Bike Hitch Rack

Anything that goes behind your Chinook, flat, trailer, toys.
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Colorider
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Re: Bike Hitch Rack

Post by Colorider »

I never leave home without either a bike rack or a trailer. It makes getting in an out a pain. We have a Yakima StickUp (hitch mount 2-bike, tray style) and we can "skinny" in and out, but we typically just opt to go in and out of the cab instead. Less than ideal, but workable.

I saw a guy at a bike race with a Kuat NV (super nice rack) on a rear entry. He had put a hitch extender on his. It solved the problem of getting in and out with what looked like an 8-ish inch extension. I'm sure Blue can chime in on what that does to the rear axle weight limit, but I'm also sure that the guy I saw didn't do the math. We're always swapping one problem for another. The other down side to the extension was that his rig was super long. You wouldn't think 8" would make that big of a difference, but by looking at it, it was huge.

I'd be interested in front mounting my rack but wonder what that does for clearance. I suppose the real limit is the rear overhang but I don't really know. We do almost exclusively boondocking in the desert and sometimes getting into our site is less than ideal.
"Harvey the RV" - 1994 Chinook Premier, Dinette, 7.5L V8
deppstein
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Re: Bike Hitch Rack

Post by deppstein »

I'm thinking that we might want to migrate this Bike Hitch Thread to something more appropriate than under Classifieds...but not quite sure how to do that myself. So, will continue on down this road for now.

Blue--I have a 2" Curt Front Hitch that I bought from E-Trailer...plugged in my 2004 E-350 Super Duty Chassis to get the right fit. The Bike Rack itself is a Swagman Dispatch. Good for up to 45 lbs. per bike (with our Copenhagen Wheels, we are at 42 lbs./bike). I also like this particular hitch because it has a treaded locking pin that draws the rack tight to the hitch mount.
I am attaching some pics that show the bikes mounted without covers, with the Skinz Frame Covers previously mentioned, and then close-up of the empty rack itself. Couple of my own mods to note--looking at the close-up pic, you will notice that I dropped the top bar down from it's original position (indicated by the two now empty bolt holes), to rest directly on the main 2" bar that connects to the hitch. This allowed me to lower the bikes so that they would not interfere with the headlights nearly as much. To improve headlight visibility even more, I off set the mounting of the bikes by putting the real wheels (the one's that are covered and therefore have most potential to block headlights) closer to the center...as much as I can without creating too much overhang of the front wheel (which extends to just a hair beyond the wheel well...but well inside the dimensional width of the Rig itself. A second mod involves the use of the C-clamp seen in the close-up photo. This is a screw-type clamp rated at 2,500 lbs of torque that I use to further "snug" the bar that actually holds the bikes to the supporting fins of the bike rack. It works like a charm! Between that and the treaded locking pin, I have virtually NO SWAY goin down the road. Final mod was to cut the top bar to shorten it just a bit to minimize front overhang...couldn't do as much as I originally anticipated--realizing (before it was too late, thank goodness) that I needed to have the bikes extend out at least far enough from the front grill so that I could still open the hood without having to take the bikes off the rack.
Colorider--the rack as I have it set up extends 26" out from the front bumper, and has at least 12" ground clearance (I say at least because where Rig is currently parked I can't get an exact measurement).
Final note....I confess to having been a little concerned about how mounting the bikes would affect visibility at night--I'm happy to report that this has not been an issue for me. I have done a fair amount of night driving with this set-up, and it works well--though I did upgrade to the brightest bulbs I could get without going for a full retrofit. Also, overheating has not been an issue.
David
Attachments
Front Rack 4.jpg
Frot Rack 2.JPG
Front Rack 1.jpg
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Blue~Go
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Re: Bike Hitch Rack

Post by Blue~Go »

Good idea on moving the thread. It's become a super resource for future bike carrying reference. I'll drop Manitou a line.

Your front bike setup it sounds pretty similar to how I did my front spare. I have the Draw-Tite version of the front hitch, but it's similar to the Curt. Then I have the spare tire holder "plugged in" to the hitch receiver where you instead have a bike rack. The Draw-Tite also has that second hole so you can tighten up with a "J" pin. That is really nice (would drive me nuts if the spare waggled around).

The Skinz covers really look slick.

BG
1999 Concourse
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Chinookers
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Re: Bike Hitch Rack

Post by Chinookers »

For my bike I use a Swagman XTC rack mounted in a Curt 33055 front receiver hitch. Jane's Dahon folding bike goes in the Honda if we're towing or, if not, on the roof rack.

Image

Image
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Blue~Go
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Re: Bike Hitch Rack

Post by Blue~Go »

Cut it out, you guys: My front spare is feeling nervous!

