a BS Metallurgist but have assessed steel producers all over the world. Even a cursory look at these brackets says they’re cut from very ordinary flat rolled steel of the sort produced en masse everywhere on earth. They just stiffen up the joint, avoiding fatigue of the welds by reducing the strain and deflection the welds experience. Please note: heat treatment, hardness, and strength have absolutely no effect on stiffness. Higher strength brackets would only serve to prevent yielding or fatigue of the bracket itself. When you double up on brackets, you’ve doubled the stiffening effect that protects the welds, a pretty effective idea but probably unnecessary.

 

[dkayak]

Here’s the ultimate hitch mounted bike rack, announced this week but not available until next year. Now I have a reason to upgrade my trusty 2008 vintage Thule T2. The Küat Piston Pro X Hitch Rack Has No Equal

 

[bshgto]

After reading all the posts this is exactly why I follow no one that has anything hanging off the back of their camper.
But you do know you don`t HAVE to use a "bike rack" to carry bikes or your E- bikes I wonder why people are suck on that issue. My E-bikes are 65 lbs each and I use a light-duty motor cycle carrier that`s rated at 400 lbs and can be used on the Space Shuttle if you want. A little heavy, 40lbs, but nothing my wife and I can`t handle to side it into the 2" receiver, they have a 3/16" carrier tube twice or better than the average bike rack which is the part that fails from the bouncing. They come with a ramp too so no trying to pick them up you just walk them up the ramp using the electric motor. The traveling public will thank you.
Look up motorcycle carriers for 2" receivers, only about 50 examples. Remember most of the current bike racks are cheap metals or plastics made lightweight enough for a female to handle or they would loose 1/2 their customers hence they break at the slightest stress. I`m not sure I would spend 1300 dollars on one when there are many other alternatives out there.

 

[dkayak]

Remember most of the current bike racks are cheap metals or plastics made lightweight enough for a female to handle or they would loose 1/2 their customers hence they break at the slightest stress. I`m not sure I would spend 1300 dollars on one when there are many other alternatives out there.

That's what a hundred bucks or two buys. In addition to being weak and wobbly, most don't secure the bikes enough to prevent them from swinging around, banging each other up and adding stresses to the rack itself.

OTOH, the mainstream hitch mounted racks like the Thule, Yakima, etc are seriously overbuilt, have anti-wobble receivers, and prevent event the slightest bit of bike movement. However, they've never been cheap. IIRC I paid nearly $500 for my Thule T2 way back in 2008. It weighs 50 lb and anyone who rear ends it is in for whole lot of damage! It happily rides in a receiver extension behind the spare tire on our Jeep Rubicon, even on the worst roads. We carry only two bikes at a time, with each bike weighing between 18 and 23 lb. Most similar racks today sell for about $700, so this $1300 "super rack" is the outlier, although it's going to be sold in a $950 version too.

As a rule of thumb, it's good to think twice about the ratio of bike weight to rack weight. Putting 100 lb of E-bikes on a 30 lb rack is probably a really bad idea regardless of the rack's capacity rating. Putting 40 lb of bikes on a 50 lb rack gives you a nice margin of error.

 

[bshgto]

That's what a hundred bucks or two buys. In addition to being weak and wobbly, most don't secure the bikes enough to prevent them from swinging around, banging each other up and adding stresses to the rack itself.

OTOH, the mainstream hitch mounted racks like the Thule, Yakima, etc are seriously overbuilt, have anti-wobble receivers, and prevent event the slightest bit of bike movement. However, they've never been cheap. IIRC I paid nearly $500 for my Thule T2 way back in 2008. It weighs 50 lb and anyone who rear ends it is in for whole lot of damage! It happily rides in a receiver extension behind the spare tire on our Jeep Rubicon, even on the worst roads. We carry only two bikes at a time, with each bike weighing between 18 and 23 lb. Most similar racks today sell for about $700, so this $1300 "super rack" is the outlier, although it's going to be sold in a $950 version too.

As a rule of thumb, it's good to think twice about the ratio of bike weight to rack weight. Putting 100 lb of E-bikes on a 30 lb rack is probably a really bad idea regardless of the rack's capacity rating. Putting 40 lb of bikes on a 50 lb rack gives you a nice margin of error.

Ok, but are the ones you mentioned rated for the punishment an Rv can put on it, I think that`s what we are talking about. Unless it says so in the specs I`ll stay in front of you regardless of cost or reputation.

 

[dkayak]

Ok, but are the ones you mentioned rated for the punishment an Rv can put on it, I think that`s what we are talking about. Unless it says so in the specs I`ll stay in front of you regardless of cost or reputation.

The new one posted in the link is RV rated. My old Thule is not. Please understand, I’m not encouraging anyone to do anything reckless. In addition, my observations go beyond RV mounting to racks in general. RV rated is a good starting point, but keep in mind a few things.

- RV rated means the rack itself should survive RV use, but the rating doesn’t mean your bikes, car, or RV won’t be damaged.
- A rack that’s not RV rated might well be among the more capable, but unless your background allows you to make that assessment, you should defer to the maker’s lack of a rating.
-Anti-wobble means everything, regardless of the rating or vehicle. If you pull back and forth really hard on a bike, nothing should move in any way except the vehicle suspension.
- Low purchase price doesn’t mean lowest ownership cost. I’ll sell my $500 Thule next year for at least $150, after having used it 8-9 months per year for 14 years.
- How much to spend depends on how you’ll use it. Shop cheaper for occasional use and don’t overlook used options in that case.
- Hauling bikes on a roof or anywhere in the wind produces tremendous drag. It’s invisible but really quite incredible what all those spokes and cables do. They’re like huge egg beaters.
- Four bike racks on any vehicle should be one of the premium makes, for me anyway. It’s potentially a lot of weight.

 

[jleonard]

Double up eh! [emoji3] . I went with just the 1 pair.

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So did I. Not sure how much help the outer bracket is, but I suppose it can only help.

 

[ExNihilo]

We use a Kuat Transfer( They are RV approved) for similar weight bikes on a 2970RL I had a 2600RB with the same rack. Find a fabricator to build a bumper for your rig. The one you have is not designed for that kind of weight. I paid about $1200 bucks installed and welded to the I beams correctly.

 

[Martywax]

Possible to share some pics ??

Hi ! I am trying to find a welder in my area and no one wants to touch it with a 50' pole. ... Do you have pics to share by any chance ?

THanks!

We use a Kuat Transfer( They are RV approved) for similar weight bikes on a 2970RL I had a 2600RB with the same rack. Find a fabricator to build a bumper for your rig. The one you have is not designed for that kind of weight. I paid about $1200 bucks installed and welded to the I beams correctly.

 

[ExNihilo]

Hi ! I am trying to find a welder in my area and no one wants to touch it with a 50' pole. ... Do you have pics to share by any chance ?

THanks!

It took a minute to dig through the hard drive. It's actually a pretty easy job the hardest thing is the size of the trailer for a work area.
I no longer have this unit but did do the same thing on my current unit. I appologize for the photo orientation.

 

[thenson]

I communicated with Swagman customer service and was told that the Escapee #66693 will work if the bikes don't have front fenders or the arm of the rack can be in contact with the tire and NOT the fender.
The note below is the exact wording from the email I got about the "Escapee #66693 " model. Also, I was told by someone from Grand Design,, that as long as the rack and bike combination does not go over the 350 pounds that the bumper is rated for, a bumber mount hitch adapter would be adequate... I recommend that you call or write directly to Swagman and Grand Design to confirm what I am telling you...

It holds the bike by the front wheels, instead of the frame, the only caveat is that it doesn't work well with fenders.

 

[Second Chance]

... Also, I was told by someone from Grand Design,, that as long as the rack and bike combination does not go over the 350 pounds that the bumper is rated for, a bumber mount hitch adapter would be adequate...

Don't believe this for an instant. 350 lbs. on a bumper mount hitch adapter is a recipe for disaster.

Rob

 

[jkwilson]

I communicated with Swagman customer service and was told that the Escapee #66693 will work if the bikes don't have front fenders or the arm of the rack can be in contact with the tire and NOT the fender.
The note below is the exact wording from the email I got about the "Escapee #66693 " model. Also, I was told by someone from Grand Design,, that as long as the rack and bike combination does not go over the 350 pounds that the bumper is rated for, a bumber mount hitch adapter would be adequate... I recommend that you call or write directly to Swagman and Grand Design to confirm what I am telling you...

It holds the bike by the front wheels, instead of the frame, the only caveat is that it doesn't work well with fenders.

The bumper is not rated for 350 lbs. The receiver on trailers is much more substantial than the bumper and is only rated at 300 lbs. Do not use a bumper adapter for a bike rack.

 

[Sborders]

Thanks. I am going to try the bolt-on hitch and my Kuat to carry our bikes on our new Imagine. If the bumper falls off ... then I guess I'll go to Plan B. The Kuat is so nice I really don't feel like buying another "RV approved" rack. Both our bikes are under 30 lbs so I am hoping the Kuat and bumper can handle them.

Additionally attach a strap from the bikes/carrier to your ladder.

 

[NB Canada]

Additionally attach a strap from the bikes/carrier to your ladder.

This thread is almost 2 years old eh