The Swagman looks nice up there.
1999 Concourse
eporter123
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Re: Bike Hitch Rack

Post by eporter123 »

Has anyone mounted bikes inside the chinook? Mine is completely gutted and I'm thinking of a mudroom where the shower/bathroom was. Maybe with some wall mounted bike racks of some sort...?
Former owner of a 2000 Chinook Premier, V-10, with no Interior...
deppstein
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Re: Bike Hitch Rack

Post by deppstein »

Welcome eporter123....I look forward to following the build-out of your new "nook." As you will see, there are several people on this (most useful) forum who have done major interior rehabs that will help to give you lots of ideas.
To your idea of hanging bikes inside, I suspect it could be done...but my question would be "to what end?" As you are seeing via this Bike Rack Thread, there are so many good ways to mount bikes outboard that I would hesitate to take up valuable interior space (storage, bathroom, kitchen, new seating for the wee one) for something that doesn't really need to be inside....BUT, as my grandmother used to say "To each his own said the lady as she kissed the cow."...all of our Rigs reflect our personalities/individual needs--Will be exciting for all of us to see what you come up with.
David
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Re: Bike Hitch Rack

Post by chin_k »

Consider how valuable the interior space is worth, I would not keep the bike inside unless you are one of those people who bike is worth more than their RV.

I am seriously thinking about getting a front hitch for the rig. I am going to look into the pricing and see.
2000 Concourse dinette, on 1999 6.8L Ford E350 Triton V-10 Chassis
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Blue~Go
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Re: Bike Hitch Rack

Post by Blue~Go »

Thanks to Manitou for moving this thread from "Classifieds" to "Towing and Toys." Apparently it is not all that easy to move a thread, so maybe we can all help by considering where to put discussions and or taking budding discussions that have morphed (which they can easily do) to a new thread. I know it's sometimes hard to be sure how things will go through, and no one wants to be the Thread Police. Anyway, thanks Manitou for moving this one. There was just way too much great info to be buried in Classifieds. Even with search, I could see someone turning up the bike info and then saying "oh, but that's a classified ad" and never clicking to it.

*******

Well that answers my question about your shower, eporter :D I have considered putting my bike inside, on the "off side" (opposite the couch). So far I'm not super serious about biking, and also I'm currently towing a car so I have it inside the car. But if I were really into it, and/or had a super nice bike I would consider it. (Also I generally travel solo so there is a bit more room to work with.) Some bikes are like works of art anyway!

I've often thought the bathroom space could be put to better use, but so far I have left it stock. Even though I don't mind customizing a rig to suit me, I have to admit that with the bathroom/shower in a 21-footer being rather unusual (especially one solid piece and not a bunch of caulked panels), I haven't wanted to do anything with it. In a previous camper van I had a porta-potti that slid out from a low cupboard into the hallway (which closed off with curtains), so the only space it took up when you were not using it was the size of the porta-potti (small). That doesn't work in the Chinook though if you want to use the black tank, as you can't "slide" a toilet off the black tank flange. So instead I "luxuriate" in having the bathroom (although I would not likely have put it in as a blank slate RV). bfischer turned his into a ski/mud room of sorts, even while maintaining the bathroom/shower - pretty cool (he uses his Chinook for winter skiing quite a bit).

The tankage in the Chinooks is a real luxury (I presume you still have the black and grey tank?). Huge for its size, and nice for boondocking or touring if that matters to you.

BG
1999 Concourse
eporter123
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Re: Bike Hitch Rack

Post by eporter123 »

I'm one of those people whose bike is usually worth more than his car... Especially if there are a couple of us with bikes. High end mountain bikes aren't the best thing to leave hanging off of anything, so the inside storage is nice. Once we're at a campground/spot we usually lock them to a nearby tree/bumper with a cable. Not too concerned but you don't want them rolling off in the night when someone rolls through the campground...

I really just need to try to get a bike through the door and see how it works. That's my one gripe on the Chinook so far, the narrow rear entry. I've been spoiled by the barn doors on my ambulance. It really makes it easy to haul large items like a motorcycle, table saw, couches, etc.

I was about to start building my ambo with a switch to a east-west/horizontal bed layout. Unfortunately it wouldn't really have enough ceiling height to allow for a fancy "bike garage" but the Chinook would if mine was side entry. A gutted side-entry Chinook would allow for a nice bed platform for sure.

Some ideas of where I'm coming from:
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Last edited by eporter123 on April 4th, 2018, 10:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Former owner of a 2000 Chinook Premier, V-10, with no Interior...
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